The Part Counting tool in Blackpurl lets you create and manage count sessions to record physical counts of your available part inventory. You can run random counts, cycle counts, or a full inventory count, and enter quantities by scanning barcodes, importing a count file, or entering parts manually. This article covers how to prepare for a stock count and how to set up new count sessions.
Important: Count only the available quantity of each part. Do not count any part quantities that are committed to a Customer Order.
If you do not have in-house barcode scanners, see Using a Barcode Scanning App for Part Counting for guidance on using a scanning app instead.
Before You Start
User Permissions
The Part Counting tool requires the Part Inventory Count user permission to be enabled. This permission controls two levels of access:
Enabling the permission gives the user access to the Part Counting tool.
A separate option within that permission controls whether the user is authorised to finalise a count session — that is, to process the adjustment entries against the relevant part records.
If you have accounting integration enabled, finalising a count will generate an adjustment journal that integrates to your accounting package.
Inventory Adjustment Category (Accounting Integration)
To finalise a count, the Part Counting tool requires an Adjustment Category. This category tells Blackpurl which General Ledger account to post adjustment entries to in your accounting package.
Review your existing categories and, if needed, create a new one using the following settings:
Type: Adjustment
Name: Stock Adjustment — then select the relevant General Ledger account
Part Counting Workspace Overview
To open the Part Counting tool, click Tools in the Blackpurl header and select Part Counting.
This opens the Part Counting workspace, which lists all existing count sessions.
1. Search List | Narrows the list of count sessions. Click into the field and type a count number or name to filter results. |
2. Count Number | The reference number assigned to the count session when it is created. |
3. Name | The name given to the count session when it was created. |
4. Status | Shows whether the count is Closed or In Progress. Closed counts can be reviewed but not changed. In Progress counts can be reviewed and edited. |
5. Type | The count type: Random Count, Full Inventory, or Cycle Count. See below for a description of each type. |
6. Count Date | The date of the count. When you finalise the count, this date is used for any journals posted to your accounting package. |
7. Created | The date the count session was created. |
8. Modified / Finalised By | If the count is still open, shows who last modified it. If the count is closed, shows who finalised it. |
9. Counted | The number of line items counted in the session. |
10. Cost Adjustment | If the count is still open, shows an estimated cost adjustment. If the count is closed, shows the actual cost adjustment amount. |
11. Delete | The delete (rubbish bin) icon is greyed out for finalised counts — these cannot be deleted. If the icon is active, you can delete the count session by clicking it. |
12. Create Count button | Opens the Create Count window to start a new count session. You will be asked to specify the count type, name, and date. |
13. Filter button | Filters the list of count sessions by Status or Type. For example, set the Status filter to In Progress to show only active counts. |
Creating a New Count Session
To start a new count session, click Create Count. You will need to complete the details of the new session based on the count type you choose. Three count types are available.
Random Count
A Random Count is used when you want to count parts with no specific location, vendor, or category criteria — a completely ad hoc count. To create a Random Count, complete the Count Name and Count Date fields.
Cycle Count
A Cycle Count is used when you want to count parts based on a specific location, vendor, or category. Complete the Count Name and Count Date fields, then use the Count Filters to select the relevant Locations, Vendors, or Categories.
Note: A single Cycle Count session is limited to a maximum of 24 locations.
Full Inventory Count
A Full Inventory Count covers your entire available part inventory. Complete the Count Name and Count Date fields, then click Create Count.
Tip — Full Inventory Count session preparation: Blackpurl will take a moment to prepare a Full Inventory Count session because it needs to collate your complete available inventory. Blackpurl takes a snapshot of your inventory at the exact moment you click Create Count and populates the session with all part records that have a non-zero available quantity.
After Creating the Count Session
Once the count session is ready, it appears in the Part Counting list with a status of In Progress. To open the session and begin counting, click the Count # link.
Note on running multiple sessions: Blackpurl allows multiple count sessions to run at the same time, but this is not recommended. It is best practice to start and finish one count session before creating another. The system will not allow the same part to be added to more than one active count session — if you try to add a part that is already in another active session, a notification will appear.
Next Steps
For full instructions on processing each count type, see the following articles: