Item History — Stock Transactions and Sales Activity
The Inventory Item form includes two history-related tabs that let you trace every movement and sale of an item. The History tab shows stock-level transactions, and the Sales History tab shows individual sales and invoice line items.
History Tab — Stock Transactions
The History tab displays a chronological list of every stock transaction that affected this item. This is your audit trail for understanding how stock levels changed over time.
Grid Columns
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Date | The date and time the transaction occurred |
| Type | The type of stock transaction (see table below) |
| Quantity | The quantity change — positive numbers mean stock was added, negative numbers mean stock was removed |
| Price | The unit price or cost associated with the transaction |
| Location | The location where the transaction occurred |
| Notes | Any notes or reference information attached to the transaction |
| User | The user who performed or triggered the transaction |
Transaction Types Explained
| Type | Direction | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sale | Stock out (-) | Item was sold through the POS or an invoice. Quantity decreases. |
| Refund | Stock in (+) | A sale was refunded and the item was returned to stock. Quantity increases. |
| Purchase | Stock in (+) | Item was received from a vendor via a Purchase Order. Quantity increases. |
| Adjustment | In or out (+/-) | Stock was manually adjusted (e.g., correcting a miscount, writing off damaged goods). Can be positive or negative. |
| Move | Out then in (-/+) | Stock was transferred from one location (or zone) to another. Creates two entries: one negative at the source, one positive at the destination. |
| Void | Reversal | A previous transaction was voided. The quantity effect is reversed. |
| ReturnCanceled | Reversal | A return/refund was canceled after it was processed. |
| AssemblyBuild | Mixed | An assembly was built from components. Component items show negative (consumed), the assembly item shows positive (created). |
| AssemblyBreak | Mixed | An assembly was disassembled. The assembly item shows negative (broken down), component items show positive (returned to stock). |
Pagination
The History tab loads transactions in pages of 40 records at a time, starting with the most recent. To load older transactions:
- Scroll down to the bottom of the grid
- More records load automatically as you scroll
- Continue scrolling to load additional pages until all records are displayed
Reading the History
To trace how stock reached its current level, read the History tab from bottom (oldest) to top (newest). Each row represents a single transaction that either added or removed stock.
Example timeline for an item:
| Date | Type | Qty | Running Total | What Happened |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 5 | Purchase | +100 | 100 | Received 100 units from vendor |
| Jan 8 | Sale | -3 | 97 | Sold 3 units at POS |
| Jan 9 | Sale | -5 | 92 | Sold 5 units at POS |
| Jan 12 | Adjustment | -2 | 90 | Wrote off 2 damaged units |
| Jan 15 | Move | -20 | 70 | Transferred 20 to second location |
| Jan 18 | Refund | +1 | 71 | Customer returned 1 unit |
Sales History Tab — Invoice Line Items
The Sales History tab shows all the times this item appeared on a sale or invoice. Unlike the History tab which focuses on stock movement, the Sales History tab focuses on the commercial transaction.
Grid Columns
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Invoice # | The invoice or sale number |
| Date | The date of the sale |
| Customer | The customer name (if applicable) |
| Quantity | How many units were sold on that invoice |
| Price | The unit price charged |
| Total | The line total (Quantity x Price, after any discounts) |
| Location | The location where the sale was made |
Pagination
Like the History tab, Sales History loads in pages of 40 records. Scroll down to load more.
Differences Between the Two Tabs
| Feature | History Tab | Sales History Tab |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Stock movements (all types) | Sales transactions only |
| Transaction types | Sale, Refund, Purchase, Adjustment, Move, Void, Assembly Build/Break | Sales and invoice line items only |
| Shows | Quantity change, price, location, user, notes | Invoice number, customer, price, line total |
| Use for | Investigating stock discrepancies, auditing all movements | Analyzing sales performance, reviewing sales prices, finding specific customer orders |
Tips
- Both tabs are read-only — you cannot modify transactions from these views
- Use the History tab to investigate stock count discrepancies — look for unexpected adjustments or voids
- Use the Sales History tab to review pricing history — verify that promotional pricing was applied correctly
- Both tabs show data across all locations. If you need location-specific history, use the dedicated Stock Transaction History report from the Reports menu
- Right-click the grid and select Refresh to reload the latest data