Overview
Inventory allocation shows how one component is spoken for across open sales orders: what you have on the shelf, what is reserved, what jobs still need, and what is coming in on purchase orders. Use it when a job shows a shortage, or when you need to see which orders are waiting for the same part.
Where in the app: Inventory → Reports → Allocation View
Open: Allocation View
You can also open the same breakdown from a job Materials tab or sales order line via Reservation queue.
Summary boxes
| Box | Meaning |
|---|---|
| On Hand | Physical quantity in inventory (all warehouses in the view). |
| Reserved | Quantity held for open sales orders. Cannot be higher than stock you actually have reserved against. |
| Available | On hand minus reserved (floored at zero). |
| Demand | Total remaining need across open sales orders for this component. |
| On Order | Quantity still due on open purchase orders. |
Demand and Reserved are different numbers on purpose. Demand is what jobs need. Reserved is what has already been allocated from stock. If Demand is higher than On Hand, the Short alert shows the gap.
Example: On Hand 382, Reserved 382, Demand 1547. All stock is reserved. Jobs still need 1547, so Short is 1547 − 382 = 1165.
Shortage alert
When Demand exceeds On Hand, the panel shows Short across open sales orders. If Reserved somehow exceeds On Hand, a second line explains that net available is negative.
Short on a single job (in Job options) can look larger than the allocation Short for the same part. The job figure asks how many more units that one order needs given warehouse availability. Allocation Short is company-wide Demand minus On Hand.
Reservation queue
Each card is a sales order that still needs this component. Cards are ordered by rush priority, then materials needed by (required date), then age.
Typical fields:
- SO number (opens the sales order)
- Job number, reference title, and customer when linked
- Need, Reserved, and Short for this line
- Required date (materials needed by)
- Make rush / Clear rush / Move down to change queue order
Make rush moves this sales order ahead of lower-priority orders at the same warehouse so it can reserve stock first when allocation runs.
Incoming (POs)
Lists open purchase orders that still have pending quantity for this component, with expected dates when available.
Common questions
| Question | Look at |
|---|---|
| Why is Reserved lower than Demand? | Not enough On Hand to reserve everything. The rest is Short. |
| Why is Available 0 when I still need parts? | Stock is fully reserved. Create a PO or wait for On Order to arrive. |
| Which job gets stock first? | Reservation queue order (rush, then required date, then age). |