Updating issue requests is a warehouse function that retroactively issues stock for issue slips that were created when there wasn't enough stock on hand. This article describes what an issue request is, when to run the function, how it affects your accounting, and what to do if it fails.

By default, ABRA Flexi does not create issue requests: if there are not enough units in stock, creating the issue slip ends with an error.

You can enable the generation of issue requests in Settings › Modules › Goods by selecting the Allow generation of issue requests option.

An issue request is an issue slip item that has not been issued from stock. It is created when an issue slip is created at a time when there is not enough stock of the goods (for example, because of invoicing).

In the issue slip items, you can recognize it by a zero value in the Quantity column and a zero price. At the same time, the Stock card - Available quantity column shows a negative value.

Until they are updated, the accounting value of issue requests is 0. You can therefore also recognize them by the zero value, although this is not necessarily a reliable indicator.

On the stock card, the quantity of issue requests appears in the Requests (UoM) field and in the Stock level in UoM with requests field.

If multiple requests exist, they are settled from the oldest to the newest. Received goods therefore always cover the oldest outstanding request first.

If you sell into negative stock, that is, you issue invoices even for goods you don't currently have in stock, run the update ideally with every goods receipt. This keeps the stock level continuously reconciled and prevents requests from piling up.

In addition, check the status of requests before the end of the accounting period:

You can find the function in the Stock cards and Receipts/Issue slips sections and in the list of warehouses. In each case, it is in the footer of the list under the three-dot icon (More functions) as Update issue requests.

We will demonstrate how a request is created and then settled using the update with a simple example.

The stock card shows a stock level of 0 UoM, and we need to issue an invoice with an automatically created issue slip. We create the invoice item as usual; the web application does not warn about insufficient stock when the item is added.

Saving the invoice automatically creates an issue slip, and because the goods are not in stock, an issue request is created as well. On the stock card, we see a value of 1 in the Requests (UoM) field and a value of -1 in the Stock level in UoM with requests field (see the image in the previous section). The price per UoM of the request is 0.

Now the goods arrive in the warehouse. We create a goods receipt for 1 unit.

After saving it, we see a positive value on the stock card in both the Stock level in UoM field and the Requests (UoM) field.

In our case, however, the desired state is 0 in both fields, because in reality there are 0 units in stock.

So we run the issue request update.

When it finishes, the stock card will show the following values.

The issue slip item has now been issued from stock: it has a quantity of 1 and a price taken from the warehouse.

Updating issue requests is not an accounting-neutral operation. As long as a request is pending, its accounting value is 0. Only the update turns it into an actual issue with a price, and that price is then reflected in your accounting.

How large the impact is depends on what precedes the update.

If you receive 5 units into stock and use them to settle 5 requests, the receipt and the issue cancel each other out in value, and the resulting impact on your accounting is zero.

If you account for inventory using method A, entries corresponding to these movements will be added to your accounting. The balance does not change, but you will see the entries in reports, which may not always be desirable. With method B, no entries are added, unless you subsequently adjust the one-off entry at the end of the year.

In this case, the impact is clear-cut. The value of inventory decreases by the value of the issued goods, all at once, at the moment of the update.

If issue requests are not being fulfilled in the current period and you are sure you have enough units in stock to settle them, it means you have outstanding requests from past periods. They must be settled in the period in which they arose.

If an unsettled request remains on a stock card, stock recalculation will not remove it. Recalculation works with prices; requests are settled exclusively by this function.

The update modifies documents in the period in which the request arose. If a document is locked, the function fails. You have three options:

Stocktaking takes requests into account (it increases the number of system stock levels by the issue requests). For better stocktaking results, however, we recommend settling issue requests before stocktaking.

All requests should be settled before you initialize the following accounting period. ABRA Flexi cannot fulfill issue requests from the previous accounting period with a goods receipt in the following one.

A reservation takes priority over an issue request.

Because the update turns a request with a zero value into an actual issue with a price. If you already had the goods in stock earlier, the value of inventory decreases by the value of the issued goods. This is described in detail in the section Accounting impact of the update.

From the oldest to the newest. You cannot choose which request is covered first.

No. Stock recalculation works only with prices. Requests are settled exclusively by the issue request update.

No, as long as the document is locked, the function fails. Options for resolving this are described in the section The update reports a locked document.

No. Requests must be settled in the period in which they arose, and the result must be carried over to subsequent periods by initialization.

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