Module: Virtual warehouses

Executive summary

The concept of virtual storage is used in STOCK, if for a single warehouse (thus, for a stock on hand of a single item) we want to forecast sales for each customer (or sales channels) separately.

Typically, we deal with a wholesale with a several large customers (e.g., retail chains) and a number of small customers. Crucially, the wholesale does not keep stock on hand for individual customers.

The necessity of virtual warehouses is twice important once promotions for individual customers are at play: not all customers have a promotion at the same time. Then, the sales forecast must be separated for individual customers.

Functional description

Using virtual warehouses

Virtual warehouses are based on the following idea: for each item, there is a single main stock item used for managing stock on hand. It is for this stock item that stock on hand, safety stock and orders are created.

To this main stock item, “virtual” items are added and to these virtual items, sales are recorded. These items are used to forecast sales, but they are not used to manage stock on hand.

The main stock item can have – similarly to virtual items – its sales and its own forecasts.

Opening a detail of the main stock item (see the module Item detail), you can see summary sales of virtual inventory items as well.