# Set up stores, bins and opening stock

Prepare locations and reviewed imports before a single controlled opening.

Source: https://help.smartfact.ai/manuals/storesflow/setup-and-opening

Review edition: 25 October 2026

Roles: owner, author, reviewer, supervisor

A new location is a place to record stock, not a stock balance. Arrange setup so that locations, materials, approved policies and physical opening evidence are ready before the supervisor posts the opening.

## Prepare locations and responsibilities

The owner creates stores and locations in **Stores and bins**, or uses the appropriate **Reviewed imports** profile. Check each location's code, name and type. Receiving holds incoming or returned material; bins hold stored stock; staging supports picked material. Assign actual people and stations before operational recording.

An author prepares the material reference draft and a reviewer activates its proved release. The supervisor sets home bins where required. Changing a home bin moves no existing quantity: stock remains at its recorded location until a physical movement is recorded.

## Review an import

In **Reviewed imports**, choose the supported profile and obtain its schema or template. Preserve the required column names and exact quantities. Files are limited to 10 MiB and 5,000 rows. Use **Check and stage this file**, then inspect **Review the exact staged rows**, the source identity, expiry and scope.

Review the complete original file if the screen shows only the first 50 rows. Enter a review reason, choose **Prepare this reviewed acceptance**, inspect the prepared changes and warnings, then confirm the complete exact source. **Accept this reviewed import once** applies the stated scope.

Location acceptance creates reviewed stores and locations, not materials or opening stock. Home-bin acceptance changes placements without moving stock. Material acceptance creates a draft for later proof and activation. Demand acceptance prepares lines without reserving, picking or issuing.

## Make one opening

The supervisor reconciles the physical quantities and stops the previous writable ledger for this stock scope. For an opening import, supply **Cutover time in UTC**, the **Sole-ledger declaration**, reason and physical confirmation. The opening is a controlled cutover, not a recurring method for increasing a balance.

A counted opening can use the normal stocktake observations and reviewed proposal. Explicit zeroes remain counted; untouched entries remain uncounted and are omitted. Do not invent a lot for a zero placeholder.

If acceptance is unconfirmed, load the source bound to the original request and reconcile it. Do not upload a second file to repeat an opening that may already have posted.

## Choose the profile and its authorised person

The location profile belongs to Owner. Home-bin, opening and count-observation profiles belong to Supervisor. Material, alias, conversion and item-level profiles are Author work, with Reviewer inspection. Demand import is available to Operator or Supervisor. Seeing the general import page does not authorise every profile. Location and home-bin preparation also requires recent verification.

Use the profile's own schema and template. Keep its header order and schema-version column; a file for one profile is not interchangeable with another. For a tracked material, an opening must identify an already-reviewed supplier namespace and lot code. If its expiry is supplied, it must agree with that lot. Have the supervisor create the supported lot identity on the material record before preparing the opening, rather than inventing a lot in the file.

Count-observation and CountBench imports belong to a current frozen count and follow [stocktake import review](/manuals/storesflow/stocktakes). The prepared preview binds the exact staged source and current facts. A stale or expired source needs review again; it is not permission to change the original file after preparing acceptance.

## Keep practice separate from opening stock

Where **Open the practice site** is offered, it switches to isolated example stock. Starting practice does not grant authority at the real site or start an evaluation. The practice site does not print or call an AI provider. Its **Reset the practice site** control requires Owner. Check the selected site before returning to any real opening or movement; practice quantities are not migration evidence.