Qoblex can track your stock down to the individual batch, lot, or serial number, so you always know which units came from which supplier delivery or production run, when they expire, and where they went. This article explains what batch and serial tracking mean, what each batch record stores, and where those tracked details show up as you receive, sell, transfer, adjust, and manufacture stock.

After reading this, you will understand the difference between batch/lot tracking and serial tracking, know how to read the Batches & Serial Tracking list, and know what Qoblex fills in for you automatically as stock moves through your business.

Batch, lot, and serial tracking

Every product variant in Qoblex uses one of three tracking options:

Standard — no batch or serial detail. Qoblex tracks only the total quantity on hand.
Batch (also called lot) — several units share one number. Use this when a group of units arrives together from a supplier, comes off the same production run, or shares the same expiry date. One batch record can hold many units.
Serial — each physical unit has its own unique number. Serial tracking is simply batch tracking where every batch holds exactly one unit (quantity 1). Use it when you need to identify a single item, for example electronics or high-value goods.

Because a serial number is just a one-unit batch, both are stored and traced the same way throughout Qoblex. Anywhere this section says “batch,” it applies to serial numbers too.

You choose the tracking option per product variant. See “Set a variant to batch or serial tracked” for how to turn it on.

What a batch or serial record stores

Each batch or serial record holds the following details, shown as columns on the Batches & Serial Tracking list:

Product Variant — the specific product this batch belongs to.
Sku — the variant’s stock-keeping unit.
Batch N° — the batch, lot, or serial number.
Location — the inventory location that holds these units.
Created At — the date the batch record was created.
Expire at — the batch’s expiry date, if one was entered.
Available Quantity — the batch’s total on-hand quantity (all units currently in this batch, including any already committed).
Reserved Quantity — the portion of that on-hand quantity already committed to open orders.
Cost — the unit cost recorded for the batch.

A batch record always belongs to one product variant at one location. If the same batch number exists in two locations, Qoblex keeps a separate record for each.

Available Quantity vs Reserved Quantity

Despite its label, the Available Quantity column shows the batch’s total on-hand quantity, not just its free stock. The Reserved Quantity column shows how much of that on-hand quantity is already committed to open orders. To work out how much of the batch is still free to promise to new orders, subtract Reserved from Available.

Available Quantity is every unit physically in the batch. This figure does not drop when stock is reserved; it drops only when the units actually leave, for example when a sales order ships or a transfer or adjustment completes.
Reserved Quantity is the part of that on-hand stock already spoken for. When a batch is picked or allocated to an open sales order or a started production order, Qoblex increases Reserved Quantity so those units cannot be committed twice. Available Quantity stays the same at this point.

When the order ships or completes, the units leave the batch, so Available Quantity goes down. If an order is cancelled before it ships, the reservation is released and Reserved Quantity goes back down.

Where tracked details appear across your workflows

Batch and serial numbers are captured and shown at each point stock moves:

Receiving (Goods Receipt Notes) — when you receive a purchase order line that is batch or serial tracked, Qoblex asks you to assign batch numbers before you authorize the receipt.
Sales shipments — when you ship a tracked variant, you choose which batches or serials to send, so the exact units leaving are recorded.
Stock transfers — when you move tracked stock between locations, you select the batches to transfer.
Adjustments and stocktakes — when you reconcile counts for a tracked variant, you allocate the counted quantity across specific batches.
Manufacturing — production and assembly consume tracked components and can assign batch or serial numbers to finished goods. See “Lots, serials, and batch assignment” in the Manufacturing section.

Each of these operations is recorded against the batch, which is what lets Qoblex trace a batch’s full history later.

The Batches & Serial Tracking list

You can review every batch and serial in your business from the Batches & Serial Tracking page, reached from the Batches item in the navigation. The page opens at /batches and lists all batch records with the columns described above. From any row you can open Trace to see where that batch came from and where its units went.

For filtering and searching the list, see “View and filter batches.”

What Qoblex does automatically

Creates or reuses batch records at the receiving location when you assign batch numbers during receiving. If a batch number already exists at that location, Qoblex adds to it rather than creating a duplicate.
Reserves the selected quantities when a batch is allocated to an open order, increasing its Reserved Quantity. The batch’s on-hand figure in the Available Quantity column does not change until the order ships.
Reduces stock from the chosen batches when an order ships or a transfer or adjustment completes, which lowers the Available Quantity (on-hand) figure.
Keeps traceability linked by recording every operation (receipt, shipment, transfer, adjustment, manufacturing, and returns) against the batch, so you can follow a batch or serial end to end.

Batch, lot, serial, and expiry details are used inside Qoblex only. They are not sent to or read from external integrations such as Shopify, Xero, QuickBooks, or Amazon.

Next steps

To follow a batch or serial from receipt through to sale, see “Trace a batch or serial.”
To manage shelf life and spot stock that is expiring, see “Expiry dates and expiring stock.”

Overview