A goods receipt note (GRN) records the products you receive against a purchase order. Each GRN captures the received quantity for each line, where it was received, and any batch, lot, or serial numbers required for tracked products. You can receive a purchase order in full or in several partial receipts, and each receipt creates its own GRN.

A GRN starts as a draft you can edit. When you authorize it, Qoblex brings the received stock into inventory at the receiving location and updates the order’s received status. This article covers starting a receipt, entering quantities, capturing batch and serial details, authorizing the GRN, printing product labels, and creating a supplier return from a receipt.

When you can receive goods

The Receive action appears on the purchase order only when the order is Approved or Partially-Received. It is hidden while the order is a draft, and once the order is fully received.

At the top of the purchase order, the receive options are:

Receive: create a GRN from the line items and quantities you selected on the order.
With a Barcode Scanner: a dropdown next to Receive that opens the scanner workflow.

Drop-ship purchase orders show a separate Drop Ship button instead, described at the end of this article.

Before it creates the GRN, Qoblex saves the purchase order. This keeps line quantities, prices, and landed-cost distribution current before receiving starts.

Create a GRN

Open an Approved or Partially-Received purchase order.
On the order, select the line items you want to receive and set the quantity to receive for each (leave the full quantity for a full receipt, or lower it for a partial receipt).
Choose Receive.
Qoblex creates a draft GRN and opens it.
Review or adjust the Receive quantity on each line.
Fill in the receiving details you need (see the fields below).
Choose Authorize to finalize the receipt.

If you choose Receive without selecting any eligible line items, Qoblex shows the message Please select one or more line items to receive. and does not create a GRN.

The draft GRN carries the selected line items across from the order and stores the quantity received for each one.

GRN header fields

The GRN page shows these fields:

GRN N°: the receipt number, shown next to a Draft or Authorized status badge.
Receive At: the location where the stock is received. This is the location the received quantity is added to on authorization.
Shipping service: free-text carrier, for example DHL, FedEX, UPS…
Shipping method: free-text method, for example By Air, Pick up…
Tracking code: the tracking code provided by the shipping service.
Create At: the receipt’s created date.
Received At: shown only after the GRN is authorized.
Comments: free-text notes about this receipt.

GRN line item columns

The line table shows:

Product
Unit
Sku
Supplier Sku
Order Quantity
Receive: the quantity being received on this GRN. This field is editable while the GRN is a draft.
Price: the purchase price.

Use Columns to show or hide columns. The running Units Count below the table totals the units on the receipt.

The Receive quantity is editable only while the GRN is a draft. After you authorize the GRN, the quantities are locked.

Capture batch, lot, and serial numbers

When a received product uses Batch or Serial tracking, Qoblex collects its batch, lot, or serial details as part of authorization. Products that are not tracked skip this step.

When you choose Authorize and the GRN contains one or more tracked lines, the Receive Batch dialog opens before the receipt is finalized. For each tracked line you can:

Add Batch: add a batch or lot row and enter its Batch Number, Quantity, and optional Expires At date. Add as many rows as you need to split the received quantity across batches.
Auto Generate: generate a sequence of batch numbers from a Prefix, Suffix, Start number, and Count, with an optional Expires At date. The dialog previews example numbers as you type.
Bulk Insert: for serial numbers, paste multiple numbers separated by semicolons (for example SN001;SN002;SN003) and choose Add to create one serialized unit per number.

Choose Receive in the dialog to save the batch and serial details, or Cancel to close it.

The dialog validates before saving:

Each batch row must have a batch number.
The sum of the batch quantities must equal the quantity being received on that line.
If you use Auto Generate, the Count must equal the quantity being received.

On the GRN line, saved batches appear as badges showing the quantity, batch number, and expiry date. Select a badge to reopen the Receive Batch dialog and review or amend the details while the GRN is still a draft.

Batch and serial tracking is set up per product and used across Qoblex. This article covers capturing those numbers while receiving a purchase order; for how tracking works more broadly (turning it on for a product, expiry dates, and shipping tracked stock), see the Batches and serials guides.

If you cancel the Receive Batch dialog, Qoblex stops the authorization. The GRN stays a draft. Complete the batch or serial details and choose Receive in the dialog before authorizing again.

Authorize a GRN

While a GRN is a draft, the Authorize button is available. Choose it to finalize the receipt.

Authorizing does the following automatically:

Saves the GRN.
Opens the Receive Batch dialog if any lines are batch- or serial-tracked, so you can capture those details first.
Brings the received quantity into inventory at the Receive At location.
Marks the received quantity against each order line and updates the order’s received status to Partially-Received or Received.
Reduces the incoming (on-order) quantity for the received items.
Sets the GRN status to Authorized and stamps the Received At date.

Authorizing a GRN brings stock into inventory and updates the order. After authorization you can no longer edit the received quantities or delete the GRN, so confirm the quantities and batch or serial details before you authorize.

An empty GRN cannot be authorized. If authorization fails, Qoblex shows the returned validation messages at the top of the GRN page and leaves the receipt as a draft.

Print product labels

Choose Print Labels on a GRN to print product labels for the received goods. Qoblex saves the GRN first, then opens the print spooler for the GRN product labels. Print Labels is available on both draft and authorized GRNs.

Delete a draft GRN

While a GRN is a draft, the Delete button is available at the bottom of the page. Qoblex asks you to confirm, warning that This operation cannot be reverted. Deleting a draft removes its receipt lines and returns you to the purchase order.

Authorized GRNs cannot be deleted here. If you attempt it, Qoblex shows the message Cannot delete an authorized goods receipt note.

Create a supplier return from a GRN

After a GRN is authorized, the Return button becomes available. Use it to create a supplier return from items on this receipt:

Open the authorized GRN.
Select the line items you want to return.
Choose Return.

If you choose Return without selecting any items, Qoblex shows Please select one or more line items to return. Qoblex saves the GRN before creating the return, then opens the new supplier return. If the return cannot be created, the validation messages appear on the GRN page and you stay on the GRN.

See Supplier returns and supplier refunds for how returns are processed.

Receive with a barcode scanner

Choose With a Barcode Scanner from the dropdown next to Receive to receive using the scanner workflow instead of selecting lines by hand.

Open an Approved or Partially-Received purchase order.
Open the With a Barcode Scanner option.
Scan the products. Qoblex matches each scan to an order line by barcode and limits the quantity to what remains on the order.
Qoblex creates a draft GRN from the scanned items and opens it.
Review the quantities and Authorize when ready.

If nothing is scanned, Qoblex shows Please scan one or more line items to receive. The scanner path creates the same kind of GRN and follows the same authorization and batch or serial rules as manual receiving.

Receive a drop-ship purchase order

Drop-ship purchase orders show a Drop Ship button instead of Receive, and only while the order is not yet received.

Choosing Drop Ship marks the drop-ship purchase order as received in one step. On success, Qoblex shows Drop ship fulfilled successfully. and reloads the page. On failure, it shows the returned validation messages, or Failed to fulfill drop ship order. if none were returned.

Use Drop Ship only once the supplier has fulfilled the drop-ship order and the Qoblex order should be marked received.

Landed costs and the receipt

Landed costs are distributed across the received line items. Distribute or review landed costs after receiving so the costs land on the units that were received. See Purchase orders and landed costs.

For how receiving fits into the wider order lifecycle and which actions are available at each stage, see Purchase order statuses and actions.

Receive goods and manage GRNs