Physical Counting is part of Inventory Truth & True Cost in Windward System Five. System Five includes 18 documented capabilities here — 13 in the standard set and 5 optional.
These 18 capabilities sit within System Five's 1287-capability documented set — a selection, not a ceiling.
Count stock with a scanner
Counts can be captured by scanning barcodes and quantities directly into a scan batch from a scanner attached to a computer or laptop, wired or wireless, with each scanned item validated against the database as it is entered.
Count the shop and fix the numbers
Physical Inventory Count makes batch corrections to inventory quantities, either as one large batch covering all stock or many small filtered batches, entered by hand or imported from scanners.
Never zero stock nobody counted
A count batch cannot be processed while any line is left blank, and the offending rows turn yellow, so no item is silently written to zero because nobody counted it.
See what the count cost you
A variance report can be run at any time before processing to show projected changes at average cost, and again after processing to show actual costs and the total adjustment value needed for the general ledger entry, sub-totalled by batch or category.
Leave committed stock out of the count
A count batch can exclude stock committed to layaways, work orders, holds, special orders, RMAs and items marked for deletion, exclude items already in another open batch, and pre-fill the counted quantity with the system quantity.
Count just the aisle you are working
Batches can be filtered by supplier range, location range and category among other criteria, individually or in combination, to build a count list that matches exactly the section of the business being counted.
Count stock with a handheld app
A count list is published as a CSV from the Inventory Report Designer with a fixed column set, loaded into a third-party stock counting application, and the counted file read back into a scan batch and applied to a count batch.
Know who counted what
Each count batch is named, numbered, assigned to a named employee and, in departmentalised installations, to a department.
Count the risky stock more often
Each inventory item can carry its own cycle count interval and last count date, so a batch built on those dates counts only what is due — a troublesome location every Monday, or fast-moving and high-value stock more often than the rest.
Flag stock that does not match for counting
When a clerk finds stock that contradicts the system, the item can be flagged for a forced count from the inventory record, and a setup option can force a count automatically whenever an item is oversold.
Count the same part in several places
When importing results for stock held in more than one location, a reference location code is applied so imported lines attach to the closest matching location, with one results file per location recommended to keep multi-location items separated.
Show who changed stock and why
Because the processed variance report cannot be regenerated, a Manual Adjustment Report for the day the batch was processed reproduces the adjustments and additionally includes oversold values not shown on the variance report.
Count on paper with no extra kit
The manual method needs no hardware or special setup: print the count sheets, count, then key the physical numbers into the New Count column per location, in one sitting or progressively for a large inventory.
Recount without losing the first count
Each line records how many times an item was counted, not just the quantity, so recounts are captured as separate rows and the scan batch each count came from is shown.
Hand out tidy count sheets
Count lists print as hard copy count sheets, optionally breaking to a new page at the end of each category or location, with the page break choice saved with the list.
Keep the count even if the batch goes
Scan results are held in named scan batches — one per person, device or day — that can be applied to a count batch, detached and corrected, and reapplied; deleting a count batch releases its scan batches for reuse rather than destroying the count.
Choose the count that fits the job
Count batches are typed as Periodic for scheduled full counts, Un-initialized for new product introduction, and Cyclic for rolling counts of part of the facility, with cyclic and un-initialized requiring Advanced Inventory Control.
Check the items nobody counted
Before processing, the system prints a list of every item on the batch that was not counted, so staff can physically check whether those items exist before zero quantities are committed.
Yes. Physical Inventory Count makes batch corrections to inventory quantities, either as one large batch covering all stock or many small filtered batches, entered by hand or imported from scanners. This is optional in System Five.
Yes. Each inventory item can carry its own cycle count interval and last count date, so a batch built on those dates counts only what is due — a troublesome location every Monday, or fast-moving and high-value stock more often than the rest. This is optional in System Five.
Yes. Counts can be captured by scanning barcodes and quantities directly into a scan batch from a scanner attached to a computer or laptop, wired or wireless, with each scanned item validated against the database as it is entered. This is optional in System Five.
Yes. A variance report can be run at any time before processing to show projected changes at average cost, and again after processing to show actual costs and the total adjustment value needed for the general ledger entry, sub-totalled by batch or category. This is optional in System Five.
Yes. A count list is published as a CSV from the Inventory Report Designer with a fixed column set, loaded into a third-party stock counting application, and the counted file read back into a scan batch and applied to a count batch. This is optional in System Five.
Every capability on this page is documented in the System Five capability index. Last updated 2026-11-05.