When an order is fulfilled through a connected sales channel, nobody picks bins in Katana. The goods have already left your warehouse, so Katana records the shipment and chooses the storage bins, batches and serial numbers itself.
Bin movements automation lets you decide, per location, which bins Katana takes that stock from. Match it to how your team really picks, so your bin quantities stay accurate.
Note: Storage bins are part of the Warehouse Management add-on.
When the rules apply
Katana uses the location's rules whenever it books stock on its own:
Sales orders fulfilled outside Katana: orders delivered through a connected sales channel such as Shopify.
Kits and bundles: when a sales order with a kit or bundle is packed or delivered, Katana assembles it automatically and takes its components by the same rules.
Products made to order: when a make-to-order manufacturing order is completed automatically because its sales order ships, its ingredients are taken by the same rules.
Kits, bundles and make-to-order products follow the rules whether the order ships through a sales channel or you pack or deliver it in Katana.
The rules don't change anything you assign yourself. When you choose bins on an order, or use Auto-assign traceability on an order card, your own choice is used.
Setting the rules for a location
Head to Settings > Inventory management > Locations > Storage bins.
Find the location and make sure Track inventory in storage bins is on. Read more about tracking inventory on bins.
Expand Bin movements automation.
Choose an option under Take stock from.
The text below the field explains what the selected option does.
The change is saved right away and applies to orders booked from then on. Orders already completed keep their bins.
Note: Each location has its own setting. A location starts with Any bin with stock, which is how Katana has always taken stock. If a location doesn't track inventory in storage bins, Bin movements automation is greyed out and Katana books stock there without bins.
Take stock from: the options
Option | Where Katana takes stock | Item has no default storage bin | Not enough stock |
Any bin with stock | Any bin, the bin with the least stock first | Any bin | The rest is recorded in Unassigned |
Default storage bin first | The item's default storage bin, then other bins | Any bin | The rest is recorded in Unassigned |
Default storage bin only | Only the item's default storage bin | Recorded in Unassigned | The default bin goes below zero |
Which option to choose
Any bin with stock: you don't keep items in fixed places.
Default storage bin first: pickers work from each item's default bin and top up from an overflow bin when it runs low.
Default storage bin only: every item has a home bin that pickers always ship from. If stock is missing, you'll see it on the shelf where it happened.
Example
A Shopify order ships 5 units of a mug. Its default storage bin is A-01, and bin B-07 holds 1 unit.
Take stock from | A-01 holds 10 | A-01 holds only 2 |
Any bin with stock | B-07: 1, A-01: 4 | B-07: 1, A-01: 2, Unassigned: 2 |
Default storage bin first | A-01: 5 | A-01: 2, B-07: 1, Unassigned: 2 |
Default storage bin only | A-01: 5 | A-01: 5 (A-01 goes to −3) |
Batches and serial numbers
For batch-tracked and serial-number-tracked items, Katana takes the earliest expiry date first, then the oldest. Expired batches are skipped.
Any bin with stock: expiry and age come first, across all bins. Bin size only decides between equal batches or serial numbers.
Default storage bin first: batches and serial numbers in the default bin come first, then those in other bins.
Default storage bin only: only batches and serial numbers in the default bin are used.
When stock runs short
An order fulfilled outside Katana is never stopped. It has already shipped, so Katana records it even when the bins don't hold enough stock. This also means inventory preferences don't block these orders.
The quantity that stock can't cover is recorded without a batch or serial number:
Any bin with stock and Default storage bin first: it's recorded in Unassigned.
Default storage bin only: for orders fulfilled outside Katana, it's taken from the default storage bin, which goes below zero. Otherwise it's recorded in Unassigned.
When you pack or deliver an order in Katana, your inventory preferences still apply. If they prevent negative stock, an order that stock can't cover isn't completed.
A default bin below zero shows the gap on the shelf where it happened. It usually means stock was moved to that bin, or put away there, without a bin transfer. When you record the missing transfer, the bin is correct again.
Bins already assigned on the order
If an order row already has bins, batches or serial numbers assigned, Katana keeps them and only fills in the rest.
Fixing bins after the order
You can change the bins, batches and serial numbers on a completed order at any time. To see each bin's quantity for an item, including bins below zero, open the item on the Stock screen. Read more about the Stock screen.
Frequently asked questions
Does changing Take stock from move any stock? No. It only decides where Katana takes stock from for orders booked afterwards. To move stock between bins, use a bin transfer.
Does it affect Auto-assign traceability on order cards? No. On an order card you choose the option each time, and assigning there never takes a bin below zero.
Can I use different rules in different warehouses? Yes. Each location has its own Track inventory in storage bins switch and its own Take stock from setting.
An item has no default storage bin. What happens with Default storage bin only? Katana doesn't take stock from any other bin. The quantity is taken from Unassigned, without a batch or serial number, so Unassigned can go below zero. To avoid this, give each item a default storage bin at that location. You can set default bins in bulk via import.
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