Receive lets your warehouse team count a purchase order as it arrives: scan or tap each item, put it into its bin with its batch or serial number, check everything once on the Review screen, then receive it into stock.

Note: Receive is part of the Warehouse Management add-on. Pricing and plan details are available on our Pricing page.

Before you start

To start, turn on Receive purchase orders in Katana under Settings > Inventory management > Warehouse App, and add your warehouse operators. The app shows only what your setup needs. One device setting, Count into default bins, decides how bins are confirmed (see Storage bins).

Your setup	What you see
The location tracks storage bins	Each line shows the bin it goes into, and you can scan bin labels.
The location doesn't track storage bins	No bin steps. An item's default bin shows as a hint for where to put it away.
Batch- or serial-tracked items	You give each unit its batch or serial number: scan the label or type it, now or later.

Receiving goes fastest when:

Items with a fixed home have a default storage bin (optional). The app then suggests that bin, so the operator doesn't have to look it up, and in most warehouses lists the items in the order you walk the bins (see Row order under Storage bins).
Every item can be scanned. Add its barcode in Katana, or link the supplier's code: scan it once and choose Link as a supplier code.
Bins are labelled. A bin label's barcode holds the bin name as it is in Katana, for example A-01-01 (Code 128 or QR; capitals and spaces don't matter).
The scanner commands sheet is printed: ⋮ > Scanner commands > Print.

Receive a purchase order

Open the order. In the Katana Warehouse app, tap Receive, then tap a purchase order on the To do tab. Or scan a barcode that prints the PO number as it is in Katana, for example on a printed purchase order or the supplier's delivery note, or any item barcode from the delivery: that opens its order and already counts the first unit (if the item is on several orders, you pick one).
Count each item, into its bin if your location uses bins. Scan with the scanner, or on a phone tap the camera button at the bottom of the screen. With bins, every count goes into a bin as you count it: scan the bin before or after the items (see Storage bins). There's no separate put-away step. Mix these as you like:
- Scan each unit: every scan adds 1. A GS1 carton or weight label adds its count or weight.
- Tap an item, then use − and +, tap the number to type a count, or tap Count all.
- ⋮ > Count all rows when everything arrived as ordered, then fix the lines that differ. With Count into default bins off, the lines still need their bins.
Review. Tap Review. It shows whether the receipt is complete or partial, and lists every line that needs a decision with its fixes, for example Receive without a bin (the units go to Unassigned) or Don't receive. Here you can also add a note and change the Received on date.
Receive. Tap Receive into stock. When lines still need a decision, or extra units were counted, the app sums them up once more first.

The receipt then moves to the Done tab; a partly received order stays on To do for the rest. A colleague can take over a receipt from the PO list with the counts kept. To start over, ⋮ > Quit this receipt throws away the counts and leaves the order open.

Tip: Turn on Guide me (⋮ > This device) and the app prompts each step.

Storage bins

With Count into default bins on, each line counts into its Expected bin (the one the purchase order names), else the item's default bin. Off (the default), the app offers that bin, Put in A-01-01 · default, and waits for a bin scan. Bin first and bin later both work; each operator can work the way that suits them, though one way per team makes counts and bins easier to check.

Way of working	Best for	What to scan
Default bins	Items with a fixed home bin	The items only, with Count into default bins on.
Bin first	Putting away shelf by shelf	The bin, then the item that goes there. The next bin you scan starts a new line.
Bin later	Counting first, then deciding where to place it	The items for one bin, then that bin. Each bin scan closes that group as its own line; repeat for the next bin.
One bin for several items	Items counted one after another into the same place: a pallet, cage or receiving area	The bin, then Hold bin, then each item. Scanning another bin moves the hold there; tap Stop holding to go back to each item's own bin.

How lines work. The order you scan in decides when a line ends:

Bin first: the bin you scan opens a line, and every count of the item adds to it until you scan another bin, which opens the next line.
Bin later: counts collect on an open line with no bin yet. Scanning a bin puts them in that bin and closes the line. If the item isn't complete, its next counts start a new empty line that waits for the next bin.

Going back to a bin the item already has adds to that bin's line.

Count into default bins (⋮ > This device) is off by default, so every bin is confirmed by a scan. Turn it on for simple put-away where items usually go to their default bin: they are counted there with no bin scan. When something goes elsewhere, scan that bin first and it overrides the default.

Bin first, step by step

Scan the bin label. The list shows B-02-02 scanned · the next item goes here.
Scan the item. Every unit you count goes on that bin's line.
To put the rest in another bin, scan that bin: it starts a new line (B-02-03).

Bin later, step by step

Use it when you'd rather count first and decide afterwards where things fit: all of it into one bin, or a group at a time into several.

Count the items for one bin. The item shows 4 pcs counted, no bin yet.
Scan the bin you put them in. That closes the line.
Count the rest: it starts a new line that waits for its bin.

Scans out of order are never lost: anything still without a bin, batch or serial number is listed in Review before you receive.

A few more things to know

Which bin a count goes into, first match wins: a held bin; a bin you just scanned; the bin the order expects; the item's default bin (the last two only with Count into default bins on, otherwise they're suggested). So a bin scanned on the item list takes the next item you count, even one with an expected or default bin, and keeps it for that item's next counts. If counted units are already waiting for a bin, the bin you scan takes those units instead of the next item. A bin scanned inside an item is for that item.
To split an item over bins: bin first, scan the next bin and keep counting; bin later, count a group and scan its bin, then count the next group and scan its bin. Each bin gets its own line.
An unknown bin label offers to create the bin.
An item's screen shows how many are already in its bin and which other bins hold it; tap in N other bins for the full list.
Row order (⋮ > This device) sets the order of the items on the list. Bin walk, the default, sorts them by their expected or default bin name, A-2 before A-10. That follows your walk in most warehouses, where bins are named in walking order; PO order and SKU are the other choices.
If several items are waiting for a bin, a bin scan on the list asks which one it's for, or offers Hold bin.

Batches and serial numbers

Count tracked items as usual and give each unit its batch or serial number:

Scan the label. A GS1 label fills in the batch or serial number, the expiry and the count in one scan. A plain batch label names the batch; with nothing waiting it also counts one unit, except on weighed or measured items and lines of more than 50 units: there the label only selects the batch, and you enter how much by typing it in the count field, tapping Count all, or scanning a GS1 label that carries the amount (a weight, measure or carton count), which counts that amount.
Or type the number on the item screen.
Not at hand yet? Keep counting. The units show batch later or serials later until you scan or type the numbers, before or after the bin.
Serial numbers in bulk: tap Range… for a first and last number (each field has a camera button too), or Paste… for a list.
Expiry: tap Expiry under the batch and pick a date. Turn on Use for every new batch on this receipt to give the same date to the batches you create next. A past date is flagged but can still be received. Changing the expiry of a batch already in stock changes it for all of its stock; the app warns you first.

A batch is saved exactly as scanned or typed. Different items may each have a batch with the same number; when a label could be for more than one item on the order, the app asks which.

When the delivery differs from the order

A delivery can differ in two ways, depending on what the office put on the purchase order:

The order lists quantities only. You count what arrived and give batches, serial numbers and bins as you go. The only difference is the count: less or more than ordered.
The office already set the batches, serial numbers or bins it expects on the order. Most often the order names the batches or serial numbers, and the operator still chooses the bin. The item then shows them as Expected lines. Your scan confirms an expected line, or records your own reading: a batch or serial number the order doesn't name, or another bin. Review shows each difference next to what the order expected, and you choose which is right.

Only what the order asks for is received into stock. Supplier differences go into the purchase order's Additional info in plain sentences, and the order is flagged in the purchase order lists so the office can follow up.

What arrived	What happens
Less than ordered	The rest stays open on the order for a later delivery. Pick a reason in Review (Short-shipped, Damaged, Rejected, Other) to explain it in the note.
More than ordered	The app asks before counting past the order. The extra is noted with the bin it was left in, not received into stock.
A batch or serial number the order doesn't name	Counted on its own line, marked Not on the PO. Review asks whether to keep your count or the order's.
Units put in another bin than planned	Received where you put them, and noted for information.
The order changed in Katana while you counted	Review shows the change, for example now lists 4 pcs (was 6), and you decide each line.

Example note:

Brake cable 2 m (EB-CBL-BR2): 8 of 10 pcs received. Missing from the delivery: 2 pcs, open on the order.

Chain lubricant 100 ml (EB-LUB-100): received batch LUB-2412-852 (6 pcs), which wasn't on the order. Batch LUB-2412-851 on the order didn't arrive.

Barcodes and scanner commands

Scan anything on the delivery, in any order, without tapping a field first: item barcodes, supplier codes, GS1 labels, PO numbers, bin labels, batch and serial numbers. It isn't limited to barcodes saved in Katana: a label that prints the value itself, such as a PO number, SKU, bin name or batch number, is understood wherever that value fits. A code the app doesn't know opens Not recognised, which offers it as a new batch or serial number, a supplier code to link, a new bin, or Ignore.

	Hardware scanner	Phone camera
Barcode types	Any type the scanner reads	Code 128, EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A, UPC-E, Code 39, ITF, QR, DataMatrix
GS1 labels	GS1-128, GS1 DataMatrix, GS1 QR, GS1 DataBar, DotCode	GS1-128, GS1 DataMatrix, GS1 QR

Items bought in packs or other units. The app counts in the unit the purchase order row uses, and Katana converts it to the stock unit when you receive. For example, cable ties are stocked in pcs but bought in bags of 100, and the order asks for 2 bags:

A scan of the item's barcode or a linked supplier code adds 1 bag (100 pcs).
A GS1 carton label with a count of 200 adds 200 pcs, so 2 bags.
A barcode printed on a single tie also adds a whole bag, so scan the label on the bag or the carton.

Receiving 2 bags puts 200 pcs into stock. A row in the item's own unit counts 1 per scan as usual. Supplier codes in Katana aren't tied to a unit of measure, so a linked supplier code always counts one of the unit the order row uses: a code from the supplier's single piece and one from its box can't count differently. A GS1 weight or measure label is converted to the row's unit too, for example a label in kg on an item kept in g.

Scanner commands. Print the sheet from the app: ⋮ > Scanner commands > Print. Each code presses the button with the same name on the screen, so a scanner covers the whole job: Count all, Quantity with the digits and OK, Undo, Hold bin, Stop holding, Next item, Back, OK, Review, and Receive into stock (scan it twice). The Bins codes print only where the location tracks bins.

Setting up a scanner for GS1 labels. For the most reliable reading, turn on two settings: the AIM symbology identifier (marks a barcode as GS1) and sending the group separator (GS / FNC1, or ~ or | if it can't). On a Zebra device in DataWedge: set Code ID type to AIM under Scan params, turn on Send control characters as events and Send ENTER key under Keystroke output. Other brands name these settings differently; check your device provider's guide. The phone camera needs no setup.

If a label is read wrongly, send a photo of it to Katana Support: we keep improving how labels are read.

Fixing a mistake

Nothing is final until you receive.

Undo the last change: ⋮ > Undo, or scan Undo on the commands sheet. It names what it takes back, for example Undo: Brake cable 2 m +1 into A-01-01 (default).
Correct a count: open the item and tap −, or type the right number.
Move units to another bin: open the item, tap Edit on their line, then Move.
Start an item over: item ⋮ > Clear this row. It opens again in its own bin; Undo brings everything back.
Add a note: item ⋮ > Note for this row, or Add a note in Review. Both go into the purchase order's note.
Print labels for what you received, any time: Print labels on the message after receiving, or ⋮ on the done receipt.

Frequently asked questions

Can operators see prices? No. The app shows what to count and where to put it.

Where do I see what was received? On the purchase order in Katana: each received row shows its bin, batch or serial numbers and who received it.

Can two people count one delivery? One receipt per purchase order is in progress at a time, so a delivery is never received twice. A colleague can take it over with the counts kept.

What if the connection drops? Keep counting. Changes are kept on the device and sent when the connection is back. Receiving into stock, creating a bin and taking over a receipt need a connection.

Your feedback is invaluable. Let us know your thoughts on this article or anything in Katana you'd like to see improved: [email protected]

Receive purchase orders in the Katana Warehouse app