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Inventory Tracking

  • April 14, 2025
  • 1 reply
  • 37 views

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Is there any way to set up an inventory tracking system where someone can scan a QR code, and fill out a form of what they are checking out as well as checking back in?

The issue I’m running into is that its fairly easy to create a form with a drop down of what you’re checking out, but when it comes to quantity of what's being checked out, that's where it gets tricky, unless you create a sperate quantity field for each individual piece of equipment, which if you can imagine, you have hundreds of different pieces of equipment, that is extremely inefficient not to mention the form it self would have hundreds of conditional fields. 

What I had imagined is for example, I scan a QR code, a form comes up, I check out 5 harnesses, 3 lanyards, and 10 beam clamps and click submit. On the user interface, I can look at who checked it out, what equipment they have what department they are etc. When checking back in, they similarly scan a QR code and fill in what they returned. It then compares what they checked out to what they returned and lets us know if there is outstanding equipment. Is there anyone that has figured this out with Airtable yet?

1 reply

mtrebinonixon

Hi Bryan!

I would do a form similar as you mentioned, but instead of having each equipment type fixed to a column, I would have columns set up like this:

  • Equipment Type 1: -Linked Record to Equipments-
  • Equipment Amount 1: Number
  • Equipment Type 2
  • Equipment Amount 2
  • Etc

This way people can submit withdrawals, you’ll have a complete record of their withdrawal. And when they return pieces, in the same way, you can compare it to their last withdrawal.

And to calculate current inventory, an automation has to process every new Withdrawal and Return to create Movement records with the following fields:

  • Person/Team
  • Equipment: Linked to Equipments
  • Amount
  • Type: Return / Withdrawal / Loss / Addition
  • Date

And these records are rolled up in the Equipments table to calculate current stock. To start your inventory levels you would create the necessary “Addition” records.


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