When Excel inventory management stops working

Seven signs Excel has stopped working

• Two people have two versions of the stock file, and neither is right.
• One person owns the file, and stock stops when they are away.
• You hold stock in more than one location and transfers live in messages.
• You need batch numbers or expiry dates, and cannot trace them.
• Production consumes raw material but nobody records it until the end of the month.
• Someone re-types sales and purchases into Tally every month.
• You cannot say who changed a quantity, or when.

What Excel is still good for

One location, one person entering stock, and no production: Excel is fine. Do not buy an ERP to solve a problem you do not have. The moment a second person, a second location, or a bill of materials enters the picture, the cost of mismatched numbers starts to grow.

How to move without a big-bang switch

• List your item, customer and supplier masters and clean the duplicates first.
• Pick a cutoff date and count physical stock on it.
• Import opening stock and balances into the ERP.
• Run both systems side by side, typically 4 to 8 weeks, and compare figures.
• Cut over and keep the old Excel files read-only for reference.

What changes after you switch

Niruban Furniture replaced paper records with system-generated stock, sales and purchase reports and clear warehouse stock visibility. Each person sees only what they act on, and approvals follow roles instead of phone calls.

If you also use Tally, you do not have to drop it. Onebook syncs two ways with Tally so your accountant stays in the tool they know.

Frequently asked questions