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Physical Inventory Order - What processes update the Qty. Expected (Base) field?

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I am trying to understand what updates the Qty Expected Base field in the lines of a physical inventory order.

1. Item ABC has a qty on hand of 10.

2. I create a physical inventory order and include the qty. expected. I see a line in the journal for item ABC with a Qty Expected (Base) of 10.

3. I post a negative item journal adjustment of 1, so now I have 9 on hand.

4. I click the /Calculate Expected Qty./ in the physical inventory order and expect the Qty Expected Base to change to 9, but it stays at 10.

What transaction types make up that Qty. Expected (Base) value?

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Dynamics 365 Business Central

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Jun Wang 8,210 Moderator on at

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What is the setup of the location for item ABC? Did you set the direct put away and pick to Yes or NO?

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Jainam M. Kothari 15,829 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hello,

The Qty. Expected (Base) field in a Physical Inventory Order reflects the inventory quantity at the time the order lines were created using "Calculate Lines" or "Calculate Expected Qty."

It does not update automatically if inventory changes later (e.g., through item journal adjustments).

To refresh this value and reflect current inventory, you must delete the existing lines and recalculate them.

May this can help : https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/inventory-how-count-inventory-with-documents

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Jeffrey Bulanadi 9,112 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hi,

You're asking what drives the value in the Qty. Expected (Base) field on a Physical Inventory Order, and why it doesn’t update after posting a negative item journal. Your example is spot on, and the behavior you're seeing is expected based on how BC handles inventory snapshots.

Let’s break it down:

1. Qty. Expected (Base) is set during line creation
When you run Calculate Lines on a Physical Inventory Order, BC captures the current on-hand quantity as the expected value. This snapshot is static—it doesn’t auto-refresh unless you explicitly recalculate.

In your case, the system captured 10 units when the order was created

This value remains unchanged even if inventory changes afterward

2. Posting an item journal does not auto-update the order
Posting a negative adjustment (e.g., reducing stock from 10 to 9) updates the Item Ledger Entry, but it does not retroactively update the Qty. Expected (Base) on existing Physical Inventory Orders.

The Physical Inventory Order is designed to reflect what the system expected at the time of planning

This ensures consistency during the count process, especially when multiple recordings are involved

3. Use “Calculate Expected Qty.” to refresh the snapshot
To update the Qty. Expected (Base) after transactions, you need to run Calculate Expected Qty. on the Physical Inventory Order.

This action recalculates the expected quantity based on current inventory

However, it only updates lines where the Qty. Exp. Calc. checkbox is selected

If the checkbox is not selected, the line will retain its original value

4. Transaction types that affect Qty. Expected (Base)
The expected quantity is based on Item Ledger Entries at the time of calculation. This includes:

Posted sales and purchase transactions

Item journals (positive/negative adjustments)

Transfer orders

Assembly or production outputs/consumption

Any other transaction that affects on-hand inventory

But again, these only affect the Qty. Expected (Base) if you recalculate the lines.

Here’s a helpful link showing how to manage Physical Inventory Orders and expected quantity logic:

Count and adjust inventory – Microsoft Learn
How to Use Physical Inventory Orders – Encore Business Solutions
Inventory Adjustment and Count – UseDynamics

If you find this helpful, feel free to mark this as the suggested or verified answer.

Cheers
Jeffrey

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Ahmad Subhani 660 on at

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Hi,

If you are using the Advance Warehousing then this Process will not going to be run like that.

The Quantity Expected (base) field in a Physical Inventory Order Page reflects the Inventory Quantity at the time when the order lines were created using the Calculated line Option.

Mark the Answer as Verified if this is Helpful.

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DAnny3211 11,417 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hi,

The Qty. Expected (Base) field in a Physical Inventory Order line is populated when you run the "Calculate Expected Qty." function, and it reflects the quantity on hand at the time the calculation is executed. However, once calculated, this value is not automatically updated if inventory levels change afterward.

In your scenario:

You created the physical inventory order and ran "Calculate Expected Qty." when the on-hand quantity was 10 → the field was set to 10.

You then posted a negative adjustment of 1, reducing the on-hand quantity to 9.

When you clicked "Calculate Expected Qty." again, the field did not update — this is expected behavior because the system does not overwrite the previously calculated expected quantity unless you delete and re-add the line, or manually clear and recalculate.

To reflect the updated inventory:

You can delete the existing line and re-run "Calculate Expected Qty." to refresh the value.

Alternatively, you can manually update the Qty. Expected (Base) field if needed.

This design ensures that the expected quantity used for reconciliation remains consistent unless explicitly recalculated.

Please verify if this response was helpful.

Best regards,
Daniele

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