You do not need bloated enterprise software to effectively track your inventory. This tutorial will help you develop your own custom inventory tracking system so you can make smart inventory decisions based on timely and accurate inventory data.

System Requirements

Our Inventory System requires the standard commercial phpGrid and phpChart license as it needs a few advanced features from both components.

PHP 7+
MySQL or MariaDB
phpGrid
phpChart (for reports)

What is in an Inventory Management System

An inventory management system has several critical components. At its core, inventory control works by tracking the two main functions of a warehouse — receiving (incoming) and shipping (outgoing). Other activities such as movement, or relocating, of inventory also take place. Raw materials are decremented and finished goods are incremented.

Incoming shipments
Outgoing orders
Inventory
Suppliers

Inventory System Database Diagram

Typically, an inventory system has four basic elements – products, purchases, orders, and suppliers – which must be tracked based on their location, SKU, and quantity. Current inventory, or products on hand, is updated by tracking incoming shipments and outgoing orders. Order alerts can be set to trigger when inventory levels fall below custom-defined minimum levels.