Move stock with Business Central transfer orders you can trace

How Business Central transfer orders work

A transfer order names a transfer-from location, a transfer-to location and an in-transit location. Posting the shipment moves the quantity out of the first location and into transit. Posting the receipt then moves it from transit into the destination. At every moment, the items belong to exactly one place.

That two-step design matters when sites are far apart. The receiving warehouse sees what is on its way and when. Nobody can sell goods that are still on the road as if they were on the shelf. We create the in-transit locations and the inventory posting setup they need. Teams often miss that step.

Transfer routes that fill in the details

The Transfer Routes page is a grid of every location pair. For each pair, you choose the in-transit location, the shipping agent and the shipping agent service. Once you define shipping times, the system works out the expected receipt date. It uses the shipment date plus the outbound and inbound warehouse handling times on the locations.

We fill in the grid for the pairs you really use and leave the rest empty. So a transfer between two sites that never trade stock stands out as unusual. Dates worked out this way feed planning and order promising. That means a customer service agent can quote from stock that has not arrived yet.

Warehouse handling for Business Central transfer orders

A transfer behaves like a sales order at the sending site and a purchase order at the receiving site. If the sending location requires picks and shipments, the transfer appears as a source document for a warehouse shipment. If the receiving location requires receipts and put-aways, it shows up there as an inbound document.

You choose lot and serial numbers at shipment. They carry through to receipt automatically. So the receiving team does not select them again. We test each combination of location settings you have. A basic store room and a fully directed warehouse handle the same transfer quite differently.

Letting planning propose Business Central transfer orders

You do not have to key transfers by hand. A stockkeeping unit for an item at a branch can use Transfer as its replenishment system. A transfer-from code then points at the central warehouse. The planning worksheet or requisition worksheet suggests transfer orders when the branch falls below its reorder point.

This turns the central site into a supplier for the others. Its own purchasing then reacts to their combined demand. We set up stockkeeping units with sensible reordering policies per location. Next, we run planning in a sandbox with real demand. Then we tune the settings until the suggestions are ones your planners would have made themselves.

Direct transfers, reclassification and cost

Not every move needs two steps. For sites close together, a direct transfer posts shipment and receipt at once. It uses no in-transit location. The item reclassification journal also changes location or bin right away. It is handy for corrections. We agree when each tool is allowed. So convenience does not erase traceability.

A transfer moves items at their cost. It creates no revenue or profit. You can add the freight paid to move them to the value of the transferred goods. You do that with an item charge assigned to the transfer receipt. When the two sites are separate legal companies, a transfer order is the wrong document. Intercompany sales and purchases fit instead.

Business Central transfer orders questions

Why do Business Central transfer orders need an in-transit location?

It gives goods on the road a place in the system. Stock in transit is still owned and valued. But nobody can pick it or promise it as available at either site. Direct transfers skip it when shipment and receipt happen together.

Can Business Central transfer orders be partly shipped or received?

Yes. You can ship part of a line now and the rest later. The receiving site can receive in parts as well. The order stays open until the site receives all shipped quantities. Each line shows what is still outstanding.

Do transfers change item cost?

The items keep their cost as they move. For average costing per location, the system recalculates the receiving location's average with the incoming quantity. You can add extra freight with an item charge if you want it in inventory value.

Can transfers be created from a sales order need?

Indirectly. Planning sees the sales demand at a location. Where the stockkeeping unit replenishes by transfer, planning proposes a transfer order to cover it. Reservations can then tie the incoming transfer to that sales line.

Are transfer documents printed for the driver?

Yes. You can print a transfer shipment document when you post the shipment. Use it as a delivery note between sites. We can adjust the layout to show bins, tracking numbers or carrier details that your drivers and receiving staff need. Many teams find that one page saves a lot of phone calls between sites.

Related inventory and location pages

Business Central transfer orders connect your locations, so they depend on how each one is set up. These pages cover location setup, stock policies and the warehouse processes at both ends. Start with the page closest to your own gap. Then ask our consultants how it fits. For the product detail, see Microsoft Learn: transfer inventory between locations.