Bulk Inventory Adjustments: Cycle Count Your Entire Location in Minutes

Say Goodbye to One-Item-at-a-Time Inventory Updates

The Old Way vs. The New Way

Before: The One-by-One Grind

Conduct physical inventory count → Record discrepancies on clipboard/spreadsheet
Open Distru
Navigate to Inventory
Click on Item 1 → Enter new quantity → Select reason → Save
Click on Item 2 → Enter new quantity → Select reason → Save
Click on Item 3 → ...you get the idea
Repeat 97 more times ⏱️ (1-3 hours for 100 items)

After: Download, Count, Upload

Download your inventory template from Distru (all current stock pre-filled)
Take the template to the floor and print it or open on a device
Walk through your location with the template as your counting sheet
Record your actual counts directly on that template as you count
Back at your desk, upload the completed template
Done ✅

When to Use Bulk Inventory Adjustments

This feature is designed for scenarios where you're correcting multiple inventory items at once:

Physical inventory counts — Your annual or quarterly full-location recount
Compliance audits — Regulators identified discrepancies; you need to correct them fast
Post-transfer reconciliation — You've moved inventory between locations and need to balance the books
Cycle counts — Regular spot-checks of high-value or high-turnover items

If you're just adjusting a single item, the regular per-item adjustment UI is still available and works great.

Step-by-Step: How to Use Bulk Inventory Adjustments

Step 1: Start the Import

Navigate to Settings > Import Data in Distru.

You'll see a new button labeled "Stock Adjustments" alongside the existing Product Import button. Click it to open the Bulk Inventory Adjustments modal.

Step 2: Download Your Template — Your Counting Sheet

In the modal, you'll see a "Download Template" button at the top.

Before downloading, select which location(s) you want to adjust using the Location filter dropdown. This is optional but recommended — filtering to a specific location keeps your file smaller and more manageable.

Pro tip: If you're doing a physical count for one room or warehouse, filter to that location. You'll get a template with only the items you have there.

Click "Download Template" and Distru generates a CSV file pre-populated with all your current inventory data:

Product IDs and names
Batch IDs (if batch-tracked)
Package IDs (if package-tracked)
Current quantities and unit types
Valid reason codes for your state (in a reference tab)

This file is now your counting sheet.

Step 3: Print It, Take It to the Floor, and Count

Print the template or open it on a tablet/laptop and take it with you during your physical inventory count.

You'll see reference columns showing:

Product name — What you're counting
Batch name / Package label — Which batch or package you're counting
Current quantity in Distru — What the system thinks you should have

Walk through your location and physically count each item. As you count, you already have all the reference information right there in the spreadsheet — no flipping between Distru and a clipboard.

Step 4: Record Your Counts Directly on the Template

As you count, fill in your actual numbers directly into the template columns:

new_quantity (for non-package-tracked products) — Enter the actual count you just did
new_compliance_quantity (for package-tracked products) — Enter the actual count, however this is a separate column because it must be recorded in the package's compliance unit type which may vary from the Distru product's unit type
description — Add context (e.g., "Physical count, Room 3, 4/15/2026" or "Post-transfer reconciliation")
reason — Select from the valid reason codes specific to your state. For a physical count, this is typically "PhysicalCount" or your state's equivalent.
completion_datetime — Leave blank to default to today's date, or specify when this adjustment should be recorded
cost_per_unit - For positive adjustments only, enter the cost that you want allocated to the newly added inventory. Reference the current cost column to make sure you apply the same cost as the existing inventory

No copy-pasting. No switching between spreadsheets. Everything you need is already in one place.

Step 5: Back at Your Desk: Upload Your Completed Template

Once you're done counting and back at your desk, open Distru and navigate back to Settings > Import Data > Stock Adjustments.

You'll see a drag-and-drop upload area. Drag your completed template into this area (or click to browse and select the file). The system validates the file format.

Step 6: Columns Auto-Map (No Manual Work Needed)

Since you downloaded the template directly from Distru and recorded your counts using the provided columns, the system auto-maps everything automatically. No manual column mapping required — you can skip this step.

The system recognizes your file structure and aligns all columns perfectly.

Step 7: Review and Submit

Do a final sanity check:

Are all required fields filled in (product_id, location_name, reason, new_quantity)?
Do the quantities look reasonable?
Did you add descriptions so you have an audit trail?

Important: Once you submit, the adjustments are live — there's no bulk undo. The system will warn you of this before final submission.

Click "Submit" to process all your counts.

Step 8: Get Your Results

Within seconds, you'll see a result notification:

✅ All rows succeeded? "Stock Adjustments Complete: All 150 rows adjusted successfully."
⚠️ Some rows failed? "Stock Adjustments Complete: 145 rows adjusted successfully. 5 rows failed. Downloading error file..."
❌ All rows failed? The system will tell you and provide an error file to troubleshoot.

Step 9: Handle Any Errors (If Needed)

If some rows failed, the system automatically downloads an error CSV containing:

All the columns from your file
A new error_message column explaining exactly what went wrong

For example:

"Reason 'Waste' is not a valid reason code for New York. Valid values are: PhysicalCount, LostOrStolen, Donation..."

Fix only the failed rows in this error file and re-upload it as a new import session. Rows that already succeeded won't be reprocessed — you're only correcting the broken ones.

Pro Tips & Best Practices

Tip 1: Use Location Filtering

Always download your template filtered to a specific location. This keeps the file size manageable and makes it easier to count just that area without getting distracted by items in other locations.

Tip 2: Print or Digitize Your Template

Print it: Take a physical copy to the floor. Mark quantities by hand as you count, then type them into the digital version when you're back at your desk.
Go digital: Use a tablet or laptop during the count and fill in quantities directly. No transcription needed later.

Tip 3: Use the Reference Columns as Your Checklist

The template includes product names, batch info, and current quantities. Use these to verify you're looking at the right item before recording your count. It's built-in validation as you go.

Tip 4: Add Meaningful Descriptions

The description field creates an audit trail. Instead of leaving it blank, write something like:

"Physical count, Room 3, 4/15/2026"
"Post-transfer reconciliation from Warehouse A"
"Cycle count, high-value items"

This helps you (and auditors) understand exactly what happened and when.

Tip 5: Review Before Uploading

Take 30 seconds to spot-check your completed template:

Are all required fields filled in (product_id, location_name, reason, new_quantity)?
Do the quantities look reasonable compared to the "current quantity" column?
Did you accidentally leave any blank?

Tip 7: Keep Error CSVs for Your Records

If you get a partial failure, save the error CSV before re-uploading. It's useful for reconciliation and auditing later.

FAQ

Q: Can I use the template as my actual counting sheet?
A: Yes! That's exactly how it's designed. Download it, take it to the floor (printed or digital), and record your counts directly on it. When you're done, upload that same file back to Distru. No copy-pasting between files.

Q: What if I prefer to use a separate clipboard and record my counts there?
A: That's fine too. You can write your counts on a clipboard or in any format you prefer, then transfer them into the template when you're back at your desk. The template will still accept your data. But the counting-sheet approach is faster since you skip the transcription step entirely.

Q: Can I adjust multiple licenses in one upload?
A: No — each import session is tied to a single license. If you operate multiple locations under one license, you'll need separate import sessions for each. Think of it as a safety feature to prevent cross-location mix-ups.

Q: What if I upload the same file twice by accident?
A: Both sets of adjustments will be submitted. The system doesn't check for duplicates, so be careful not to re-upload the same file. The error CSV approach (uploading only failed rows) is designed to prevent this.

Q: Can I schedule adjustments for a future date?
A: The completion_datetime field sets the effective date of the adjustment in your records and in Metrc — but the submission happens immediately. If you want to record an adjustment as if it happened on a past date, you can set that date in the completion_datetime field.

Q: What happens if I mess up and submit bad data?
A: Individual adjustments can be reversed using the per-item adjustment UI (just like before). There's no bulk undo, which is why we recommend reviewing your file carefully before final submission.

Q: Does this work with cost accounting?
A: Yes. If your account has cost accounting enabled, you'll see current_unit_cost and adjustment_unit_cost columns in your template. These ensure your cost basis is captured alongside your quantity corrections.

Q: Can I adjust package-tracked and non-package-tracked items in the same file?
A: Yes. The template automatically handles mixed tracking types. Items in the same file might have different required columns depending on whether they're batch-tracked, package-tracked, or neither — and that's fine. Just follow the template.

Troubleshooting

Issue: "No location selected. This will download all active inventory across your license..."

What's happening: You clicked "Download Template" without selecting a specific location.

Solution: Select a location before downloading. If you don't, you'll get a CSV with every active item across your entire license — which might be huge and unwieldy as a counting sheet. For physical counts, picking a location first is smarter so you only have to count the items in that location.

Issue: Some rows show "Reason '[X]' is not a valid reason code for [State]"

What's happening: You entered a reason code that your state's regulatory body (Metrc) doesn't accept.

Solution:

Open the error CSV
Look at the error message — it will list valid codes
Copy the correct code from the reference tab in your template
Paste it into the error CSV
Re-upload

Issue: "Required field missing" or similar validation error

What's happening: A required column (like product_id, license, location_name, reason, or new_quantity) is missing or blank for that row.