Compare
As Counted vs spreadsheets for inventory.
A spreadsheet is a fine place to start. This page shows where it stops being one, and where it is still the better tool. If you are outgrowing a sheet, you can import it as it is.
Job by job
What each one does on the jobs that break sheets.
A sheet can do most of these with enough formulas, columns and discipline. The difference is who has to keep them correct.
| Job | In a spreadsheet | In As Counted |
|---|---|---|
| What is free to promise on a date | A formula you design per item and keep consistent as columns and rows change. | Available stock is worked out for any date: on hand, plus deliveries due, plus rentals due back, minus what is committed that day. |
| Reservations | A column you update by hand, or a calendar kept next to the stock. | Sales orders and rentals reserve stock for their dates. Drafts hold nothing. |
| Partial receipts | Edit the quantity, or add a row per delivery and sum them. | Ordered, received and outstanding are tracked per line. Receiving more than was ordered is refused. |
| Nested bill of materials shortages | Expand sub-assemblies yourself, and repeat when a part changes. | A build preview explodes nested bills and shows shortages before release. Built subassemblies are used first. A bill that would contain itself is refused. |
| Rentals out with customers | A status column and a return date to chase. | You still own what is out, but it is not free again until it returns. Partial returns are supported, and returning more than went out is refused. |
| Who changed what | Version history of the file, where available, or a log you keep. | The item ledger lists every stock movement with who recorded it and the reason for a correction. |
| Several people at once | Shared editing of the same cells, with no check that a change makes sense. | Up to five users with owner, manager and staff roles. Each change is checked against the current numbers, and of two people confirming the same thing, one wins. Plain field edits are last-write-wins. |
| Importing the sheet you already have | Not applicable. | Import .csv or .xlsx files of items, opening stock, bills of materials or orders. Every row is checked first. |
Being fair
When a spreadsheet is the better fit.
If most of these describe you, stay where you are. A sheet is free to change, needs no sign-up and does not cost a monthly fee.
- One person keeps the numbers, so nobody else needs to see or change them.
- You track a few dozen items and can count them by eye.
- Nothing is reserved ahead. Stock goes out the day it is sold or used.
- You do not build products from parts, or rent items out for dates.
- Deliveries arrive complete, so there is rarely a remainder to track.
The signs you have outgrown it are different: two people disagree about what is left, you promise something and find out later it was already committed, or someone keeps a second sheet just to check the first.
Migration path
Import your sheet instead of retyping it.
You do not need to design a system first. Start from the file you already keep.
Save as CSV or Excel
Use the .csv or .xlsx you already have. Files can be up to 5 MB and 10,000 rows each.
Drop it in
Drag the file onto the import screen, or browse for it. Choose whether it holds items, opening stock, bills of materials or orders.
Fix what is flagged
Every row is checked before anything is saved. If any row is refused, nothing is imported, and the errors list the rows to correct.
Watch it run
Imports run in the background with progress. Then reservations, orders and builds work on the stock you brought in.
Start from your own spreadsheets.
Questions
Frequently asked
- Do I have to give up my spreadsheet?
- No. Keep it for anything As Counted does not need to know about. Once your stock is imported, the numbers for what you can promise live in one place instead of across several sheets.
- What can I import from a spreadsheet?
- Items, opening stock, bills of materials and orders, from .csv or .xlsx files of up to 5 MB and 10,000 rows each. You can drag a file in or browse for it, and several files run as separate jobs.
- What happens if some rows in my file are wrong?
- Every row is checked before anything is saved. If any row is refused, nothing is imported and you get the list of rows to fix. Imports run in the background with progress, and the row errors stay on the job.
- Is it worth it for a small business?
- It depends on the jobs, not the size. If you reserve stock ahead, build from parts, rent for dates or have more than one person changing numbers, it likely is. If you do none of those, a spreadsheet is probably enough.
- What does it cost?
- One plan per business, with five users and every workflow included. The pricing page has the details.
- Can I take my data back out?
- Yes. An owner can export everything in the organization (items, stock ledger, orders and the record of changes) as a JSON file at any time.