Barcode is a smart way to keep track of your inventory. It signifies a single barcode number for a single product. So, managing inventory becomes much more efficient and unique in nature. In this article, I am going to discuss on how to use barcode scanner for inventory in Excel.
What Is Barcode?
Barcode is a machine-readable code consisting of space and varying widths of parallel lines representing numerals and characters. It can encode product information. Barcode brings accuracy, ease, speed, and inventory control to Business. Companies use Barcode to collect the info at a go. There are different mechanisms to create Barcode in Excel, you will be glad to know that you can create and print barcodes using Excel.
What Is Barcode Scanner?
A Barcode Scanner is a handheld or stationary input device. It is used to capture and read the information contained in barcodes. A Barcode Scanner consists of a lens, a light source, and a light sensor for translating optical impulses into electrical signals.
How to Use Barcode Scanner for Inventory in Excel: with Easy Steps
Barcode Scanner can read any printed barcodes as well as decode the data contained within the barcode and transmit the read data to a computing device. I am going to explain the whole procedure to use barcode scanner for inventory in the below section.
Steps:
- First of all, keep your cursor in a cell where you want to have the barcode. I have kept mine in cell C5.
- Now, scan the barcode printed in the product packet or box with the barcode scanner. It will automatically generate the barcode number in the selected cell as well as the related information regarding inventory. In my case, I have sorted the scanned data related to inventory into SL, Date, Product, Storage Time, and Barcode columns.
- Along with that, scan all the products’ barcodes to have the related inventory information sequentially.
- Sequentially, select all the barcodes including the label (i.e. C4:C16).
- Then, go to the Data tab.
- Next, click on Outline.
- Afterward, pick Subtotal.
A Subtotal wizard will appear in front of the screen.
- Choose Count from the Use function box.
- Check the Replace current subtotals and Summary below data options.
- Finally, press OK to finish the procedure.
Now, we have the actual count of inventory using a barcode scanner. We have the total amount of products as well as the total number of each product.
- Click on the button numbering 1 to have just the Grand Count.
- You can click on the button numbering 2 to have the total Count of each product as well as the Grand Count.
- Alternatively, you can click on 3 button to have the inventory in detail.
Read More: Barcode Scanner Entry to Excel Database with Timestamp
Inventory Barcode Scanner Reminder
In this article, I have shown that I have got inventory data like Serial Number, Date, Product Name, Storage Time, etc after scanning. It’s not mandatory that you will get these values all the time after scanning.
Some scanner just returns the barcode. And some manufacturers may use Barcode Scanner with limited information which may lead to getting less information. We can’t even have the product name. In that case, we need to identify similar products by checking the barcode. Regardless of the values, you achieve from the barcode scanner the managing procedure will be more or less the same (depends on your storage format)
Download Practice Workbook
Conclusion
That’s it for the article. I have tried to explain the procedure on how to use barcode scanner for inventory in Excel. It will be a matter of great pleasure for me if this article could help any Excel user even a little. For any further queries, comment below.
Related Articles
- How to Move Barcode Scanner to Next Row in Excel
- How to Make Auto Enter with Barcode Scanner in Excel
- Creating Barcode Scanner to Track Check in & Check out Time in Excel
- How to Print Barcode Labels in Excel
- [Solved] Barcode Scanner Not Going to Next Line in Excel
- Creating a Barcode Scanner Macro in Excel
<< Go Back to Use Barcode Scanner |Â Barcode in Excel | Learn Excel
Get FREE Advanced Excel Exercises with Solutions!
When you scanned the barcode, where did the other information come from? Such as “product 1”, date, storage time, SL, etc? This is what I came onto your post to find out, but you make no reference to where that particular comes from. Please advise.
Thanks for your response.
Normally additional information associated with Barcode is connected through a centralized dataset. When a UPC (Universal Product Code) code is scanned, the scanner sends the code to a server, which looks up the corresponding information in the database and sends it back to the scanner. In other cases like QR codes, the additional information might not be stored in a centralized dataset. QR codes can encode a URL that will take you to the related information regarding the product through scanning.
I want to move from tracking inventory sold tick sheets to Barcode tracking. While at the same time have a daily running inventory stock balance. If I’m going to do this and use a barcode reader how do I download the data collected from the multiple handheld readers.
Dear ROBERT STREMPKE,
Thanks for your comment. If you go through this article, you might have known that we can extract the defined information with the barcode through scanning. We can also have the sum of all goods in Excel. If you have multiple handheld readers, you can create a separate worksheet for each barcode scanner and summarize them in a new worksheet. In the summarized sheet, you can define the inventory stock balance and subtract the total sold products summing them from different sheets. I hope you have got what you are searching for.
Regards,
MD NAIMUL HASAN