Example workflow Warehouse

How a Small Warehouse Can Keep Bin Locations Up to Date

Scan the bin, then each item you put there. The export pairs every item with its new location, ready to import into your stock list or warehouse system.

This page shows how DataScan can be set up for this task. It is an illustration, not a report about a specific customer. All codes and values on it are examples.

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Warehouse worker scanning location barcode and multiple product barcodes

The problem

The stock list says the part is in bin A-127, but it was moved during a reorganization and nobody updated the record. Now someone walks the aisles looking for it while an order waits.

Location records drift because updating them is extra work. Writing down bin and item numbers during a busy put-away, then typing them into the system later, is exactly the step that gets skipped.

If recording the move takes no longer than making it, the record stays current. A barcode on each bin and on each item makes that possible with a phone.

The setup

One-to-Many Scan pairs one bin barcode with every item scanned after it. Rename the columns to match what your system's import expects.

Scan mode One-to-Many Scan, sub-mode One-to-Many (Groups)
Primary and Secondary Barcode Label Bin and Item
Primary and Secondary Column Header The column names your import expects, for example Location and SKU
Flip Primary and Secondary Column on Export On if your import wants the item first
Labels One Code 128 or QR label per bin or shelf; existing product barcodes or your own item labels
Export CSV with the delimiter and encoding your system needs, sent by email or SFTP

Step by step

  1. Label the bins Give every bin or shelf position a barcode with its location code, for example A-127.
  2. Scan the destination bin When you put stock away or move it, open One-to-Many Scan and scan the bin label first.
  3. Scan each item placed there Every item you scan is linked to that bin with a timestamp. Moving on to the next bin? Tap New Bin and scan its label.
  4. Export the moves Export the session as CSV and send it by email or upload it to an SFTP folder with a tap.
  5. Update your records Import the file into your warehouse system, or look up each item's new bin in your stock spreadsheet. The latest row for an item is its current bin.

What you get out

Each item scan becomes one row. With renamed headers, a put-away into one bin looks like this:

Column Example value What it holds
Location A-127 The bin barcode scanned first
SKU PRT-55810 The item scanned into that bin
Timestamp 2026-03-14 14:21 When the item was scanned

With Flip Primary and Secondary Column on Export, SKU comes first. Delimiter, encoding and header row can be set to match your import.

Fits well if…

  • Your stock list or warehouse system can import a CSV of item and location.
  • Bins and items carry, or can carry, barcodes.
  • Stock gets moved or reorganized regularly and the records fall behind.
  • You want to avoid buying handheld scanners for a small team.

Scan Your Next Put-Away

Label a few bins, scan one put-away, and test the import into your system. Every feature is in the free trial.

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