Rebuild Inventory
Understand why inventory accounts get flagged for rebuild and how to fix FIFO accuracy with the Inventory Bot.
When an inventory account is marked for rebuild, it means you recorded a transaction with a date earlier than your last COGS calculation. The bot flags it to prevent incorrect profit calculations.
The problem this solves
FIFO (First-In, First-Out) cost matching depends on perfect chronological order. Adding a transaction out of sequence breaks the FIFO logic:
- January 31: You calculate COGS (the bot locks in this date)
- February 15: You discover a sale from January 15 that you missed
- Problem: The January 15 sale should have been matched to January purchases, but COGS was already calculated with February purchases in the mix
- Result: Your profit calculation is wrong — the wrong purchases were matched to the wrong sales
The rebuild flag catches this so you can fix it with the Inventory Bot.
Key causes for the rebuild flag
Backdated transactions
You recorded a transaction with a date before the last COGS calculation date.
| When it happens | Example |
|---|---|
| After calculating COGS | You calculate on Feb 28 |
| Then add an earlier transaction | You record a Jan 15 sale you forgot |
| The bot flags the account | Marked for rebuild |
Manual edits to the Inventory Book
Someone manually edited a transaction in the Inventory Book after the bot created it.
| What you did | Why it’s dangerous |
|---|---|
| Changed a quantity in the Inventory Book | Breaks the link to your Financial Book |
| Modified a property or date | Invalidates the FIFO matching |
| Deleted a transaction | Audit trail is incomplete |
What the rebuild flag means
When you see “Account flagged for rebuild,” the bot is telling you: “I detected out-of-order transactions. Before I can calculate COGS again, I need to reset my previous work and recalculate from scratch with the correct timeline.”
What to do
Understand why it was flagged — check if you added a backdated transaction or manually edited the Inventory Book. If neither, contact support.
Verify the transaction is correct — confirm the transaction date is accurate and all properties (quantity, good, purchase_code, etc.) are correct. If not, fix it in the Financial Book and re-check it.
Recalculate — click Reset (clears previous COGS calculations), then click Calculate Cost of Sales (recalculates with the correct order). The rebuild flag clears automatically.
Example: Coffee Shop Inventory
You’re tracking coffee beans. Here’s what happened:
- Jan 31: Calculate COGS for January — bot marks Jan 31 as calculation date
- Feb 15: Realize you missed recording a sale from Jan 28
- Feb 15: Record the Jan 28 sale in the Financial Book and check it
- Bot detects: Jan 28 sale date is before Jan 31 calculation date — flags account for rebuild
Your action:
- Verify the Jan 28 sale transaction is correct in the Financial Book
- Click Reset in the Inventory Bot menu
- Click Calculate Cost of Sales again
- The bot recalculates with the correct order: January sales first, then February sales
Result: FIFO matching is correct, the rebuild flag is cleared, and your COGS and profit numbers are accurate.
Key takeaway
The rebuild flag is the bot’s way of protecting you from incorrect FIFO calculations. It fixes itself automatically when you reset and recalculate.