Additional Process Information 
Additional Process Information
In this IDES process, you perform a periodic inventory for a material. During the physical inventory the material is blocked for all other goods movements. The material is only available again after the physical inventory count results have been recorded and the difference, if any, has been posted. An accounting document is created when the difference is posted.
R/3 supports the following inventory procedures:
In a periodic inventory, the total company stocks are counted on the balance sheet key date. Every material must be counted in this procedure.
The whole warehouse must be blocked for material movements during the count.
In continuous inventory, stocks are constantly counted throughout the fiscal year. You must ensure that every material is counted at least once in each year in this procedure.
In cycle counting, stocks are counted at regular intervals during the fiscal year. These intervals (also called cycles) depend on the cycle counting indicator that is set for each material.
In cycle counting, fast-moving items can be counted more often than slow-moving items, for example.
In inventory sampling, randomly selected stocks are counted on the balance sheet key date. If the variances between the actual count result and the book inventory do not exceed a certain value, the system assumes that the book inventories for the other stocks are also correct.