Goal: Learn how to use RoastLog's reporting tools to analyze inventory performance and make data-driven business decisions.
Prerequisites: You must have a Medium or Large plan subscription and at least one month of inventory data.
The Power of Data-Driven Decisions
RoastLog's reporting features transform your inventory data into actionable insights that can significantly improve your business operations. Rather than making decisions based on gut feelings or incomplete information, you can use concrete data to:
Optimize purchasing timing and quantities
Reduce waste and minimize aging inventory
Improve cash flow management
Plan production more effectively
Monitor supplier performance and delivery reliability
Track certification usage for Fair Trade and Organic coffees
The investment in tracking detailed information pays dividends when you can analyze patterns and make informed decisions.
We have a list of pre-built reports that serve many needs. However, if there is some data that you need that you can't easily get, let us know! We're happy to explore new reporting capabilities.
Available Inventory Reports
RoastLog provides several specialized reports that help you understand different aspects of your inventory and roasting operations:
Inventory-Focused Reports
Green Inventory Position - View how much green coffee you had on a specific date, allowing you to track inventory levels at any point in time
Inventory by Location - See an aggregation of how much coffee you have stored at all of your roasting and non-roasting locations
Inventory Flow - View a list of coffee inventory movements between your roastery and non-roasting facilities or warehouses
Inventory Adjustments - Display a summary of any manual adjustments made while performing physical inventory counts
Delivery Confirmations - View a list of past deliveries, whether they were accepted or rejected
Organic Balance - View the amount of a given Coffee parent that was roasted, aggregated by roastable, including the percentage of each coffee used in specific roastables
Roasting Analysis Reports
Historical Roasts - Pull up a list of logged roasts that include specific inventory items as components over a defined timeframe, with particular focus on certified coffees like Fair Trade or Organic
Aggregated Roasts - View the number of roasts and total amount roasted, aggregated by roastable, bean, origin, operator, or roaster over a specific timeframe
Access all reports from the Reports section of RoastLog.
Running Your First Report
The process for running any report follows the same basic steps:
Go to the Reports tab in RoastLog
Select the specific report type from the list
Set your desired date range or specific date (depending on the report)
Choose additional parameters based on the report type
Click Go! to generate the report
Review results on screen or export to CSV for further analysis
Understanding Key Report Functions
Green Inventory Position Analysis
The Green Inventory Position report is valuable for understanding your inventory levels at specific points in time. This report helps you:
Track inventory levels on any historical date
Compare inventory positions across different time periods
Understand seasonal inventory patterns
Plan purchasing based on historical inventory levels
Inventory Movement Tracking
The Inventory Flow report provides visibility into how coffee moves through your supply chain:
Track movements between warehouse and roastery locations
Monitor the timing of inventory transfers
Identify patterns in how you manage coffee flow
Plan logistics and receiving operations
Physical Inventory Reconciliation
The Inventory Adjustments report helps you monitor the accuracy of your inventory tracking:
View all manual adjustments made during physical counts
Identify patterns in where discrepancies occur
Improve inventory accuracy over time
Document adjustment history for auditing purposes
Delivery Performance Analysis
The Delivery Confirmations report provides insights into your receiving operations:
Track which deliveries were accepted vs. rejected
Monitor delivery timing and reliability
Identify suppliers with consistent delivery issues
Document receiving decisions for quality control
Certification and Usage Analysis
The Organic Balance and Historical Roasts reports help you track certified coffee usage:
Monitor how much of your certified coffees you're actually using
Track the percentage breakdown of coffee usage in specific roastables
Generate documentation for certification reporting
Understand which certified coffees are most popular in your production
Production Analysis
The Aggregated Roasts report provides comprehensive production insights:
Analyze production by roastable, origin, or operator
Track total amounts roasted over specific timeframes
Compare production efficiency across different roasters
Monitor operator performance and consistency
Exporting Data for Advanced Analysis
All reports can be exported to CSV format for deeper analysis in spreadsheet programs:
Run any report with your desired parameters
Click Export to CSV to download the data
Open in Excel, Google Sheets, or other analysis tools
Create custom charts, pivot tables, and calculations
Combine with other business data for comprehensive analysis
This approach is particularly valuable for creating detailed operational analyses or combining RoastLog data with sales and financial information.
Setting Up Regular Reporting Routines
To get the most value from inventory reports, establish regular review cycles:
Weekly Reviews
Check Green Inventory Position to monitor current stock levels
Review recent Inventory Adjustments to identify accuracy issues
Monitor Delivery Confirmations for recent receiving activity
Monthly Reviews
Analyze Inventory Flow patterns to optimize coffee movements
Review Aggregated Roasts to understand production patterns
Use Organic Balance reports for certification documentation
Quarterly Reviews
Compare Green Inventory Position across different periods
Analyze delivery performance trends over longer timeframes
Review inventory location distribution for optimization opportunities
Best Practices for Inventory Analysis
Focus on trends over time rather than individual snapshots to understand patterns in your business
Use multiple reports together to get a complete picture - for example, combine Inventory Flow with Delivery Confirmations to understand your entire supply chain
Set regular review schedules to ensure you're consistently monitoring key metrics
Export data for deeper analysis when you need to combine information or create custom visualizations (and reach out to us if there is a report that you need which doesn't yet exist!)
Document insights and actions taken based on report findings to build institutional knowledge
Share relevant insights with your team to ensure everyone understands inventory performance and goals
Regular analysis of your inventory data through these specialized reports will help you evolve from reactive inventory management to strategic planning, ultimately improving both operational efficiency and profitability.