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Inventory is not Synchronizing

Your inventory is correct in Business Central, but it's not updating on Amazon, Shopify, or your other sales channels. Or the opposite—your channels show stock, but orders are being rejected because Business Central says you don't have inventory.  This guide walks you through diagnosing and fixing inventory sync problems so your channels always show accurate stock levels.

 

The Problem: What This Actually Means

Inventory sync problems happen when information isn't flowing correctly between Business Central and your sales channels. This usually means one of these is happening:

  1. Inventory automation isn't running - The sync process is paused or hasn't been triggered
  2. Inventory levels are wrong in Business Central - The sync is working, but BC has bad data
  3. Channel inventory settings are misconfigured - You're syncing the wrong warehouse or location
  4. Product mapping is incomplete - SKUs aren't matched between BC and your channels
  5. Inventory reserves or holds are blocking sync - BC thinks inventory is committed to other orders

Let's figure out which one and fix it.

Before You Start: Quick Checklist

[ ] Do you know which warehouse or location you should be syncing?
[ ] Have inventory syncs worked before (or is this a new setup)?
[ ] Are your products mapped between Business Central and your sales channels?
[ ] Have you checked Business Central to verify inventory levels are actually correct there?

Step 1: Verify Inventory Levels in Business Central

Let's start with your source of truth.

  1. Open Business Central

  2. Go to Inventory > Items (or Products > Products, depending on version)

  3. Find a product that you know has stock

  4. Look at the "Quantity on Hand" or "Available Inventory" field

    • This is what should sync to your channels
    • Write down this number

  5. Check if this product has multiple warehouse locations

    • Some setups have Main Warehouse, Backup Warehouse, etc.
    • The sync might only pull from one specific location
    • Note which location you're using

  6. Look for any inventory reserves or holds

    • Some organizations reserve inventory for pending orders
    • If inventory is reserved, it might not show as available on the channel
    • Check if "Available" differs from "On Hand"

What to do:

  • If BC shows zero inventory but you have items physically: Inventory levels are wrong in BC (you need to fix this first)
  • If BC shows the correct inventory: Continue to Step 2
  • Note which warehouse/location has the inventory you want to sync

Step 2: Check CSM Automation Status

Now let's verify CSM is set up to sync inventory.

  1. Go to Channel Sales Manager > Channel Automation (or CSM > Settings, depending on version)

  2. Find your sales channel (Amazon, Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, etc.)

  3. Check the status

    • Should show: "Enabled," "Connected," or "Active"
    • If it shows "Disabled" or "Paused," that's your problem

  4. Look for an "Inventory Sync" setting

    • Some systems have separate toggles for inventory vs. order syncing
    • Verify inventory sync is enabled

  5. Check the Last Sync time

    • When did CSM last try to sync inventory to this channel?
    • Should be recent (within the last hour for active selling)

  6. Look at the sync frequency

    • How often is it scheduled? (Hourly, every 4 hours, daily, etc.)
    • Is this appropriate for your business?

What to do:

  • If disabled: Click Enable and save
  • If Last Sync is old: Continue to Step 3
  • If frequency seems wrong: You can adjust it here

Step 3: Force a Manual Inventory Sync

Let's make sure the sync actually works right now.

  1. Stay in Channel Automation (from Step 2)

  2. Look for a button that says "Sync Inventory," "Run," or "Sync Now" (exact wording varies)

  3. Click it and wait 5-10 minutes

  4. Check your sales channel (Amazon seller account, Shopify admin, etc.)

    • Log in to your channel
    • Look at a product's inventory quantity
    • Has it updated?

  5. Compare to the number you saw in Step 1

    • Does the channel now show the same quantity as Business Central?

What to do:

  • If inventory now matches: Great! Automation is working. Skip to Step 5 to understand why it wasn't syncing before
  • If still doesn't match: Continue to Step 4

Step 4: Check Channel Inventory Configuration

Your CSM setup might be pointing to the wrong warehouse or location.

  1. Go to CSM > Channel Setup (or Channel Configuration, depending on version)

  2. Find the setting for "Inventory Location" or "Warehouse"

    • This tells CSM which warehouse's inventory to sync
    • Make note of what's selected

  3. Compare this to what you found in Step 1

    • Is CSM configured to sync from the warehouse where your inventory actually is?
    • If not, that's the problem

  4. If it's pointing to the wrong warehouse:

    • Click to change it to the correct warehouse
    • Save the change
    • Run a manual sync (Step 3) to update your channels

  5. If multiple products are in different warehouses:

    • CSM typically syncs from one warehouse per channel
    • You might need multiple CSM channels (one per warehouse) if you have that flexibility
    • Contact your BC administrator if this is complex

What to do:

  • Update the warehouse setting if it's wrong
  • Run manual sync again
  • If inventory still doesn't match, continue to Step 5

Step 5: Verify Product Mapping

Even if CSM is syncing, it can only sync products that are properly mapped.

  1. In Business Central, go to CSM > Product Mapping (or CSM Setup > Mapped Products)

  2. Look for products that aren't mapped

    • Unmapped products won't sync inventory
    • They might show as "Not Mapped" or have a red X

  3. Find a product on your sales channel (Amazon, Shopify, etc.)

  4. Try to find it in the Product Mapping list

    • Search by the channel's SKU (Amazon ASIN, Shopify ID, etc.)
    • If it's not in the list, it's not mapped

  5. If it's missing:

    • Map it by clicking "Add" or "New Mapping"
    • Enter the channel's SKU/product ID
    • Link it to the correct Business Central item
    • Save

  6. After mapping, run a manual sync (Step 3)

    • CSM should now sync inventory for that product

What to do:

  • Map any missing products
  • Run manual sync after mapping new products
  • For large product catalogs, ask if there's an import/bulk mapping feature

Step 6: Check for Inventory Holds or Reserves

Sometimes Business Central blocks inventory from syncing because it's committed elsewhere.

  1. Go back to Inventory > Items (from Step 1)

  2. Find a product that's not syncing

  3. Look for fields like:

    • Reserved Quantity - Inventory promised to existing orders
    • Allocated Quantity - Inventory assigned to purchase orders
    • On Order - Inventory on pending purchase orders
    • Available (sometimes called Available for Sale) - Quantity that can actually sell

  4. Compare these fields:

    • If "On Hand" = 100 but "Available" = 50, that means 50 units are reserved or allocated
    • Your CSM might be syncing Available instead of On Hand

  5. Check what CSM is configured to sync:

    • Go to CSM > Channel Setup
    • Look for "Inventory Type" or "Sync Quantity"
    • Is it set to "Available," "On Hand," "Sellable," etc.?

  6. If CSM is syncing "Available" but you want it to sync all "On Hand":

    • You might need to configure it differently (ask your BC administrator)
    • Or release the reserves/allocations

What to do:

  • If inventory is over-reserved, review and release unnecessary reserves
  • If CSM is configured to sync the wrong quantity type, get your BC admin to adjust it
  • Run manual sync again after changes

Step 7: Check Channel Feed Logs

If inventory still isn't syncing after all the above, let's look at the automation logs.

  1. Go to CSM > Channel Feeds (or Feeds > Inventory Feed, depending on version)

  2. Find the inventory feed for your sales channel

  3. Look at the Status column

    • What does it show? (Success, Error, Warning, Partial, etc.)

  4. Click into any error feeds to see details

  5. Look for error messages - These tell you specifically what's blocking the sync

Common feed errors:

  • "Connection timeout" - Channel didn't respond; usually temporary
  • "Invalid SKU" - Product mapping might be broken
  • "Rate limit exceeded" - You've synced too many times too quickly
  • "Authentication failed" - Your channel authorization has expired
  • "Inventory below zero" - Sync tried to reduce inventory below zero (math error)
  • "Channel rejected update" - Channel has specific requirements not being met

What to do:

  • Rate limiting: Usually auto-resolves; wait 30 minutes and try again
  • Connection timeout: Temporary; will retry on next sync
  • Invalid SKU: Check product mapping (Step 5)
  • Authentication failed: Re-authorize your channel (see Step 8)
  • Channel rejected: Note the specific error and contact support

Step 8: Verify Channel Authorization

If your channel authorization has expired, inventory won't sync.

  1. Go to CSM > Channel Setup (or Channel Configuration)

  2. Find your sales channel

  3. Look for an "Authorization Status" or "Connected" field

    • Should show: "Authorized," "Connected," or "Active"
    • If it shows "Expired," "Invalid," or "Not Connected," you need to re-authorize

  4. If authorization is expired:

    • Click "Re-authorize" or "Reconnect"
    • You'll be directed to the channel (Amazon, Shopify, etc.)
    • Log in and grant permission to CSM
    • You'll be returned to Business Central

  5. After re-authorizing:

    • Run a manual inventory sync (Step 3)
    • Check if inventory now updates on your channel

What to do:

  • Re-authorize if your connection has expired
  • Run manual sync after re-authorizing
  • Contact support if re-authorization doesn't resolve the issue

Prevention: Avoid Inventory Sync Problems

Here's how to keep inventory syncing smoothly.

At Setup

  1. Configure the correct warehouse

    • Decide which Business Central warehouse/location feeds each channel
    • Document this so future team members know

  2. Map all products before launch

    • Don't wait until you have sync problems
    • Get every product mapped in advance
    • Use bulk import if available for large catalogs

  3. Test with sample products

    • Change Business Central inventory for a test product
    • Manually sync
    • Verify it updates on the channel
    • Test with different quantities (add, reduce, etc.)

  4. Set appropriate sync frequency

    • High-volume selling: Every 1-2 hours
    • Medium volume: Every 4 hours
    • Low volume: Daily
    • More frequent syncing = more accurate channels, but uses more resources

Ongoing

  1. Monitor feed logs weekly

    • Look for recurring errors
    • Address patterns proactively

  2. Run a manual sync monthly

    • Catch any inventory that might have slipped through
    • Verify channels are showing correct totals

  3. Keep inventory accurate in Business Central

    • Regular reconciliation catches problems early
    • Bad BC inventory means bad channel inventory
    • Physical counts monthly if you have high volume

  4. Review reserves and allocations monthly

    • Release reserves that are no longer needed
    • This frees up inventory for channel sync

  5. When adding new products:

    • Map them in CSM immediately after adding to BC
    • Don't wait until they're live on your channels
    • Test sync before marking as active

Special Cases

"Only Certain Products Won't Sync"

  1. Check if those products are mapped (Step 5)
  2. Verify they have inventory in BC
  3. Check if they have reserves or holds blocking sync
  4. Review feed logs for errors related to those specific products
  5. Contact support with product details if pattern unclear

"Inventory Syncs to Channel But Quantity is Wrong"

  1. Check what CSM is configured to sync (Available vs. On Hand)—Step 6
  2. Verify your reserves aren't inflating the discrepancy
  3. Look at when the sync happened vs. when you last added inventory (lag time)
  4. Check if you have multiple warehouses syncing (could be adding totals incorrectly)

"Channel Inventory Never Updates, Even After Manual Sync"

  1. Verify CSM automation is enabled (Step 2)
  2. Check channel authorization (Step 8)
  3. Review feed logs for persistent errors
  4. Verify product mapping (Step 5)
  5. Make sure warehouse is configured correctly (Step 4)
  6. If still stuck: Contact support with feed log errors

"Inventory Syncs Correctly But Takes Hours to Update"

  1. Check your sync frequency (Step 2)
    • If it's daily, that's expected
    • Consider increasing to hourly if you need real-time sync
  2. Check if there are many products being synced
    • Large product catalogs take longer
    • Consider syncing a smaller subset per channel
  3. Check your internet connection
    • Slow connections = slower syncs

"After Restocking, Channel Still Shows Old Inventory"

  1. Update the inventory quantity in Business Central first
  2. Run a manual sync immediately
  3. Check the channel to verify it updated
  4. Note the time it took to update (this helps you understand your sync lag)
  5. If it didn't update: Follow the troubleshooting steps above

"We're Selling Through Multiple Channels and Inventory is Inconsistent"

  1. This is a known challenge with multi-channel selling
  2. Make sure all channels sync from the same warehouse (Step 4)
  3. Increase sync frequency to hourly or more frequent
  4. Consider implementing order holds or inventory reserves to prevent overselling
  5. Review multi-channel best practices or contact support

Still Stuck?

You've worked through all the steps and inventory still isn't syncing correctly? Let's dig deeper.

Have this ready when you reach out:

  • Which sales channel has the inventory sync issue? (Amazon, Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.)
  • Which product(s) are affected? (Specific SKU or all products?)
  • What inventory is showing in Business Central vs. the channel? (Include numbers)
  • When did this problem start?
  • Was inventory syncing correctly before, or is this a new setup?
  • Have you run a manual sync? (If yes, what happened?)
  • Are there any error messages in Channel Feeds? (Screenshot is helpful)
  • Is this affecting only certain products or all products?
  • Do you have multiple warehouses? (If yes, which one should be syncing?)

Submit a Support Ticket with this information, and our team will investigate what's preventing your inventory from syncing.

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Last updated: November 2025