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Client Settings — Warehouse Assignments & Inbound Defaults

Use this guide when you are configuring which warehouses a client can use for inbound work and which location should be preferred inside that warehouse.

Overview

A client's warehouse configuration has two separate concepts:

  1. Warehouse Assignments
  2. Inbound Defaults

They work together, but they solve different problems.

  • Warehouse Assignments decide which warehouses the client is allowed to use.
  • Inbound Defaults decide which location should be preferred after a warehouse has already been chosen.

In simple terms:

Warehouse Assignments
        ↓

Default Warehouse selected
        ↓

Default Inbound Location applied

Important:

  • A default inbound location does not make a warehouse available.
  • A warehouse must already be assigned and active before ParcelPilot can use it in adopted inbound workflows.
  • Receipt warehouse and return warehouse selection both follow the same client warehouse assignment rules.

Warehouse Assignments

Warehouse Assignments control which warehouses the client is permitted to use.

ParcelPilot uses these assignments as the shared warehouse eligibility source in the following verified workflows:

  • Inventory Inbounds / expected deliveries
  • Receipts
  • expected returns
  • Returns
  • Collections
  • Scan Stock In
  • Inventory Assembly
  • Inventory Repacking

If a warehouse is not assigned to the client as an active assignment, it is not normally available for those workflows.

Historical records can still show an older warehouse for audit clarity, but if you change the warehouse on those records, the new value must satisfy the current client warehouse assignments.

Fields

Warehouse

The warehouse record being assigned to the client.

This is the warehouse the client is allowed to use in adopted inbound workflows.

Active

Controls whether the assignment is currently usable.

Active is the main eligibility switch.

Verified behavior:

  • active assignments are treated as eligible warehouses
  • inactive assignments are excluded from warehouse lists that use the client warehouse eligibility service
  • if a workflow needs a warehouse and the client has no active eligible assignments, ParcelPilot shows that no eligible warehouses are configured for the client

The repository currently shows Active affecting warehouse choice in these workflows:

  • Inventory Inbounds / expected deliveries
  • Receipts
  • expected returns
  • Returns
  • Collections
  • Scan Stock In
  • Inventory Assembly
  • Inventory Repacking

If a current workflow is blocked because a warehouse is no longer eligible or a selected location is no longer valid for that warehouse, see:

Default

Marks the active warehouse that should be preselected when ParcelPilot needs a warehouse for new inbound work.

Current verified rules:

  • only one active assignment can be marked as Default
  • a default assignment must stay active
  • if a client has exactly one active warehouse, ParcelPilot can auto-select it even if you did not mark it as default

What Default controls:

  • it provides the suggested or preselected warehouse for supported workflows
  • it does not make the warehouse mandatory when other eligible warehouses exist
  • operators can still choose another eligible assigned warehouse in those workflows

Notes

Freeform internal notes for the assignment.

Use this for local operational context if needed. Notes do not change warehouse eligibility behavior.

What the Default warehouse does

The Default warehouse affects future inbound selection only.

When a client has multiple active warehouse assignments and one is marked as default, ParcelPilot can preselect that warehouse for supported workflows.

The repository evidence shows Default being used as the suggested warehouse in these workflows:

  • Inventory Inbounds / expected deliveries
  • Receipts
  • expected returns
  • Returns
  • Collections
  • Scan Stock In
  • Inventory Assembly
  • Inventory Repacking

Changing the Default warehouse:

  • affects future receipts, expected deliveries, expected returns, and similar inbound create flows
  • does not move stock
  • does not change existing receipts, returns, or inventory records
  • does not rewrite historical warehouse values on older records

Delete vs deactivate

Removing a row from Warehouse Assignments deletes the client-to-warehouse assignment record itself.

Verified repository findings:

  • the ClientWarehouse model does not define delete hooks or follow-on cleanup behavior
  • the assignment table is used to decide current warehouse eligibility
  • once the row is gone, that warehouse is no longer available through the active client assignment list unless a new assignment is created later

Based on the current implementation, the safer operator guidance is usually:

  • Deactivate an assignment when you want to stop using a warehouse for new work but keep the assignment record
  • Delete an assignment only when you intentionally want to remove that client-to-warehouse assignment row

The repository does not show broader side effects such as stock moves, receipt rewrites, or return rewrites when an assignment row is deleted.

Inbound Defaults

Inbound Defaults control the preferred location inside a warehouse.

The key field is:

  • Default Inbound Location

This is a separate setting from warehouse eligibility.

Default Inbound Location

Default Inbound Location is the preferred receipt or return location to use after the warehouse has been chosen.

Current verified behavior:

  • it selects the preferred receipt/return location
  • it is used only when that location belongs to the selected warehouse
  • it does not make a warehouse available
  • it does not decide which warehouse is selected

If the configured default inbound location does not belong to the selected warehouse, ParcelPilot falls back to the warehouse's own receiving or default location setup when available.

How the two settings work together

Think of the process in this order:

  1. ParcelPilot checks which warehouses are assigned and active for the client.
  2. If one active warehouse is marked as default, ParcelPilot can preselect it.
  3. After the warehouse is known, ParcelPilot tries to apply the client's default inbound location.
  4. That location is only used if it belongs to the chosen warehouse.

This means:

  • Default Warehouse answers: which warehouse should ParcelPilot pick first?
  • Default Inbound Location answers: inside that warehouse, which location should ParcelPilot prefer?

Practical examples

Example 1: A client using one warehouse

Warehouse assignments:

  • Kingsway 1 active

Result:

If Kingsway 1 is the client's only active warehouse, ParcelPilot can auto-select it for new receipts and new returns even if you did not explicitly mark it as default.

Example 2: A client using multiple warehouses

Warehouse assignments:

  • Kingsway 1 marked Default
  • Kingsway 2 active

Result:

New receipts and new returns preselect Kingsway 1.

If both warehouses are active and neither is marked as default, ParcelPilot cannot infer a preferred warehouse from the client settings alone.

If an operator changes the warehouse on the form, ParcelPilot still allows the other eligible assigned warehouse. Default does not lock the user to Kingsway 1.

Example 3: How the Default warehouse affects future inbound workflows

Warehouse assignments:

  • Kingsway 2 is changed to the new Default

Result:

Future receipts, expected deliveries, expected returns, and returns will use Kingsway 2 as the preselected warehouse.

Existing inventory, existing receipts, and existing returns are unchanged.

Example 4: Deactivate vs delete a warehouse assignment

Warehouse assignments:

  • Kingsway 1 active
  • Kingsway 2 active

Scenario A: Kingsway 2 is no longer used for new work, but you want to keep the assignment record.

Result:

Set Kingsway 2 to inactive. It stops being eligible for the supported warehouse-selection workflows, but the assignment row still exists.

Scenario B: you remove the Kingsway 2 row completely.

Result:

The client-to-warehouse assignment row is deleted. The repository does not show any wider automatic cleanup beyond losing that assignment entry and its future eligibility.

Example 5: How Default Inbound Location is applied after the warehouse is selected

Default Inbound Location:

  • A108

Result:

If the selected warehouse is Kingsway 1 and location A108 belongs to Kingsway 1, ParcelPilot can pre-populate A108 as the default inbound location.

If A108 belongs to a different warehouse, ParcelPilot does not use it for Kingsway 1. In that case it falls back to the warehouse's receiving location or default location when available.

Common questions

How do I set a default warehouse for a client?

Open the client, go to Warehouse Assignments, and mark the correct active assignment as Default.

If another active assignment is already the default, ParcelPilot only allows one active default warehouse at a time.

Which warehouse will be selected when I create a receipt?

The receipt warehouse is selected from the client's active warehouse assignments.

Current verified behavior is:

  • if the client has one active warehouse, ParcelPilot can auto-select that warehouse
  • if the client has multiple active warehouses and one is marked Default, ParcelPilot can preselect that default warehouse
  • if the client has multiple active warehouses and no default, you must choose from the eligible assigned warehouses
  • if the client has no active assigned warehouses, no eligible receipt warehouse is available

Which warehouse will be selected when I create a return?

The return warehouse follows the same rules as the receipt warehouse.

Current verified behavior is:

  • if the client has one active warehouse, ParcelPilot can auto-select that warehouse
  • if the client has multiple active warehouses and one is marked Default, ParcelPilot can preselect that default warehouse
  • if the client has multiple active warehouses and no default, you must choose from the eligible assigned warehouses
  • if the client has no active assigned warehouses, no eligible return warehouse is available

What's the difference between Default Warehouse and Default Inbound Location?

Default Warehouse chooses which assigned warehouse should be preselected for future inbound work.

Default Inbound Location chooses the preferred receipt or return location inside the warehouse that was selected.

The location setting does not make the warehouse eligible.

Why isn't my warehouse available when creating a receipt?

Usually one of these is true:

  • the warehouse is not assigned to the client
  • the assignment exists but is inactive
  • the receipt currently shows a historical warehouse, but if you change it, the new value must be a currently eligible assigned warehouse

Why wasn't the Default Inbound Location selected?

Usually one of these is true:

  • no default inbound location is configured for the client
  • the configured default inbound location does not belong to the selected warehouse
  • the selected warehouse used its own receiving location or default location as the fallback instead

Can a client have more than one default warehouse?

No.

Current implementation only allows one active default warehouse per client.

Can a client have multiple warehouses?

Yes.

A client can have multiple warehouse assignment rows. Active assignments become the eligible warehouse list for the supported workflows.

What does Active do?

Active controls whether the assignment is part of the client's current eligible warehouse list.

If you turn Active off, that warehouse is no longer normally available for supported workflows that validate against client warehouse assignments.

What does Default do?

Default sets the suggested warehouse for supported workflows when more than one active warehouse exists.

It does not enforce that warehouse if another eligible assigned warehouse is available.

Should I delete or deactivate a warehouse assignment?

Based on the current implementation, usually deactivate if you want to stop using the warehouse for new work but keep the assignment record.

Use delete when you intentionally want to remove the client-to-warehouse assignment row itself.

What happens if I delete an assignment?

The repository shows the assignment row being removed.

We did not find repository evidence of broader automatic side effects such as moving stock, rewriting receipts, rewriting returns, or updating inventory locations.

What does change is warehouse eligibility: once the row is deleted, that warehouse is no longer available through the client's active warehouse assignments unless you add it again later.

Does changing the default warehouse affect existing receipts?

No.

Changing the default warehouse affects future preselection for new inbound workflows. It does not rewrite existing receipts.

Does changing the default warehouse move existing stock?

No.

Changing the default warehouse affects future workflow preselection only. It does not move inventory, update existing receipts, or rewrite historical records.

Does changing the default warehouse affect existing inventory locations?

No.

Changing the default warehouse does not move stock between locations and does not update existing inventory location records.

How do I change the warehouse for a client?

Edit the client's Warehouse Assignments.

  • add or activate the warehouses the client should be allowed to use
  • mark one active warehouse as Default if you want future receipts and returns to preselect it
  • remove or deactivate warehouses that should no longer be available for new inbound work

This changes the warehouse options available for future receipts and returns. It does not rewrite historical records.

Does changing the default warehouse affect existing returns?

No.

Changing the default warehouse affects future preselection for new inbound workflows. It does not rewrite existing returns.

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