Let just add that inventory is "committed" in the system when it is on a sales order. If you have 515 pieces left and there are 515 on sales order then all are "committed" in the sense that you have no more to sell and that you need to order more. However the system cannot tell you which lot goes with which sales order as that is not known at this point unless you have activated the option to distribute Lots during sales order entry. 

Ok, so this has been a question I had been trying to solve for a little while now, Sage online chat couldn't help me.

So when you create a sales order (or backorder), even though no lot # are assigned/distributed at that point, inventory is 'committed' at that point? How does the system assign that?

Also, what's the best way to circumvent the situation where you have, say, 1000 bottles on hand, but you get an order for 5,000 bottles. You put the 5,000 bottles into the system but now the 1,000 bottles are no longer available for use even though you could use those to fill a bunch of smaller orders.

Ok, so this has been a question I had been trying to solve for a little while now, Sage online chat couldn't help me.

So when you create a sales order (or backorder), even though no lot # are assigned/distributed at that point, inventory is 'committed' at that point? How does the system assign that?

Also, what's the best way to circumvent the situation where you have, say, 1000 bottles on hand, but you get an order for 5,000 bottles. You put the 5,000 bottles into the system but now the 1,000 bottles are no longer available for use even though you could use those to fill a bunch of smaller orders.

Be sure you are not confusing the different "Committed" values.

Inventory quantities marked as "Committed" on tab 1 Main are not (necessarily) locked, and this is an automatic calculation.

Inventory quantities marked as "Committed" on the Cost Detail tab (for Lot/Serial items) are locked, and that is not done automatically.

Ok, our situation is the latter, although that helps us more with understanding some things. If quantities are being committed on the cost detail tab and it is isn't occurring automatically, is that being done manually during the sales order/shipping data entry process? I feel like we should know where these orders are and how the inventory is being committed. 

You are making a fundamental mistake.  Just because you have a sales order for 5,000 bottles nothing prevents you from shipping the 1,000 bottles to someone else.  Say you don't have to ship the 5,000 for a month and you know you can get more in 2 weeks and this week you have an order for 1,000 so you ship the 1,000 bottles more, order 5,000 to cover the other order and things are fine.

Well the problem that is happening is that, somehow, items are getting committed to orders and then made unavailable for future orders, even though we have plenty on the shelf or 'on hand'. I'm trying to figure out where that mistake is occurring and how to track it, i guess. 

Committed doesn't necessarily mean the lot quantity is assigned to an SO.  There are many different ways quantities can become locked.

That's what i'm finding out. Definitely frustrating trying to work through all this. 

Sage 100 is not DIY software.  Sage Partners work with the software all day every day, and are there to help.

Yeah. Small, family-owned company. Sometimes getting things addressed (like updating contact lists so i can do support calls with Sage people) is like pulling teeth. Working on that now though. Thanks for all your help. 

Your Sage Partner / reseller is not Sage.  While each partner is different, most are small businesses, and significantly less formal than working with Sage support.

Ah, yeah. I know what you're talking about now. We get issues about dealing with them because of costs, but might need to do that.