Who can see this report
Reporting is only available to users with the Admin role in the company. If you do not see the Reporting link in the menu, ask your administrator.
What this report shows
The Price History & Variance tab on the Reporting page tracks the unit price you have recorded for each product over time. When you receive stock with pricing or import inventory with a unit price, the system keeps a record of every change.
Why it matters
Supply costs can change without warning. A box of gloves that cost $8 last year might cost $14 this year. By tracking prices over time, you can:
- Spot price increases early and adjust your budget.
- Compare costs between suppliers.
- Justify budget requests with hard data.
Reading the report
One row per price change. Columns:
- Item — the product name
- Effective On — the date the price applied
- Price — the unit price (with currency)
- Δ Amount — how much the price went up or down from the previous row for this product. Up-arrow red for an increase, down-arrow green for a decrease.
- Δ % — the same change as a percentage
- Source — free-text label for where the price came from, available from the column toggle
Worked example
You are preparing a budget proposal and need to show how supply costs have changed:
- Nitrile Gloves (Large) — January: $8.50/box, April: $9.25/box, October: $11.00/box. That is a 29% increase over the year.
- 4x4 Gauze Pads — January: $3.20/pack, October: $3.25/pack. Minimal change.
You can point to the glove price data to justify a budget increase for PPE.
Tips
- Record the unit price when you receive new stock, especially if you ordered from a different supplier. This builds your price history automatically.
- Review the report quarterly to catch trends before they become budget problems.
- If a product shows a large price increase, check with your purchasing coordinator to see if an alternative supplier or product is available.