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Inventory Alert History

Menu Location: Products > Reports > Inventory Alert History

Last Updated: 2026-07-27

Overview

Inventory Alert History is a log of low-stock records the system generates on its own. When a product's available stock (In Stock minus Reserved) drops to zero or falls to/below the Reorder Point you've set for that product, the system logs a record here and emails admins who have inventory notifications turned on.

The table also logs internal "baseline" snapshots the system takes automatically to avoid firing a false alert the moment the feature is turned on or a product's numbers change. Baselines are not alerts and don't mean anything went wrong, see "Understanding Alert Types" below.

The feature has to be turned on before this page will ever show real alerts. It turns itself on automatically as soon as any admin enables the "Inventory Level Notification" email under their own notification settings, and turns off again if no admin has it checked (see "How Alerts Are Generated").

Primary Functions:

  • See a log of every low-stock / out-of-stock event the system has flagged
  • See which product triggered each record, when, and what the available stock was at that moment
  • Tell real alerts apart from routine internal baseline snapshots
  • Jump straight to a flagged product's edit page to check or adjust its Reorder Point

Page Layout

This is a standard sortable list. There is no date range picker, product filter, status filter, search box, or export/download button on this page. Click a column header to sort by it. Rows are shown newest first by default.

Columns shown:

  • Id - internal record ID
  • Menu Id - the product that triggered the record, shown as a link to that product's edit page (add-product.php) using the product's name
  • Alert Type - alert (a real low-stock/out-of-stock event that triggered an email) or baseline (an internal snapshot, not an alert, see below)
  • Alert Timestamp - date/time the record was created (shown as -- if not set)
  • Stock At Alert - the available stock (In Stock minus Reserved) at the moment this record was created
  • Cooldown Until - for alert rows, the date/time before which another alert for this same product is suppressed; shows -- for baseline rows, which don't carry a cooldown

Understanding Alert Types

There are only two values in the Alert Type column. There are no severity levels (no Critical/Warning/Info tiers exist in this system):

alert

  • A real low-stock or out-of-stock event
  • Available stock was at or below zero, or at/below the product's configured Reorder Point
  • Triggered one email to every admin with inventory notifications enabled
  • Won't fire again for the same product until the cooldown period passes (24 hours by default) and stock has dropped further below the last recorded baseline

baseline

  • An internal reference snapshot, not an alert, no email is sent for these
  • Created automatically when: a product is newly created, a product is switched from off to on, a product's stock or Reorder Point is changed, or once per week when the current order week's status is set to Complete
  • Exists purely so the system has a "last known good" stock level to compare against, so it doesn't fire an alert just because the feature was turned on or a number changed

How Alerts Are Generated

  1. Feature must be on. This isn't a separate on/off switch you set directly. It turns on automatically the moment any admin checks "Inventory Level Notification" under their own Email Notifications settings (My Account > Notifications, under "Daily Operations & Reports"), and turns back off if no admin has it checked.
  2. Checked once a day, only while the current order week's status is "Complete." The automated check does not run at other times.
  3. A product qualifies if: available stock (In Stock minus Reserved) is at or below zero, OR the product has a Reorder Point greater than 0 and available stock has dropped to or below it.
  4. Repeat alerts are suppressed. Once a product alerts, it won't alert again until the cooldown period passes (24 hours by default) and its stock has fallen further below the last baseline recorded for it.
  5. One email per check. If one or more products qualify, a single email listing all of them (out-of-stock and low-stock, in separate sections) is sent to every admin with the notification enabled, and one alert record is logged here per product.

There is no manual "generate an alert for this product" tool. Alerts only come from the automatic daily check described above.

Old records don't accumulate forever: alert history older than 30 days is deleted automatically once a week.

Common Use Cases

Use Case 1: Spot-check what's been flagged recently

Goal: See what's triggered low-stock notices lately

Steps:

  1. Open Inventory Alert History (sorted newest-first by default)
  2. Filter out baseline rows mentally, only alert rows represent a real low-stock event
  3. Click a flagged product's name to jump to its edit page and check current stock

Use Case 2: Find a product that keeps alerting

Goal: Identify a product whose Reorder Point may be set wrong

Steps:

  1. Scan the list (or sort by Menu Id) for a product with repeated alert rows
  2. Click through to that product's edit page (add-product.php)
  3. Raise its Reorder Point if you want earlier warning, or confirm current stock levels are actually being kept updated

Use Case 3: Alerts aren't showing up for a product you know ran low

Goal: Diagnose why nothing was logged

Steps:

  1. Check whether any admin has "Inventory Level Notification" checked (Email Notifications tab); if not, the feature is off entirely
  2. Confirm the current order week's status was "Complete" that day; the check only runs then
  3. Open the product's edit page and confirm its Reorder Point isn't 0 (a 0 Reorder Point only alerts when stock hits exactly zero)
  4. Check for a recent alert row for that product; if one exists within the cooldown window, a new one is suppressed

Managing Reorder Points

Each product's alert threshold is the Reorder Point field on that product's edit page (add-product.php). Its own tooltip explains it: when available stock (In Stock minus Reserved) reaches this level or below, a low inventory alert is sent to admins. Set it to 0 to disable alerts for that product. The inventory alert feature must also be enabled (see above) for this to do anything.

Troubleshooting

Seeing a lot of "baseline" rows

Expected. Baselines are created automatically whenever a product is added, turned on, has its stock or Reorder Point changed, or once a week when the current week is marked Complete. They are not alerts and don't need any action.

No alerts even though a product is clearly out of stock

Check, in order:

  1. Does any admin have "Inventory Level Notification" checked under Email Notifications? If not, the whole feature is off.
  2. Was the current order week's status set to "Complete"? The automatic check only runs then.
  3. Is the product's Reorder Point set to 0? A 0 Reorder Point only triggers at exactly zero available stock, not before.
  4. Is there already a recent alert row for that product within the cooldown window (24 hours by default)? A new one won't fire until it passes.

Records seem to disappear over time

Expected. Alert history older than 30 days is deleted automatically once a week, this page is not meant to be a permanent archive.

  • Product Edit (add-product.php) - set a product's Reorder Point (the threshold that triggers a low-stock alert) and see its current In Stock, Reserved, and Available figures
  • Menu Inventory (inventory.php) - set current In Stock levels for products
  • Email Notifications (admin-user.php, Notifications tab) - turn "Inventory Level Notification" on or off for an admin; this is what enables or disables the whole feature

Quick Reference Card

Task Action/Location
See newest activity first Default sort order (click "Alert Timestamp" to re-sort)
Jump to a flagged product Click the product name in the Menu Id column
Tell a real alert from a snapshot Check Alert Type: alert = real, baseline = internal only
Turn the feature on/off Email Notifications tab > "Inventory Level Notification" checkbox
Change what triggers an alert for a product Edit the product > Reorder Point field
Stop alerts for one product Set its Reorder Point to 0
Check current stock levels Menu Inventory page

FAQs

How is the alert threshold set?

Per product, using the Reorder Point field on that product's edit page. When available stock (In Stock minus Reserved) reaches that number or below, or hits zero, an alert can fire. Set it to 0 to stop alerts for that product.

What happens when an alert fires?

One email is sent to every admin who has "Inventory Level Notification" turned on, listing all affected products, and a record is logged on this page for each one.

Why do I see "baseline" rows I never asked for?

Those aren't alerts. The system records a stock snapshot automatically when a product is created, turned on, has its stock or Reorder Point changed, or once a week when the order week is marked Complete, so it doesn't fire a false alert off of those changes.

Why am I not getting alerts for a product that's clearly low?

Most common reasons: no admin has the notification turned on, the current week's status isn't "Complete" yet (the check only runs then), or the product's Reorder Point is set to 0.

Can I get more than one alert a day for the same product?

No. Once a product alerts, it's suppressed for 24 hours by default (the cooldown), and won't alert again until stock drops further below its last recorded baseline.

Does this page keep every alert forever?

No. Records older than 30 days are deleted automatically once a week.

Can customers see these alerts?

No. This is an internal admin report only.

Change Log

2026-07-27

  • Rewritten to match the actual inventory_alert_history table and alert logic (no severity levels, filters, export, manual triggers, or role-based permissions exist on this page)

End of Documentation

For additional help, contact your system administrator or Kiva Logic support.