Why do my build assembly numbers keep changing?

Hello there, kimbre623.

I understand the frustration of having your assembly numbers change unexpectedly.

To start, I'd suggest reviewing the setup of the inventory item. There might be some changes in the assembly number that cause the problem.

Additionally, it's important to keep QuickBooks up-to-date with the latest releases to take advantage of all updates and full functionality.

Here's how:

1. Go to the Help menu.
2. Select Update QuickBooks Desktop.
3. Choose the Update Now tab. You can mark the Reset Update checkbox to clear all the previous downloads.
4. Click Get Updates to start the download.
5. Once done, accept the option to install the new release.

After that, run the Verify Data and Rebuild tools. These features will help self-identify data issues within a company file and self-resolve them using Rebuild Data.

Here's how

1. Click the File tab at the top menu bar.
2. Hover your cursor to Utilities.
3. Select Verify Data.

Next, please run the Rebuild Data option through these steps:

1. Click the File tab at the top menu bar.
2. Hover your cursor to Utilities.
3. Select Rebuild Data.

Furthermore, refer to this helpful blog for more details about setting up your inventory items: Common QuickBooks Inventory Accounting Mistakes.

I've also added a couple of articles that you may find helpful when building assembly:

• Track the Products you Manufacture
• Understand Inventory Assets and Cost of Goods Sold Tracking

Let me know if you have other questions about assembly numbers in QuickBooks. I'm always here to help. Take care.

Your reply is too vague to be helpful. Do you have any specific ideas as to why the BA# would change? All I did was open up the BA's that were automatically created to add a memo. When I did that the BA#'s changed AND several of the assemblies got duplicated. I had to uncheck the box and manually create over 100 assemblies. It was tedious time consuming and super frustrating. I would like to avoid that going forward.

Our QB is up to date, and I already ran the file doctor. 

Hello there, @kimbre623. 

I understand the importance of knowing why such things have happened on your end. Let me explain why your Build Assembly's reference number changes. The reason why this happens is because of the sub-assemblies you've added in your build assembly. 

When creating sub-assemblies for a building assembly in QBDT, a number is assigned to the sub before the main assembly. This is why you may notice skipped reference numbers. QBDT also has an option to auto-create sub-assemblies when building, which can result in additional sub-assemblies. To keep track of the order of assemblies made in QBDT, users can run a report for the build assemblies and sort it by reference number.

Also, you can check this article on organizing your inventory items: Use item categories in QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise.

Let us know by replying to this thread if you have other questions about build assembly in QBDT. We're always here to help you.

Why would a Build change numbers if it has no sub-assemblies? My client also has numbers changing in released Builds with sub-assemblies. Not every Build changes, it's random. I've run multiple Rebuilds, File Repair, repair QB in Windows, updates are installed. Also made changes to the custom form to rule that out.

Problem started out of the blue. No Windows or QB updates happened prior to the issue.

Appreciate any help with this.

I appreciate you for taking troubleshooting steps to resolve unusual build assembly numbers that keep changing, MintHill. I can also see how important to arrange your assembly numbers in QuickBooks Desktop is. I'll provide additional details on how it works in the program to ensure that inventory assembly data remains accurate.

Please keep in mind that the assembly numbers displayed when you create a build are the next in the sequence. QuickBooks will follow the correct order even if you manually enter a number. It's not always the same number after saving especially when sub-assemblies need to be assembled due to a lack of quantity on hand and if other users are creating it at the same time. This could be why the build assembly numbers are constantly changing at random. 

On the other hand, you can run the Audit Trail report to view the history of the company's activities This allows you to verify if another user is also making a build assembly, which is why the number that displays on your end isn't in the correct order.

Here's how:

1. Click Reports at the top menu bar and choose Account & Taxes.
2. Select Audit Trail.
3. On the report screen, choose All in the Date Entered/Last Modified drop-down arrow.
4. You can also customize other details
5. Click anywhere to save the changes.

In case you need steps on how to edit or make changes to your item's details, you can read this article: Add, edit, and delete items in QuickBooks Desktop.

You can always get back on this thread anytime if you still have concerns related to managing assembly in QBDT. I'd be glad to help you and resolve it right away, MintHill. Take care!

@MintHill 

Run the Condense Data utility with any scenario for testing purpose, Did you encounter any error message?

Thanks for the replies. No one else was working with Builds at the time of the error. The database will not allow Builds to be released if there is a shortage of parts. No errors running Condense to remove Audit info. No changes have been made to individual parts. Sometimes running the same Build will work fine and the next time the numbers will change. We just don't see a pattern to trace why this happens.

I appreciate your commitment to using QuickBooks Desktop for your business operations. I understand that you've encountered an issue regarding the reference numbers for building assemblies, and I'm here to provide clarification and assistance.

Upon checking some of my resources here, I would like to inform you that the behavior you're observing is intentional and how QuickBooks Desktop manages reference numbers for building assemblies.

When you create a building assembly in QuickBooks Desktop and enter a reference number, the software does not assign consecutive or gap-filled numbers as one might expect. Instead, QuickBooks uses a unique system that generates nonconsecutive reference numbers for various transactions, including building assemblies.

The reason for using this approach is to maintain flexibility and prevent any possible conflicts in reference numbers across various transactions and entities within the software. QuickBooks has implemented this to ensure accurate tracking of your subassemblies. It enables a more dynamic system that can adapt to a variety of business scenarios and use cases.

I'm adding these articles you can use in the future:

• Set up Advanced Inventory in QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop.
• What’s new in QuickBooks Desktop 2024?

If you have any further questions or if there's anything specific you'd like assistance with, please don't hesitate to reach out to our Community forum. We are here to help you make the most out of your QuickBooks Desktop experience. Have a good one!

I must have gremlins in my system because that is not what I am experiencing. I am created an assembly with sub-assemblies (that also have sub-assemblies. they go 4 deep in some cases). I understand that whatever number I assign to the top assembly may change. Once I let the system auto-generate all the nested sub assys I print a report. I open each one back up to add the necessary (to me) memos. That is all I did - add memos. The memo (Sales order number) that I entered in top line assy does not carry over to its babies and I need to see those numbers or I will not know who the pending assy is for. After I add the memos I re-run the report AND ALL THE NUMBERS HAVE CHANGED ALONG WITH QB CREATING DUPLICATES. Nothing about this makes sense. I have other issues with this file and I am pretty sure I have gremlins. Will be running file doctor over the weekend. 

thanks you for backing me up.

have you also experienced QB duplicating them? I will make one assy that has 6 sub assys. I see when I am done there are 7. I print a report. I open them back up just to add a sales order # in the memo field. I save/close and my new report has changed all the numbers and sometimes they get duplicated. super random which ones.

@kimbre623 

Run the Verify/Rebuild Data utility. Did you encounter any error message?

We are experiencing the same problems, and all we do is print and save a build and the numbers are changing so all our back-up reports need to be constantly updated. It's causing a nightmare for production. We would love to know who at Intuit decided to make this change as it has only just started with the latest version!

We are experiencing the same issue and our builds keep changing numbers. My production staff cannot continue this way as they are now constantly updating reports outside of QB for these build numbers. Why on earth would Intuit decide to mess with the numbering?  Please provide me a way to turn this function off?

Appreciate your help...

@BMZ17 

Run the Verify/Rebuild Data utility. Did you encounter any error message?

Yes we did, various items could not be fixed.

Attached is our error report