Symptom
You run the Stock Snapshot report and the Transaction COGS report for the same date range and find that the Sold Qty or Sold Value columns in the Stock Snapshot do not match the totals you see in the Transaction COGS report. When you then export either report into an external tool (such as Excel, a BI dashboard, or an accounting system), the numbers diverge further — making it impossible to produce a clean month-end close without manual adjustments.
Why It Happens
The two reports can show different figures because of a single, often-overlooked setting: the COGS recognition basis.
The COGS recognition basis controls which date Luminous uses to assign a shipment line's cost to an accounting period. There are three options:
| Basis | What it means |
|---|---|
| Order Date | Cost is recognized on the date the order was originally placed. |
| Order Ship Date | Cost is recognized on the ship date of the order as a whole. For orders with multiple shipments, this is the first shipment's date. This is the system default. |
| Per Shipment | Cost is recognized on the actual ship date of each individual shipment. This is the only basis that reconciles exactly to the Sold Qty / Sold Value figures on the Stock Snapshot report. |
The core problem: The Stock Snapshot report and the Transaction COGS report only agree when both are using the Per Shipment basis. If your company frequently ships orders in multiple parts, the Order Ship Date basis will attribute all cost to the first shipment's date, causing COGS to appear in the wrong period and leaving later shipments understated. This creates a gap that grows every time an order is partially fulfilled.
A second compounding factor: there are two separate per-account settings that must both be enabled for the reports to reconcile:
- The ability to save a company-wide COGS recognition basis default from the Transaction COGS screen.
- The setting that causes the Stock Snapshot report's Sold figures to reflect that saved basis.
If either setting is not enabled on your account, the two reports will continue to diverge even if you change the dropdown on the Transaction COGS screen — because changing the dropdown only previews a different basis; it does not save it company-wide.
How to Resolve
Step 1 — Check your current COGS recognition basis
- Go to Insights → Accounting → Drill Down → Transaction COGS.
- Look for the always-visible indicator on screen that shows which basis is currently saved as the company default.
- Also note the Recognize COGS by dropdown at the top of the page.
If you do not see a company-default indicator or a Save as Default action next to the dropdown, stop here and contact Luminous Support — both per-account settings described above need to be enabled before you can proceed.
Step 2 — Preview the Per Shipment basis
- From the Recognize COGS by dropdown, select Per Shipment.
- The report will immediately re-query and display COGS using the new basis — this is a preview only and does not change anything company-wide yet.
- Compare the resulting totals to your Stock Snapshot Sold Value for the same date range. If they now match, Per Shipment is the correct basis for your business.
Step 3 — Save Per Shipment as the company default
⚠️ This action is company-wide and retroactive. It affects all users' Transaction COGS reports and the Stock Snapshot Sold figures, including historical periods. Luminous does not lock closed accounting periods, so prior-period numbers will also reflect the new basis.
- With Per Shipment selected in the dropdown, click Save as Default (next to the dropdown).
- Review the confirmation dialog, then click Save as Default to confirm.
- The on-screen indicator will update to show Per Shipment as the saved company default.
Step 4 — Reconcile line by line using drilldown reports
If a discrepancy remains after saving Per Shipment as the default, use the four drilldown reports under Insights → Accounting → Drill Down to trace specific differences:
- Transaction COGS → Missed COGS tab: Identifies any shipment lines where cost is recorded as $0. These lines contribute $0 to COGS but still reduce on-hand quantity in the Stock Snapshot, widening the valuation gap. Use Actions → Fix Missing Inventory Costs to resolve them.
- Transaction COGS → All tab: Filter by SKU or order number to find specific lines that look wrong.
- Transaction COGS → By Order tab: Useful when you need a per-order total to compare against order-level exports from an external system.
- Receiving drilldown: Verify that all receipts are recorded in the correct period.
- Adjustment drilldown: Identify any manual adjustments, 3PL sync variances, or returns that shifted quantity but may not be reflected in your external tool.
Step 5 — Export consistently for external tools
When pulling data into an external reporting tool, always export both reports with identical date ranges and after confirming the Per Shipment basis is active:
- From the Transaction COGS screen, use Actions → Export to download an XLSX of COGS transactions.
- From the Stock Snapshot report, export using the same start and end dates.
- In your external tool, use the Transaction COGS export to populate your COGS column, and the Stock Snapshot export to populate beginning/ending inventory values. These will reconcile because both now use the same Per Shipment basis.
When to Contact Support
Contact Luminous Support if:
- You do not see the Save as Default action or the company-default indicator on the Transaction COGS screen — both per-account settings may need to be enabled for your account.
- After saving Per Shipment as the default, the Stock Snapshot Sold Qty/Sold Value columns still do not match the Transaction COGS totals — the second per-account setting (Stock Snapshot reconciliation) may not yet be active.
- The Missed COGS tab shows a large number of $0-cost lines after running Fix Missing Inventory Costs — this may indicate a deeper cost layer issue that requires a cost layer rebuild.
- Any drilldown report is not visible in your Insights → Accounting → Drill Down menu — this feature is gated behind a feature toggle that must be enabled per account.