Build Your Own Inventory System With Budibase Low Code No Coding

Let’s be honest for a second: most inventory spreadsheets are a ticking time bomb. You know the one. It starts as a simple list of products, maybe some quantities, and a couple of prices. But then, someone accidentally deletes a row. Or two people try to update the count at the same time and overwrite each other’s work. Or worse, you realize you’re out of stock on your best-selling item three days after it actually ran out because the spreadsheet didn’t talk to your sales channel.

I’ve been there. I’ve managed warehouses using nothing but Excel and sheer willpower, and it is exhausting. That’s why I fell in love with Budibase. It’s not just another “low-code” tool that promises the world and delivers a clunky interface. Budibase feels like building a real app, but without the headache of managing databases, servers, or complex backend logic. It’s fast, it’s visual, and it’s surprisingly powerful.

In this guide, I’m going to walk you through building a fully functional, production-ready inventory management system. We aren’t just making a pretty dashboard; we’re creating a system that tracks items, handles stock levels, logs movements, and gives you alerts when things get low. And yes, I’ll show you how to do it step-by-step, with the kind of detail that helps even a beginner feel confident, while keeping the logic tight enough for a pro to respect.

Why Budibase? The “Why Bother?” Question

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty, let’s address the elephant in the room. Why build this in Budibase instead of just sticking to Airtable or Notion?

Airtable and Notion are fantastic for note-taking and light project management. They are great for data that doesn’t change rapidly or require strict relational integrity. But an inventory system is different. It’s transactional. Every time you sell an item, move an item, or receive a shipment, the state of your database changes. You need:

Relational Data: Products belong to categories. Orders contain multiple products. Suppliers provide specific products. These relationships need to be rigid.
Automation: When stock hits zero, you need an email or Slack notification immediately. Not manually triggered, but automatically.
Multi-User Access: You might have warehouse staff who only see “Receive Stock,” and managers who see “Analytics.” Budibase handles roles and permissions beautifully.
Offline/Local Hosting: If you’re in a warehouse with spotty Wi-Fi, Budibase can run locally on your own server, ensuring your app works even if the internet goes down.

Budibase strikes the perfect balance. It’s no-code enough that you don’t need a computer science degree, but flexible enough that you can inject custom JavaScript if you ever hit a wall. It’s the sweet spot.

Step 1: Laying the Foundation – The Database Schema

The heart of any inventory system is its database. In Budibase, this is handled by the “Data Sources” section. We aren’t just throwing everything into one giant table. That’s a recipe for disaster. We need structure.

Imagine you are setting up a physical warehouse. You wouldn’t throw all the boxes into one pile. You’d have shelves for electronics, aisles for clothing, and a separate bin for returns. Our database needs the same logic.

We will create four core tables:

Products: The master list of everything you sell.
Categories: To group products (e.g., Electronics, Apparel, Home Goods).
Suppliers: Who provides your goods.
StockMovements: A log of every time an item enters or leaves your inventory. This is crucial for auditing.

Creating the Categories Table

Let’s start simple. Open Budibase and go to Data Sources > Add Data Source. Choose “Internal Database.” Name your first table Categories.

Now, add these columns:

id (Auto-generated primary key)
name (Text): e.g., “Laptops”, “Mice”, “Keyboards”
description (Text): Optional, for notes.

Pro Tip: Keep this table small. You won’t be adding new categories every day. This structure allows you to link products to categories later without duplicating data.

Creating the Suppliers Table

Next, add another table called Suppliers.

id (Primary Key)
company_name (Text): e.g., “TechDistro Inc.”
contact_email (Email): For automated reorder emails.
lead_time_days (Number): How many days does it take from order to delivery? This is vital for calculating when to reorder.

The Products Table – The Star of the Show

This is where it gets interesting. Add a table named Products. Here are the essential columns:

id (Primary Key)
sku (Text): Stock Keeping Unit. Make this unique! This is your product’s fingerprint.
name (Text): Human-readable name.
category_id (Relation): Link this to the Categories table.
supplier_id (Relation): Link this to the Suppliers table.
quantity_on_hand (Number): Current stock level. Initialize this to 0 or your starting amount.
reorder_point (Number): The magic number. If stock drops below this, you trigger an alert.
cost_price (Currency): How much you paid.
sell_price (Currency): How much you charge.
image_url (URL): Optional, but nice for visual confirmation.

Notice the relation types? This is what makes Budibase powerful. When you view a product, you don’t just see “ID #5”; you see the Category Name and Supplier Name directly. It cleans up your UI immensely.

The StockMovements Table – The Audit Trail

Never trust a single number. Always track the history. Create a table called StockMovements.

id (Primary Key)
product_id (Relation): Link to Products.
movement_type (Select): Options: “IN”, “OUT”, “ADJUSTMENT”.
quantity (Number): Positive for IN, Negative for OUT.
timestamp (Date & Time): Auto-filled with current time.
user_id (Text): Who made the change? (Budibase can auto-fill this with the logged-in user’s ID).
notes (Text): Why did you adjust stock? (e.g., “Damaged item,” “Found extra in shipment”).

By logging every movement, you can answer questions like, “Who moved 50 units of Laptop X yesterday?” or “Why is our count off by 2?”

Step 2: Building the User Interface – Making It Look Like an App

Now that your data is structured, let’s make it usable. In Budibase, you build pages. Think of these as screens on a mobile app or tabs in a desktop software.

Page 1: The Dashboard (Overview)

Your first page should be a high-level view. Why? Because managers don’t want to dig through lists; they want answers.

Add a Grid View component. Bind it to the Products table. But wait, we want to highlight problems. Use conditional formatting.

Set the background color of the quantity_on_hand cell to turn Red if quantity_on_hand < reorder_point.
Set it to Yellow if quantity_on_hand is between reorder_point and reorder_point + 5.
Set it to Green otherwise.

This visual cue is instant. You can see exactly which products need attention without reading a single number.

Add a Chart component next to the grid. A simple bar chart showing “Stock Levels by Category.” This helps you visualize if you’re overstocked on one category and understocked on another.

Page 2: Product List & Management

Create a new page called “Inventory.” Here, we want a full-screen view of all products, sortable and filterable.

Use a Table View component bound to Products. Enable Sorting on columns like Name, SKU, and Quantity. Enable Filtering. Allow users to filter by Category or Supplier.

Add a Button at the top right: “Add New Product.” When clicked, this button should open a Form in a modal window.

Page 3: The Add/Edit Form

Forms are where the data entry happens. Create a form bound to the Products table.

Include fields for all the columns we defined earlier. For the category_id and supplier_id, use Dropdown components that pull their options from the respective tables. This ensures data integrity. You can’t assign a product to a non-existent category.

For the image_url, consider using a file upload component if your Budibase instance supports local storage, or just stick to URL pasting for simplicity in this tutorial.

Crucial Logic: When the form saves, don’t just save the product. We need to initialize the stock movement log. But wait, we’ll handle that in the automation section. For now, just ensure the form validates that sku is unique. Budibase has built-in validation rules. Turn on “Unique” for the SKU field.

Page 4: Stock Adjustment Screen

This is the most used screen by warehouse staff. It needs to be simple and fast.

Create a page called “Adjust Stock.” Add a Search Bar. As the user types a product name or SKU, filter the results dynamically. Select a product, and it opens a side panel or modal.

Inside the modal, add:

A label showing current quantity_on_hand.
A number input for adjustment_quantity.
A dropdown for movement_type (IN, OUT, ADJUSTMENT).
A text area for notes.

When the user clicks “Save,” we don’t want to update the Products table directly. Instead, we want to create a new record in the StockMovements table.

Wait, how do we update the main quantity? We could use a formula, but it’s safer to use an Automation. Let’s talk about that next.

Step 3: Automations – The Brain of the Operation

Manual updates are prone to error. What if someone adjusts the stock via the form but forgets to update the main quantity? Or what if two people adjust the same item at once?

Budibase automations solve this. They are event-driven. “When X happens, do Y.”

Automation 1: Syncing Stock Movements to Product Quantity

This is the most critical automation.

Trigger: Record Added (in StockMovements table).

Action: Update Record (in Products table).

Here’s the tricky part: How do we know which product to update? In the StockMovements table, we linked product_id to the Products table. So, we can use a Lookup action.

Lookup: Find the related Product record using the product_id from the newly created StockMovement.
Calculate New Quantity: This is where we use a bit of JavaScript inside the automation.
- Get the current quantity_on_hand of the product.
- Get the quantity from the StockMovement.
- Add them together.
- Self-Correction: Ensure the result doesn’t go below zero. If it does, clamp it to 0.
Update: Set the quantity_on_hand in the Products table to this new calculated value.

By doing this, you never manually edit the quantity_on_hand field in the Products table. You only create movements. The system keeps itself in sync. This is audit-proof.

Automation 2: Low Stock Alerts

You don’t want to wait until you run out of stock. You want to know when you’re getting close.

Trigger: Record Updated (in Products table) OR Record Added (in StockMovements table). Note: Since our first automation updates the product, triggering on Product Updated is sufficient.

Condition: quantity_on_hand < reorder_point.

Action: Send Email / Slack Message / Push Notification.

Craft a message: “⚠️ Low Stock Alert: Product Name is now at [Quantity], which is below the reorder point of [Reorder Point]. Please contact supplier: [Supplier Name].”

Include a link to the product page so the manager can quickly approve a reorder.

Automation 3: Auto-Reorder Suggestions (Advanced)

If you want to get fancy, you can add a step to check the lead_time_days from the Supplier table. If today’s date + lead time > expected stock-out date, suggest an immediate order. But for a basic system, the low stock alert is usually enough.

Step 4: Adding Polish – UX Best Practices

A functional app is good. A great app is intuitive. Here’s how to make your Budibase inventory system feel professional.

1. Use Icons and Colors Wisely

Don’t just rely on text. Use icons for actions.

Edit: Pencil icon.
Delete: Trash can icon.
View: Eye icon.

In Budibase, you can add buttons to your table rows. Configure these buttons to open modals or navigate to specific pages. This keeps the user on the same page rather than navigating away constantly.

2. Implement Search Everywhere

Users hate scrolling. Add a global search bar at the top of your app. Bind it to search across Products.name, Products.sku, and Suppliers.company_name. When a result is found, clicking it takes you to the relevant page.

3. Mobile Responsiveness

Budibase apps are responsive by default, but test them on your phone. Warehouse staff might be using tablets or phones to scan barcodes (if you integrate a barcode scanner API later) or update stock. Ensure your forms have large touch targets. Buttons should be at least 44x44 pixels.

4. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Not everyone should see everything.

Warehouse Staff: Can only see “Adjust Stock” and “View Inventory.” Cannot delete records. Cannot see cost prices (security).
Managers: Can see everything, including financial data (cost_price, sell_price). Can delete records (with confirmation).
Admins: Full access, including user management.

In Budibase, go to Settings > Roles. Create these roles and assign permissions to each page and table column. For example, hide the cost_price column for the “Staff” role using conditional visibility.

Step 5: Real-World Example – Handling a Shipment

Let’s walk through a typical scenario to see how all these pieces fit together.

Scenario: You receive a shipment of 50 “Wireless Mouse” units from “TechDistro Inc.”

The User Action: A warehouse worker logs into the Budibase app on their tablet. They go to the “Adjust Stock” page.
Search: They type “Wireless Mouse.” The app filters the list. They click the correct item.
Input: The app shows current stock: 12. The worker enters +50 in the adjustment box. Selects “IN” as the movement type. Adds note: “Received PO #12345.”
Saving: They click Save.
Behind the Scenes:
- A new record is created in StockMovements with quantity: 50, movement_type: IN.
- The automation triggers.
- It looks up the associated Product.
- It calculates: 12 + 50 = 62.
- It updates the Products table: quantity_on_hand becomes 62.
Confirmation: The worker sees a success toast notification: “Stock updated successfully. New quantity: 62.”
Alert Check: The automation checks if 62 < reorder_point (say, 10). It’s not. No email is sent. Perfect.

Scenario 2: Later, a sale comes in for 10 mice.

The User Action: The worker selects the same product, enters -10, selects “OUT”, notes “Sale #9876.”
Behind the Scenes:
- StockMovements record created: quantity: -10.
- Automation triggers.
- Lookup Product.
- Calculate: 62 - 10 = 52.
- Update Products: quantity_on_hand becomes 52.
Alert Check: 52 < 10? No. Still safe.

Scenario 3: One day, only 3 mice are left. Reorder point is 10.

The User Action: Worker sells 3 mice. Stock goes from 6 to 3.
Behind the Scenes:
- StockMovements record created.
- Automation updates Products to 3.
- Automation checks condition: 3 < 10. True!
Result: An email is sent to the manager: “⚠️ Low Stock Alert: Wireless Mouse is now at 3…”
Manager Action: Manager receives email, clicks link, reviews supplier info, and places a new order.

This flow is seamless, accurate, and auditable. No manual math errors. No forgotten steps.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Even with the best tools, things break. Here are a few pitfalls I’ve encountered and how to fix them.

Issue: Negative Stock Values

Sometimes, due to race conditions (two people updating at once) or human error, stock might dip below zero. Fix: In your automation, add a check: If new_quantity < 0, set new_quantity = 0. Also, add a validation rule in the StockMovements form to prevent users from entering adjustments that would logically cause negatives, though the automation catch is a better safety net.

Issue: Slow Performance with Large Datasets

If you have 10,000+ products, loading the grid view might take a few seconds. Fix: Enable pagination in your Grid/Table views. Limit the initial load to 50 or 100 records. Use filters heavily. Budibase handles large datasets well, but client-side rendering has limits. Offloading heavy calculations to the backend (via automations) helps.

Issue: Relation Fields Not Populating

Sometimes, when you create a product, the category dropdown is empty. Fix: Ensure the Categories table has data before you create products. Also, check that the relation column in Products is correctly linked to the id of Categories. Budibase usually handles this automatically, but double-check the field mappings.

Beyond the Basics: Scaling Up

Once you have this system running smoothly, you might want to expand. Here are some ideas:

Barcode Scanning: Integrate with a Bluetooth barcode scanner. Budibase forms can accept input from scanners as if they were keyboard entries. Scan the SKU, and the form auto-fills.
Multi-Warehouse Support: Add a Warehouses table and a location_id to the Products and StockMovements tables. Now you can track stock per location.
API Integrations: Connect your Budibase app to Shopify or WooCommerce. When a sale happens on the website, use Budibase’s API to automatically create a “Stock Movement” record of type “OUT.” This keeps your inventory synced across platforms.
Reporting: Use Budibase’s charting capabilities to create a monthly report. “Top Selling Products,” “Low Margin Items,” “Supplier Reliability.”

Conclusion: Why This Matters

Building an inventory system in Budibase isn’t just about saving time. It’s about gaining control. When you understand your stock, you understand your business. You stop guessing. You stop losing money to shrinkage or missed sales.

The beauty of this approach is that it’s yours. You aren’t locked into a black-box SaaS product that changes its pricing or features overnight. You can host it, modify it, and extend it as your business grows. And because you built it with a visual tool, you can iterate quickly. Need a new field? Drag and drop. Need a new report? Copy-paste a chart.

I remember when I started with spreadsheets, I felt trapped. Every change required a backup copy. Every question required a manual count. With Budibase, the data is alive. It tells a story. And now, you’re the author.

So, go ahead. Open Budibase. Create your first table. Start small. Fix one problem at a time. You’ll be surprised at how quickly a chaotic mess turns into a streamlined, efficient operation. And hey, if you get stuck, remember: every expert was once a beginner who refused to give up. You’ve got this.

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