Guide ยท QuickBooks Online
Which QuickBooks Online reports should you export for a purchasing review?
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For a purchasing review in QuickBooks Online, export four reports: Sales by Product/Service Detail for demand, Inventory Valuation Summary for stock and value, Open Purchase Order Detail for what is already coming, and Product/Service List for item details. Together they answer what sold, what you have, and what is on order.
Report names and locations follow Intuit's current QuickBooks Online help for the US edition, as published on 2026-10-01. Inventory reports need inventory tracking, which is part of QuickBooks Online Plus and Advanced (Simple Start and Essentials can add it with Intuit's inventory add-on).
Which reports matter, and what does each tell you?
Each report answers one purchasing question. Run them for the same date so the numbers line up.
Sales detail, inventory valuation and open POs are the core three; the rest add context.
| Report | Question it answers | Report group |
|---|---|---|
| Sales by Product/Service Detail | How many of each item sold, and when? | Sales and customers |
| Sales by Product/Service Summary | What are total sales per item for the period? | Sales and customers |
| Inventory Valuation Summary | How many are on hand, and what are they worth at average cost? | Sales and customers |
| Inventory Valuation Detail | Which transactions changed each item's quantity and value? | Sales and customers |
| Open Purchase Order Detail | What is still on order, and how much has been received? | Expenses and vendors |
| Purchases by Product/Service Detail | What did you buy, from whom, at what cost? | Search the name in Standard reports |
| Physical Inventory Worksheet | Does the count on the shelf match QuickBooks? | Sales and customers |
| Product/Service List | What items do you sell, with their details? | Search the name in Standard reports |
How far back should the sales report go?
Pull at least a year, and ideally three, of Sales by Product/Service Detail. One year shows each season once; three years show whether a peak repeats or was a one-off.
Use the detail report rather than the summary when you can. Detail lists each sale with its date, so you can see monthly patterns and spot a single large order that would distort an average.
How do you export a report to Excel?
Every standard report exports the same way. Set the date range first, then export.
- Go to Reports, then Standard reports.
- Search for the report and open it.
- Set the report period, such as the last 36 months for sales.
- Select the Export/Print dropdown, then Export to Excel.
- Save the file where you can find it, such as Downloads.
If the file looks empty when you open it, Excel has it in Protected View. Select Enable Editing to see the full report.
How do you use the reports to decide what to buy?
Combine them item by item. Forecast demand over your lead time plus safety stock, then subtract stock on hand and what is already on order. What is left is what to buy.
- Find items to reorder. Divide recent sales by the number of weeks to get a weekly rate. Items with fewer weeks of stock than their lead time need ordering.
- Avoid double orders. Subtract Open Purchase Order Detail quantities before deciding. A PO does not change quantity on hand until you receive it.
- Find overstock. In Inventory Valuation Summary, look for items with high value but few sales in the last year. That cash is sitting on the shelf.
- Check vendor costs. Purchases by Product/Service Detail shows what you paid last time, useful before you send a PO.
- Trust the counts. If on-hand numbers look wrong, run the Physical Inventory Worksheet and count before ordering.
Our forecasting guide shows how to turn the sales export into a min/max sheet.
Where does ReorderOwl fit?
ReorderOwl does the what-to-order part of this review for you, free to start and right in ChatGPT. Attach three exports: Product/Service List, Sales by Product/Service Detail for the last 36 months and, optionally, Open Purchase Order Detail.
It returns an Excel workbook of what to order and how much, with the forecast method behind each line, and lists the most urgent products in the chat. Reports must use US date formats and be 10 MB or less each. There is no direct connection to QuickBooks, and it does not create POs there. For the step-by-step chat flow, see how to reorder inventory with ChatGPT, or the ReorderOwl for QuickBooks Online page.
Frequently asked questions
Which QuickBooks Online report shows quantity on hand?
Inventory Valuation Summary shows quantity on hand, value and average cost for each inventory product.
Which report shows open purchase orders?
Open Purchase Order Detail, in the Expenses and vendors group, shows items still on order and quantities received.
Can I export QuickBooks Online reports to Excel?
Yes. Open the report, select Export/Print, then Export to Excel. If data looks missing, select Enable Editing in Excel.
Summary or detail sales report for purchasing?
Detail. It keeps each sale's date, which lets you see seasons and spot one-off large orders.
Sources
- Use reports to see your sales and inventory status, Intuit QuickBooks, accessed 2026-10-01
- Export reports to Excel, Intuit QuickBooks, accessed 2026-10-01
- Create and send purchase orders, Intuit QuickBooks, accessed 2026-10-01
- Set up and track your inventory in QuickBooks Online, Intuit QuickBooks, accessed 2026-10-01