Purchase orders overview

A purchase order (PO) is a commercial document and first official offer issued by a buyer to a seller, indicating types, quantities, and agreed prices for products or services. It is used to control the purchasing of products and services from external suppliers. The PO feeds the inventory control process in the system.

The purchase order pages allow you to view, create, receive, and complete purchase orders. They include these pages:

  • Purchase Order Listing

  • Purchase Order

Purchase order workflow

When you create a purchase order, you enter information in progressive phases. You can add purchase information as needed.

This illustration shows the purchase order workflow.

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This table identifies the different phases of creating a purchase order.

Phase Description

Create a purchase order

Create a repair order and enter information in the Purchase Order pane.

Add lines

Add Lines as needed.

  • Line types available on a purchase order include:

    • Part

    • Labor

    • Service

    • Comment

    • Tax

    • Fee

  • The line types available are dependent on the purchase order type: Blanket, Credit, Standard or Vendor Repair Order.

You are not required to add lines in any specific order.

Receive the purchase order

Receive line items on the purchase order and update receipts.

Update inventory

When you receive part, freight, and tax lines, you may update the inventory.

Close the purchase order

Close the order when all receipts are closed.

For step-by-step instructions on how to create a purchase order, see Creating a Purchase Order.

What are the different types of purchase orders?

There are four types of purchase orders:

  • Blanket
    You use a blanket purchase order when a purchase order will have multiple receipts and invoices or needs to remain open during a specified time, such as a month or week.

    Note: Items entered on a blanket PO are automatically received into inventory when you save the PO.

  • Credit
    You use a credit purchase order to credit inventory when returning parts to a vendor for credit.

    Note: Items entered on a credit PO are automatically removed from inventory when you save the PO.

  • Standard
    A standard purchase order is your daily purchase order. You use it to control the purchasing of products and services from external suppliers. A standard PO is used to place orders with a vendor will be delivered later.

  • Vendor RO
    A vendor repair order purchase order (VROPO) is created through the vendor repair order process. The VROPO is the purchase side of the vendor repair order (VRO). This PO type updates automatically as you add or remove vendor line items to the vendor repair order.

    Note: The VROPO can only be created from the vendor repair order process.

Layout of the Purchase Order page

A purchase order is a summary of the items purchased. You should create the purchase order before placing an order with the vendor. Use the Purchase Order page to create a purchase order and identify detail about the purchase, including:

  • Specific information pertaining to the vendor

  • The user who created, modified, and closed the order

The Purchase Order page has two panes, Purchase Order and Receipts.

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The Purchase Order page provides easy access to the:

  • Menu that lists application menu items

  • User menu that lists user-specific menu items

  • Help that provides reference information on user-assistance topics

  • Commands that include:

    • Search Orders
      Opens the Purchase Order Search window

    • Attachments
      Uploads jpg/bmp/gif/tiff/pdf/rtf/txt files.

    • Change PO Estimate (optional)
      This command is displayed only when the [Purchasing] Require PO Approval Levels Application option is set to YES. It is turned on only when you add a line that goes over your current approval level amount. You can use the command to increase the estimated PO amount. If you increase the estimate, the PO might have to go through the approval process again.

    • Reports
      Select a report to view it

      See Part Inventory Reports for details.

Purchase Order pane

You use the Purchase Order pane to specify the:

  • Shop and vendor on the purchase order header

  • Details regarding the order’s history, associated repair orders, and the vendor’s account information

Purchase Order header

The purchase order header allows you to record the Purchase Shop, Vendor, Order Number, and other order information.

PO Estimate

Field definitions

Required field: *

Read-only field: §

Field Definition

Purchase Shop *

User defined shop identification number

Note: Once you save the purchase order, you cannot change the shop ID.

If Shop Restrictions have been set up, the user may be prevented from entering a purchase shop.

If the application option or user preference [General] Default Shop has been set up, the purchase shop field will autofill with that value.

Vendor *

User defined vendor identification number

If the application option [Purchasing] Allow Creating Vendors On The Fly is set to YES, the user can create a new vendor by entering a new vendor ID in the vendor field.

Opened *

Date and time on which the purchase order is created

The system fills the date and time automatically.

If the application option [General] Allow Future Dates is set to NO, the user cannot enter an Opened date greater than today.

Opened By §

ID of the user who created the purchase order

Vendor Name §

Vendor’s name

Purchase Order Type

Purchase order type classifies the purchase.

Valid purchase order types include:

  • Blanket

  • Credit

  • Standard

  • Vendor RO

Order Status

Purchase order status

When creating a new order, this field defaults to Open.

Status codes include:

  • Canceled
    The purchase order is canceled. To mark a purchase order as canceled, the purchase order must not include any receipts.

  • Closed
    The purchase order is read-only. You cannot modify it.

  • Complete
    The order is complete, but not closed.

  • Open
    The purchase order is open.

    You can edit fields in the header and create line items for the purchase order.

  • Received
    All line items on the purchase order have been processed.

    • No additional line items can be added.

    • Line items can be edited for costs.

    • Freight, tax, and miscellaneous line items can be added.

    • Invoice information can be added, edited and deleted.

Note: Order statuses cannot be manually updated. Purchase Order functions change the order status.

Order Number

Twelve-character number assigned to the purchase order

The order number is read-only if the application or shop option [General] Allow Overriding Of System Generated Number is set to NO.

Vendor Account No.

Vendor account number for the shop

Note: Each shop has a unique account number. You cannot enter the same account number for multiple shops.

If the Vendor master record has a default set for this field it will autofill when the vendor is entered.

Pay Method

Vendor’s default payment method, such as cash, Visa, MasterCard, or Discover

If the application or shop option [Purchasing] Require Payment Method On Purchase Orders is set to YES, the payment method field becomes required.

If the Vendor master record has a default set for this field it will autofill when the vendor is entered.

Terms

Vendor’s terms, such as, Internet 10 days, Internet 20 days, or Internet 30 days

If the Vendor master record has a default set for this field it will autofill when the vendor is entered.

Ship Via

Vendor’s primary shipping method, such, UPS, FedEx, or the US Postal Service

If the Vendor master record has a default set for this field it will autofill when the vendor is entered.

Delivery

Date on which the vendor promises to deliver

Amount Billed §

The cumulative total for the amount billed on all invoices entered

Amount Paid §

The cumulative total for the amount paid on all invoices entered

Email

Clicking Email sends the PO Detail Report as a PDF to the email address record in the Vendor’s record.

Note: Email is sent using the MAPI or SMTP settings for the user.

  • If MAPI is used, an email form opens using the email client on the user’s machine.

  • If SMTP is used, an email form appears, allowing a message to be sent and email addresses to be changed or added.

If the Vendor master record has a default set for this field that email address is the default for purchase orders emailed.

Ship To Shop

The ship to shop name

The default is the purchase order shop.

Ship To Name

Shop description

The description should include the shop’s formal name. It appears in the Ship To section on purchase orders.

Address Line 1

Mailing address line 1

Address Line 2

Mailing address line 2

City

Mailing address city

State

Mailing address state

Zip

Mailing address ZIP Code

Directly Receive to Inventory

With this option selected, the purchase order is closed and all parts are received to inventory when line items are posted, and you click Save.

If the PO Type is BLANKET, this option will be selected and disabled. This happens because for a BLANKET PO, parts are received as they are posted.

If the [Purchasing > Receiving] Directly Receive to Inventory User option is set to YES, this field will be set to YES by default.

PO Estimate *

When the [Purchasing] Require PO Approval Levels Application option is set to YES, the PO header displays this field. You must enter an estimated dollar value for the PO when this field is displayed.

New

A new purchase order is created.

Save

Saves the purchase order.

Purchase order tabs

The Purchase Order pane has five tabs. Not all tabs are used for every purchase order:

History

The History Tab displays general information about the purchase order’s status changes. Receipts associated with the purchase order are also displayed.

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All fields are read-only.

Field Definition

Created By

The User ID of the person who created the purchase order

Modified By

The User ID of the person who last changed the purchase order

Closed By

The User ID of the person who closed the purchase order

Created On

Date the purchase order was created

Modified On

Date the purchase order was modified

Closed On

Date the purchase order was closed
Repair Orders

The Repair Orders tab displays all repair orders associated with the PO.

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Field Definition

Repair Order

Repair order number

Date Created

Date and time on which the repair order is created

Amount Billed

The cumulative total for the amount billed on all invoices entered

Amount Paid

The cumulative total for the amount paid on all invoices entered

Status

Repair order status

Status codes include:

  • Closed
    The repair order is read-only. You cannot modify it.

  • Complete
    The order is complete, but not closed. You can add sections and line items in the vendor repair order only.

  • Open
    The repair order is open.
Accounts

The Accounts tab is disabled until the PO is closed. Then, if an accounting export is in place, the account summary is displayed.

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Column Definition

Account

Account number used by your accounting department

Description

Account number description

Credit Amt

Accounting transaction credit total

Debit Amt

Accounting transaction debit total
User Fields

The User Fields tab may include fields for information not already present on the PO.

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You set up user fields by going to Menu > Setup > User Fields. You can also edit them in the record by clicking Define Fields.

See Creating User Fields for details.

POInvoice

The POInvoice tab displays the invoice information entered on the vendor repair order (VRO).

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The POInvoice tab is displayed on a vendor repair order purchase order.
Field Definition

Invoice Number

Invoice number for this purchase order

If the application option Purchasing Do Not Allow Duplicate Invoice Number By Vendor is set to YES, the invoice number must be unique to the vendor selected on the purchase order.

Invoice Date

Billing date for the selected invoice

Amount Billed

Cumulative total for the amount billed on all invoices entered

Pay Method

Method used to pay for parts and services purchased on this purchase order

If the application or shop option Purchasing Require Payment Method On Purchase Orders is set to YES, the payment method field becomes required.

Check Number

Check number issued for the amount paid for the referenced invoice

Check Date

Check date

Amount Paid

Cumulative total for the amount paid on all invoices entered

Packing Slip Number

Packing slip for the purchase order shipment that corresponds to the invoice

Invoice Comment

Additional comments or information related to the invoice

Save Invoice

Save invoice

Receipts pane

All items purchased are listed in the Receipts pane. The pane has five tabs.

Lines Tab

The Lines tab lists all items purchased. Lines item types include:

  • Part
    The part line is an item purchased

  • Services
    The service line item allows the purchase of services tracked through the purchase order system.

  • Freight
    Delivery charge on the purchased items

  • Tax
    Tax on the sales of certain goods and services

  • Misc
    Miscellaneous cost incurred from the purchase of certain goods and services

  • Fee
    A sum paid or charged for a privilege

    A Fee line item is only available on a Vendor Repair Order Purchase Order or on a Standard Purchase Order if Part Fee/Tax Definitions have been set up.

  • Labor
    Sum paid for a third-party service performed

    A Labor line item is only available on a Vendor Repair Order Purchase Order.

Field definitions
Field Definition

Check Box

Used for managing a line item

Description

Description of the item

Repair Order

If the purchased item is being expensed directly to a repair order, the repair order number is listed

Rcvng Shop

Shop the item is processed through

Qty/Hrs

The quantity being purchased or hours being charged

Rcvd

Quantity processed through a purchase order receipt

Charge

Item charge per item quantity UOM

Total

Extended total of line item

Line Status

Line item status

Statuses include:

  • Closed
    Item is closed

  • Open
    Item has not been processed

  • Received
    Item has been processed

    Not available on a Vendor Repair Order Purchase Order.

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Invoice Tab

The Invoice tab stores invoice information for the PO.

Field definitions
Field Definition

Invoice #

Invoice number for this purchase order

Date

Billing date for the selected invoice

Amount Billed

Cumulative total for the amount billed on all invoices entered

Pay Method

Method used to pay for parts and services purchased on this purchase order

Check Date

Check number issued for the amount paid for the referenced invoice

Packing Slip #

Packing slip for the purchase order shipment that corresponds to the invoice

Comments

Additional comments or information related to the invoice

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Comments Tab

The Comments tab stores all comment lines added to the PO. Full management capabilities for comment lines are also included in this view.

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To add a comment line, see Comment Line for details.

Audit Tab

The Audit tab displays status changes for the individual receipt.

Field definitions
Field Definition

Status

Purchase order status

Date

Date the purchase order was modified

User

The User ID of the person who modified the purchase order

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Line Audit Tab

The Line Audit tab is currently not functional.

Layout of the Purchase Orders Listing page

You use the Purchase Orders Listing page to view, create, and receive purchase orders.

The page shows a list of repair orders based on the search filters you specify in the Purchase Order Search window. The orders appear in the Purchase Orders Listing grid.

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The Purchase Orders Listing page provides easy access to the:

  • Menu that lists application menu items

  • Page name

  • Help that provides reference information on user-assistance topics

  • User menu that lists user-specific menu items

  • Commands that include:

    • image14 Search Orders
      Opens the Purchase Order Search window

    • image15 Reset Page Template
      Restores page to original layout

    • image16 Set Page Template
      Search page setup parameters

    • Collapse All
      Collapses any expanded rows.

    • Attachments
      Upload jpg/bmp/gif/tiff/pdf/rtf/txt files.

    • Sticky Notes
      Displays any sticky notes associated with the purchase order

    • Create Purchase
      Creates a new purchase order

    • Change Vendor
      Changes the purchase order vendor

    • Export PDF
      Export the Purchase Orders Listing to a PDF document

    • Reports
      Select a report to view it

      See Part Inventory Reports for details.

  • Data Navigator
    Go through pages of orders.

    When more than one page exists, the navigator displays the page numbers.

    image17

    For details, see Using the Data Navigator to browse through records.

Purchase Orders Listing grid

The Purchase Orders Listing grid shows a list of orders based on the search criteria you enter in the Purchase Order Search window. You can create a list based on a Purchase order status. This illustration shows a list of orders with the status of Open.

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A default list of columns is displayed in the purchase orders listing grid. They include:

Field definitions
Field Definition

Actions

Command buttons that allow you to complete or close an order

Order No.

Order number

Vendor

Vendor ID that parts and services will be purchased from on this purchase order

Vendor Name

The name of the vendor for this purchase order

Shop

Shop the parts will be received to

PO Type

The Type of Purchase Order

The valid choices are:

  • Standard

  • Credit

  • Blanket

  • Vendor RO

Status

Status of the purchase order

Valid statuses include:

  • Backorder
    The purchase order status is Open, but has already had some line items received.

  • Canceled
    The purchase order is no longer valid.

  • Closed
    The purchase order is read-only.

    • You cannot reopen a closed purchase order, unless it is a vendor repair order purchase order which is processed through the repair order

    • You cannot reopen a closed vendor repair order purchase order if it has been exported to accounting or posted to a closed accounting period.

  • Complete
    The purchase order is ready to be closed.

    The Complete status is only available on a vendor repair order purchase order.

  • Open
    The purchase order is still in process.

    • You can add line items to the order.

    • You can change field values, where permitted.

  • Pending
    The purchase order is pending approval.

    The pending status is only available on a vendor repair order purchase order.

  • Received
    All line items on the purchase order have been processed.

    Receipts are ready to be closed.

Transmit Status

Status of the purchase order if the vendor is using the eCommerce process

Statuses include:

  • Failed
    eCommerce transmission failed

  • Sent
    eCommerce transmission sent successfully

Opened

Date the purchase order is opened

Recvd/Closed

Date the purchase order was last received or closed

Total

Purchase order total

Paid

Total paid against purchase order

Terms

Payment terms established for the vendor

Payments terms show how much time you have to pay for the purchase and if there is a discount for early payment.

By default, if the purchase order vendor has terms set up on the vendor master record, those terms autofills. The value can be overwritten.

Estimated Delivery

The date of requested delivery for parts and services on the purchase order

Pay Method

The method used to pay for parts and services purchased on this purchase order

By default, if the purchase order vendor has a payment method set up on the vendor master record, that payment method autofills. The value can be overwritten.

Backordered

Indicates if the purchase order has backordered items

Batch No.

If the purchase order is created with a batch, the batch ID displays in this field.

PO Account

Vendor account number field value posted to the purchase order

By default, if the purchase order vendor has an account set up on the vendor master record, that accounts number autofills. The value can be overwritten.

Unit

Indicates the unit a purchase order is associated with

ASN Quantity

Currently not functional
Optional Purchase Order Listing columns

These additional columns can be added to the Purchase Order Listing page:

Field Definition

Unit ID

Displays the table unit ID for the unit associated with the purchase order

Approved Amount

Approved total for the purchase order

Order Id

The table item ID for the purchase order

Vendor RO Number

Vendor repair order number associated with a vendor repair order purchase order

User

Currently not functional

ObjectType

The table object type ID for a purchase order (1300)

ObjectId

System-generated table item ID linking an image back to the purchase order

Approval Level Id

The approval level ID for the approving user for the purchase order

Approval Level Name

Approval level name

Estimated Amount

Currently not functional

Approval Date

Approval date of the purchase order

Approved By

ID of the user who approved the purchase order

Freight Amount

Freight amount for the purchase order

Misc Amount

Miscellaneous amount for the purchase order

Subtotal Amount

Subtotal amount for the purchase order excluding miscellaneous, freight and tax

Sales Tax Amount

Sales tax amount for the purchase order

Company Unit

Indicates if the unit associated with the purchase order is a company unit

Amount Billed

Total of invoices applies against the purchase order

Closed By

ID of the user who closed the purchase order

Created By

ID of the user who created the purchase order

Created On

System date on which the purchase order is created

Epurchase

Designates if the purchase order is using the eCommerce process

Indicators are:

  • N
    Purchase order is not using eCommerce

  • Y
    Purchase order is using eCommerce

EtransmitId

System-generated eCommerce record ID for the purchase order

Line Count

Total unreceived line items on an Open purchase order

Does not include freight, miscellaneous, and sales tax line items

Opened By

ID of the user who created the purchase order

Ship Tracking No.

Currently not functional

Ship Via

The default shipping method for the selected vendor

Vendor Account

An account setup by the vendor for the shop to use when purchasing items from them

Ship To Shop

The name of the shop to which the parts for this purchase order should be shipped

The default is the shop for which the purchase order is opened.

Last Open Section

Currently not functional

Last Open Section ID

Currently not functional

The grid provides features that allow you to view information by expanding and collapsing rows, adding columns, and filtering or sorting data. For example:

  • Click image19a Expand next to a repair order row to view purchase details such as Receipt Status, totals of all line types and totals of the purchase order.

    image20

  • Click image19 Expand next to a section row to view information in the section’s Lines.

    image21

For more information on using grids, see Changing the data display on grids.

Looking up a purchase order

You can use the Purchase Orders Listing page to look up purchase orders. You can apply filters to limit which orders appear on the page. From this page, you can view a purchase order, view lines, and receive the purchase order.

To open a purchase order from the Purchase Orders Listing page:

  1. Go to Menu > Orders > Purchase Orders Listing.
    The Purchase Orders Listing page opens.
    image22

  2. If needed, apply filters.

    1. Click Search Orders.
      image23

      The Purchase Order Search section expands.
      image24

    2. Enter filter criteria as needed.

      Field definitions
      Field Definition

      Purchase

      Purchase order number

      Note: By default, an order number contains 12 digits. If your company uses the application option [Genera]AutoZero-fillOrderNumbers option, and they have set up shop prefixes, the system replaces leading zeros with the prefix. When you search for a purchase order, enter the prefix and the order number (for example, 1-749) and then press TAB. The system will add the correct number of zeros in this field.

      Vendor

      Vendor ID

      Date Opened

      Date range purchase order was opened

      Options include:

      • Today

      • Yesterday

      • Week to Date

      • Month to Date

      • Year to Date

      • Custom

      Order Type

      Type of order

      Options include:

      • Blanket

      • Credit

      • Standard

      • Vendor RO

      Unit

      Unit ID

      Shop

      Shop ID

      From

      Start date range

      To

      End date range

      Status

      Repair order status

      Options include:

      • Canceled

      • Closed

      • Complete

      • Open

      • Pending

      • Received

      • Backordered

    3. Click Search.
      The Purchase Order Search section collapses and the results are displayed on the Purchase Orders Listing page.
      image18

  3. In the Order field, click the purchase order number that you want to open.
    The Purchase Order page opens and displays information about that order.
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