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1.1.1. Enter New Purchase Order

To create a new purchase order, go to Purchase Order > New. The following screen will appear:

Purchase Order

When entering a new purchase order, you are presented with the following options:

Order #

Next available purchase order number will automatically display, unless your system requires you to enter purchase order numbers manually. Default values and input parameters for purchase order numbers are configurable at the system level.

Order Date

Displays current day's date.

Release Date

Displays the date the purchase order was released.

Vendor #

Enter the vendor number of the vendor you are issuing the purchase order to.

Note

A valid vendor number must be entered in the Vendor # field before line items can be added to the purchase order. If no valid vendor number is entered, you will not be able to add line items to the purchase order.

Terms

Specify the billing terms for the order. Default billing terms for a vendor are defined on the Vendor master. You may select alternate terms on the purchase order header.

Tax Zone

Specify the tax zone associated with the purchase order. By default, the tax zone associated with the vendor will be used.

Status

The status of the purchase order will display here.

Purchasing Agent

Specify the name of the agent assigned to the order. By default, the name of the logged-in user will be entered as purchasing agent—assuming that user is designated as a purchasing agent. If the user is not a purchasing agent, the first alphabetical name in the list of purchasing agents will be entered.

Print on Save

Check Print on Save to automatically print the purchase order when the SAVE button is pressed. If the vendor specified on the purchase order has an EDI profile attached, you may encounter an EDI processing interface when printing the purchase order.

Sales Order #

Displays information about linked sales orders. This field is only used if the purchase order was created from a sales order.

Purchase Type

Specify a purchase type for reporting purposes.

Vendor Address

Specify the vendor address information:

Main Address

Displays the vendor's main address. You may manually override the displayed address information in the fields below—or use the lookup feature to select another address. If a new address is manually entered here, that address will be added automatically to the master list of addresses. For additional documentation related to creating addresses, see Section 8.1, “ New Address”.

Primary Contact

Displays the vendor's primary contact. You may manually override the displayed contact information in the fields below—or use the lookup feature to select another contact. If a new contact is manually entered here, that contact will be added automatically to the master list of contacts. For additional documentation related to creating addresses, see Section 7.1, “New Contact”.

Ship To

Specify the ship-to address information:

Receiving Site

Specify the site where materials from the purchase order will be received. By default, all active sites are available for selection as receiving sites.

Drop Ship

If the purchase order was created as a drop ship order from a sales order, this option will be selected. This option is only available for drop ship purchase orders linked to sales orders.

Name

The name that is associated with the ship-to address. A purchase order created from a drop ship sales order item will have the ship-to address name displayed in this field.

Ship-To Address

Displays either the site address for the specified receiving site or, for drop ship orders, the customer ship-to address from the linked sales order. You may manually override the displayed address information in the fields below—or use the lookup feature to select another address. If a new address is manually entered here, that address will be added automatically to the master list of addresses. For additional documentation related to creating addresses, see Section 7.1, “New Contact”.

Shipping Contact

Displays either the contact information for the specified receiving site or, for drop ship orders, the contact for the customer ship-to address on the linked sales order. You may manually override the displayed contact information in the fields below—or use the lookup feature to select another contact. If a new contact is manually entered here, that contact will be added automatically to the master list of contacts. For additional documentation related to creating addresses, see Section 7.1, “New Contact”.

F.O.B.

Enter the free on board (F.O.B.) location for the shipping site.

Ship Via

Enter the preferred ship via method for this vendor. By default, the ship via entered on the Vendor master will populate this field.

To create or modify purchase order line items, select the Line Items tab at the top of the Purchase Order screen. The following screen will appear:

Purchase Order Line Items

Purchase orders and/or purchase order line items can have the following statuses:

Table 8.1. Purchase Order Statuses

Code

Description

Closed

The final state of a purchase order after it has been closed.

Unposted

This is the initial state a purchase order receives when it is first created. As long as a purchase order is unposted, it may continue to have additional line items added to it. The List Unposted Purchase Orders screen will display all unposted purchase orders.

Open

The status of a purchase order after it has been posted.

Partial

The status of an open purchase order line item when only part of the full quantity has been received.

Received (in full)

The status of an open purchase order line item when the full quantity has been received.


When creating or modifying purchase order line items, you are presented with the following options:

Line Items

Display lists line items for this purchase order. A valid vendor number must be entered in the Vendor # field before line items can be added to the order.

Total Quantity

Displays the total of all line item quantities on the order.

Total Weight (LB)

Displays the total weight for all line item quantities on the order.

Subtotal

Displays the subtotal for the purchase order line items.

Misc. Freight

Enter the amount of any miscellaneous freight charges to be added to the order.

Total P/O Freight

Displays the total amount of freight charges. The amount displayed includes the sum of all line item freight and miscellaneous freight charges.

Tax

Displays the calculated tax amount, if applicable. Purchase tax is calculated at the purchase order line item level. The tax amount displayed here represents the total for all line item tax amounts. It will also include tax on freight, if a matching freight tax type assignment is found. To get a detailed view of the tax calculation, click on the Tax link using your mouse.

Total

Displays the total value of the purchase order.

The following buttons are unique to this screen:

MOVE UP

Highlight a purchase order line item and then select this button to move the line item up the list of line items. Sequence numbers are automatically adjusted to reflect the change in position.

MOVE DOWN

Highlight a purchase order line item and then select this button to move the line item down the list of line items. Sequence numbers are automatically adjusted to reflect the change in position.

Purchase order characteristics are user-defined definitions which may be used to provide additional layers of description about purchase orders. These descriptions are static and not processed by the system, but are useful for informational purposes. To enter characteristics associated with a purchase order, select the Characteristics tab. The following screen will appear:

Purchase Order Characteristics

To create a new characteristic for your current context, select the NEW button from the characteristics list. The following screen will appear:

Create new Characteristic

When creating a new characteristic, you are presented with the following options:

Characteristic

Select a characteristic from the list of characteristics available for your current context. To learn more about how characteristics are linked to specific contexts, please see Section 9.2.2.1, “Characteristic”.

Value

Enter a value to associate with the characteristic.

Default

In some contexts, the Default option will appear. Select if the value entered is the default value for the specified characteristic. Default values will always be listed first where characteristics are used.

To add notes to a purchase order, select the Notes tab at the top of the Purchase Order screen. The following screen will appear:

Purchase Order Notes

When adding notes to a purchase order, you are presented with the following options:

Notes

This is a scrolling text field with word-wrapping for entering notes related to the purchase order. If the vendor has order notes associated with their vendor record, those order notes will be displayed here.

To add comments to a purchase order—or to view system-generated comments—select the Comments tab at the top of the Purchase Order screen. The following screen will appear:

Purchase Order Comments

When adding or reviewing comments, you are presented with the following options:

Verbose Text

Select to display all comments in the list in an expanded view which includes the entire text of each comment. To edit a comment, simply select the EDIT link next to the comment. That link will not be shown for changelog comments, which can't be edited. If the Verbose Text option is not selected, the comment list will display only header level information for each comment.

Comments

Display lists comments related to the record.

The following buttons are available:

NEW

Opens screen for creating a new comment.

VIEW

Highlight a comment and then select this button to reach a read-only view of the Edit screen.

EDIT

Enables you to edit highlighted comments—as long as the comments are not changelog comments. ChangeLog comments are system-generated and may not be edited. The Edit screen is the same as that for creating a new comment—except that when editing, the fields will contain comment information. Double-clicking on a comment will also bring you to the editing screen.

To enter a new comment, select the NEW button. The following screen will appear:

Create new Comment
Comment Type

Select a comment type from the drop-down list to classify the comment. This is a required step. Comment types may be system-defined (i.e., changelog and general) or user-defined, as described in Section 13.2.3, “Comment Types”. Once you have specified a comment type, begin typing your comment in the main text area. The text area features word-wrapping and scroll-bar support for longer comments.

The following buttons are unique to this screen:

MORE

Select to show the complete list (i.e., thread) of comments associated with the record. To hide the list, simply select the MORE button again. The comment thread will show the most recent comment first.

If you want to speed up your data entry of purchase order line items, you can use the quick entry interface. This screen allows you to enter multiple line items in one session. It also simplifies the process by presenting only the minimum required fields. To enter line items using the quick entry interface, select the Quick Entry tab at the top of the Purchase Order screen. The following screen will appear:

Purchase Order Quick Entry

Tip

To get started entering line items, place your cursor in the Item field. You can then move from field-to-field using the TAB key on your keyboard.

When entering purchase order line items using the quick entry interface, you are presented with the following options:

Item

Enter an inventory item number. This field is used for entering items stored in inventory. Use the Vend. Item # field for entering non-inventory items.

Supplying Site

Select a supplying site from the list of available options. By default, the user's preferred site will be presented first.

Vend. Item #

Use this field for entering non-inventory item numbers. If not used to handle non-inventory items, this field will display vendor item numbers for inventory items which have item sources defined.

Vend Description

Enter the vendor description for the item being ordered.

Expense Cat.

Enter the expense category you want your non-inventory quantity to be assigned to. Use this option for non-inventory line items only.

Qty.

Enter the quantity you want to purchase.

Unit Price

Enter the unit price for the line item. If an item source is defined, this information may fill in automatically.

Ext. Price

Displays the extended price. This is a calculated field and is shaded to indicate that it may not be edited.

Freight

Enter the freight amount, if any.

Due Date

Enter the due date. If an item source is defined, this information may fill in automatically. For drop ship orders, the due date for purchase order items will be the same as the linked sales order's scheduled date.

The following buttons are unique to this screen:

SAVE QUICK ENTRIES

Select to save all the line items entered using the quick entry interface.

DELETE QUICK ENTRY

Highlight a line item and then select this button to remove the item from the list.

To view the documents associated with a purchase order, select the Documents tab. The following screen will appear:

Purchase Order Documents

When associating documents, you are presented with the following options:

NEW

Select to create a new document and associate it with the current record. You may create the following document types:

Image

Select to create a new image association.

Fixed Asset

Select to create a new fixed asset association.

Maintenance Order

Select to create a new maintenance order association.

Incident

Select to create a new incident and associate it.

Project

Select to create a new project and associate it.

Opportunity

Select to create a new opportunity and associate it.

To Do

Select to create a new to-do and associate it.

EDIT

Enables you to edit associated documents. The Edit screen is the same as that for creating a new document—except that when editing, the fields will contain document information. Double-clicking on a document will also bring you to the editing screen.

VIEW

Highlight a document and then select this button to reach a read-only view of the Edit screen.

ATTACH

Select to associate already-existing documents. The following document types may be attached: contact, account, customer, employee, file, image, incident, item, opportunity, project, purchase order, sales order, vendor, web site, work order.

DETACH

Highlight a document and then select this button to remove the association.

To associate already-existing documents, select the ATTACH button. The following screen will appear:

Attach a Document

When associating already-existing documents, you are presented with the following options:

Relationship

Indicate how the document is related to the current record. The following relationship options are available: related to, parent of, child of, duplicate of.

Type

Specify the kind of document you want to associate. The following document types may be attached: contact, account, customer, employee, file, image, incident, item, opportunity, project, purchase order, sales order, vendor, web site, work order. When associating files, you will also be given the option to save the file to the database.

Tip

There is no file size restriction when saving files to the database. However, excessively large files could cause storage and performance issues.

Notes

Leave any notes on the document file as needed.

Document

Use the lookup tool to identify the specific document you want to attach. The data entry options will vary depending on the document type you select.

To view email associated with a purchase order, select the Email tab. The following screen will appear:

Email

When viewing associated emails, you are presented with the following options:

Email list

Display lists associated emails.

Email body

The content of a highlighted email will be displayed here.

Limit to

Specify the maximum number of associated emails you want to be displayed in the email list. If the list is extremely long, you may experience some slowness when opening the screen.

Load All

Select to load all associated emails into the list.

Search

Enter a string of letters or complete words to search for matches in the list of associated emails. The search will scan through subject lines, To addresses, and From addresses.

The following buttons are unique to this screen:

NEW

Select to send a new email, using the default email program on your computer.

PRINT

Highlight an email and then select this button to print a copy of the email.

REPLY

Highlight an email and then select this button to reply to the email's sender, using the default email program on your computer.

REPLY ALL

Highlight an email and then select this button to reply to everyone associated with the email, using the default email program on your computer.

FORWARD

Highlight an email and then select this button to forward the email to another person(s), using the default email program on your computer.

ATTACH

Highlight an email and then select this button to attach an email associated with a contact in your contact list.

DETACH

Highlight an email and then select this button to remove the associated email from the list.

1.1.1.1. Purchase Order Item

To create a new purchase order line item, select the NEW button. The following screen will appear:

Purchase Order Item

When creating a new purchase order line item, you are presented with the following options:

Note

If the line item was created from a linked sales order, the details will be updated whenever the sales order is updated.

Order Number

Displays the purchase order number specified in the New Purchase Order screen.

Line #

The application automatically assigns line numbers to purchase order line items. Numbering begins at one (1) and increases automatically in increments of one.

Refresh Order

Select to indicate you want the purchase order header to be refreshed immediately in the background. When the header is refreshed immediately, you will be able to see the rows of line items being added to the order. However, this feature can impact performance when entering purchase order line items. If you are experiencing performance issues, you should not select this option. The purchase order will be refreshed when you close the Purchase Order Line Item screen.

Inventory Item

If the item being purchased is an inventory item, select this option and specify the following:

Item Number

Enter the item number of the item you want to add to the purchase order. You may also enter manufactured items that you normally make, but you occasionally buy—as long as the item site for the manufactured item also indicates it may be purchased.

Site

Specify the site where the item is supplied at. For purchased items to be included on a purchase order, their item site record must indicate they are purchased for the site.

ITEM/ALIAS SEARCH

Advanced item search (AIS) is a feature designed specifically with distribution in mind. This feature allows distributors and end users to quickly search for both items and item aliases—as well as current inventory levels—filtering every keystroke. From this screen you also have the ability to create an item alias.

Note

When using the AIS, you must enter at least three characters (i.e., numbers, letters or a combination of both) before any search results will be returned. This is for speed of performance reasons.

VENDOR CATALOG

Select to use the External Vendor Catalog screen to view items as they appear within the various vendor catalogs you are subscribed to.

Non-Inventory Item

If the item being purchased is a non-inventory item, select this option and specify the following:

Expense Category

Select an expense category to assign the non-inventory item to.

Qty. Ordered

Enter the quantity of the specified item to be ordered.

Qty. Received

Displays quantity received from quantity ordered.

UOM

Unit of measure (UOM) item is being ordered in.

Tax Type

Select a tax type.

Unit Price

Enter the unit price for the specified item—or use the lookup—feature to look up pricing information, including pricing related to quantity breaks.

Extended Price

Displays the extended price. The extended price for a line item is based on the quantity ordered multiplied by the unit price.

Line Item Freight

Enter the amount of freight charges for the entire line item quantity. The system automatically calculates the per unit freight charge by dividing the line item freight amount by the line item quantity. This per unit freight charge is needed when receiving or vouchering quantities less than the original quantity ordered. Line item freight is distinguished from miscellaneous freight, which applies to the purchase order as a whole.

Tax

Displays the calculated tax amount.

Due Date

Specify date when order is expected to be received. For drop ship orders, the due date for purchase order items will be the same as the linked sales order's scheduled date.

Project #

If your system is configured to use projects, select a project number to associate with the purchase order line item. If the purchase order line item is being created from a purchase request driven by sales order demand—and the parent sales order had a project number associated with it—then the project number from the parent sales order will automatically be entered here. In this way, sales orders and purchase order line items may be linked to the same project.

When you have the xTuple Project Accounting package installed—and you link a project to the purchase order line item—transactions related to the purchase order line item will include the project number as the final segment of affected G/L account numbers. Account numbers related to the following transactions will include project number as the final segment: post receipt, correct receipt, and post purchase order return. If there are cost variances when vouchering, the purchase variance account will also inherit the project number segment.

Vendor Source Information

If item source information exists for an inventory item, that information will display automatically here. For non-inventory items, you should specify an item number and item description.

Vend. Item Number

Enter the item number the vendor assigns to the specified item.

Vendor Item Description

Enter the description the vendor uses to describe to the specified item.

Min. Order Qty

For inventory items only, displays the minimum order quantity for the specified item and the specified vendor. Minimum order quantities are established in the Item Source master.

Order Qty. Mult.

For inventory items only, displays the order multiple for the specified item and the specified vendor. Order multiples are established in the Item Source master.

Vendor UOM:

For inventory items only, displays the UOM used by the vendor for the specified item.

Inv./Vendor UOM Ratio:

For inventory items only, displays the ratio between inventory and vendor UOM. If needed, you can override the value of the ratio to fit the needs of a particular order. Any overrides are for this order only. Changes are not written to the item source record.

Note

The inventory/vendor UOM ratio specifies the ratio between inventory and vendor UOM. For example, if you store an item in single units, but a vendor sells you the item in cases of 12, then the ratio would be 12—or 12:1. When an inv./vend. ratio is specified, the system allows you to purchase items using the vendor's UOM; however, when the items are received, the system will automatically convert the inventory to your inventory UOM.

Earliest Avail. Due Date

For inventory items only, displays the earliest due date for the specified item.

Contract

Displays the standard contract quantity for the item source, if it exists.

To add manufacturer information to the purchase order item, select the Manufacturer tab. The following screen will appear:

Purchase Order Item Manufacturer

When entering manufacturer information to a purchase order item, you are presented with the following options:

Name

The name of the manufacturer who creates the item.

Item Number

The item number the manufacturer uses to identify the component.

Description

The description the manufacturer uses to describe the item.

To add miscellaneous remarks to the purchase order item, select the Remarks tab. The following screen will appear:

Purchase Order Item Remarks

When entering miscellaneous remarks to a purchase order item, you are presented with the following options:

Notes

This is a scrolling text field with word-wrapping for entering notes related to the purchase order line item.

Comments

To view system-generated comments associated with an item—or to add new comments of your own—select the Comments option.

If an item has characteristics associated with it, you have the option of linking those characteristics to a purchase order item. In the case where sales order demand generates a purchase request, item characteristics and values inherited from the sales order will already be linked to the purchase order. Ultimately, characteristics associated with a purchase order item may be printed on the purchase order report.

Tip

You can link characteristics and values to an item by using the Item master. Once entered, these characteristics and values will be available to users entering purchase order items.

To specify or edit characteristics for a purchase order item, select the Characteristics tab at the bottom of the screen. The following screen will appear:

Purchase Order Item Characteristics

To create a new characteristic for your current context, select the NEW button from the characteristics list. The following screen will appear:

Create new Characteristic

When creating a new characteristic, you are presented with the following options:

Characteristic

Select a characteristic from the list of characteristics available for your current context. To learn more about how characteristics are linked to specific contexts, please see Section 9.2.2.1, “Characteristic”.

Value

Enter a value to associate with the characteristic.

Default

In some contexts, the Default option will appear. Select if the value entered is the default value for the specified characteristic. Default values will always be listed first where characteristics are used.

When ordering purchased items, you have the option to specify which revision of the item's bill of materials (BOM) and routing you want to buy. By default, the active revision will be used. To specify revision information for a purchase order item, select the Revision tab. The following screen will appear:

Purchase Order Item Revision

Note

You may create purchase order items for pending revisions. For purchase order purposes, a pending revision is considered to be the same as an inactive revision. The revision status of a pending revision will not be changed if a purchase order item is created for it.

When specifying revision information for a purchase order item, you are presented with the following options:

Bill of Materials

Specify the BOM revision you want to use for the purchase order item. By default, the active revision will be used.

Revision

Select from the list of existing available revisions. The status of the revision will also be displayed.

Routing

Specify the routing revision you want to use for the purchase order item. By default, the active revision will be used.

Revision

Select from the list of existing available revisions. The status of the revision will also be displayed.

To view demand information for purchase order items linked to sales orders or work orders, select the Demand tab. The following screen will appear:

Purchase Order Item Demand
Demand

Displays information about the sales order or the work order the purchase order item is linked to. If the purchase order item is not linked, the Demand tab will be disabled.