Note: This article applies to Order Manager versions 4.4 and above. For information pertaining to purchase orders in versions 4.2 and below, click here.
Major changes were made to the Purchase Order (PO) system in version 4.4 of the Order Manager. These changes include:
The Selected PO Info and Selected PO Items tabs are hidden until you view the PO either by double-clicking on it in the window of the Find & Select POs tab or by selecting it and clicking the View PO button.
When creating standard purchase orders, you can view the POs that will be created and enter additional information, including shipping address, freight and other charges, etc. These fields can also be used in Purchase Order email templates.
Drop-ship POs are integrated into the general purchase order system.
A PO History table was added to track changes in purchase orders.
The program tracks "expected" quantities for both standard and drop-ship POs.
The program tracks "received" quantities for standard POs and "shipped" quantities for drop-ship POs.
You can receive inventory against multiple standard purchase orders (for the same vendor) at the same time.
You can print labels for all items on a received PO at one time from the Selected PO Items tab.
You can enter or import tracking and packing data for drop-ship POs.
You can enter vendor invoices for both standard and drop-shop POs.
Invoices can be exported to QuickBooks as "Bills" to be paid; the program no longer exports bills to QuickBooks when you receive inventory; only when you enter invoices.
For information on drop-ship POs, see Purchase Orders - Drop-ship.
Loosely Connected Data
Loosely Connected Data is an important concept that applies to the entire purchase order system. Oftentimes merchants do not receive exactly what they ordered. They may also receive invoices before or after their products are delivered. Therefore the data generated in each stage in the purchase order process is now "loosely connected" to the previous stage’s data. For example, you place a purchase order but as time passes what you expect to receive against that purchase order changes, e.g. quantities, costs, SKUs, etc. Eventually you receive the shipment but it is not what you expected nor does it match the invoice. In version 4.3 (Beta), you can revise the purchase order in the Order Manager to reflect these types of changes whenever you need to. Plus, the program revises the inventory valuation and cost-of-goods for exporting data to QuickBooks.
General Information about Standard Purchase Orders
Create standard purchase orders using the tools at the Purchase Orders screen. "Expected" records are created automatically for each line item.
Revise PO line items as needed. "Expected" records are revised automatically based on the changes you enter against the line items. You can also revise the "Expected" records directly without changing the line items on the original PO. Note that once you edit the expected records, receive items against a PO, or enter items from a PO against an invoice, you can no longer edit that PO’s line items – the PO is "locked". Any editing must be done to the "Expected" or "Received" data.
The following tasks can be done in any order:
Revise "Expected" records.
Receive new inventory.
Edit "Received" records.
Enter invoices.
Export invoices to QuickBooks or another accounting program (Optional).
IMPORTANT NOTE: There are limitations on what revisions can be done to "Expected" and "Received" records once these records are applied to an invoice. At this point, invoices cannot be edited - so make absolutely sure that you have selected the correct items to invoice prior to "posting" the invoice data.
Create Standard Purchase Orders
At the Purchase Orders screen, go to the Create New POs tab.
To reorder items automatically based on reorder points and reorder quantities, choose the Create POs Automatically option, select Needed SKUs or All SKUs, select the other options that you want to use and lastly, click the Add to Order button.
To re-order particular items based on historical sales data, click Refills.
Click Order Individual Items to manually add items to the new purchase orders.
Click Multi-Select to open a form where you can order multiple items at the same time by just filling in the quantities to order.
Once you have added at least one item to the new purchase orders, you can click the Show POs button to see the details about each purchase order to be created given the current selection of products:
Click Show Details or Show POs to switch back and forth between the two displays as needed.
Use the record navigation buttons at the bottom of the screen to view each purchase order to be created.
Enter any information you want to include with each purchase order.
Use the Preview button to preview the printed form of the purchase orders to be created.
Use the Start Over button to clear everything you have entered so far and start over.
Use either the Create PO's button or the Create & Print/Send button to actually create or create and send the new purchase orders.
Revise PO Line Items
Revise "Expected" records.
Select a PO on the Find & Select POs tab. Double-click on the purchase order or click the View PO button.
The Selected PO Info and Selected PO Items tabs become visible. Click on the Selected PO Items tab and click on the Expected button.
To add, edit or cancel a line item, click in any field in that line, e.g. Qty, and click the Add, Edit or Cancel buttons.
To change the Suppliers SKU, Estimated or Actual Cost, or the Date the items are expected for some but not the total quantity for one line item, click the Split button. At the next screen, enter the changes and the partial quantity to which the changes apply. The program reduces the quantity of the original line item and adds a new line item reflecting the changes.
Receive new inventory.
Click the Receive Inventory button at the top of the Purchase Orders screen. The Select POs dialog box opens:
If a purchase order is selected at the Purchase Orders screen when you click the Receive Inventory button, the program displays the supplier from the Supplier drop down list and puts a checkmark in the Receive column next to the PO number. Click the Receive checkbox next to any other POs that you wish to receive and click the OK button. The Receive Inventory screen opens.
Note: See Receive Inventory for further instructions.
Edit "Received" records.
Select a purchase order.
At the Selected PO Items tab, click the Received button.
Use the Split, Add, Edit and Cancel buttons to make changes.
Print Labels
From the Selected PO Items tab, click on Received.
Click on the Print Labels button.
A message box opens asking Print labels for all Received Items on this Purchase Order?. Click Yes.
Enter invoices.
Click the Invoices button at the top of the Purchase Orders screen. The Invoices screen opens:
Select the supplier from whom you have received an invoice.
Enter the invoice details, e.g. invoice number, invoice date, terms, etc.
Enter the product subtotal and any freight, fees and discounts.
In the list of purchase orders for the current supplier, select those that are on the current invoice by putting a checkmark in the "$" column.
Go to the Which items were invoiced? tab:
There are two ways to indicate which items are on the current invoice:
Use the "$" column to select them. Note that here you can use the Select All and Clear All buttons.
Select a Suppliers SKU or a Local SKU from the drop down lists. Enter the Qty Invoiced and the Unit Cost. Click the Apply button. If you enter an item that does not appear in the list below, the program creates an additional line item.
Use the Split button if only a portion of a line item has been invoiced or if some items were invoiced at a different price.
The items, quantities and costs that you select or enter must add up to the product subtotal on the invoice. The Allocated Amt. and Remaining Amt. fields at the top of the screen track the amounts for you.
When you are finished, click the Post Data button to save the invoice data in the Order Manager. Note: If you are exporting invoices to QuickBooks or another accounting program for payment, that information is not sent when you click Post Data; it is sent the next time you export accounting data.
IMPORTANT NOTE: At this time, invoice data CANNOT BE EDITED after it has been posted. Be absolutely sure that your information is correct prior to posting the invoice information.
Export invoices to QuickBooks (Optional). To export invoices to QuickBooks or another accounting program, go to the Main Menu>Maintenance Menu>Import/Export tab>Export Accounting Data button. For directions on how to export accounting data, see Accounting Export Setup - V4.4 & Above.
See Also