Enter a Purchase Order

Use this program to create new purchase orders as well as edit, view, close, delete or print open purchase orders.

You can also create purchase orders on-the-fly from within order entry or the Automatic Purchase Order Replenishment process.
The Delete button is not active for purchase orders with outstanding receipts. You must create an AP bill for the receipt before you can delete the associated purchase order.

If alternate addresses exist for the current vendor, the Alternate Shipping Address screen displays available addresses for the current vendor. Double-click on the address you want to use. If no alternate addresses exist for the current vendor, an error message appears.

You can assign and update multiple sales orders for each purchase order line item. The system updates sales orders attached to purchase order line items each time you change or delete the purchase order line item.

Use this field to assign a transaction number to this purchase order. If your system is set up to auto-assign transaction numbers, press the Enter (8) or Tab () keys to automatically assign a purchase order number. If manually assigning transaction numbers, enter the purchase order number you want to assign to this purchase order.

If the Allow Manual Entry field is checked in the Purchasing Control Settings, you have the option to assign purchase order numbers manually when auto-numbering is active.

If you use the Location Prefix feature (see the Purchasing tab of Warehouse/Store Location Settings), you can add an alphanumeric location prefix to the purchase order number when auto-generating the number for new PO's.
If you also allow manual assignment via the Allow Manual Entry field, you can use this feature, but only for new PO's that are auto-numbered and it only prefixes the purchase order based on the default location specified in the Receive At prompt on the PO.

Also note that if you use the prefix feature and also allow manual entry of PO numbers, once you auto-assign a new PO number that includes the location prefix, the PO number cannot be changed by selecting a different Receive At location.

If you click on the Search button, a menu appears and you can search for existing purchase orders using the following inquiries:

View Purchase Orders for a Specific Product
View Purchase Orders for a Specific Vendor

Once you specify a purchase order number, the total volume of the order appears. The volume of individual products is drawn from the Shipping Volume field on the Miscellaneous tab of the Product Settings.

For this field to be active, a check must appear at the Show Volume field in the Purchasing Control Settings.

Once you specify a purchase order number, the total weight of the order appears. The weight of individual products is drawn from the Shipping Weight field on the Miscellaneous tab of the Product Settings.

For this field to be active, a check must appear at the Show Volume field in the Purchasing Control Settings.

This field displays the total number of individually saleable pieces for all lines on the purchase order, regardless of any pieces received. As purchase order lines are added, changed, or deleted, this number is updated. The number displayed is based on line item data entered on the Merchandise or Supplies tab, but not on the Customer's Own Material tab.

General

This mandatory field is used to classify the usage of a purchase order. The default purchase order type designated via your Purchasing Control Settings displays here. Click the Arrow button to select another type from the list of Purchase Order Types.

Enter the code of the buyer for this purchase order. For new purchase orders, this field defaults to the log-on user. For purchase orders created on-the-fly from within order entry, this field defaults to ZZZ. You can edit this field, for example to the initials of the person placing the order. To automatically audit edits to this field, select Buyer ID from the PURCHASE.ORDER file in the Track Processing Activity routine.

Buying Groups

If using the Buying Group Feature, all products added to a purchase order must contain a buyer and they must all contain the same buyer. In addition, for purchase orders created on-the-fly from within order entry, the program does not specify a buyer and the system places the purchase order on hold. To remove the Hold status, you must re-access the purchase order and specify a buyer.

Enter the code of the vendor whose products you want to purchase. If you click on the arrow, you access the Vendor Cross Reference window, from which you can choose a vendor.

If the code you enter identifies a vendor already in the system, the system displays information on the vendor. If one or more alternate addresses exist for this vendor, a message appears asking if you want to use an alternate address. If the system does not recognize the code you enter, a message appears asking if you want to create a new vendor. If you answer Yes, the Vendor file appears.

The Actions button includes options to select an alternate vendor address, "recall" an existing PO from which to import products to the new PO, view or enter PO comments, or close a purchase order.

The location defaults from the log-in screen, but you can select a different location to indicate where this purchase order is to be received into STORIS. If you click on the Arrow button, a list of available locations appears from which you can choose.

If you click on the Action button, the List Entry Window appears from which you can choose a list of purchase order destinations (lists often used, for example, for purchase order distribution). Use this option to distribute purchase orders to multiple locations. Note that once you access another tab in this routine, this option becomes unavailable.

You cannot edit this field if

    - one or more line items on the purchase order have been received,

    - a distribution list was specified for the purchase order and/or you accessed another tab in this routine, or

    - the purchase order is linked to a service order.

At this and any other Location field, the locations you see (that is, the list of locations available to you) may be affected by Regional Processing restrictions.

If an AP Bill (or Pending AP Bill) has been generated for the line item(s) on a PO, then the Receiving location cannot be changed/edited. The AP Bill created is tied to the Company for the original receiving location. The AP Bill would need to be removed in order to edit the receiving location on the purchase order.

To place this purchase order on hold, check the box. Purchase orders that are on hold cannot be printed. A blank box at this field indicates that the purchase order is not on hold and can be acknowledged and received. Your Create Manual Purchase Order On Hold and Take Purchase Order Off Hold settings in Create a User/Group Actions - Purchasing Security affect your ability to access this check box. Also, if the order quantity is less than the Minimum Stock Quantity on the Settings tab in Advanced Product Settings, the purchase order is placed on hold.

Rules for Reinstating the Hold Status

Direct Ship POs always allow a change in approval hold status.
If a purchase order has been previously created and the Hold field is blank (PO is not on Hold), you cannot reinstate the Hold status by checking the box. The message “Approval Hold flag may not be reinstated” displays if you try to check the box.

Rules for Removing the Hold Status

To remove the hold status from a purchase order, remove the check from the box.
You must remove the hold status before you can acknowledge or receive a purchase order.
If you are removing the hold status from a purchase order that is not a supply PO, the system checks the minimum order quantities for all products on the purchase order before allowing it to be released from hold.

Purchase orders placed on hold via this field are distinct from AR credit hold codes and AP hold codes.

This mandatory field is used to indicate when a purchase order would ideally be delivered, regardless of whether or not the date is feasible. Initially, this field defaults to the date established in the Default Requested Date in Advanced Vendor Settings, which is either today's date or the established vendor lead days. You can click the calendar icon and select a different requested date.

Enter the container number (if any) to use with this purchase order. You can enter up to 14 alphanumeric characters.

If multiple containers were associated with an existing purchase order via EDI, this field displays an ellipsis (...) and the field is not available for edit when you access the order.

Use this field to indicate where the vendor is to ship the items on this purchase order. The location initially defaults to the same location defaulted in the Receive At field and indicates this with the text "Receive At" in the entry box. The location's description appears below the entry box. If the Ship To location needs to be different than the Receive At location, you can click the Arrow button to select a different Ship To location. Alternately, if you change the location in the Receive At field, the Ship To field still displays "Receive At" but the description changes to the description of the Receive At location.

This field is used only to access the ship-to location's address information. The receiving location provides the link to all other information, such as company, region, language, etc.
All STORIS documents that are used in communication with the vendor use this Ship To location data in place of the Receive At location.
The Ship To field is included when printing, faxing, and emailing standard ELP and non-ELP purchase order forms, such as Purchase Order, Purchase Order (Buyer), Purchase Order Import, and Purchase Order Import (Buyer).
The data import process for purchase orders provides the ability to import this field.
EDI processes use the Ship To location information in all communications with the vendor in place of the receiving location.

Enter shipping instructions for this order. You can enter two lines of up to 30 alphanumeric characters each. The text appears in the Remarks section of the printed purchase order.

Existing instructions may default into this field, for example the Vendor Settings or from P/O Header Comments screen, which you access via the COM Order Entry/Maintenance screen. In the case of a direct ship sales order, the comments entered in the Instructions field on the Customer page default here.

If you right-click anywhere on this tab, a menu appears with the following options:

Add Escapes to Current Screen
Advanced Product Lookup/Purchasing
Assign Screen Action Permissions
List Previous Open Purchase Orders

Right-click menus are user-defined menus available in selected routines. The options listed above come delivered with STORIS, but you can edit these menus using the Dynamic Escape Settings.

- Add Attachments
- Change Ship From Location
- Close Purchase Order - When editing a previously created purchase order, use this option to close the purchase order.
- EDI Status Details
- Edit Attachments
- Exchange Rate Inquiry
- Purchase Order Audit Text - When editing a previously created purchase order, use this option to view and modify purchase order comments.
- Recall Purchase Order - Import the products from the PO selected in the View Purchase Orders for a Specific Vendor process into the PO being created. To access this action, you must first select a vendor at the Vendor field.
- View Attachments

Merchandise

The vendor specified on the General tab displays.

Enter the code of the product you want to order. Click the Search button to access Search for a Product, which you can use to search for and select one or more products. If you click the Action button, a menu appears from which you can access the following:

If the product code entered does not exist in the Product file, a message appears asking if you want to create a new product. If you select Yes, you access the Product Settings screen where you can enter a new product on-the-fly. Note that to enter a product on-the-fly, you must have security clearance via the Create new products within purchase order entry field in Create a User/Group Actions - Purchasing Security.

If the camera icon to the right of the field is active, you can click on it to view a picture of the specified product. If the camera is dimmed, no image exists for the product at this time.

If the product you enter already exists in the order, the program creates another line for the new entry. In this way, you can enter the same product code on multiple lines in a purchase order. For example, if the vendor has a special where if you buy 10 of an item, you get the next 10 at a discount, you can use separate lines on the purchase order to indicate the different prices.

Accessing Detail Information for Special Order and Inventory Products

If you are adding a special order product to the purchase order, and the product contains text entered at the Maintain PO Line Text field on the Costing page of Advanced Product Settings, this information can be added automatically to the purchase order. Upon entry of the product code, a prompt displays asking "Use existing product purchase order comments?" When you answer Yes, the text is copied into the Special Order Information Window, which displays when you click the Add button to add the item to the order.

If you are adding an inventory product (not set as Special Ordered) to the purchase order, and the product contains text entered at the Maintain PO Line Text field on the Costing page of Advanced Product Settings, this information can be added automatically to the purchase order. Upon entry of the product code, a prompt displays asking "Use existing product purchase order comments?" When you answer Yes, the text is copied into the CFO Options window and the Special Order Instructions window, both available from the Actions button menu on the Merchandise page of the purchase order entry.

The brand description of the selected product is displayed here.

Enter the number of pieces of this product you want to order. If this item is a kit, enter the number of kits you want to order.

If the product is a special order that is linked to a sales order, you can reduce the quantity or delete the product if the Assignment Required field in Special Order Control Settings is checked. Additionally, you must either have security access via the Reduce Special Order quantities on Purchase Orders linked to a Sales Order setting in Purchasing Security or obtain a security override from an authorized user.

The replacement cost (if any) from the Product record displays in this field for the selected product. To edit this field, you must have access via the Update product replacement cost within purchase entry screens field in the Extended Security settings.

If you have access and you enter a cost that differs from the replacement cost for the product, a message appears with the option to update the Product file with the new replacement cost. This option is not available for special order products. To update the replacement cost of a special order product, you must use the Product settings.

If this is a configured product, the Change Total Cost on a Configured Product setting in your User/User Group Purchasing security settings must be active in order to edit this field.

To add the item and its selected quantity and cost to the grid, click on Add. If you specified multiple distribution locations for this line item, the Purchase Order Line Item Distribution window appears when you click on Add. Use that window to assign line item quantities for distribution to the various locations. To cancel entry of the line item only, select Clear.

The grid displays the items from the purchase order, along with the following information for each:

product number or vendor model number - the heading and contents of this column depends on the setting at the Display Vendor Model Number field. Note that if you choose to display the vendor model number and none exists for the selected product, the product number displays appended by two asterisks (**).
Quantity Ordered
Unit Cost
Discounted
Extended Cost
Brand

Add Attachments

CFO Options
Discounts
EDI Advance Ship Notice Dates - This action is available only if a line item is selected and EDI is active for the vendor.
EDI Status Details
Edit Attachments
Exchange Rate Inquiry
Group/Collection Availability
Kit Master Maintenance
Line Item Distribution
Line Item Display
Purchase Order Audit Text
Review Product Settings - accesses either the edit version or the read-only version of the Product file, depending on your setting at the Create new products within purchase order entry field in the Create a User/Group Actions - Purchasing Security settings.
Sales Order Linkage
Special Order Instruction
Stock Availability
Transfer on Receipt Locations - This option is available only if the assigned purchase order type contains an associated As-Is Reason Code. If you select this option, the Multiple Location Selection window displays, where you can indicate up to 30 locations where inventory received on this purchase order is to be distributed. You can use the up and down arrows on this screen to modify the order of the locations you list. The locations you enter and their order are reflected on the Transfer on Receipt Quantities screen.
Transfer on Receipt Quantities - Select this option to indicate the received quantities from this purchase order that are to be distributed to each location you listed on the Multiple Location Selection screen.
View Attachments

Supplies

The grid contains the items currently selected for purchase as well as additional pricing information for each line item. When you finish making changes to the ordering information for the selected product, select Add to record the changes.

Customer's Own Material

This tab is available only for purchase orders created via Sales Order Entry that include COM component products.

The grid contains the items currently selected for purchase and pricing information for each line item. When you finish making changes to the ordering information for the selected product, select Add to record the changes.

Totals

This tab displays the vendor and receiving location information entered on the Header tab, along with the following fields.

This field is only active if the Allow Payment of Pending Bills field is checked in the Payables Control Settings and STORIS Accounting is active. The value in this field defaults from the Vendor Ship-From assigned to this purchase order. If no alternate shipping address is selected, it is defaulted from Vendor Settings. It is used to default the same setting in any pending AP bill that is created from this purchase order.

If this box is checked, a bill for this purchase order can be paid before merchandise is received. To edit this field, you must have permission via the Change purchase order Pay Before Receipt setting.

The total cost of items ordered on this PO displays, excluding tax, freight, and/or miscellaneous charges.

If a value exists for the selected vendor in the Free Freight Minimum field in the Vendor Settings and the sub-total of the current order is less than that value, a warning message appears indicating the order does not qualify for free freight. If you save such an order, an exception message posts to the Purchase Order Comments file.

Enter any applicable freight, miscellaneous, or tax costs.

Any freight, miscellaneous, or tax charges you enter at these fields are informational and for reporting purposes only. That is, the amounts do not default into the AP bill - you must enter them manually. The amounts you enter into the AP bill hit their associated GL accounts.

Any PO report or inquiry that shows PO total amounts includes these charges (if any) in the total, and some reports break down these charges individually, for example the Report Purchase Order Delivery Information routine.

If a value exists for the selected vendor at the Free Freight Minimum field in the Vendor Settings and the sub-total of the current order is greater than that value, the order qualifies for free freight. If you then enter an amount here, a warning message appears but you can continue.

When you finish editing fields, click Save to process the purchase order. If

- the print option is enabled at the Print Option - Enter a Purchase Order field in the Purchasing Control Settings, the Print a Purchase Order screen appears from which you can print, email, or fax the purchase order (except for orders on hold).

- the print option is not enabled at the Print Option - Enter a Purchase Order field and faxing and/or e-mailing is enabled on your system, the Transmit Type Window appears from which you can email or fax, but not print, the purchase order.

If neither of the above are true, the program exits.

For purchase orders that were printed previously and then modified since the last printing, when you click on Save, the option to add the purchase order to the Reprints list appears and before the Print a Purchase Order screen appears. If you choose to set the order for reprints and then print the order, the program removes the order from the Reprints list.