Entering Purchase Order Header Details

When you have created a new Purchase Order you must enter header details in the fields in the upper section. This involves entering the Supplier and entering/defining other important purchase details:

Default details are entered, to make Purchase Order entry as quick and easy as possible, but you may add/amend header details as required. The procedure for entering Purchase Order header details is as follows.

Note: Use your [Tab] key to move from one field to the next. Mandatory Fields (fields which must contain a value before a function can be completed) are shown with a yellow background or with an 'i' next to the field. Some of the following fields may be shown or hidden, depending on your system configuration.

Note: The procedure described below is for standard 'Stock' type Purchase Orders. Other types of Purchase Order have a different set-up procedure. See Pre-Allocated, Suggested And Direct Purchase Orders.

Staff And Authorisation ID

When you create a new blank Purchase Order your cursor is placed automatically in the Authorised By field, where you must enter the Staff Number of a member of staff who is able to authorise the Purchase Order. This identifies the person who authorised the Purchase Order and may be you or a supervisor.

The preceding field - Staff ID - is added by default when the Purchase Order is created, to identify the staff member who created the Purchase Order. You may (if your user permissions allow) re-enter your Staff ID to select a different user.

Entering The Supplier

Click [Tab] to move your cursor to the Supplier field, in which you must specify the supplier you are ordering goods from.

If you know the Supplier's Account Number (e.g. AB/0000125) or Short Name (e.g. Absolute), type it into the Supplier field.

If you don't know the Supplier's Account Number or Short Name, use the Finder to locate and select it. To do this:

I. Make Suppliers active in the Finder.

The quickest method is to click [F3] (the context-sensitive Finder shortcut button) while the cursor is in the Supplier field. For further details see Using The Context Sensitive Finder.

TIP: You can focus the Finder further by typing characters into the field before clicking [F3]. See example:

Alternatively you may activate Suppliers in the Finder by selecting Suppliers from the

Search button on the Finder toolbar; or from the
'Search For...' section in the Home tab.

See Activating A Selected Document/Record Type In The Finder.

II. Browse to find the Supplier in the Finder. For details see Browsing Records In The Finder.

You may browse to find the correct Supplier using your keyboard. See example:

III. When the required Supplier is visible in the Finder, select it by:

double-clicking your mouse on the appropriate line in the Finder search results. Or:
right-clicking your mouse on the line to display a menu, then selecting Add Supplier...

See Adding Finder Items To Documents.

Alternatively, when the keyboard focus is on the Finder record you wish to select, click Return to select it (i.e. add it to the currently-open document). See example:

For further details on using the Finder to locate and select a Supplier record see Finding Suppliers.

Working With Pop-Up Supplier Windows

After entering the Supplier, a pop-up window may appear to give a reminder and/or useful information about the supplier. For example:

Close this window by clicking [F12] or [Esc] once you have read the text - and take any actions as recommended. If necessary, scroll down and/or click an arrow key to move to the next/previous page.

Note: Supplier-related Notes and pop-ups are created in Supplier Maintenance. See Creating Supplier Notes.

Entering/Editing Details In The Remaining Purchase Order Header Fields

When you enter the Supplier, most of the header fields are populated automatically based on settings in the Supplier record and on other system settings.

General tips and shortcuts when entering header fields

The following keyboard shortcuts will help speed up Purchase Order entry:

Use [Tab] To Move From One Field To Another

You may use your [Tab] key to move your cursor from one header field to the next, speeding up the entry/editing procedure.

Use Shift + [Tab] to move your cursor to the previous field.

Clear Fields By Clicking [F9]

You may empty the current field - i.e. the field where the cursor is currently placed - by clicking [F9]. This is quicker than using your mouse and backspace key.

Note: An alternative method is to use Shift + arrow key or Ctrl + A to select all information in a field, then type to overwrite the information in that field.

For further shortcuts see Tips For Improving Workflow.

Enter - or edit the default - details in the available header fields as appropriate:

Address/Town/County/Post Code/Country

These fields are populated automatically from the Supplier record once the Supplier has been entered. with the Supplier's main site address. You may edit these details for the current Purchase Order as required.

Delivery Branch/Delivery Address

The Delivery Branch (the branch taking delivery of the stock) and Delivery Address (the address to which stock will be delivered) fields are populated automatically based on your user settings.

You may select an alternative Delivery Branch from the drop-down menu if your user permissions allow. To specify an alternative Delivery Address: click the hyperlinked address to display the Delivery Address window, enter the address and post code in the available fields, then click OK to close the window.

Contact

The Contact field records the name of your contact at the supplier company. This is populated automatically from the Supplier record but you may add/amend the contact as appropriate.

Internal Ref

The Internal Ref field may be used to enter any text required as an internal reference.

Receipt Confirmation/Receipt Email

There is an option to send a system-generated email to a maximum of three specified recipients when stock for this Purchase Order is 'booked in' on a Goods Received Note. This might be used, for example, to inform members of a sales/marketing team that new products have arrived in stock and are now available for sales and promotion.

To set this up, check the Receipt Confirmation field and enter one, two or three email addresses in the Receipt Email fields below.

Price

An option is pre-selected automatically based on your saved settings from the Supplier record, but you may select an alternative if required.

Acknowledgement Ref

In the Acknowledgement Ref field you may enter text required as a reference for the supplier.

You have the option of leaving this field blank and entering a separate Acknowledgement Reference for each product line - see Adding Product Lines To Purchase Orders.

Purchase Order Date Fields

A series of date fields are available. Default dates are entered, which you may amend as required.

Document Date / Expected Date

Note: This is the date on which the order goods are required; hence this field was called 'Required Date' in pre-v.9 versions of Quantum VS. It is also sometimes known as the 'Due Date'.

Other Date Fields

The following 'date' fields may also be displayed (see note). These default to the Expected Date but you may amend these as required by clicking the hyperlink and using the Target Dates Editor to select a new date.

Note: The Expected Target, Ship Date and Ship Target fields display only if the following fields in the Price Book Flags > Miscellaneous control record are enabled: Enable Target Dates enables display of the 'Target' date fields; Enable Shipment Dates enables display of the 'Ship' date fields.

The Expected Date, Expected Target, Ship Date and Ship Target fields may be amended based on discussions and agreements with the Supplier/shipping company about when the goods will be shipped and/or delivered. These date fields - also available for individual Purchase Order lines - may be used to monitor the performance of the Supplier/shipping company in fulfilling orders, showing discrepancies between actual and target delivered/ship dates. Progress Notes can also be used to record the details of communications between you and the Supplier/shipping company and reasons why dates have been amended. For further details see Reviewing Purchase Order Progress And Supplier Delivery/Shipping Targets.

Entering Line Details

When you have completed the header details, click [Tab] to place your cursor in the lines area and begin entering line details.

Note: At this point the Purchase Order is assigned a number. The tab will now read Purchase Order 2106912 (or a similar number), rather than New Purchase Order.

Purchase Order Types, States And GRN Status

The following information is added to the header fields after the operator has Completed the Purchase Order. (These fields are system-generated and for your information only - no user input is required.)

This information tells you about the type, state and GRN status of the Purchase Order:

Field	Explanation (* = mandatory field)
Order Type	This field indicates the type of Purchase Order, which will be one of the following: Stock Order: A Purchase Order in which goods are ordered from the supplier and placed in stock prior to purchase by customers. This is the type of Purchase Order users will most commonly be working with, using the procedure outlined in this section. Direct Order: A Purchase Order in which stock is ordered direct from the supplier at the time of purchase by customers. Direct Purchase Orders are created automatically when a Direct Sales Order is completed. For further details see Direct Sales and Purchase Orders and Direct Sales Orders. Works Order: Where a Purchase Order is raised automatically following the ordering of a Kit or a product which requires processing (both of which use a Works Order Process). See Works Order Processing.
Order State	This field indicates the current status of the Purchase Order, which will be one of the following: Suggested Order: A 'suggested' Purchase Order is a type of Purchase Order created by running the Suggested Orders Report. This report will trawl through the stock records and create Suggested Purchase Orders based on various user-definable criteria, such as stock levels and reorder levels. These can then be reviewed and converted to real Purchase Orders. Pre-Allocated Order: These are 'skeleton' Purchase Orders which have a Purchase Order (Document) number and supplier details, but no product details. Pre-Allocated Purchase Orders may be required when you wish to place an order with a supplier quickly - usually over the phone - and the supplier requires a Purchase Order number from you in order to place the order. You may create a Pre-Allocated Purchase Order, give the supplier the Purchase Order number, and later locate and open the Purchase Order and enter additional details to convert the order to a standard Purchase Order. See Pre-Allocated Purchase Orders. Parked Order: This indicates that the Purchase Order has been Parked prior to completion. Confirmed: This indicates that the Purchase Order has been Completed. (This does not necessarily mean that the order is 'complete' and that all the goods have been delivered. The GRN Status (below) will indicate this.) Printed: This indicates that the Purchase Order has been completed, printed and issued to the supplier. Cancelled: This indicates that the Purchase Order has been cancelled after completion.
GRN Status	This field indicates the delivery status of the goods on the Purchase Order, which will be one of the following: Undelivered: No goods specified on the accompanying Purchase Order have been received; (i.e. a Goods Received Note has not yet been created for this Purchase Order). Part Delivered: Some of the goods specified on the accompanying Purchase Order have been received, but not all; (i.e. one or more Goods Received Notes have been created and confirmed for this Purchase Order). Fully Delivered: All of the goods have been received; (i.e. all Goods Received Notes have been created and confirmed for this Purchase Order). Cancelled: Delivery has been cancelled (i.e. the Goods Received Note created for this Purchase Order has been cancelled). (This does not necessarily mean that the Purchase Order has been cancelled. The Order State (above) will indicate this.) For further details see Working With Goods Received Notes.