Purchase Orders Overview

Reaching "Purchase Orders" 

To reach "Purchase Orders": 

1. Log into Control Center
   
2. Choose Point of Sale
   
3. Choose Inventory
   
4. Choose Reorder 
   
5. Choose Orders
   

                                                                                 Figure 0.0

Understanding "Purchase Orders" Layout

Please see the images labeled Figure 0.1 for descriptions of the buttons and fields that appear on the screen.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Figure 0.1

The buttons that you see on the Purchase Order form are described below:

1. Add New Order: This button lets you create a new purchase order.
   
2. Edit Order: This button lets you edit the existing purchase order.
3. View Notes: This button lets you view the notes history of the selected order.

1. Print Order: This button lets you print order details in report format.
2. Copy Orders: This button allows you to copy the order template of the selected order.
   
3. Order Logs: It allows you to view the items associated with the selected order, along with details such as the order date, order number, order method, and location.

1.  Add New Order Form Fields:

See Figure 1.0:

1. Location: This field lets you select one or many locations for which you wish to create an order of products/items.
   
1. Single Location: If you create an order for a single location, it will create the order for that location. Clicking on "Create Order" will redirect you to the product draft page. See Figure 1.1.
   

                                                                     Figure 1.1

1. Multiple locations: For two or more locations, the orders will be added individually to the list of purchase orders on the purchase order home screen. From there, you can add, edit, and review the created purchase order.
   

1. Vendor: Select the name of the vendor from whom items are going to be purchased. The drop-down will show the names of all vendors allocated to the selected locations. 
   
2. Order Comments: Mention any general comments that support/explain the purchase order. 
   
3. Order Filters: This field further gives you two choices (explained below): 
   

1. Filter Options: Here, you will see different options to filter products for adding a new purchase order. Once you have selected the filter option, related options will display the related data in the Results area. 
   

1. Next: Once you have selected the options from the selected filter, click on  to move the selected options to the Selected List Area.
   
2. Clear Selection: This button will clear all the options selected under the selected list.
   
3. Delete Single Option: You can also clear a single option by clicking on  placed right next to the selected options.
   
4. Buttons: Click on "Close" to discard the changes and click on "Apply" to implement the changes.
   

1. Save Filters: You can also save the configured custom filters for future use. By clicking the "Save Filters" button, a pop-up will appear to allow you to enter the name of the custom filter.
   

                                                           Figure 1.4

1. Manage Filters: All the filters that you have saved will appear here to directly apply the filter that you have created.
   
1. The filter applied will be visible, as displayed in Figure 1.5.
   
2. You can apply multiple filters in one go.
   

                                          Figure 1.5

1. Check for Alternate Vendors: This field check is used to determine if the item has multiple vendor parts. If the item has multiple vendor parts, then the system will notify you that the item you are ordering is available at a lower cost from other vendors. Toggle this option to "Yes" to save money on orders. 

1. Use Order Requirements From: If this toggle is set to "Yes," it will choose a predefined Order Requirement that consists of rules that determine when a daily/weekly inventory replenishment order is to be issued and with what quantity or quantity percentage. It can be utilized to assist in making sure these requirements are followed and met, along with the store's ordering policy.
   

                                                    Figure 1.6

1. Create As Transfer From Store: If this option is toggled to "Yes," it will create a transfer instead of creating an order. If you toggle this option to "Yes," it will direct you to the Transfer form. 

1. Store Review Not Required: This option is not for the store but for corporate users. If this is toggled to "Yes," the status of the order will be Open Order, and store review is not required.

1. Send to Store: This option is for the company that generates an order and sends it to the store for review. This option is not available if the above option, “Store Review Not Required,” is toggled to "No." 
   

                                                                                Figure 1.1.0

1.1.1. List All Products from Vendor 

When this option is selected, all items offered by the chosen vendor (e.g., DemoVendor1) will be listed. If specific departments are selected using order filters, only items from those departments will be displayed. See Figure 1.1.1.      
                                           Figure 1.1.1

1. Create a Negative Order: This option reverses the flag of the items in an order and is only used when you wish to return items to the vendor. This option is occasionally used, as there is an entirely different method to return items. 
   

This method is less likely to be used, as analyzing sales history is a better metric than min/max.

1.1.2. Reorder by Min/Max 

This method will allow you to order items based on min/max values. Each product is tagged with its minimum and maximum value. You can set min/max value in Products>>Order Information section.

To read more on this, click here: Products.  

Whenever the system goes below the item’s minimum value, it will order whatever is needed to get you up to that maximum value. It is done for each item. In short, this method allows you to fine-tune your inventory level to have a specific quantity per item. See Figure 1.1.2.0.

                                                    Figure 1.1.3.0

1. Days of Inventory: If you enter 10 as the “Days of Inventory” value and the average sales per day of an item is 1, it means you have 10 selling days of inventory on hand. If you have QOH for that item equal to 3, then you have to order 7 more to meet that requirement. However, in this case, you already have 10 items as the "Quantity on Hand" value, so you don't need to order anything.
   

The percentage actually defines the direction in which it is used to round off the value (lower or higher).

                                            Figure 1.1.4.0

1. For example: If you are selling cigarette packs (not cigarette cartons) and you enter a value above 50%, say 70%, and since there are 10 packs in a cigarette carton, the system will round up and order a carton. Alternatively, if the value is below 50%, then the system wouldn’t order anything at all. 
   

1. Include Sold Items with 0 Order Qty: In the round-up field, if you enter 50%, and if you don't sell 50% of the sub-units that are needed to create an order, the item will still be there on the order form but with 0 quantity. You can keep/edit or remove the item(s) with 0 quantity with the help of “Remove Products with 0 Quantity" on the Edit Order form. See Figure 1.1.4.3 below for reference.          

                                                                                    Figure 1.1.4.1

1. Still, you can order any number of quantities for such items on a purchase order, even if the system suggests 0 as the order quantity. 
   

1.1.5. List All Products from Vendor with Replenishment

This method is a combination of the “List All” and “Replenishment” order methods. It allows you to place an order for all items with the filter, e.g., department, category, tag, etc., from the selected vendor. Then, it is going to look for the date range for the sales history for that item and place an order (same as replenishment). See Figure 1.1.3.0 and its form for reference, except for "Include Sold Items with 0 Order Qty."  This method is used in rare cases. 

For fields, refer to Reorder by Products Sold (Replenishment). 

1.1.6. Reorder Using Blank Order Method 

When you generate an order using a blank order method, it will create a blank order no matter how many filters you have applied. You must manually add items that you wish to order. See Figure 1.1.6.0.

                                         Figure 1.1.6.0

                                                                        Figure 1.1.7.0

1. For example: If you enter 14 days and the item is newer than 14 days and filtered by category, department, manufacturer, tag, or department tag, then that item is going to be ordered based on the replenishment order. Any item that is older than 14 days will be ordered by days of inventory. 
   

1. Include Sold Items with 0 Order Qty: When you tick this checkbox, the system will include the items that are sold during the specified period, but based on the system’s calculations, they have 0 quantity in the order and offer you further options to choose from, as Figure 1.1.7.0 or Figure 1.1.7.1 shows. Please choose the appropriate option.
   
1. For example, when you choose any of the following options under "When QOH <= 0," the system will check the item's current QOH and perform the action based on your choice when the current QOH is <= 0: 
   
1. Do Nothing: The system will do nothing.
   
2. Add with Zero Qty: The system will add the items with the zero-order quantity to the order. You can edit or remove it, as shown in Figure 1.1.7.1 above.
   
3. Add with Qty 1: The system will add the items with the order quantity as one in the order.
4. Add with 10 Week High (Summary Only): The system will add the items with the order quantity as the highest sold in the last ten weeks in the order. This will override the time range you selected in "Date Range From," and the system will consider the last ten weeks from the current date.  
5. Add with 52-Week High (Summary Only): The system will add the items with the order quantity as the highest sold in the last fifty-two weeks in the order. This will override the time range you selected in "Date Range From," and the system will consider the last fifty-two weeks from the current date. 

                                                 Figure 1.1.8.1

Example: Consider a regular product that you order every week and is out of stock every week; then you might possibly lose sales. You can manually edit the "Order Qty" and increase the quantity by 1 the following week. If it is still not sufficient, then you can increase the quantity accordingly. 

Doing so will make the system aware of the actual sales number and let it suggest the true needed value for products (not too few, not too many, just what is needed). 

1.1.9. Items with Zero QOH 

This method will allow you to create a purchase order only for the items in the selected location that have Quantity on Hand for those items for the selected department/category/manufacturer/tag equal to 0.

                                        Figure 1.1.9.1

1. Default Quantity: If the QOH for any item at a location is zero, and the default quantity for the Items with 0 QOH order method is set to, e.g., 20, then the system will suggest 20 quantities to order and will overlook the Require Multiples of and With a Min Order % of value for this order method.
   

1.2. Creating an Order

1. Search: This option lets you search a specific product on the purchase order either with its name or UPC.
2. Add: This button helps you add item(s) to a purchase order directly. Upon clicking, Figure 1.2.1.0 appears.
   

                                                                  Figure 1.2.1.1

You can edit the Set Quantity and Cost Each field as needed. Set Quantity is the Order Quantity that you enter manually. The rest of the fields will be disabled for editing.

                                  Figure 1.2.1.2

3. Settings  : Clicking on the "Settings" button will display the screen highlighted in Figure 1.2.1.3.

1. Refresh QOH: This button lets you refresh the data in the QOH column.
2. Remove Products with Zero Qty: Clicking on this button helps in deleting the products that have zero Quantity on Hand.                                                                        
   
3. Add Back Order Items: This button will help you Append, Replace, or Ignore the items on the back order to the purchase order. 
   

                                                    Figure 1.2.1.4

1. When the Back Order form has items listed, clicking on "Apply to Order" will Add, Replace, or Ignore (as per the Manage Quantity option selection) on Edit Purchase Order form.                                                                         

1. Days Left From: This column lets you select the number of weeks that will help you identify the estimated survival time for the Quantity On Hand value for that product at the store.

1. Columns: This option will let you select the number of columns that are to be displayed in the purchase order form. Check the boxes against the options that you wish to include in the purchase order form.
   

1. Reset Columns: This button will allow you to reset the column in the purchase order form.
   

1. Show All Products: This option lets you choose the list of products, i.e., the data you wish to display in the purchase order form: Show All Products, Show Only Products with 0 Qty, or Show Deleted Records.
   

                                      Figure 1.2.1.5

1. Product: This defines the product's or item's name that is to be ordered.

2. Sug. Qty: This value is automatically calculated by the system based on the Min/Max settings in Manage Location and the On-Hand Quantity from the Products module.

                                                      Figure 1.2.2.1 

                                                           Figure 1.2.2.2 

1. (See Figure 1.2.3.1 and Figure 1.2.2.2) In the "Products" module for the location Cobleskill, the Min quantity is set to be 5 and Max quantity is said to be 50. As soon as Quantity on Hand reaches below 5 for a selected product, it will suggest the suggested quantity as Max Quantity Order for that product with maximum quantity, i.e., 50.

3. Store Qty: If the order is created by the corporate user and the Send to Store toggle is set to "Yes," then this field will appear to authorize store employee to enter the products quantity that is actually needed at the store.

4. Actual Qty: If the order is created by a corporate user, then this column is used by them to adjust the item quantities on order.

5. Order Qty: This field by default displays the value equals to the Suggested Quantity value, but it is finalized after taking store quantity, actual quantity, and suggested quantity into account. Once done, it becomes the final order quantity for the purchase order.

6. Back Order Qty: This column describes the items that are not fulfilled by the vendor in the previous order.

7. On Hand: This column displays the quantity of the item that the store currently has in inventory.

8. # Days Left: This column provides an estimate based on historical inventory trends to support effective inventory management. It displays the number of days the listed inventory item is expected to last, relative to the value selected in the "Days Left From" field.

1. For example, if the selected value is 3 weeks, the system analyzes sales data from the past 3 weeks to calculate an average weekly sales rate (shown in the Avg Sales column). Based on this rate, it estimates how many days the current Quantity on Hand will last. This estimate is displayed in the # of Days Left column. See Figure 1.2.3.3.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Figure 1.2.2.3

In the # of Days Left column, red values indicate a projected inventory shortage for the specified number of days, while green values indicate sufficient inventory to cover that duration.

                        Figure 1.2.2.5 

If the Store Review Not Required toggle is set to "Yes," then the order can be directly sent to the vendor that you have created without the store intervention.

1.2.3. Right-Click Functionality on Purchase Order Items

1. Right clicking on any order will display two options, as highlighted in Figure 1.2.3.0.
   

1. View Logs: The View Log screen lets you see all the details of the product added to the order. It displays all relevant information in this context, and the data is for viewing purposes only.

                                                              Figure 1.2.3.1

1. Item Analysis: This feature helps to analyze a particular product at a particular store location from the purchase order screen itself. A variety of information from different modules is used together here to analyze the item.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Figure 1.2.3.2

1.3. Convert to Order

1. When you generate a purchase order adjust the item quantities on order and click on Convert to Order, the working order will be created to a Standard Purchase Order.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Figure 1.3.0
   
   
2.  The Convert to Dialog box will appear, with two associated options: Close, and Yes, Convert to Order.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Figure 1.3.1
   

From this point forward, you can mark the order as complete the order and send it to the vendor in EDI format, as described later in the article.

1.4. Send to Store

You can send a purchase working order draft to the store for review to ensure accuracy in product selection, quantities, and delivery timing. This allows the store to make necessary adjustments based on local demand, storage constraints, etc.

There are two ways to do so:

1. Automated  "Send to Store"

1. If Store Review is Required toggle is to Yes and the Send to Store toggle is also set to "Yes," the system will automatically send it to the store as an open order. 
   
   

   The rest of the purchase order process continues in the same manner as outlined above.

2. Manual  "Send to Store"

1. If the Send to Store toggle is set to "No" and Store Review Not Required is set to "No," on the Create Order page as displayed in Figure 
   

1.6. Completing Order

1. At this stage, the order can be sent to the vendor either in EDI format via FTP or by email to the respective vendor.
   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Figure 1.6.3

 Send EDI: After the order is created, edited, and reviewed. This option is selected to send this purchase order electronically to the vendor on the FTP side. This option is found on Edit Purchase Order screen and Purchase Order home screen as well. It is explained below.

1.7. Send EDI

Please check your EDI setup and FTP connection, then use the "Send EDI" button to transmit the order electronically.

1. You can select multiple orders ordered within the selected date range for a single vendor in different locations and send them electronically.

                                                                    Figure 1.7.0

1. Click on "Send EDI," and the order list will be sent to the vendor side.

                                                                    Figure 1.7.1

1. By clicking "Yes," the selected order(s) will be sent to the respected vendor in EDI format either through FTP/SFTP connection or via email.
   
2. To configure EDI Settings, refer to the EDI Setup and for FTP connections read FTP Connections article. 

The system removes the items with 0 Order Qty from the physical file sent during the EDI process. Please note the system will not remove those items from the actual order; it will only remove the physical file.

1.8. Convert to Invoice

1. The next step is to receive the inventory. This option allows you to convert the purchase order into an invoice once the physical inventory is received from the vendor.
   

1.9. Schedule Order Button

1. On the Add New Order form and you get two options: "Create Order" and “Schedule Order,” as highlighted in Figure 1.3.0.

                                    Figure 1.9.1

The "Create Transfer" button helps you initiate a transfer of the purchased goods from one location to another within the system, such as from the vendor. This helps track the movement of inventory, ensures accurate stock management across multiple locations, and facilitates the internal logistics process following a purchase.


                                                       Figure 1.10.0

1. Enter the fields in the form by selecting a "Transfer From" location and a "Transfer To" location.
2. Select cost type as vendor part cost or product cost and click on "Create Transfer."
   

1. Click the Modifying Order button highlighted in Figure 0.1 above to edit (make changes to) a created purchase order before marking it as complete.
   
2. The form highlighted in Figure 2.0 will appear on your screen.                                                                 
   

The labels, fields, and buttons are described above under Create Order.

3. Order Logs

1.  Follow the steps mentioned below to view order logs.
   
2. Click on "Order Logs," as highlighted in Figure 3.1 below, to view order logs.

                       Figure 3.1

Order logs provide all the detailed information of all the items that are bought on the selected order. The information displayed is just for viewing purposes.

4. Deleting the Order 

                                           Figure 4.0

1. Click “Yes, Delete” to continue the process of deleting the order record.
   
2. Click “Cancel” to close the pop-up and skip the deletion process.
   

5. Merging Orders

Merge Order is used when multiple orders for a particular product share a single location as well as vendor, and you want to combine all of the orders into a single order. Doing so appends the order quantities.

Whenever multiple orders share a single location and single vendor, the system will merge all the orders together into one single order. If one order has 5 units of an item and another has 7 units, then the system will merge these two. This way, the orders are easier to manage for the store as well as for the vendor.

1. Click the "Merge Orders" button highlighted in Figure 0.1 above to merge an order.
   
2. The form highlighted in Figure 5.0 will appear on your screen.          
   

                                     Figure 5.0

1. Single Location: This option will merge all the selected orders for a single vendor and single location into one order, as depicted in Figure 5.1.
   
2. The orders listed in Figure 5.1 are all the orders under the Show Entries label.               
3. Select the orders by checking them against their order numbers. Click on "Merge Orders" to merge the selected orders.

                                                                              Figure 5.1

1. Doing so will merge all the selected locations into one order. The system requires a minimum of two orders to merge. The "Merge Orders" button will be disabled unless two or more orders are selected.
   

1. Multiple Location: This option also lets you choose multiple orders with OPEN ORDERS status for different locations while sharing a single vendor.               
   

                                                                                Figure 5.2

1. In Figure 5.2, we see two purchase orders from a single vendor for two different locations.
   
2. Click on the "Merge Orders" button, a dialog, as highlighted in Figure 5.3 shows up.
   
3. Select "Multiple Location" in this case.

                                   Figure 5.3

1. After that, select a vendor and location(s) for whom you wish to merge orders for, and select the date range for it.

                                                                                     Figure 5.4

1. Select the vendor name, location(s), and date range, and click on "Review Orders."

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Figure 5.5

1. Select the orders you wish to merge (a minimum of 2 should be there; otherwise, it will lead to an error message) and click on "Proceed To Merge Order."

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Figure 5.6

1. On clicking on "Proceed To Merge Order," the dialog box as highlighted in Figure 5.7 appears.
   

                                           Figure 5.7

1. Clicking on "Yes" will merge the selected orders. See Figure 5.8.

                                          Figure 5.8 

1. The order quantity for both orders gets appended in this case.
   

6. Split Order

For the orders to a vendor for multiple locations, if merged, they can be separated back to original orders with the "Split Order" button.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Figure 6.0

1. Select the orders (all those that were merged) to split them into original individual order.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Figure 6.1

1. Once the orders are selected, click on "Proceed to Split Order."
   

                                             Figure 6.2

1. Click on "Yes," and the merged order will be reversed.
   

                                                                                   Figure 6.3

7. Mass Merging Orders

1. For example, if a location, say Middletown, has 5 orders and another location, say, Oneonta, has 10 orders, the Mass Merge feature will merge all 5 individual orders for Middletown into 1 order and Oneonta's 10 orders into another 1 order. 

1. Choose the vendor from the drop-down list and also the set of locations.
   

1. Click on "Review Mass Merge Orders" to select the open orders for merging.     
   

1. After reviewing the set of orders for different locations, click on "Proceed To Mass Merge Order."
   
2. A dialogue box will appear, as highlighted in Figure 7.2.

                                          Figure 7.2

1. Click on "OK" to proceed with the merging process.