Linux Server version 21.10.30
When a Sales Order is converted to a Sales Invoice and
the user inputs the customer supplied Purchase Order (PO) number when completing the Sales Invoice
We find the Sales Order (SO) Status remains “Uninvoiced”.
It appears that if the SO number which automatically becomes the Purchase Order (PO) number in the Sales Invoice (SI) screen is remove from the invoice the SO remains in the Uninvoiced state (Red).
Management now have a lot of unvoiced SOs which may or may not be invoiced.
This causes concern that work is not being completed or processed.
A lot of additional clicking as our Invoices must include the customers PO Number when going out.
The automatically generated SO number should not have to be removed from the Sales Invoice (SI) for the Sales Invoice to be populated with the Customers supplied PO.
If the automatically generated SO number remained in tact the SO will move to the Invoice status.
Requirement:
Please can the second PO field be available the user when a SO is copied to a SI.
Please can the second PO field if populated remain to be the PO on the viewed and printed SI
Please can the SO change to the Invoiced status when the copy to SI is processed and updated with a customer supplied PO.
it is nowhere stated that the Sales Order reference becomes the Purchase order reference of your customer. they are both different.
the issue is because you are following a wrong process flow. you are issuing a Sales Order initially instead of issuing a Sales Quote.
the correct process flow should be as below.
issue Sales Quote.
receive Purchase Order.
enter Sales Order.
issue Sales Invoice.
a Sales Order is usually entered only after receiving the Purchase Order from your customer. so the issue can be solved if you create your Sales Order with the reference matching your received Purchase Order.
it is not mandatory to match your Sales Order reference to the received Purchase Order because both are independent documents of the respective business. you can issue your sales order with any reference of your choice and just mention the customer PO number anywhere on the sales invoice in the Description field or as a custom field.
See what happens when SO Number is automatically generated - It becomes the Order Number on the SI
the issue is because you are following a wrong process flow. you are issuing a Sales Order initially instead of issuing a Sales Quote.
Why create a Sales Quote (SQ) when the Customer does not what a SQ? Another waste of time.
the correct process flow should be as below. - It is not about process but about the Customer Requesting his PO on our generated Sales Invoices.
Sales Order is usually entered only after receiving the Purchase Order from your customer. - Correct that is exactly the situation.
issue can be solved if you create your Sales Order with the reference matching your received Purchase Order. - Yes to the Correct PO being displayed on SI as demonstrated but No because we lose our internal SO referencing and SO ends up in the not Invoiced State which is the reason for this post and demonstrated.
so why not create a custom field in your Sales Order and Sales Invoice with matching labels?
enter the customer PO number in this custom field when creating your sales order and this will automatically be copied over to the custom field in your Sales Invoice.
positioning of this custom field can be achieved by following this guide.
The Sale Order Status should not be affected this way when inputting a Customer PO and the Sales Order Reference should be maintained as an in house internal document reference.
the suggestion was to use the existing reference field for your internal documentation and create a custom field to record external reference number (received PO).
this will not affect the intended workflow of Manager.
Thank you for your input but the trouble with your suggestion that is that it puts two PO numbers on the Sales Invoice. I really think this will confuse the customer and I am not in that type of business.
@compuit, I suspect you are actually accusing me of not reading the posts. Let me assure you I did—all of the entire thread. As @sharpdrivetek responded so well, what you claim is a problem is the program acting as it should. You are using Manager incorrectly and assuming it will conform to your expectations.
On the other hand, if you meant to compliment me for taking time to read the thread, thank you.
OK I see what is happening the Sales Order (SO) reference Numbermagically changes name in the Sales Invoice (SI) to become the Purchase Order number in the Sales Invoice (SI).
This should not be so as the SO reference number is for Internal business reference and documents not for external Sale Invoice documents aimed at customers.
This raises another question. What is the reasoning behind The Sales Order (SO) number and the Customers Purchase Order (PO) number magically becoming the same thing on the Sales Invoice (SI)?
Is this what you mean by a problem that does not exist?
Tut, do you also follow “the correct process” as laid out by sharpdrivetek ?
issue Sales Quote.
receive Purchase Order.
enter Sales Order.
issue Sales Invoice.
However to stick to topic rather than saying
The underlying problem should be fixed where if a Sale Order (SO) is copied to a Sales Invoice (SI) and updated the Sales Order (SO) should reflect Invoiced (green).
This will ensure and give confidence that any unvoiced SOs are in fact uninvoiced.
This is a very simple indicator which is not working in all cases but is fiercely defended and then made non existent?
There is no magic, because what you describe does not happen. In fact, it cannot possibly happen, because the sales invoice form does not include a purchase order number. Any appearance of reference numbers in unexpected places is entirely due to incorrect entry by the user, not to actions by the program.
You are correct, and it is not so.
There is no reasoning, because it does not happen. And yes, that is what I meant by a problem that does not exist.
I would if I used all those tabs in a particular business. As it happens, I do not use all those tabs in any given business. But for tabs in use in a specific business, I follow the numerical order @sharpdrivetek listed.
As I wrote previously, there is no problem to be fixed, because what you describe is exactly what happens.
I am sorry, but you are incorrect. It works as described in the Guide.
Here is the invoice as created with the copy to: New Sales Invoice function. Now note the automatically generated PO number / Order number 125 which was / is the SO reference number is now in the Invoice 43 as an Order Number 125, what the heck these two numbers should be different (Magic … the Sales Order Reference is now an Order Number in the Sales Invoice)
OK what now??.. there is an X in the Order Number field … there must be way we able to change and fix the issue … Yes, click the X oh wow look what happens! Exactly what is needed, a new Order number field pops up - Great! Perfect… we are back in business.
Wait lets check the SO 125 it was in the invoiced state after creating and updating - Correct? Nooo how the heck did that happen why did it change after creation it was invoiced now uninvoiced ???
When entering the customer PO / Order number in Sales Invoices it must not change / reverse the status of the SO
The Customer PO Order number must not appear as a SO Reference in SOs
We should not have to enter a customer PO / Order Number as a SO reference in SOs in order for SO status to work.
If we enter a customer PO / Order number in SO it must not influence the internal SO reference numbering as the SO numbering is an internal document / business reference number.
i think the issue is because Manager displays the default field for Order number when no order number has been selected against the customer. the default Order number field is useful for users who have not enabled the Sales Orders tab. so @lubos will need to disable the appearance of the default Order number field in Sales Invoices when the selected customer has sales orders irrespective of whether a user decides to show or remove the Order number in line with the customer name.
@compuit your issue stems from the assumption that the Order number displayed in Sales Invoices is the purchase order number whereas it is not. nowhere in the Manager program you have a tab called Received Purchase Orders. you only have Sales Orders which is an internal document where a user can record the purchase orders received with or without a customer specific reference number. remember that purchase orders are not always approved documents from customers, they can also be a simple phone call or text message or email or whatever. so the Sales Order tab enables the business to record all these as orders received. and this is the Order number of the business, not the customer.
if you keep using the Order number field to record the received purchase order reference, then the sales order status is always going to be Uninvoiced because that is the intended correct way it was designed. Manager has no default field to enter the received purchase order but you can always enter it in a dedicated custom field.
It seems to me that the confusion is centred around the notion that a Sales Order is a completely internal document. Sure it is issued to the dispatch department as an authority for them to put together the order and arrange delivery to the customer, but if the customer has a query about the delivery or the invoice it has its place on the Sales Invoice (external document) for the customer to quote when making the query.
I would suggest that a change in terminology should be used for the SO reference when it appears on the Sales Invoice. It should be referred to as “Our reference” because it is not an “order” in the eyes of the customer, it is only an order to the dispatch department.
Once this terminology is changed on the Sales Invoice both the “Our reference” number and the (purchase) Order number can both appear on the Sales Invoice with no need to substitute one for the other.
Also, as in other areas of Manager, these field do not need to appear on the printed Sales Invoice if they do not have a value.
Because it is possible to have both a SO and a PO for the same transaction and it is ludicrous to think that if you have one on the invoice there is no place for the other.
