Tips for Purchase Order Entry/Maintenance

To learn about tips for using the Purchase Order Entry/Maintenance option in Vision Back Office, review the following frequently asked questions and their corresponding answers.

FAQs about Purchase Order Entry/Maintenance

How do I change the vendor on my PO for either the entire order or for a single line item?

If you need to change the vendor on your PO for either the entire order or a single line, you have two options.

Completely cancel those PO line items that are affected and create a new PO with the correct vendor.

— or —

Transfer the affected line items to another vendor.

To transfer the affected line items to another vendor, decrease the quantity in the Orig Qty field on the PO Line Item screen. If you want to transfer all of the line item to a different vendor, enter the number 0 in this field. If you want to transfer only part of the line item to a different vendor, enter the quantity that should not be transferred in this field.

If you decrease the amount in this field, the system displays the following prompt:

DO YOU WANT TO TRANSFER THIS ITEM TO ANOTHER VENDOR? (Y/N)

Enter Y at this prompt. Then the system either creates a new PO after End-of-Day processing is run or links the transfer to a preexisting pending PO that contains the product. The system will not link the transfer with an active PO. If you return to this PO in a future editing session, the transfer to the second vendor is indicated on the line item on this screen. For more information, refer to Part 3 of Purchase Order Entry/Maintenance: PO Line Item screen.

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Is it possible for me to process a vendor return by creating a negative PO?

Yes. If you would like to enter a PO for a vendor return (a negative PO), enter V for Vendor in the Cust # field on the PO Header screen. With this option, the vendor's address is used as the PO shipping address.

For more information, refer to Part 2 of Purchase Order Entry/Maintenance: PO Header screen.

Note: If a negative PO is created from a core or warranty warehouse transfer, then you cannot add line items to the PO. In addition, you cannot change line item quantities on the PO.

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What do I do if I want to remove a product from a PO?

The PO Line Item screen is where you can cancel an individual line item. At the command line prompt on this screen, enter the line number that lists the product you would like to remove from the PO. The system displays the following prompt:

Do you want to DELETE this line (Y/SEE/C/<RTN>)?

Enter Y*** if you would like to remove the line item from the PO. The system creates a message line that says "Cancelled Line" in place of this line item.

For more information, refer to Part 2 of Receive by Shipment: PO Line Item screen.

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How do I cancel an entire PO?

To cancel an entire PO, enter CANCEL at the command line on the PO Total screen. For more information, refer to Part 5 of Purchase Order Entry/Maintenance: PO Total screen.

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Why can't I print a PO?

You cannot print a PO until it is activated. To activate the PO, you need to enter Y in the Active PO field on the PO Total screen. For more information, refer to Part 6 of Purchase Order Entry/Maintenance: PO Total screen.

Once you have activated the PO and entered 0 to accept it, your PO is activated and ready to be processed. You can then print the PO using the Print option on the Purchasing menu and submit the PO to your vendor by EDI, fax, or phone. When you print the PO, you may choose to send it to your spooler hold file, send it directly to the printer, or fax it to your vendor. In addition, you must answer several prompts to print the PO. You may choose to sort your POs by vendor or by PO number. Remember to add the company number to the beginning of the PO number so that the system finds the correct PO.

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Why can't I change the quantities in the Orig Qty or Open Qty fields on the PO Line Item screen?

If the PO is direct ship, you cannot change the quantities in the Orig Qty or Open Qty fields on the PO Line Item screen. To change the amount of a direct ship PO, you must first change the amount of the customer order through order maintenance on the Customer Service tab. Your purchasing system then automatically updates the Open Qty field on the PO Line Item screen to reflect the new total ordered. The Orig Qty field remains the same to maintain the audit trail. In addition, the PO is included on the PO Change Report.

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Can a line item for a stock product have backorders linked to it?

Yes. Linking customer backorders to a PO ensures that the customer backorders are filled immediately upon receipt of the products on the PO. Also, this link gives you an opportunity to manipulate the backorders linked to a PO line item. This is accomplished through the Customer Order Commitment screen. For more information, refer to Part 5 (optional) of Purchase Order Entry/Maintenance: Customer Order Commitment screen.

Note that when a backorder for a stock product is created during order entry on the Customer Service tab, the system places the product on a replenishment transfer order or a pending PO to satisfy the customer order. If the product is placed on a pending PO, the system automatically links the stock backorder to the open PO as soon as the PO is generated. You will know what backorders exist from the Replenishment Action Report. For more information, refer to Replenishment Action Report.

For information on how the system determines whether a product should be placed on a replenishment transfer order or a pending PO, refer to Overview of inventory replenishment.

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Q:	How do I change the vendor on my PO for either the entire order or for a single line item?
A:	If you need to change the vendor on your PO for either the entire order or a single line, you have two options. Completely cancel those PO line items that are affected and create a new PO with the correct vendor. — or — Transfer the affected line items to another vendor. To transfer the affected line items to another vendor, decrease the quantity in the Orig Qty field on the PO Line Item screen. If you want to transfer all of the line item to a different vendor, enter the number 0 in this field. If you want to transfer only part of the line item to a different vendor, enter the quantity that should not be transferred in this field. If you decrease the amount in this field, the system displays the following prompt: DO YOU WANT TO TRANSFER THIS ITEM TO ANOTHER VENDOR? (Y/N) Enter Y at this prompt. Then the system either creates a new PO after End-of-Day processing is run or links the transfer to a preexisting pending PO that contains the product. The system will not link the transfer with an active PO. If you return to this PO in a future editing session, the transfer to the second vendor is indicated on the line item on this screen. For more information, refer to Part 3 of Purchase Order Entry/Maintenance: PO Line Item screen. top
Q:	Is it possible for me to process a vendor return by creating a negative PO?
A:	Yes. If you would like to enter a PO for a vendor return (a negative PO), enter V for Vendor in the Cust # field on the PO Header screen. With this option, the vendor's address is used as the PO shipping address. For more information, refer to Part 2 of Purchase Order Entry/Maintenance: PO Header screen. Note: If a negative PO is created from a core or warranty warehouse transfer, then you cannot add line items to the PO. In addition, you cannot change line item quantities on the PO. top
Q:	What do I do if I want to remove a product from a PO?
A:	The PO Line Item screen is where you can cancel an individual line item. At the command line prompt on this screen, enter the line number that lists the product you would like to remove from the PO. The system displays the following prompt: Do you want to DELETE this line (Y/SEE/C/<RTN>)? Enter Y*** if you would like to remove the line item from the PO. The system creates a message line that says "Cancelled Line" in place of this line item. For more information, refer to Part 2 of Receive by Shipment: PO Line Item screen. top
Q:	How do I cancel an entire PO?
A:	To cancel an entire PO, enter CANCEL at the command line on the PO Total screen. For more information, refer to Part 5 of Purchase Order Entry/Maintenance: PO Total screen. top
Q:	Why can't I print a PO?
A:	You cannot print a PO until it is activated. To activate the PO, you need to enter Y in the Active PO field on the PO Total screen. For more information, refer to Part 6 of Purchase Order Entry/Maintenance: PO Total screen. Once you have activated the PO and entered 0 to accept it, your PO is activated and ready to be processed. You can then print the PO using the Print option on the Purchasing menu and submit the PO to your vendor by EDI, fax, or phone. When you print the PO, you may choose to send it to your spooler hold file, send it directly to the printer, or fax it to your vendor. In addition, you must answer several prompts to print the PO. You may choose to sort your POs by vendor or by PO number. Remember to add the company number to the beginning of the PO number so that the system finds the correct PO. top
Q:	Why can't I change the quantities in the Orig Qty or Open Qty fields on the PO Line Item screen?
A:	If the PO is direct ship, you cannot change the quantities in the Orig Qty or Open Qty fields on the PO Line Item screen. To change the amount of a direct ship PO, you must first change the amount of the customer order through order maintenance on the Customer Service tab. Your purchasing system then automatically updates the Open Qty field on the PO Line Item screen to reflect the new total ordered. The Orig Qty field remains the same to maintain the audit trail. In addition, the PO is included on the PO Change Report. top
Q:	Can a line item for a stock product have backorders linked to it?
A:	Yes. Linking customer backorders to a PO ensures that the customer backorders are filled immediately upon receipt of the products on the PO. Also, this link gives you an opportunity to manipulate the backorders linked to a PO line item. This is accomplished through the Customer Order Commitment screen. For more information, refer to Part 5 (optional) of Purchase Order Entry/Maintenance: Customer Order Commitment screen. Note that when a backorder for a stock product is created during order entry on the Customer Service tab, the system places the product on a replenishment transfer order or a pending PO to satisfy the customer order. If the product is placed on a pending PO, the system automatically links the stock backorder to the open PO as soon as the PO is generated. You will know what backorders exist from the Replenishment Action Report. For more information, refer to Replenishment Action Report. For information on how the system determines whether a product should be placed on a replenishment transfer order or a pending PO, refer to Overview of inventory replenishment. top