Purchase Order Management

As a IT Manager
I want to activate Purchase Order Management using the Assisted Setup wizard
So that the app is registered and users can start using the journal without seeing activation warnings

Setup:

1. In Business Central, use the search bar (Tell Me) to search for Assisted Setup and open the page.
2. Find Setup Purchase Order Management in the list and click on it.
3. On the welcome step, optionally enable I am a partner activating this on behalf of a client if you are setting up on behalf of a customer.
4. Enter the Email Address — this field is mandatory to proceed.
5. Click Activate Trial to register and activate the app.
6. Click Finish to complete the wizard.

From this point on, the Purchase Management Journal and all related actions are visible on purchase orders, the planning worksheets, and other supported pages.

Note: If the app has been installed but not yet activated, a notification bar appears on the Role Centre each time a user opens Business Central, offering a shortcut to the Assisted Setup wizard.

As a Business Manager
I want to create at least one worksheet template for the Purchase Management Journal
So that users have a named workspace to work in when they open the journal

Setup:

1. Search for Purchase Order Management Setup and open the page.
2. Choose Worksheets from the action bar to open the worksheet template list.
3. Click New and enter a Name (e.g. PURCHHAND) and a Description (e.g. Purchase Order Handling).
4. Close the page. The template is now available for user assignment.

Note: Most companies need only one worksheet template. Create additional templates if you want separate workspaces for different buying teams or locations.

As a Business Manager
I want to assign each purchasing user to their own journal batch within the worksheet template
So that users always land in their personal workspace when they open the Purchase Management Journal and do not see each other's lines

Setup:

1. Open Purchase Order Management Setup and choose User Journal.
2. For each purchasing user, add a new line:
   • User ID — the BC user account (use the lookup to select from the user list).
   • Worksheet Template Name — select the template created in SETUP-02.
   • Journal Batch Name — enter a batch name. Using the user's login ID as the batch name is a simple convention that avoids confusion.
3. Optionally enable Transfer Journal Name for users who carry out action messages from a planning worksheet — this makes the user inherit the planning worksheet's batch name automatically instead of their default batch.
4. Close the page.

From now on, each user opens the journal and lands directly in their own batch without any manual selection.

As a Business Manager
I want to review and configure the global settings in Purchase Order Management Setup
So that the app behaves according to our company's purchasing policies from the start

Setup:

1. Open Purchase Order Management Setup.

2. Review the following settings and adjust as needed:

   • Date Update Direction — controls how date changes propagate between Expected Receipt Date and Expected Shipment Date when both are present on a purchase line. Choose Use setup from Vendor to respect individual vendor agreements, or set a company-wide rule (Always keep Expected Receipt date / Always keep Expected Shipment date / Ask / Never move).
   • Display Posted Doc Number — when enabled, a message appears after posting a purchase invoice or credit memo showing the posted document number.
   • Allow Early Order Dates On Lines — controls whether purchase lines can have an Order Date earlier than the document header date. Options are Allow, Confirm (user is prompted), or Do Not Allow.
   • Automatic Transfer Shipment Posting — enable this if transfer orders created from purchase receipts should be automatically posted as shipped (only applies to locations that do not require a warehouse shipment document).
   • Include Handling in Planning — when enabled, pending quantity changes and cancellations in the journal are reflected in MRP/planning calculations instead of the original line quantities.
   • Include Quotes in Planning — when enabled, purchase quotes (excluding Second Choice lines) contribute as supply in planning runs.

3. Close the page to save.

As a Business Manager
I want to ensure each purchasing user has a Purchaser Code linked to their BC user account, with a name and email address configured
So that outgoing vendor communications from the journal include the correct purchaser name and reply address

Setup:

1. Search for User Setup and open the page.
2. For each purchasing user, verify that the Salespers./Purch. Code field is filled in. If it is blank, select the appropriate code from the lookup.
3. Search for Salespersons/Purchasers and open the page. Verify that each purchaser code used above has a Name and an E-Mail address set.
4. These values are included in any outgoing vendor communications when Document Handling is installed.

Note: This step only affects the content of outgoing emails. The journal works without it, but communications will lack the purchaser's name and email if it is skipped.

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to define the transport methods a vendor uses, with the transit time for each
So that purchase lines for this vendor automatically carry the correct transport time and Expected Shipment Date

Setup:

1. Open the Vendor Card for the relevant vendor.
2. From the action bar, open Transport Methods.
3. Add one line per shipping method the vendor uses. For each line, enter:
   • Transport Method — select the transport method code (e.g. SEA, AIR, ROAD). This must match a code in the standard BC Transport Methods list.
   • Transport Time — a date formula for the transit duration (e.g. <14D> for 14 days by sea, <2D> for 2 days by air).
   • Inbound Whse. Handling Time — optional date formula for unloading time at the receiving warehouse (e.g. <1D>).
   • Location Code — optional. Fill in if the transit time varies by destination location. Leave blank for a default that applies to all locations.
4. Repeat for all relevant vendors.

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to set a default transport method and date agreement type on each vendor card
So that new purchase orders from this vendor are automatically populated with the correct transport method and date anchoring rule

Setup:

1. Open the Vendor Card.
2. In the Transport Method field (added by the app), select the vendor's most commonly used transport method. This pre-fills the field on new purchase order headers and lines.
3. In the Agreement Date field, select:
   • Expected Receipt Date — if this vendor commits to when goods arrive at your warehouse.
   • Expected Shipment Date — if this vendor commits to when goods leave their facility.
4. This per-vendor setting overrides the global Date Update Direction in Purchase Order Management Setup when that setting is configured to Use setup from Vendor.

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to configure the vendor-specific manufacturing or preparation lead time on items, SKUs, or the Item Vendor Catalogue
So that the combined lead time calculation on purchase lines (vendor lead time + transport time) accurately reflects when to place an order based on when the goods are needed

Setup:

The app looks up vendor lead time in the following priority order, using the first match it finds:

1. Stockkeeping Unit Card — open the SKU for the item/location/variant combination. Set Vendor Lead Time, Vendor Transport Method, and Transport Time if this location-specific combination has specific values.
2. Item Card — open the Item Card. In the purchasing fields added by the app, set Vendor Lead Time and Vendor Transport Method for the item's primary vendor.
3. Item Vendor Catalogue — open the Item Card, go to Purchases → Vendors, and set Vendor Lead Time and Vendor Transport Method on the relevant vendor line.

Set the lead time as a date formula, for example <10D> for 10 days. The app automatically combines the vendor lead time and transport time into a single Lead Time Calculation on the purchase line.

Note: When you set or change the Vendor No. on an item card, the app automatically copies the vendor's default transport method and standard lead time to the item.

As a IT Manager
I want to verify that a transfer route is configured between the receipt location and each purchase order destination location
So that the app can create transfer orders automatically when a purchase receipt is posted

Setup:

1. Search for Transfer Routes and open the page.
2. Verify that a route exists from the receipt location (where goods physically arrive) to each destination location (the location on the purchase order).
3. For each route, ensure the In-Transit Code field is filled in — this is required for transfer order creation.
4. If a route is missing, add it and set the in-transit code before proceeding.

Note: The receipt location itself must not have Bin Mandatory enabled on the Location Card. Validate this before configuring receipt locations on vendor cards.

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to configure a default receipt location on each relevant vendor card
So that all purchase orders from this vendor automatically route incoming goods to the correct receiving warehouse, with a transfer order created automatically on posting

Setup:

1. Open the Vendor Card for a vendor whose goods arrive at an alternative location.
2. In the Receipt Location Code field (added by the app), select the location where goods from this vendor physically arrive (e.g. RECEIVING or DOCK).
3. Repeat for all relevant vendors.

From now on, when a purchase order is created for this vendor, the Receipt Location Code is pre-filled on the order header and all item lines. When the receipt is posted, a transfer order is automatically created from the receipt location to the purchase order's destination location.

As a Business Manager
I want to define how many reminders should be sent to vendors and how many working days should pass between each one
So that overdue purchase orders are followed up consistently without manual effort

Setup:

1. Open Purchase Order Management Setup and choose Detailed App Setup. In the feature list, find Automatic Reminders Sending and enable it. This feature is disabled by default and must be turned on before the Automatic Reminder Sending Setup page becomes visible in the setup.
2. Return to Purchase Order Management Setup and choose Automatic Reminder Sending Setup.
3. Add a line for each reminder in the sequence. For each line, set:
   • Vendor No. — leave blank for a default rule applying to all vendors, or enter a specific vendor number to create an override for that vendor.
   • Reminder No. — the sequence number (1 for the first reminder, 2 for the second, etc.).
   • Action — set to Send to dispatch the reminder, or Skip to suppress it.
   • Date Formula — the number of working days after the previous request or reminder was sent before this reminder fires (e.g. <5D> for 5 working days).

Example configuration:

This sends a first reminder 5 working days after the original request, a second 5 working days after the first, and a third 3 working days after the second.

As a IT Manager
I want to set up and activate a Job Queue entry that runs the automatic reminder process daily
So that reminders are sent to vendors each morning without requiring any manual action

Setup:

1. Open Purchase Order Management Setup and choose Automatic Reminder Sending Setup.
2. Choose Insert Job Queue from the action bar. Confirm the prompt to create the entry.
3. The Job Queue entry card opens. Review the settings:
   • Recurrence: default is every 1440 minutes (once per day). Adjust if needed.
   • Run on Saturdays / Run on Sundays: disabled by default. Enable if your operation runs over the weekend.
4. Set the Status to Ready to activate the entry.
5. Close the page.

The Job Queue now runs daily and automatically sends reminders for all handling lines where the configured date formula threshold has passed.

Note: If a Job Queue entry already exists, the button is labelled Edit Job Queue instead and opens the existing entry directly.

As a IT Manager
I want to create a Business Central user account for each vendor contact who will use the Supplier Purchase Management Journal
So that they can log in and access only their own handling lines

Setup:

1. In the Microsoft 365 Admin Centre (or via BC User Management), create a BC user account for the vendor contact. A Device licence or External Accountant licence is typically used — verify with your licensing terms.
2. Assign the Purchase Order Management permission set provided by the app to restrict access to only what is needed.
3. Note the User Name (the BC login name) — you will need it in the next step.

Note: Review and restrict the vendor user's permission set so they cannot access internal BC data beyond the Supplier Purchase Management Journal.

As a Business Manager
I want to map the vendor contact's BC user account to their vendor number in the Supplier Key table
So that when they open the Supplier Purchase Management Journal, they see only their own handling lines

Setup:

1. Open Purchase Order Management Setup and choose Supplier Key.
2. Add a new line for each vendor contact:
   • User Name — the BC login name of the vendor contact (from SETUP-13).
   • Vendor Number — the vendor's BC number. Use the lookup to select.
   • Vendor Name — filled automatically.
   • Internal User — leave disabled. Enabling this gives the user access to all handling lines regardless of vendor, and is intended for internal purchasing staff only.
3. Close the page.

The vendor contact can now log into Business Central and open Supplier Purchase Management Journal from the search bar. They will see only their own handling lines, where they can enter confirmed dates, quantities, and prices. Their confirmations are immediately visible in your internal Purchase Management Journal.