Transport Methods & Date Calculation

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to define the transport methods available for a vendor, with the transit time for each
So that purchase order lines using this vendor automatically reflect the correct transport time when calculating the Expected Shipment Date

Setup:

1. Open the Vendor Card for the vendor.
2. From the action bar, open Transport Methods.
3. Add a new line. Enter a Transport Method code (matching a BC Transport Method), a Transport Time date formula (e.g. <14D>), and optionally an Inbound Whse. Handling Time (e.g. <1D>).
4. If the transit time varies by destination location, add separate lines with different Location Code values for the same transport method.
5. On the Vendor Card, set the default Transport Method field to the code you most commonly use for this vendor.

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to configure whether the Expected Receipt Date or the Expected Shipment Date is the anchor for a specific vendor
So that when dates change on a purchase line, the system automatically adjusts the other date according to this vendor's contract terms

Setup:

1. Open the Vendor Card for the vendor.
2. Set the Agreement Date field to either Expected Receipt Date (the vendor commits to when goods arrive at your warehouse) or Expected Shipment Date (the vendor commits to when goods leave their facility).
3. Open Purchase Order Management Setup and set Date Update Direction to Use setup from Vendor to ensure this per-vendor setting is respected.
4. When purchase lines for this vendor have their dates changed, the system uses this setting to determine which date to recalculate.

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to configure a vendor-specific lead time and transport method directly on the item card
So that purchase lines for this item automatically use the correct effective lead time when no SKU-level override exists

Setup:

1. Open the Item Card for the item.
2. In the fields added by Purchase Order Management, enter a Vendor Lead Time (date formula, e.g. <10D>) and select a Vendor Transport Method.
3. Optionally enter a Transport Time if it differs from the transport method default.
4. When a purchase line is created for this item with its primary vendor, the app combines the vendor lead time and transport time into the effective lead time on the line.

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to override the item-level vendor lead time with a location-specific lead time defined on the Stockkeeping Unit
So that purchase lines for a specific item-location combination use the correct lead time for that warehouse

Setup:

1. Open the Stockkeeping Unit Card for the item and location combination.
2. Set Vendor Lead Time, Transport Time, and Vendor Transport Method in the fields added by the app.
3. When a purchase line is created for this item and location, the SKU-level settings take precedence over the item card settings.

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to define a vendor-specific lead time and transport method in the Item Vendor Catalogue
So that purchase lines automatically pick up the correct lead time for a specific item-vendor combination, independent of which location is used

Setup:

1. Open the Item Card and go to Purchases → Vendors to open the Item Vendor Catalogue for this item.
2. On the relevant vendor line, enter the Vendor Lead Time and Vendor Transport Method in the fields added by the app.
3. When a purchase line is created for this item from this vendor and no SKU-level override applies, the item vendor catalogue values are used.

Note: The lookup order the app uses is: SKU (if vendor matches) → Item card (if vendor matches) → Item Vendor Catalogue (variant-specific) → Item Vendor Catalogue (any variant). The first match wins.

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to see and adjust the transport method and transport time directly on the purchase order line
So that I can account for situations where a shipment uses a different transport method than the default

Setup:

1. Open a Purchase Order and go to the order lines.
2. The Vendor Transport Method and Transport Time fields are visible on each item line (added by the app).
3. To change the transport method for a specific line, select a different value in the Vendor Transport Method field. The Transport Time and Lead Time Calculation are updated automatically.
4. The Expected Shipment Date is recalculated based on the new transport time.

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to change the Expected Receipt Date on a purchase line and have the Expected Shipment Date recalculated automatically
So that both dates remain consistent with the agreed transport time

Setup:

1. Open a Purchase Order with an item line that has a Vendor Transport Method set.
2. Change the Expected Receipt Date (or Planned Receipt Date) on the line.
3. Depending on the Date Update Direction configured for this vendor (or globally), the system either:
   • Automatically recalculates the Expected Shipment Date by subtracting the transport time and inbound handling time.
   • Prompts you to choose whether to keep the receipt date fixed or the shipment date fixed.
4. Confirm the update. Both dates are now consistent.

As a Business Manager
I want to define a company-wide rule for how date changes flow between Expected Receipt Date and Expected Shipment Date
So that all purchasers follow the same convention without needing to configure each vendor individually

Setup:

1. Open Purchase Order Management Setup.
2. Set Date Update Direction to one of the global options:
   • Always keep Expected Receipt date — when a date changes, the Expected Receipt Date is preserved and the Expected Shipment Date is recalculated.
   • Always keep Expected Shipment date — when a date changes, the Expected Shipment Date is preserved and the Expected Receipt Date is recalculated.
   • Ask when dates are changed — the user is prompted each time to choose which date to keep.
   • Never move dates — date changes do not propagate automatically.
3. To let individual vendors override this rule, set Date Update Direction to Use setup from Vendor and configure Agreement Date per vendor on the Vendor Card.

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to configure the Graphical Inventory Profile to use the Expected Shipment Date from Purchase Order Management instead of the standard Expected Receipt Date
So that the inventory chart reflects the more accurate, transport-time-adjusted supply dates

Setup:

1. Open the Graphical Inventory Profile Template (requires the Graphical Inventory Profile app, BC565).
2. On the Demands and Supplies fast tab, enable Use Purchase Order Handling.
3. Run the Graphical Inventory Profile. For purchase order lines that have an Expected Shipment Date set via Purchase Order Management, the profile uses that date as the supply position in the chart rather than the standard Expected Receipt Date.

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to change the transport method on the purchase order header and have the system offer to update all existing lines accordingly
So that when a vendor ships via a different method than expected, all dates on the order are recalculated consistently in one action

Setup:

1. Open a Purchase Order.
2. On the header, change the Vendor Transport Method field to the new transport method.
3. The system prompts: "You have modified Vendor Transport Method. Do you want to update the lines?" Confirm to propagate the change to all item lines.
4. Each line's transport time, lead time calculation, and expected shipment date are recalculated using the new transport method.
5. The inbound warehouse handling time on the header is also updated from the new transport method's setup for the relevant location.

Note: The purchase order must be in Open status for this change to be made.

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to understand how the system combines vendor lead time and transport time into the effective lead time on a purchase line
So that I can correctly interpret the Lead Time Calculation field and know what drives the Expected Receipt Date

Setup:

The effective Lead Time Calculation on a purchase line is the sum of the Vendor Lead Time and the Transport Time in effect for that line. The system computes this as: Lead Time Calculation = Vendor Lead Time + Transport Time.

For example, if the vendor lead time is <10D> and the transport time is <14D>, the resulting lead time calculation is <10D+14D> (= 24 days). This combined value is used by Business Central's standard date calculation to determine the Expected Receipt Date from the Order Date.

The vendor lead time comes from (in priority order): the Stockkeeping Unit (if vendor matches), the Item Card (if vendor matches), the Item Vendor Catalogue (variant-specific), or the Item Vendor Catalogue (any variant). The transport time comes from the transport method setup for the vendor and location.

Whenever you change the Vendor Lead Time, Transport Time, or Vendor Transport Method on the item, SKU, item vendor catalogue entry, or purchase line, the system automatically recalculates the Lead Time Calculation field.

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to have the inbound warehouse handling time automatically applied to a purchase order when I select the vendor
So that orders from this vendor always include the correct unloading time in their date calculations without manual entry

Setup:

1. Ensure the vendor's transport method is configured with an Inbound Whse. Handling Time (e.g. <1D>), either for a specific location or as a general default (Location Code blank).
2. When you select the Buy-from Vendor No. on a new purchase order, the system automatically applies the vendor's default transport method to the header and sets the Inbound Whse. Handling Time on the header from the transport method setup.
3. The same applies when the Location Code is changed on the header — the system looks up the transport method for the new location and updates the inbound handling time accordingly.