User Guide: Understanding and Managing Purchase Order Details

This guide explains how to use the Purchase Order (PO) Detail page to view, manage, and track your purchase orders effectively.

1. Viewing Purchase Order Information

When you open a PO Detail page, you'll see the following key information at the top:

PO Number: The unique identifier for the purchase order.

Supplier: The name of the supplier. This is often a link to the supplier's details page.

Order Date: The date the PO was created.

Expected Delivery Date: The date you expect the supplier to deliver the goods. This is displayed in a readable format (e.g., "June 7th, 2025").

Store Location: The specific store or location a PO is for. It might show "All Locations" if not specific.

Total Amount: The total calculated value of the PO.

Notes / Special Instructions: Any additional notes or instructions related to this PO.

Current Status: The current stage of the PO in its lifecycle (e.g., Draft, Sent, Confirmed). This is highlighted with a colored chip for easy identification.

2. Key Actions and Statuses

Several action buttons are available at the top right of the page, depending on the PO's current status and your permissions.

Action Buttons Overview:

Confirm: Marks the PO as confirmed by the supplier.

Send PO: Opens a dialog to email the PO to the supplier.

Print: Generates a PDF of the PO for printing or saving.

Receive Items / Receive More Items: Opens a dialog to record received quantities against the PO.

Edit / Save / Cancel: Buttons to manage the editing mode of the PO.

Change Status: Allows manual changes to the PO status (see below).

Understanding PO Statuses and Flow:

The status of a PO dictates what actions can be performed. Here's a general flow:

Draft:

The initial state when a PO is created but not yet finalized or sent.

Editable: Yes (header details and items).

Possible Next Actions/Statuses: Send to Supplier (becomes 'Sent'), Confirm PO (becomes 'Confirmed'), Change Status (to Sent, Confirmed, or Canceled).

Sent:

The PO has been sent to the supplier but not yet officially confirmed by them.

Editable: Yes (header details and items, as supplier might request changes).

Possible Next Actions/Statuses: Confirm PO (becomes 'Confirmed'), Change Status (back to Draft, to Confirmed, or Canceled).

Confirmed:

The supplier has acknowledged and agreed to the PO.

Editable: No (direct editing of header/items is generally locked).

Possible Next Actions/Statuses: Receive Items, Change Status (e.g., back to Draft if no items are received and changes are needed, or to Canceled). Status automatically changes to 'Partially Received' or 'Received' upon item receipt.

Partially Received:

Some, but not all, items on the PO have been received.

Editable: No.

Possible Next Actions/Statuses: Receive More Items, Change Status (to Received if all remaining items are accounted for, or to Canceled). Status automatically changes to 'Received' if all items become fully received.

Received:

All items on the PO have been fully received, or the PO is considered complete in terms of receipts.

Editable: No.

Possible Next Actions/Statuses: Generally a final state for active processing, though 'Canceled' might still be an option in some configurations.

Canceled:

The PO has been canceled.

Editable: No.

Possible Next Actions/Statuses: Generally a final state.

PO Status and Incoming Inventory

When a Purchase Order's status is 'Sent', 'Confirmed', or 'Partially Received' (i.e., any status other than 'Draft' or 'Canceled'), the remaining quantity of each item (Ordered Quantity minus Received Quantity) is typically considered as incoming inventory. This helps in forecasting and managing stock levels. Once items are fully received and accounted for, they transition from incoming to on-hand inventory.

"Change Status" Button:

This button appears if there are valid manual status transitions available from the PO's current status.

Clicking it opens a dialog where you can select a new status from a list. This list is dynamic and only shows statuses that are logical next steps (e.g., you can't change a 'Received' PO back to 'Draft' through this simple change).

3. Editing a Purchase Order

You can modify certain details of a PO if it's in an appropriate status.

When Can You Edit?

Typically, a PO is editable when its status is 'Draft' or 'Sent'. Once 'Confirmed' or in a receiving state, direct edits are usually locked to maintain order integrity.

How to Enter Edit Mode:

Click the "Edit" button (usually a pencil icon).

The "Edit" button will be replaced by a "Save" button (to confirm changes) and a "Cancel" button (to discard changes).

Fields that can be edited will become active.

Editable Fields (Header Section):

Expected Delivery Date:

The field displays the date in a readable format (e.g., "June 7th, 2025").

Clicking on this field (while in edit mode) will open a date picker calendar.

Select a new date from the calendar. The chosen date will then be displayed in the text field in the readable format.

Store Location: You can select a different store location from a dropdown list.

Notes / Special Instructions: You can add or modify text in this multi-line field.

Editable Fields (Items Table):

When in edit mode, the items table also becomes editable:

Product Name: Can be modified in its text field.

Supplier SKU: Can be modified in its text field.

Ordered Quantity: Can be changed. This is a numeric field and usually must be at least 1.

Unit Price: Can be changed. This is a numeric field.

Total Price (per item): This field is usually read-only and automatically recalculates if you change the Ordered Quantity or Unit Price.

Actions (per item): A delete icon (e.g., a trash can) will typically appear for each item, allowing you to remove it from the PO.

Overall Total Amount: The "Total Amount" for the entire PO (displayed in the header and at the bottom of the items table) will automatically recalculate based on any changes to item quantities, prices, or removed items.

Saving Changes:

After making your desired modifications, click the "Save" button.

The system will persist your changes to the PO.

The page will exit edit mode.

Canceling Edits:

If you want to discard any changes you've made while in edit mode, click the "Cancel" button.

The PO will revert to its state before you entered edit mode.

The page will exit edit mode.

4. Sending the Purchase Order to Supplier

Click the "Send PO" button (often an email icon).

A dialog box will appear, allowing you to:

Enter or edit the Email Subject.

Add or remove Recipient(s) email addresses (ensure they are valid).

Write a Custom Message to the supplier in the email body.

Choose an Attachment Format for the PO (typically PDF or CSV).

Click "Send" in the dialog.

If the PO was in 'Draft' status, it will typically transition to 'Sent' status after being emailed.

5. Printing a Purchase Order

Click the "Print" button (often a printer icon).

This action will generate a PDF document of the purchase order.

Your browser will then usually prompt you to download or open the PDF, which you can then print.

6. Receiving Items

This function is used to record the items you've received from the supplier against this PO.

When Can You Receive Items?

Typically, when the PO status is 'Confirmed' or 'Partially Received'.

How to Receive Items:

Click the "Receive Items" button (or "Receive More Items" if some items have already been received).

A dialog box will appear, listing the items on the PO.

You can typically enter:

Delivery Note Number: The supplier's delivery note or reference number (optional).

Receiving Notes: Any notes specific to this batch of received goods (optional).

Receive Qty (for each item): Enter the quantity you have physically received for each item. You cannot enter a quantity greater than the remaining (ordered minus previously received) quantity for an item.

After entering the quantities, click the "Confirm Receipt" (or similar) button in the dialog.

What Happens After Confirming Receipt:

The "Received Qty" for each item on the main PO detail page is updated.

The PO's status may change:

If some items are received but others are still pending, it might change to 'Partially Received'.

If all items are now fully received, it might change to 'Received'.

The inventory quantity for the received items is updated in Shopify (or your integrated inventory system).

An entry detailing this receipt (date, quantities, notes) is added to the "Receive History" section.

7. Viewing Receive History

The "Receive History" section (usually below the items table) provides a log of all item receipt events for this PO.

It typically shows:

Date of receipt.

Delivery Note Number (if entered).

Total number of distinct items in that receipt batch.

Total quantity of units received in that batch.

Notes associated with that receipt.

Often, there's an option (e.g., an "eye" icon) to view more detailed information about each specific receipt event.

When viewing the details of a specific receipt, you may find a "Track" link or button for items that are managed in Shopify. Clicking this link will take you directly to the item's inventory history page in Shopify, allowing for detailed traceability.

This guide should help you navigate and manage your purchase orders effectively. If you have further questions, please refer to specific feature documentation or contact support.

Updated on: 08/05/2025