In this guide, we are going to cover the basics of purchase order entry and the manual way to enter a PO in Prophet 21.
Entering Purchase Order Details
When you manually enter a Purchase Order, start by entering the Vendor ID. Even if it is the same as the Supplier ID, you need to enter the Vendor ID first. If it is the same, it will auto-populate the Supplier and the Division ID.
If it is a vendor that has multiple suppliers, you will also have to enter their Supplier IDs. The Buyer ID is the buyer assigned for the user and defaults from user maintenance.
External References and Options
You can put an external PO number if there is another reference number that you want to be able to use with the purchase order. Typically, if it is a direct ship that you have done through order entry, the customer’s PO number gets carried over into the external PO number.
If you know a PO will need an exception, you can set it to Exclude from Lead Time. You can also set up an Auto Voucher Exception. If there is a particular contact you want in there, you can enter it. You can also set different dates on this main tab.
Finally, once you save the PO, you can print, fax, email, or EDI to your supplier/vendor.
Supplier and PO Notes
In the tabs at the top of the window, you can add specific instructions or notes about the vendor, their terms, special instructions (like a particular carrier), or PO Notes for internal reference.
The PO entry page also allows for additional functionalities like linking PO lines to backorders. You can also add Document Links and commitment schedules as well.
Entering Purchase Details
When you finish entering the fundamental supplier details, go to the bottom portion of the Purchase Order screen and input Item IDs. The system’s vendor supplier pricing setup will determine how the item will get pulled into the window and what details are transferred (like purchasing units of measure).
Managing Specific Line Items
Now I told you at the start that you can exclude the whole PO from lead time. But if there are only a couple of items that you are concerned about, you can check those individual lines on there as well.
Handling an Invalid Item/Location
If you try to add an item that is not associated with a particular supplier ID, Prophet 21 will automatically prompt an error message. So even if you have this item set up at a different location, if you don’t have it set up in item maintenance, it will give you a warning.
The big problem here is if you ignore the warning, it will just let you order anything from the supplier/vendor in the system. However, since it doesn’t have any pricing to carry over, it is just going to bring over a zero unit price.
So keep in mind if your users are seeing that pop-up, it most likely means somebody needs to fix the settings in item maintenance. You need to make sure that you are paying attention to that unit pricing and may need to send a note to your items team to get that handled so you don’t have a problem in the future.
Finalizing your Manual Purchase Order
Once you have entered all the information you need in your Purchase Order, you can save it as a PDF, print it, or email it directly from the system based on your preferences.
Manual Purchase Order Entry in Prophet 21 offers many features for detailed PO work. If you have any questions about purchase orders or related topics in P21, drop your questions in the comments section below.
