About Populating the PO Batch

This section is used to specify the information about the PO batch that will be generated during initialization (i.e. batch month, PO header description, starting PO number, whether PO's will be flagged for receiving, and who ordered the materials).

The PO Header Desc field is used to specify what description will default for each purchase order header generated during initialization. The default description is 'PO created from RQ', which easily identifies the source of the purchase orders once the batch is accessed in PO. However, you can override the description or leave it blank as desired. The description can also be overridden by purchase order in PO Purchase Order Entry.

The Starting PO # field is used to specify the number with which to begin numbering the purchase orders generated by initialization. The initial default will depend on the Automatically Generate PO #'s checkbox in PO Company Parameters. If checked, the default will be based on the Last Used PO # in the company file (i.e. the last used number plus one). If you are not using the 'auto-generate' feature, the default will be the next highest sequential number in the system (ignoring all alpha and alphanumeric numbers). Defaults can be overridden.

If you want to attach a prefix to the PO number, enter a prefix in the PO # Prefix field. The prefix entered here combines with the Starting PO# and displays to the right. The maximum length of this value is 10 characters. If the value is greater than 10, the system shortens the PO number as you continue to type the prefix. This value must be a unique number, if not, the system increments the PO number by one until it finds a unique number.

Note: If you are using the 'auto-generate' feature (in PO), the last purchase order number generated during initialization will update the Last Used PO # field in the company file. If you change the default starting number, but want do not want the current numbering scheme affected, you will need to manually change the Last Used PO # back to it's previous value once the PO batch is generated.

Example:

Last Used PO #:

10101

Starting PO #:

10102

Changed to:

81000

Generated PO's:

81000, 81001, 81002

Last Used PO #:

81002

Change back to:

10102

The Receiving checkbox indicates where the purchase order items generated during initialization will be received. If you want them to be received in PO (PO Receipts Entry), you will need to check this box. If you typically receive PO's in AP, leave the box unchecked.

Once you have successfully initialized a PO batch, a message displays indicating the PO company, batch month, and batch ID. You can then access the batch in PO Purchase Order Entry and edit the purchase orders/items as necessary.