1 Executive summary
Distributors and retailers routinely create “special orders”—drop‑ship or non‑stock purchases raised exclusively to fulfil a specific sales order. In standard Business Central this workflow still relies on several manual steps (requisition worksheet, reservations, cross‑references, serial‑number re‑keying, reports) that are time‑consuming and error‑prone. We propose a built‑in Special Order Automation feature that:
- connects purchase and sales documents with one click,
- enforces correct cost flow and posting sequence,
- keeps dates and document navigation in sync,
- carries serial numbers straight through, and
- provides an at‑a‑glance reconciliation report.
1 Executive summary
Distributors and retailers routinely create “special orders”—drop‑ship or non‑stock purchases raised exclusively to fulfil a specific sales order. In standard Business Central this workflow still relies on several manual steps (requisition worksheet, reservations, cross‑references, serial‑number re‑keying, reports) that are time‑consuming and error‑prone. We propose a built‑in Special Order Automation feature that:
- connects purchase and sales documents with one click,
- enforces correct cost flow and posting sequence,
- keeps dates and document navigation in sync,
- carries serial numbers straight through, and
- provides an at‑a‑glance reconciliation report.
1 Executive summary
Distributors and retailers routinely create “special orders”—drop‑ship or non‑stock purchases raised exclusively to fulfil a specific sales order. In standard Business Central this workflow still relies on several manual steps (requisition worksheet, reservations, cross‑references, serial‑number re‑keying, reports) that are time‑consuming and error‑prone. We propose a built‑in Special Order Automation feature that:
- connects purchase and sales documents with one click,
- enforces correct cost flow and posting sequence,
- keeps dates and document navigation in sync,
- carries serial numbers straight through, and
- provides an at‑a‑glance reconciliation report.
2 Detailed proposal
Capability
Current gap
Proposed enhancement
1. Capability: “Create Linked PO” action
Current gap: Users run the requisition worksheet or manually copy document lines.
Proposed enhancement:A new ribbon action on Sales Order: Create Linked Purchase Order. It (a) launches the requisition worksheet in background, (b) creates one PO per vendor, (c) sets Special Order flag, (d) writes cross‑references.
2. Capability: Automatic 1‑to‑1 reservations
Current gap: Users must reserve per line, risking mismatched cost layers.
Proposed enhancement: System auto‑creates hard reservations line‑by‑line between the new PO and the originating SO, guaranteeing accurate cost flow (FIFO/Average).
3. Capability: Header cross‑reference fields & links
Current gap: Operators copy numbers into comments; no navigation.
Proposed enhancement: -Sales Order Header: Purchase Order No., Vendor Order No. (hyper‑links).-Purchase Order Header: Sales Order No., Customer Name (hyper‑links).All fields exposed on page & report layouts for printing/emailing.
4. Capability: Persistent link through posting
Current gap: Link lost after posting; navigation tedious.
Proposed enhancement: The relationship is stored in a new Document Link table that survives: PO → Posted Receipt → Posted Purchase Invoice and SO → Posted Shipment → Posted Sales Invoice. Each posted document card gets an Open Counter‑Document action.
5. Capability: Controlled posting sequence
Current gap: Users can invoice sales before vendor cost is known.
Proposed enhancement: When a link exists: Sales Shipment blocked until PO Receipt posted. Sales Invoice blocked until Posted Purchase Invoice exists.System alert explains the dependency.
6. Capability: Date synchronisation
Current gap: Delivery promises go out of sync, changing of dates can lead to lost reservations.
Proposed enhancement: OnValidate of Planned Receipt/Shipment/Promised Receipt on PO updates corresponding dates on SO (+ location’s warehouse calendar lead time). Switch configurable per company.
7. Capability: Safe deletion cascade
Current gap: Deleting one document leaves orphaned counterpart.
Proposed enhancement: If linked PO exists, cancelling sequence enforced: Delete/Cancel PO first, then SO. Wizard explains impact and removes reservations automatically.
8. Capability: Serial‑number trace‑through
Current gap: Serial numbers must be re‑entered on the SO.
Proposed enhancement: When receiving a linked PO, entered serial numbers automatically populate the matching SO lines (same “1 serial per piece” cardinality). They flow to shipment and posted sales invoice without re‑keying.
9. Capability: Reconciliation report (“Special Order Health Check”)
Current gap: No native report to show linkage status.
Proposed enhancement: New report lists all open and posted linked documents with:• SO/PO numbers, lines, item, quantity, status (On Order / Received‑Not‑Shipped / Shipped‑Not‑Invoiced / Closed)• Serial numbers• Aging bucket Supports drill‑down and Excel export.
3 Business value
Data accuracy
Eliminates mismatched quantities, wrong costs, and orphaned documents.
Efficiency
Saves CSRs 5–8 clicks per special order; purchasing sees vendor order numbers automatically on sales docs.
Customer satisfaction
Promised ship dates stay aligned with vendor schedule; fewer credit/rebill scenarios.
Audit & finance
Transparent, drillable link right through to posted invoices supports audit trails and margin analysis.
Lower TCO
Removes one of the most common partner customisations; reduces upgrade friction.
4 User stories
- CSR clicks Create Linked Purchase Order on SO 100012. A PO to Vendor X is generated, lines reserved, and PO No. appears on the sales header.
- Buyer changes the Planned Receipt Date on the PO; the SO Requested Delivery Date updates automatically, giving the CSR real‑time promise accuracy.
- Warehouse receives the PO, enters serial numbers; the SO lines now show the same serial numbers ready for shipment.
- Finance clerk posts the purchase invoice; only then can the CSR post the sales invoice, ensuring correct COGS.
- Controller runs the Special Order Health Check report and sees two orders stuck in “Received‑Not‑Shipped” status, prompting follow‑up.