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Working with Purchase Links

Purchase Links show how customer demand is connected to outside purchasing. The same relationship can be viewed from two directions:

From an order line: How will this customer demand be covered?
From a PO line: Which customer orders is this purchase covering? The links are informational. They help you plan and follow purchasing, but they do not reserve inventory when material is received.

From a Customer Order​

On a Sales Order or Master Order shipment, open Purchase Links from the item's Vendor field. The top of the drawer shows the current coverage for that order line. Ordered is the quantity the customer currently requires. On PO is the quantity already linked to regular Purchase Orders. On MPO is the quantity linked to Master Purchase Orders. Planned is the quantity assigned to a vendor but not yet placed on a PO or MPO. Unplanned is the quantity that still needs a purchasing decision. Not Yet on PO is the quantity that has not yet reached a regular Purchase Order. The coverage bar shows the same relationship visually. One customer order line can be covered by more than one source. For example, part of the line can be on one PO, another part on a different PO or MPO, and the remainder can still be Planned or Unplanned.

Assigning an Order Line to a PO or MPO​

Choose Open POs when you already know which Purchase Order or Master Purchase Order will supply the customer. The list shows the applicable purchasing documents for the item, including the vendor, status, expected date, purchase unit, ordered quantity, open quantity, received quantity, quantity already being used by other orders, and remaining unassigned quantity. Enter the customer's quantity in Assigned to Line. For example, if the customer requires 10 flats and you assign 7 flats to PO-1126, the order line will show 7 On PO and 3 still needing another purchasing decision. The remaining quantity can be assigned to another PO or MPO, planned with a vendor, or left Unplanned.

When the PO Does Not Have Enough Available​

If the item is already on an open PO but there is not enough unassigned quantity to cover the customer, eGrow can offer to increase the PO line by the difference. For example, if the customer needs 10 flats but the PO only has enough unassigned quantity for 8, eGrow can ask whether you want to add the additional quantity to the PO and assign all 10 flats to the order line. This is available from the order side because you are working from the customer requirement and saying, in effect:

I need more of this PO to cover this customer. If the item is not already on the PO, add it to the PO first. If the PO line already has received quantity, it cannot be raised from Purchase Links. Received quantity has already become stock, so it does not provide additional purchasing capacity for new links.

Planning with a Vendor​

Use the Vendors view when you know which vendor you intend to use but are not ready to place the material on a PO. Enter a Plan Qty and, if needed, adjust the Plan Cost. The quantity moves from Unplanned to Planned. A Vendor Plan means:

We know where we intend to buy this quantity, but we have not placed the purchase yet. This allows the purchasing decision to happen before the final PO or load is known. If items are added to a Sales Order or Master Order through Add from Vendor Items, the quantity is automatically planned with that vendor because the vendor decision has already been made.

One Vendor or Multiple Vendors​

If the order header has a specific vendor assigned, the order is restricted to that vendor. Purchase Links will only offer purchasing options that match that vendor. If the order is Brokered, the order is not locked to one vendor. Different lines, or different portions of the same line, can be supplied by different vendors. When one vendor is supplying the line, the Vendor column shows that vendor. When several vendors are involved, it shows Multiple. This gives you a quick indication of the purchasing relationship without opening the drawer.

From a Purchase Order

Purchase Links can also be opened from a PO or Master PO line. From this side, the question changes from:

Where am I getting this? to: Who is this purchase for? The top of the drawer shows the purchasing-side relationship. Ordered is the quantity on the PO or MPO. Received is the quantity already received. Linked to Orders is the quantity associated with customer orders. Unassigned on Order is the remaining open quantity that is not currently tied to customer demand. For example: Ordered: 60 Linked to Orders: 42 Unassigned: 18 This means 42 units are currently intended for customer orders and 18 units remain available. That remaining quantity can later be linked to another customer order or can remain as stock purchased intentionally.

Linked Orders​

The Linked Orders view shows the customer orders already associated with this PO line. This gives you a quick picture of why the material is being purchased and which customers depend on it.

All Open Orders for This Item​

Use All Open Orders for This Item when you want to see other customer demand that could use the available PO quantity. The list shows the order, customer, ship date, ordered quantity, quantity covered elsewhere, and remaining unplanned quantity. Enter the quantity in Linked to This PO to associate part of the purchase with that customer order. The quantity is entered in the customer order line's unit.

Increasing a PO from the PO Side​

The PO-side drawer does not automatically increase the PO. If the PO does not have enough available quantity, increase the PO line on the Purchase Order itself first. The distinction is intentional:

From the order side, eGrow can offer to raise the PO because you are trying to cover customer demand.
From the PO side, you are already working on the purchase, so the PO quantity should be adjusted directly there.

Units of Measure

The order and the PO may use different units. For example, an item may be sold in flats of 6 but purchased in each. When working in Purchase Links, the linked quantity is entered in the order line's unit. If you enter 2 flats (6/flat), eGrow understands that the relationship represents 12 each. The surrounding PO quantities such as Ordered, Open, Received and Unassigned remain displayed in the PO's purchase unit. The exception is Add from Order on the PO screen. Because you are adding material directly to the Purchase Order, quantities there are entered in the PO unit.

When the Relationship Changes

Purchase Links are designed to remain connected as orders and purchases change. When quantity moves between Master Order shipments, is released to a Sales Order, split, returned or back-ordered, the related purchasing links can move with that demand. When customer demand is reduced, Vendor Plans can be reduced automatically because they are still purchasing intentions. Actual PO and MPO links are not silently reduced. If the purchasing quantity now exceeds the customer requirement, the order becomes Over-linked so the buyer can review it. A simple way to remember this is:

Plans can adjust with demand. Firm purchases require a purchasing decision.

The Relationship in One View

From the order side:

How will this demand be covered? From the PO side: Which demand is this supply covering? That is the purpose of Purchase Links. They keep the customer order and the purchasing documents separate, while making the relationship between them visible.