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Using the PO Generator Feature in GP

July 21, 2014 by Staff
Copeland Buhl

In previous articles featured on Copeland Buhl & Company PLLP’s website, we have discussed Microsoft Dynamics GP, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software that allows companies to integrate their financial reporting and accounting software with all their other systems. One feature of Microsoft Dynamics GP is the Purchase Order (PO) Generator, a tool that can suggest, modify, and generate purchase orders for users. This article is a brief tutorial on how the PO Generator works.

In order to begin using the PO Generator feature in GP, you will first need to set your desired stock quantities. This involves setting an Order Point Quantity to determine when a PO is suggested, as well as an Order-Up-To Level to determine what quantity to order. This can be done for each Site ID and rolled down to the Items or for each Item/Site combination individually. If your inventory isn’t uniform enough to be able to set reorder quantities at the same level for all items stored at each Site, then it is better to set the Order Point Quantity on the Item rather than the Site.

Setting up order quantities enables POs to be generated for the Item/Site combination selected. This setup is done by going to Cards > Inventory > Item Resource Planning. The Order Point Quantity is the quantity at which you would like a PO to be suggested. The Order-Up-To Level is the quantity you wish to have in stock. For example, if your Order Point Quantity is 50 and Order-Up-To-Level is 100, then a PO will be suggested when there are 50 or less parts on hand, and enough parts will be ordered to make sure there are 100 on hand after the materials are received.

To view and generate suggested POs go to Transactions > Purchasing > Purchase Order Generator

From this window, you can select different restrictions to limit the purchase orders suggested to you by the system. Checking the box for Include Demand from Subordinate Sites should only be used if you are using master sites. If so, this option should be marked to include demand from subordinate sites in the calculation to determine order quantity. The Include Orders with No Vendor ID box should be checked if you want to generate suggested purchase orders for which a vendor could not be identified.  When you’re ready to generate, click the Suggest Purchase Orders button.  Once the suggestions are generated, you are given the chance to modify any of the POs, as well as choose which ones you want to have generated and which ones you wish to discard. After you’re finished, you simply press the Generate button and the selected POs will be created.

The PO Generator is a very useful feature that can automate the most tedious part of the Purchase Order process, as well as provide a method of notifying the user that inventory for certain items is becoming low. Contact a Copeland Buhl & Company PLLP consultant today to begin taking advantage of the benefits the PO Generator feature has to offer. They can assist in setup, training, and integrating data to ensure an efficient implementation.

Need help with Microsoft Dynamics GP? Reach out to our team of technology consultants at Beyond IT Advisors for our expertise on implementing and full utilization of Microsoft Dynamnics GP.

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