Steps
to Complete Batch Options for Purchase OrdersNote: In order for the Purchase Orders option to be available in Web Link, a user must be defined with rights to enter purchase orders (within the User Security option in the School Accounting System).
Select the Data Entry menu and then Purchase Orders.
If you previously created a purchase order batch and it has not been posted (from within the School Accounting System), the Purchase Order Batch Search screen will appear listing those batches (batches created by other users will not be visible). To continue adding purchase orders to an existing batch, select the desired batch by double-clicking on the batch description or clicking on the batch once and then clicking the Select button. Otherwise, to enter a new batch, click the Add New button and then complete the batch options. If a batch does not exist, the batch options screen will appear immediately in order to create a new batch.
Steps
to Complete Batch Options for Purchase Orders
The Purchase Orders screen will appear for the selected purchase order batch.
Complete the Header Information of the purchase order.
Enter the number for the purchase order in the PO Number field. The purchase order number can be alphanumeric and up to 15 characters long. Leave this field blank to have the system automatically assign the next available purchase order number once the purchase order is saved. If the purchase order was created from converted requisitions (using the Select Requisitions option) and the Purchase Order Number Same as Requisition Number field is selected in the Accounts Payable System File in the School Accounting System, the number of the requisition selected as the Primary one (if applicable) will appear but can be changed; if the particular purchase order number is already in use, the PO Number field will be blank and can be manually entered or assigned by the system.
Note: If having the system assign the purchase order number, the system will assign the number as follows: 1) first, if the Batch Beginning PO Number field is completed in the batch options, the first purchase order in the batch will be that specified number and then the other purchase orders will increment from there; 2) if the purchase order is tied to a ship to address with a defined purchase order prefix, the number will be incremented from the most recently used purchase order number with that prefix; 3) otherwise, if a purchase order prefix was defined in the Accounts Payable System File, the number will be incremented from the most recently used purchase order number with that prefix; or 4) else the number will be incremented from the most recently used purchase order number. Keep in mind, if the Purchase Order Number Same as Requisition Number field is selected in the Accounts Payable System File, a purchase order number cannot be used if it matches a requisition number that already exists.
In the Vendor ID field, enter the ID of the vendor from whom the goods or services will be ordered or purchased. If the ID is not known, click the Search button to select the correct one. If the purchase order was created from converted requisitions (using the Select Requisitions option), the Vendor ID can be updated at this time, if needed (for example, if the Default Requisition Vendor ID for the approval tree was utilized and a different vendor needs to be specified).
Tip: If the user entering the purchase order is tied to one or more vendor groups (in the User Security option in the School Accounting System), the vendor entered here must be included in one of the designated vendor groups.
Note: If a user is defined to have rights to edit vendors, the Add New button and Edit button will appear on the search screen in order to add a new vendor to the Vendor File or edit an existing vendor (for example, edit a vendor's address).
Enter the total amount of the purchase order in the PO Amount field. The amount can be up to 14 digits long and will be rounded to 2 decimal places by the system if capable. If desired, leave this field blank until all the detail lines have been entered; then click the Calculate button to have the system automatically add up all the detail line items and display the total in this field.
Note: If the Automatically Calculate Totals on Data Entry field in the Accounts Payable System File is selected, the system will automatically add up all the detail line items and display the total in this field.
Enter the date of the purchase order in the PO Date field. Use the mm/dd/yyyy format or click the Calendar Search button to select the desired date. The current computer date of the web server will appear as the default, but can be changed to a date that is within the month prior to the current computer date to any future date within a fiscal year that has already been started within the School Accounting System.
Enter the date the goods or services are expected to be received in the Expected Date field. Use the mm/dd/yyyy format or click the Calendar Search button to select the desired date. The current computer date of the web server will appear as the default, but can be changed to a date that is within the month prior to the current computer date to any future date within the same fiscal year as the processing month of the batch.
Enter a summary description for what is included on the purchase order in the PO Description field. The description can be alphanumeric and up to 40 characters long.
Note: To use the description from the Vendor File for the specified vendor, enter a V in this field.
If desired, enter the ID of the ship to address to use for the purchase order in the Ship To Address ID field. If the ID is not known, click the Search button to select the correct one. If applicable, the ID of the ship to address specified in the Ship To Address ID field in the batch options will appear as the default but can be changed. Leave this field blank if ship to addresses are not used.
Tip: If the user entering the purchase order is tied to one or more ship to addresses (in the User Security option in the School Accounting System), one of the designated ship to addresses must be entered here; if only one ship to address is assigned to the user, the designated ship to address will appear by default and cannot be changed.
If applicable, enter the ID of the employee who should receive the merchandise included on the purchase order in the Employee ID field. If the user is defined with rights to allow employee selection, click the Search button to search for and select the appropriate employee. If the user is not defined with rights to allow employee selection, the employee ID tied to the user will appear as the default (or will be blank if there is not an employee ID tied to the user) and cannot be changed.
If the purchase order was created from a converted requisition (using the Select Requisitions option) and the requisition contained comments, the Requisition Comments List will appear in the upper right-hand side of the screen with the comments entered for the requisition. The comments cannot be edited.
Complete the Detail Information of the purchase order.
Note: If one or more default chart of account numbers had been entered for the specified vendor (in the Vendor File), the designated account number(s) will appear in the detail section, with each account number as its own detail line item. If applicable, complete the information for the line items, or click the Delete link located to the right of a line item to delete the line.
Tip: By default, ten detail lines will appear in the Detail Information section (unless the vendor is defined with more than ten default chart of account numbers); if needed, click the Add Rows button located at the top of the Detail Information List to add ten more lines. Any blank lines will automatically be removed (deleted) when the purchase order is saved.
Select the Print field to print the line item on the purchase order. A checkmark will appear in the box if the field is selected. When entering a new detail line item, this field is selected by default.
Tip: Do not select this field if the line item is only entered to expense the cost of an item to one of several account numbers and does not need to be printed on the purchase order.
Select the Post field to post the line item to the specified account number. A checkmark will appear in the box if the field is selected. When entering a new detail line item, this field is selected by default.
Tip: Do not select this field if the line item is only entered to order an item that will be split between several account numbers.
If the Post field is selected, enter the account number to be expensed for the line item in the Account Number field. Typically, the account number entered here is an expense account. If the account number is not known, click the Search button to select the correct one.
Tip: If the user entering the purchase order is assigned to one or more account groups with the AP & WL Data Entry usage (in the User Security option in the School Accounting System), the account number entered here must be included in one of the designated account groups. Once the account number is specified, the name of the account will display on the bottom of the screen. If the Display Budget Balances field is selected in the Web Link Setup Options in the School Accounting System, the budget balance (including the total of unposted invoices and unposted purchase orders (including the current purchase order) for the particular account number, if applicable) will also appear at the bottom of the screen. If the Display Fund Balance field is selected in the Web Link Setup Options in the School Accounting System and the account number is in a fund defined as an activity fund, the appropriate fund balance will also display.
Enter a description for the line item in the Detail Description field. The description can be alphanumeric and up to 1,000 characters long.
Note: To use the description from the Vendor File for the specified vendor, enter a V in this field. To use the purchase order description entered in the Header Information, enter an H in this field. To use the description for the account number from the Chart of Accounts File, enter a C in this field.
Enter the item number in the Item Number field, if desired. The number can be alphanumeric and up to 30 characters long.
If desired, enter the ID of the cost center to track for this line item in the Cost Center ID field. If the ID is not known, click the Search button to select the correct one.
Enter the quantity of the item to order in the Quantity field, if applicable. The quantity can be up to 14 digits long and will be rounded to 4 decimal places by the system if capable.
Enter the cost of one unit of the item in the Unit Price field, if desired. The amount can be up to 14 digits long and will be rounded to 4 decimal places by the system if capable.
If desired, enter the unit of the item to order, such as EA for Each or DOZ for Dozen, in the Unit Description field. The unit can be alphanumeric and up to 10 characters long.
If the Quantity and Unit Price fields were completed, the system automatically calculates the total cost of the line item and displays it in the Amount field (can be changed, if needed); otherwise, enter the amount to be distributed to the specified account number for this line item in the Amount field. The amount can be up to 14 digits long and will be rounded to 2 decimal places by the system if capable.
Note: If the line item goes over budget for the account number and the Warn if Purchase Order Over Budget field is selected in the Accounts Payable System File, a message will appear stating the entry has a negative budget balance; click OK.
If desired, complete the Split % (Percent) field in order to do one of the following:
1) To split an amount proportionately among multiple line items already entered, such as for shipping, enter the percent sign (%) in the Split % (Percent) field, leave the Account Number field blank, complete the remaining fields with the appropriate description and amount, and then save the line item. Once the purchase order is saved, the system will expense the amount (shipping) proportionately to the expense accounts specified for the line items entered without the percent sign (%) and list a second line for each expense account with the proportionate amount.
2) To expense a certain percentage of the total amount of the purchase order (as entered in the PO Amount field) to the line item, enter the percentage of the total amount to use for the line item in the Split % (Percent) field and the system will then calculate the amount for the line item and display it in the Amount field after saving the line item. For example, if 15% of the purchase order total should be expensed to this line item, enter 15 in this field.
3) To calculate a percentage of a particular amount to expense to the line item, enter the percentage followed by the percent sign (%) and then the particular amount; for example, enter 20%299.75 to have the system calculate 20% of $299.75 for the line item and display it in the Amount field after saving the line item.
Note: The information entered into the Split % (Percent) field is not saved with the line item after saving the purchase order.
If desired, enter the website address for the item in the URL field. The URL can be up to 2,000 characters long.
Note: If your computer is connected to the Internet, click the Go To button located to the right of this field to launch the Internet browser and display the specified website.
Repeat Step 5 until all the detail line items have been entered for the purchase order.
Note: The Distributed amount for the purchase order must equal the PO Amount specified in the Header Information. These totals along with the batch total are displayed at the bottom of the screen.
If the PO Amount field was left blank (and the Automatically Calculate Totals on Data Entry field in the Accounts Payable System File is not selected), click the Calculate button for the PO Amount field at this time to have the system automatically add up the total of all the detail line items and display the total amount.
Click the Save button.
A message will appear stating the purchase order was saved; click OK.
10. If desired, click the Print Purchase Order button to print the purchase order form for the current purchase order number displayed. The Print Purchase Order button only appears if the Default Purchase Order Format field is completed in the Accounts Payable System File within the School Accounting System.
Note: In order to print the report, a purchase order must be displayed on the screen and have the Purchase Order Number field completed. Also, a PDF viewer, such as Adobe® Reader, must be installed on your computer prior to running the report; if you do not have a PDF viewer, download Adobe® Reader free of charge by going to http://get.adobe.com/reader/ and following the instructions.
11. To enter another purchase order, click the Add New button, click OK when prompted to continue, and then repeat Steps 4-10.
Tip: If desired, the Save and Clear button could have been utilized in Step 8 (instead of the Save button) to save the purchase order and add another one, and then this step could have been skipped.
12. Once all the purchase orders have been entered, print a listing (if the user has rights to do so) and then inform the Business Office to post the purchase order batch. If desired, the purchase orders can also be emailed by completing the Email Purchase Orders option within the School Accounting System.
Tip: Print the Purchase Order Listing-Detail or Purchase Order Listing-Summary to view a listing of all purchase orders in the selected batch. Print the Standard Purchase Order Form report (or other custom purchase order format setup defined for your school district) to print the actual purchase order forms.