Entering a Sales Order

Entering a sales order is the same as entering a sales invoice. When sales information is entered and saved - but not processed - it is recorded as a sales order. When the sales order is processed, it becomes a sales invoice.

Perform the following steps to enter a new sales order:

  1. Go to Sales > Invoices And S.O.s and the following window will be displayed:

  2. Type the customer ID in the Customer ID field or select from the customer lookup list by clicking on the lookup button to the right of the Customer ID field. This field may default to the optional Default Sales Customer setting (found in Sales > Options > Invoices and SOs tab as shown below) or a selected customer within an open customer lookup list. You must use a miscellaneous customer if you wish to manually enter the name and address into the invoice. Review the Miscellaneous Customer Overview section for details.

    Select Edit > Change Customer from the sales order menu to change the Customer ID.

  3. Tab through Invoice field to auto-generate the sales order number. The sales order number will be used as the invoice number when the sales order is processed into an invoice.

  4. The Ship To field identifies the shipping name and address of the sales order if it is being shipped to the customer site. This address is used to determine the sales tax rate if the order is being shipped to the customer. Review the Sales Tax Overview section for more details on how the shipping address is used to calculate sales tax. Blank the Ship To ID and press tab on your keyboard to manually edit the Ship To name and address, instead of creating a customer ID. The Ship To tab (beside the Bill to tab) will automatically show, allowing the user to change the shipping address. Ignore the Ship To field if the product has been picked up (FOB) or service was rendered in-house. The Ship To field defaults to the ID specified in the Sales > Customers > Terms tab > Ship To ID and does not need to be blanked if the Ship Via field equals the customer Standard Shipping Method setting. Note that the shipping address will not be printed on the invoice unless the Ship Via field is changed. Review the Creating Shipping Methods for more details on the Ship Via entry.

  5. The Date field automatically defaults to today's date. Each time a sales order is opened or viewed, this field updates to the current date. When the sales order is processed into an invoice, the Date represents the date the invoice was processed and all of the general ledger transactions are posted using this date.  The Entry Date defaults to the current date when a sales order is created. This date is used to identify the sales order entry date and is not used when creating general ledger transactions or when posting to history records.  Select View > Advanced Options > Options tab to change the Entry Date.

  6. A Shipping tab may appear in the upper right corner of the sales order. This tab contains various shipping options and shipping details. Review the Freight and Shipping Charges > Calculating Freight Charges on a Sales Invoice section.

  7. A Serial No tab may appear to attach an equipment serial number or a vehicle VIN number.   Review [Inventory] Serialized Item > Attaching a Vehicle to sales Invoice for more details on attaching equipment or vehicles to a sales order.  

  8. Select the Payment terms for the sale order. The sales order can be defaulted to Charge if the customer has terms by enabling the Default to Charge option within the customer's Terms tab. Review the Invoices > Payment Methods and Terms section for more details on Payment options including down payments and split tender.

  9. The Sales Person field should reflect the sales person who created the sales order. This entry can be used to process commissions. Review the Sales Person Commissions documentation for more details. To default this field to the user name used in the EBMS Login process, switch the Default sales person to User Name tab ON in Sales > Options > Invoice/S.O. tab - User Preferences.

  10. Enter the customer PO# (Purchase Order) for this sales order. Keep field blank if no purchase order is used.

  11. The Ship Date should reflect the date that the customer is picking up the ordered items or the date the items are to be shipped. This field can be very useful when printing the sales order reports.

  12. The Ship via is used to specify the method of shipment. The Ship Via default is set in the Standard Shipping Method field specified on the Sales > Customer > Terms tab. Review the Creating Shipping Methods section for more details on the Ship Via entry.

  13. The Price Level field defaults to the price level specified for the customer entered in the Sales > Customers > General tab > Price Level field. This setting is used to copy the appropriate inventory pricing to the sales order. Review the Recalculating Pricing section for details on changing a price level or setting multiple price levels within a sales order.

  14. Enter the sales order detail using as many lines as needed.

    1. Enter the quantity the customer Ordered. The Ordered quantity is recorded in the Count tab of the inventory item if an inventory item is entered. This quantity can be restricted for specific inventory items by enabling the Require Integer Quantities option within the Count tab. Review the Tracking Counts > Integer or Fractional Quantities section of the inventory documentation for more details.

    2. The Shipped field should be blank if the customer ordered the product, but it was not taken from inventory. Enter a value in the Shipped field if the customer received the product. Enter a negative Shipped amount if items are being returned.  The Customer returns dialog can be used to assist in selecting and pricing returns. Review the Product Catalog > Product Returns, Trade-ins, and Sales History section within the inventory documentation.

    3. Enter the inventory ID into Product column. The Description, Cost and G/L code will automatically be filled in from the information entered in Inventory > Product Catalog.   Alternative codes such as a lot number, serial number, UPC codes, and manufacturer Part No can be entered into this column.  Products that are not included in the product catalog can be accessed from the vendor catalog.  Review [Inventory] Multi-Vendor Catalogs > Creating Inventory Items from a Vendor Catalog for instructions to conveniently insert an item into the catalog and the invoice.

    4. The Unit of Measure field is an optional field that identifies the unit of measure being used for this inventory item. Review the Unit of Measure section of the inventory documentation for more details. If you never use multiple units of measure for any inventory items, this field can be removed from the invoice by right-clicking on any of the column titles and checking the Measure field off. To show the unit of measure column again, toggle the field back on.

    5. The Unit Weight and the Weight columns are useful to calculate the total weight of the sales order for shipping calculations or shipping forms. Review the Freight and Shipping Charges > Calculating Total Weight for more details on these columns.

    6. If the item doesn't have an inventory code, leave the Inventory field blank and manually type a Description of the item being sold.

    7. Enter the Price of the item. Note that when you enter an inventory item, a price is copied from the inventory record based on the price level. This Price amount is used to calculate the extended amount and the sales order total. The S.O. total = Ordered amount * Cost. The Price Level can be set per sales order line. Review the Recalculating Pricing section for instructions on setting the Price Level per line.

    8. The Amount field will automatically be calculated from the Quantity Shipped entry and the Price.

    9. The Tax Group identifies which tax rates or taxes are used to calculate the sales tax within this invoice. The basic Tax Group options are Taxable and Non-Taxable. Review the Sales Tax > Inventory Tax Groups section for more details on creating advanced tax groups.

    10. If the Taxed column is checked, sales tax will be calculated using the Tax Group setting. The Taxed switch is a convenient override switch for the current detail line. This column, which may be hidden, is an optional setting to conveniently enable or disable tax calculation.   

    11. Enter the correct revenue G/L Code. This field automatically defaults to the general ledger code that has been set for the specified inventory code (Inventory > Advanced tab). This code can be changed manually for this specific invoice.

    12. The Purchase Method, Vendor, and Vendor Part Number are used to process special orders and drop shipments. Review the Purchasing > Special Orders and Drop Shipment Overview section within the inventory documentation for more details on these columns.

    13. The ETA Date value is copied from the purchase order and cannot be changed from the sales order column. Review the Purchasing > Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) Date section within the inventory documentation for details on changing or calculating the ETA Date.

    14. The Unit Cost and Cost amounts reflects the following values based on the type of inventory item, purchase method, and option settings:

      1. Products classified as No Count or Service:   The Unit Cost on the sales order will default to the Last Cost located on the Pricing tab of the inventory item

      2. Products that are linked to a purchase order through special order purchasing methods:  The Unit Cost equals either vendor Cost located in the Purchasing tab of the inventory item or the Cost in the Pricing tab depending on the options.    Review the [Inventory] Purchasing > Special Orders and Drop Shipment Overview for details on special orders.   

      3. Products classified as Track Count or other perpetual inventory:  The cost will default to the FIFO inventory cost.   Review the Tracking Counts > Tracking Inventory Counts Overview section within the inventory documentation. Right click on the invoice detail line and select Inventory Links from the context menu to view inventory links.

    15. The Markup / Margin and Percent Markup / Percent Margin columns reflect the gross profit of this line. Notice the Percent Markup / Margin and Total Markup / Margin at the bottom of the sales order screen for a total of these profit values.

    16. Many optional sales order columns are hidden. It is recommended that you show the desired columns and adjust the widths of these columns to meet your specific needs. Review the Standard Features > Column Appearance section of the main documentation for more details.
      It is recommended that you adjust the widths of the invoice detail columns to your specifications. Review the Standard Features > Column Appearance section of the main documentation for more details. Repeat the steps listed above for each invoice detail line.

  15. The sales Tax is automatically calculated based on the total taxable (all detail lines that have the Taxable column checked) and the Tax Table setting. The Tax Table will show above the tax amount unless there are multiple tax tables or no tax tables. View or edit the sales tax rates and settings by selecting View > Sales Taxes from the main invoice menu. Review the Sales Tax > Changing the Tax Rates within an Invoice or Proposal section for instructions on changing or editing tax rates manually.   

  16. Enter any Freight charges that need to be added to the sales order. This charge is automatically calculated if the Ship Via entry does not equal the No Delivery (FOB) setting within the Sales > Customer > Terms tab. The Freight charge will be calculated only if the total of the sales order is below the Minimum Free Freight amount entered in Sales > Customers > Terms tab. Review the Freight and Shipping Charges > Freight and Shipping Calculations section for more shipping options.
    To view the Freight charge amount, go to the View > Advanced Options > Freight Charge field, which is copied from the Sales > Customers > Terms tab when a sales order is created. If the freight charge is changed on the sales order, the Freight Charge amount will be zeroed in Advanced Options so the Freight amount will no longer be calculated automatically.

  17. Enter a Discount amount for the sales order. A discount will automatically be calculated if the sales order discount Terms are valid. Note that if you manually enter a discount amount in the Discount field, the discount Terms will be erased.

  18. The Overdue amount is automatically updated when customer finance charges are updated on overdue invoices. This field should be zero for all sales orders.

To print a sales order, select File > Print from the sales order menu and select the appropriate document.

To process a sales order, go to Process > Process from the sales order menu. Review the Processing a Sales Invoice section for details about creating an invoice from a sales order.

To save a sales order without creating an invoice, go to File > Save from the sales order menu.

To create another sales order, select File > New from the sales order menu and the system will prompt you to save the sales order.

To exit the sales order window, select File > Close from the sales order menu.