iDocuments Purchasing User Guide - V6 Beta

First published on: 12/09/2024/2:56 pm

 

Introduction

Overview

iDocuments Purchasing is an easy-to-use, accessible solution for raising purchase orders.

 

You'll have an individual account you must log into with a username and password.

 

Logging in

iDocuments is accessible via a standard internet browser. 

 

For the V6 Beta, this would be using the following URLs (adding the '2' to the current production URL):

 

 

Enter your email as the username and the password credentials provided, then click Sign in.

 

If MFA is enabled, then the authentication code would also be required

 

Home Screen

Menu

There's an expandable menu on the left to change company and/or navigate through pages: 

  • Company — Top right dropdown list for choosing companies 
  • Recent — Recent pages the user has visited in the system 
  • Favourites — User-defined favourite pages in the system 
  • License information — License summary and other configuration options
    • Available only to system administrators

Dashboard

Each user has a customised, company-dependent dashboard with these fields: 

  • Advanced search — A powerful search to find documents from unique identifiers
  • Task summary — Graphical summary of all outstanding tasks plus integration failures
  • Split of tasks by document type — All outstanding tasks awaiting action with clickable links to select as shortcuts
  • Key performance indicator — KPI summaries
  • System alerts — User-specific or general system alerts will appear in the top right.
  • Open transactions — Defaults to current user transactions
    • Multiple document types in one list
    • User-definable selections and filters

 

 

 

Purchasing Process

Create a new purchase order

 

Video: How to Create a New Purchase Order

This video demonstrates the steps outlined in this section.

 

 

 

Go to the 'Purchasing Menu' from any page and select 'Add Purchase Order'.

 

Or, on the purchase order screen, use the header options.

 

 

Follow the instructions to enter the purchase order header information.

 

 

  • Type — Normally defaulted but can be altered from 'Service' or 'Item'
  • Group — Normally defaulted but can be selected if your user has access to multiple groups
  • Supplier — The supplier list is automatically populated from the ERP system, so entering a partial name will show those suppliers
  • Description — Free text field to describe the purchase

  • Document date/tax date — Normally defaulted but can be updated

  • Currency — Normally defaulted based on the supplier selected

  • Exchange Rate — Normally defaulted based on the currency

 

After header details are completed, the save option will create the document as a draft.

 

You can then complete the remaining details and line information.

 

 

  • Delivery date — Will be defaulted
  • Delivery to — A drop-down selection to where the goods and services are to be received
  • Delivery instructions — To give the supplier more information

 

 

Purchase order lines

Populate the purchase order line(s) by selecting the 'Add' option.

 

 

Choose from the list of GL or item account codes:

  • GL account/item code — Choose from the list of GL or item account codes you wish to purchase (populated automatically from the ERP)
  • Description — Normally defaulted but can be overwritten with a description for the line of purchase
  • Delivery date — The date on which the goods or service will be received
  • Qty and unit price — plus any tax code required - this will then calculate the line totals

 

As the document progresses, the status and totals will be updated.

 

 

You can use the 'Use Popup Window' option to use a 'per line' option. This is enforced for documents with 10 or more lines to prevent having to validate all lines on every refresh.

 

Add an attachment, if required, by selecting the attachment tab, choosing 'file', and selecting 'attach'. (An attachment description isn't mandatory.)

 

 

 

Submit the purchase order.

 

Once the order is complete:

  • Save — Saves changes (the purchase order remains a draft)
  • Submit — The next approver will be informed there's a new purchase order awaiting approval
  • Back to list — Close without saving 

 

The workflow tab shows you the steps the workflow will follow.

 

Viewing Purchase Orders

Go to the 'Purchasing' menu and select 'View Purchase Orders'.

 

 

You can filter the list in multiple ways; the best is by the document age options to reduce the list, or by the status tags to view post-approval updates, such as if they've been receipted.

 

 

The filter option lets you further filter the data with the advanced search function by selecting ‘Find’.

 

 

Filters are shown to indicate the number of fields selected.

 

 

The search selections and filters are remembered, so when returning to the purchase order screen, they're already applied; updated results will be shown.

 

Purchase Order Options

You can select each purchase order and use the right-click menu to:

 

Open — Same as double-clicking the document to view the details

 

Copy — Copy an existing purchase order, which will be saved as a draft for editing/submission

 

Copy to receipt — Select and copy the approved PO to GRN

 

Print — View a purchase order as a PDF

 

Email — Issue the purchase order directly to the supplier. (You can enter up to 5 email addresses.) Once issued to the supplier, the status will change to 'Issued'. An audit log in the purchase order history will show when and to whom it was issued. 

 

Approve — Approve the selected purchase orders from the list screen rather than opening each PO to see the details [optional]

 

Reject — Reject back to the originator for further action. Include comments to explain the rejection.

 

Cancel — Cancel a purchase order that has been issued to the supplier when the goods or services are no longer required

Close — Close a remaining balance that is no longer to be received 

 

Delete — Only draft documents can be deleted
 

Re-open — Re-open a document for GRN that has been closed for GRN. (Note: This doesn't re-open a closed document in SAP.)

 

Issue Purchase Order to Supplier

You can email fully approved purchase orders to suppliers by choosing the purchase orders and selecting the email option (from the top of the page or in the right-click options). 

 

Email addresses can be populated from business partner contact details, or you can enter a specific email address.

 

 

Once a purchase order is emailed to the supplier, its status becomes 'Email Issued', and its document history is updated to show when the purchase order was sent, who sent it, and who received it.

 

Purchase order approval

iDocuments will automatically email the approver to inform them there's a purchase order to review.

 

The approver can approve it via the mobile application (see separate user guide) or from the website.

 

 

By selecting 'Approve Purchase Orders' from 'Pending Tasks', the approver will see a list of documents requiring approval.

 

 

The approver can either approve or reject the purchase order. A rejected purchase order will automatically return to the person who created it, with an explanation for the rejection.

 

Purchase order amendments

After approval, the purchase orders can still be updated if the receipt process hasn't occurred or no lines have been closed for receipting.

 

For orders that haven't been goods received or have been partially goods received, the user can edit the Line fields, which an administrator configures in the 'Editable Fields' option. 

 

Edited documents can be resubmitted for approval by altering the required details and then using the Smart Edit button to save those changes.

 

The document's status becomes Submitted and is routed for approval.

 

See the separate functionality guide for purchase order updates: iDocuments Purchase Order Updates (vision33.com).

 

Goods Receipts

 

Video: How to Create a GRN

This video demonstrates the steps outlined in this section.

 

 

 

To pay a supplier’s invoice, users must confirm in iDocuments Purchasing that an order was received or partly received.

 

Orders are filtered from the 'Purchase Order List Approved', which will display the GRN status, GRN value, and outstanding value.

 

 

Select an order with an outstanding GRN value.

 

Copy it to the 'Goods Receipts' using the Copy to Receipt functionality from the right click or top option.

 

You'll see the 'Edit Goods Receipt' form where the GRN has populated the values and quantity received from the original order values.

 

 

If the GRN matches the order, the user will issue without editing.

 

If the GRN doesn't match the order, the user may edit the values as required and issue it as a 'part-receipted' GRN.

 

You can also enable 'over-receipting' if required.

 

The View All Goods Receipts form will display the GRN number for the purchase order selected and the status as 'Issued'.

 

 

 

The purchase order list will display the values receipted against each order; over-receipted values will be indicated as negative.

 

Once a purchase order is fully receipted, it will be flagged on the list as 'Closed for GRN'.

 

 

Note: When overdue for receipt based on the oldest line delivery date, the purchase order entry will be highlighted with the orange clock icon (as seen below). It can also be filtered in or out using the filters at the top.

 

 

The PO number will also be highlighted in orange.

 

Some other colours you might see on the purchasing screens are:

 

  • Grey: Purchase order is closed
  • Blue: Invoice amount is greater than the receipt amount
  • Red: Interfacing error when submitting to the finance system

Goods Returns

You can create goods return notes using the 'Add Goods Return Note' function and confirm in iDocuments Purchasing that a return or partial return has occurred using the goods return function.

 

By selecting a supplier, you can see goods receipt notes relating to that supplier that haven't been fully delivered. Double-click to select the receipt.

 

 

Any goods receipt notes selected will populate the goods return note, first with the header goods receipt note information.

 

 

Enter a description, if required, and then press save to confirm the details.

 

 

Edit the values as needed (quantity returned or price to return) and press issue along with Yes to the prompt. 

 

Any quantity or value returned will be reversed on the GRN, so it will be available as an outstanding commitment.

 

 

 

 

Next

 

 

 

Last modified: 03/31/2025/3:58 pm

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