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Order Management & Fulfillment

Manage customer orders from order entry through inventory fulfillment, document generation, and invoicing.

How to use this solution

Use this solution to manage customer orders, fulfill ordered Items from inventory, generate customer-facing Documents, and create Invoices in one connected process.

The solution provides a structured Sales Order to Goods Issue to Invoice flow:

  • Sales Order management: Record the Customer, Items, quantities, prices, shipping information, payment terms, and requested delivery date.
  • Sales Order document generation: Generate a formatted customer-facing Sales Order for review, confirmation, sharing, printing, or record keeping.
  • Inventory fulfillment: Select a Fulfillment Location and generate a Goods Issue with lines matching the ordered Items and quantities.
  • Inventory control: Post the Goods Issue to validate available stock, update Inventory Items, and record inventory movements.
  • Customer invoicing: Create an Invoice and corresponding Invoice Lines directly from the Sales Order using Item pricing.
  • Invoice document generation: Generate a formatted Invoice for customer billing, sharing, printing, or transaction records.

How the solution is organized

The solution is built around these connected business objects:

Business objectWhat it representsHow it is used
CustomerThe company or individual placing the orderStores customer name, contact information, billing and shipping addresses, and status
ItemA product that can be orderedStores SKU, unit of measure, sales price, purchase price, and status
Sales OrderAn accepted customer orderStarting point for fulfillment, invoicing, and Sales Order document generation
Sales Order LineAn individual Item ordered by the CustomerStores the Item, quantity, unit price, and other line information
LocationA warehouse, facility, stock room, or other fulfillment locationSelected on the Sales Order as its Fulfillment Location
Inventory ItemAn Item stocked at a specific LocationMaintains inventory quantities for the Item and Location combination
Goods IssueInventory leaving a LocationGenerated from a Sales Order with one Goods Issue Line for each Sales Order Line
Inventory TransactionA stock movement from a posted Goods IssueProvides the inventory change history for each Inventory Item
InvoiceThe customer-facing bill for an orderGenerated from a Sales Order with Customer, currency, payment terms, and order lines
Invoice LineAn individual Item being billedStores the Item, quantity, unit price, and calculated line total

A Sales Order contains the Customer, order date, requested delivery date, shipping information, Fulfillment Location, currency, payment terms, and one or more Sales Order Lines.

The Fulfillment Location determines which Inventory Item is used for each ordered Item when the Goods Issue is generated.

Included automations

This solution includes automations for order fulfillment, invoicing, inventory posting, and document generation.

SO Create Goods Issue

Runs when Generate Goods Issue is clicked on a Sales Order. It:

  • Validates the Sales Order Lines
  • Uses the Sales Order's Fulfillment Location
  • Matches each ordered Item to its Inventory Item at that Location
  • Creates a Goods Issue
  • Creates one Goods Issue Line for each Sales Order Line
  • Prevents another Goods Issue from being generated when one already exists

The Goods Issue is created without changing inventory. Inventory changes only when the Goods Issue is posted.

GI Post Inventory

Runs when inventory is posted from a Goods Issue. It:

  • Validates the quantities being issued
  • Checks that sufficient inventory is available
  • Deducts the issued quantity from the related Inventory Item
  • Creates an Inventory Transaction
  • Tracks how much inventory has been posted
  • Updates the Goods Issue Inventory Status

If sufficient inventory is unavailable, the affected inventory is not posted and the error is reported.

SO Create Invoice

Runs when Create Invoice is clicked on a Sales Order. It:

  • Validates the Sales Order Lines
  • Creates an Invoice for the Customer
  • Carries over currency and payment terms
  • Creates one Invoice Line for each Sales Order Line
  • Uses Item pricing to calculate Invoice amounts
  • Prevents another Invoice from being generated when one already exists

Document generation

  • Sales Order Document Generation creates a formatted Sales Order from the Sales Order and its Sales Order Lines.
  • Invoice Document Generation creates a formatted Invoice from the Invoice and its Invoice Lines.
Automation management

GI Post Inventory is managed as part of the solution and cannot be edited. SO Create Goods Issue and SO Create Invoice are workspace workflows and can be customized.

Getting started

1. Create Items

Create records for the products you sell. Add the Item name, SKU, Item type, unit of measure, sales price, and Status.

2. Create Locations

Create a record for each Location from which orders can be fulfilled. Add the Location name, Location type, address, and Status.

3. Set up inventory

Create an Inventory Item for every Item and Location combination where stock is maintained.

Enter the quantity on hand, quantity reserved, minimum stock, maximum stock, reorder level, and Status.

4. Create a Customer

Create a Customer record for the company or individual placing the order. Add the Customer's contact, billing, and shipping information.

5. Create a Sales Order

Create a Sales Order for the Customer and enter:

  • Customer
  • Order date
  • Requested delivery date
  • Shipping information
  • Fulfillment Location
  • Currency
  • Payment terms

Add a Sales Order Line for each Item and quantity ordered.

6. Generate a Sales Order document

Generate a formatted Sales Order when you need to send, review, print, or retain a customer-facing copy of the order.

7. Generate the Goods Issue

Click Generate Goods Issue. The solution creates a Goods Issue and corresponding Goods Issue Lines using the Sales Order's Items, quantities, and Fulfillment Location.

8. Post inventory

Review the Goods Issue and click Post Inventory.

The automation validates availability, deducts the fulfilled quantities, and creates Inventory Transactions. If inventory is insufficient, the error is reported without deducting unavailable stock.

9. Create the Invoice

Click Create Invoice on the Sales Order. The solution creates the Invoice and its Invoice Lines using the Customer and Items from the Sales Order.

10. Generate the Invoice document

Generate a formatted Invoice when it is ready to be sent, printed, or shared with the Customer.

Example

Suppose Skyline Retail Group orders three ApexVision 27" Display Panels to be fulfilled from the Northridge Distribution Center.

The following records already exist:

QuantityRecord typeRecord
1CustomerSkyline Retail Group
1ItemApexVision 27" Display Panel
1LocationNorthridge Distribution Center
1Inventory ItemApexVision 27" Display Panel at Northridge Distribution Center

To process the order:

  1. Create a Sales Order for Skyline Retail Group.
  2. Select Northridge Distribution Center as the Fulfillment Location.
  3. Add a Sales Order Line for three ApexVision Display Panels.
  4. Generate a Sales Order document for customer confirmation when needed.
  5. Click Generate Goods Issue.
  6. Review the generated Goods Issue and post it to inventory.
  7. Confirm that the Inventory Item quantity decreases by three and an Inventory Transaction records the movement.
  8. Click Create Invoice on the Sales Order.
  9. Confirm that an Invoice with the corresponding Invoice Line is created for Skyline Retail Group.
  10. Generate the Invoice document and send or share it with the Customer.

This provides a connected record of the entire process:

Customer → Sales Order → Sales Order Document → Goods Issue → Inventory Transaction → Invoice → Invoice Document

Make it yours

Customize this solution by adding your own fields, views, forms, related records, and workflows to match the way your business manages orders and fulfillment.

GI Post Inventory remains managed as part of the solution and cannot be edited. SO Create Goods Issue and SO Create Invoice can be customized as your order process evolves.