Customer Order Flow

This process is used to enter a complete customer order.

After using this process, a customer order is invoiced and then transferred to accounts receivable for tracking.

Before you start

The process can be started if these prerequisites are met:

  • Customers are specified.
  • Items are specified.
  • Basic settings must be done.

The process begins when a customer places an order.

Depending on the settings for the customer order type, the process can be carried out more or less automatically.

Follow these steps

  1. Entering customer orders

    Customer orders can be entered manually in 'Customer Order. Open' (OIS100) or created automatically via M3 batch order entry.

    During batch order entry, a check is made to see whether the order, entered for example via EDI or quick entry, is complete. If the batch order is approved, a customer order is created automatically. If it is incomplete or incorrect, it must be corrected and approved manually in 'Batch Order. Open' (OIS275).

    Also, the order is connected to a customer order type, which determines how the order is processed through the customer order flow. The type regulates the checks made, the default values retrieved for the order, the alternative activities allowed.

  2. Approving preliminary customer order

    If an order is preliminary, it must be approved. This is done by changing the order status manually in 'Customer Order. Open' (OIS100) or 'Customer Order. Approve' (OIS115).

    The field Preliminary CO in 'CO Type. Open' (OIS010/E) regulates whether an order should be approved and how this is done.

  3. Printing customer order confirmation

    After a customer order is entered, a confirmation can be sent to the customer. The confirmation contains items ordered, quantities, terms, prices, planned delivery times, etc. It is printed from 'Customer Order. Print Confirmation' (OIS605).

  4. Release order for allocation

    Items entered in a customer order must be allocated before they are printed on a picking list. When an item quantity is allocated, a specific balance identity is selected (warehouse, location and lot number).

    Allocation can be done manually when the order is entered or automatically after it is entered, provided it is released for allocation.

    The allocation method in program 'CO Type. Open' (OIS010/J) regulates how allocation is done. The CO type has a dispatch policy connected to it (OIS010/J). Parameter 030 – Release for allocation on the connected dispatch policy (MWS010/E) determines if the order should be released for allocation manually. Release for allocation is done in 'Delivery. Open Toolbox' (MWS410).

  5. Print, pick, pack and reporting picking lists

    The different available options for picking and packing are mainly controlled by the dispatch policy connected to the CO type (OIS010/J).

    See .

    The outcome of the picking and packing is a customer delivery in 'CO Delivery. Open' (OIS150).

  6. Approve delivery for invoicing

    If the order's customer order type requires delivery approval, the customer order delivery must be approved before it can be invoiced.

    After the goods have been received by the consignee, they are inspected and then approved. The approval is registered in 'CO Delivery. Approve' (OIS155). When the delivery is approved the order can be invoiced.

  7. Invoicing order

    Invoicing processes are regulated by the field Auto level invoice in 'CO Type. Open' (OIS010/K) and the settings in 'Settings - Customer Order Invoicing' (CRS722).

    The payer specified in the customer order header is invoiced for the delivery order. Invoicing can be started automatically during delivery reporting, or manually either in 'CO Invoice. Print' (OIS180), or in 'CO Delivery. Open' (OIS150). One or several deliveries can be selected for invoicing with related option 30 in OIS150.

    To start invoicing, open 'Customer In-voice. Print' (OIS151) via F16 and choose to launch interactive invoicing (on-line) with action F14, or launch batch invoicing with action F16.

  8. Post-process invoicing

    Post-processing means that invoices are processed after the invoice document is produced. During post-processing different updates are made, for example to the general ledger, accounts receivable and sales statistics.

    Invoices can be updated automatically during invoicing or manually using post-processing. The method used is specified in 'Settings - Customer Order Invoicing' (CRS722). The updates to make are also specified here. Invoices are updated manually in 'CO Invoice. Post-Process' (OIS196).

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