Purchase Orders
Package: BILLING
1. General
In the Purchase Orders module, binding orders to vendors for the delivery of specific items are recorded and managed.
The stock level of a product has dropped to 1 unit. A further 5 units are ordered from the vendor. Once the delivery arrives, the Status of the purchase order is set to Delivery received. The bundled automation 2.7 | Inventory Management (group Purchasing) books the delivered quantity via the Increase stock quantity action, and the product's stock level rises to 6 units.
After receiving the vendor's invoice, the Create Incoming Invoice action is used to create a new record in the Incoming Invoices module directly from the purchase order and link it to the order. All relevant data is transferred in the process.
This section describes only special fields and functionalities of the module, as all general brainX functionalities are described elsewhere in the handbook.
2. List view
The list view in the Purchase Orders module has the usual functionalities of a list view. For more detailed information, see the section Layout/Structure - List view.
2.1. Actions
In the list view, general actions are available – depending on the module. An overview and description of all general actions can be found in the section Actions (List view).
There are no module-specific actions in this module.
3. Detail view
3.1. Fields
The following table describes mandatory fields as well as fields whose function is not self-evident. All other fields are self-explanatory.
Purchasing block
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Title * | Name of the purchase order |
| Status |
|
*Mandatory field
If the status is set to “Delivery received", the order quantity of the contained products is automatically added to the current stock quantity in the Products module.
Conditions block
In the Conditions block, individual terms and conditions for the purchase order can be stored. When creating a new record, the terms and conditions are automatically pre-filled with the default terms and conditions stored in the Global Settings – Information.
Item group block - Basic settings
The description of the fields and functionalities of this block can be found in the section Product block in Billing modules.
Item group block
The description of the fields and functionalities of this block can be found in the section Product block in Billing modules.
4. Actions
The following actions are available in the detail view:
4.1. General actions
- PDF Export
- Recommend
- Copy
- Delete
- Change tracking
For detailed information on the actions, see the section Actions (Detail view).
4.2. Module-specific actions
| Action | Requirement | Functionality |
|---|---|---|
| Create Incoming Invoice | – | Creates a new incoming invoice and links it to the purchase order |
| New Email | Configured email account | Opens the email editor with reference to the purchase order |
5. Practical examples
1 – Automatically replenishing stock after delivery arrival
The stock level of a frequently requested product has dropped to a critical minimum. The responsible employee creates a new order in the Purchase Orders module, selects the corresponding vendor and adds the product with the desired order quantity as an item in the product block.
The status is initially left as created. After the vendor has confirmed the order, the status is set to confirmed. Once the delivery arrives, the status is changed to Delivery received. The included automation 2.7 | Stock management (group Purchasing) responds precisely to this status change, runs the Increase stock quantity action and adds the ordered quantity to the product's stock level. A manual stock correction is not necessary.
2 – Linking a purchase order to an incoming invoice
After the delivery arrives, the company shortly receives the vendor's invoice. Instead of creating the incoming invoice manually, a new record is generated in the Incoming Invoices module directly from the purchase order via the module-specific action Create Incoming Invoice.
All relevant data – vendor, items, amounts and currency – is transferred automatically in the process. The employee adds the vendor's external invoice number, checks the due date and sets the status of the incoming invoice to confirmed. The link between the purchase order and the incoming invoice is retained, so that the entire procurement process is fully traceable.
3 – Sending the order by email directly from brainX
A buyer has created a new purchase order and wants to send it directly from brainX to the vendor as a PDF. The PDF Export action is first used to generate a PDF of the order.
Then the email editor is opened via the New Email action – the reference to the purchase order is already set. The generated PDF is added as an attachment, the vendor's email address is entered in the To field and the order is sent. The email is automatically linked to the purchase order and can be viewed by the team in the communication history.
6. Frequently asked questions
What happens to the stock level when I set the status to “Delivery received"?
Changing the status alone does not alter the stock level. Since version 2026.9, stock movements are booked via Automations. For the stock level to increase upon goods receipt, the included Automation 2.7 | Stock management (group Purchasing) is activated. It increases the stock level as soon as the status changes to delivered or Delivery received. This requires the activated stock management.
Can I cancel a purchase order afterwards?
Yes. Using the cancelled status, a purchase order can be marked as cancelled. The order remains in the system but is reported accordingly in evaluations. If the included Automation 2.7 | Stock management is active, the quantity is booked back when an already delivered purchase order is reset to created, confirmed or cancelled. Without the Automation, no stock adjustment takes place.
How do I create an incoming invoice based on a purchase order?
In the detail view of the purchase order, the module-specific action Create Incoming Invoice is available. After executing it, a new record is created in the Incoming Invoices module, which is automatically linked to the purchase order and transfers all relevant data.
Can individual terms and conditions be stored in a purchase order?
Yes. In the Conditions block, individual terms and conditions for the order can be stored. When creating a new record, the fields are automatically pre-filled with the default terms and conditions stored in the Global Settings – Information.
Can I export and send a purchase order as a PDF?
Yes. The general action PDF Export generates a PDF of the purchase order. This can then be sent directly from brainX to the vendor via the New Email action. A configured email account is a prerequisite for sending emails.