In Business Central you can register received goods directly on a purchase order without using warehouse functionality. You do this by entering the received amount in the Quantity to Receive field and posting the order.
To receive goods without invoicing, you select Post and Receive. This creates the inventory receipt and leaves the financial invoicing to the finance department later.
When you post a receipt, Business Central creates an item ledger entry, updates the item card, and recalculates the remaining quantity still to be received on the purchase order.
Receiving purchase order items without warehouse functionality
When items arrive at your loading ramp and you want to register them in Business Central, the simplest approach depends on how the goods entered your inventory. If the items came from a purchase order and you are not using warehouse functionality, you can receive them directly on the purchase order itself.
This works well when you have a straightforward purchase order with one or more item lines, each with a quantity. You do not need any extra warehouse documents to get the goods into stock.
Using the Quantity to Receive field
On the purchase order line, the Quantity to Receive field shows the remaining quantity you still need to receive. This makes it easy to handle partial deliveries.
For example, if a purchase order line has a larger quantity but only 70 units arrive at the ramp, you enter 70 in the Quantity to Receive field. Business Central then knows you are only receiving part of the order in this posting.
Post and Receive: separating goods receipt from invoicing
From the Posting tab on the purchase order, you choose Post and Receive. This option registers the goods receipt only. It does not touch the financial side.
That means the invoicing is left for the finance department to handle later. This separation is useful when the people receiving goods at the warehouse are not the same people who process the supplier invoice.
What happens after you post the receipt
When you post, the quantity you received is recorded as an item ledger entry. The goods become available on the item card, so you can see the quantity received reflected in your inventory.
Business Central also recalculates the remaining quantity to receive on the purchase order. If you only received part of the order, the line still shows what is outstanding, so you can post the rest when it arrives.
Q&A
How do I receive purchase order items in Business Central without warehouse functionality?
Open the purchase order, enter the received amount in the Quantity to Receive field on the line, and then select Post and Receive from the Posting tab. The goods are then registered in inventory.
What is the difference between Post and Receive and a full posting?
Post and Receive only registers the goods receipt and updates inventory. It does not perform the invoicing. The financial part can be handled separately by the finance department at a later time.
How do I handle a partial delivery on a purchase order?
Enter only the quantity that has actually arrived in the Quantity to Receive field. For example, enter 70 if 70 units arrived. Business Central recalculates the remaining quantity to receive so you can post the rest when it arrives.
Where can I see the received quantity after posting?
The posted quantity is created as an item ledger entry and becomes available on the item card. The purchase order line also shows the remaining quantity still to be received.