Cross-company order handling in Business Central lets you sell from one company and ship from another, with shipment updates flowing back automatically. When your supply company posts a partial shipment, your sales company shows the same quantities shipped on the original sales order.
You do not have to update shipment quantities manually in the sales company. After the supply company posts a shipment, you refresh the sales order line and the shipped quantities match what was actually shipped.
Partial shipments are supported. If you ship one of each item in the supply company, the sales order in the sales company reflects exactly that, with the remaining quantity still open.
How cross-company shipments work between a sales company and a supply company
The setup involves two companies. You create the sales order in your sales company, where the customer order lives. That order is then sent to your supply company, which handles the actual shipping of the items to the customer.
The point of the setup is that the two companies stay in sync. As the supply company ships, you want to see those updates reflected on the sales order in the sales company without keying anything in twice.
Posting a partial shipment in the supply company
When you start, the sales order in the sales company shows nothing shipped yet. The same is true in the supply company. The two orders are linked, so you can move between them easily.
In the supply company, you can ship part of the order rather than the whole thing. For example, you ship one of each item and post that shipment. After posting, the supply company shows one of each item shipped, with one of each still left to go.
Seeing the shipment reflected in the sales company
Back in the sales company, you go to the sales order and update the line. The shipped quantity now shows one of each item, matching exactly what the supply company posted.
This confirms that the link between the two companies works as intended. The partial shipment posted in the supply company is reflected on the original sales order, so you always have an accurate picture of what has been shipped and what is still outstanding.
Q&A
Can you ship a sales order from a different company than the one that holds the order?
Yes. You can create the sales order in your sales company and have your supply company handle the shipping of the items to the customer. The two orders are linked.
Do partial shipments update the sales order in the sales company?
Yes. When the supply company posts a partial shipment, for example one of each item, the sales order line in the sales company shows the same quantity shipped after you update the line.
Do you have to enter shipment quantities manually in both companies?
No. You post the shipment once in the supply company. The shipped quantities then appear on the sales order in the sales company when you refresh the order line.