Transferring Master Data from Sales Orders to Purchase Orders.

Master data information in Business Central lets you make master data flow from open documents to other documents. The most useful example is moving information from a sales order to a purchase order. As a salesperson, you can add details directly on the sales order lines and have them carry over to the purchase order line, so the vendor gets exactly the information they need to fulfil the order.

This flow works when you create the purchase order using drop shipment or special order functionality, because both create a reservation between the sales line and the purchase line. If you use the standard Create Purchase Order function instead, Business Central uses MRP planning, and the master data does not transfer.

You control which fields move across with the Transfer to Purchase Line check mark on each master data line. When you add a line manually, you have to set this check mark yourself, or the field stays on the sales order.

Be aware that item-level setup takes priority. If a field is set up to flow from the item number to the purchase line, it overrides whatever you typed on the sales line.

What master data flow does between sales orders and purchase orders

With master data information you can make master data on documents flow from open documents. The typical scenario is a sales order feeding a purchase order. As a salesperson, you add information directly on the sales order lines, and that information flows to the purchase order line so you can inform the vendor about specific requirements.

A common example is colour. You might want to tell the vendor that a specific bike should be painted in a particular colour, or pass on a special requirement on a component. You add that as master data information on the sales line, and it appears on the purchase line when the purchase order is created.

Three ways to create purchase orders from sales orders

Business Central gives you three ways to create purchase orders from sales orders. Two of them are special orders and drop shipments. With both, you add a purchasing code on the sales line, and Business Central creates a reservation between the sales line and the purchase order when you make the purchase order. That reservation is what carries the master data across, provided you have set it up to transfer.

The third option is the Create Purchase Order function directly from the sales document. This uses MRP planning instead of a reservation. If the item is not set up to be ordered by order, no reservation is created, and the master data does not transfer.

For the master data flow to work, use special order or drop shipment functionality. Both of these are standard functionality in Business Central. Whether you pick special order or drop shipment does not matter for the master data flow itself.

Setting up the master data on the sales line

On each sales line you can see the master data already attached to it. Some entries have a check mark for Transfer to Purchase Order, and you can change them as needed. You might add a value like a special gear note, or add a colour using a dropdown that lists, for example, all colours or CMYK colours.

The key field is Transfer to Purchase Line. It determines which fields are transferred to the purchase order. When you add a line manually, you have to set the Transfer to Purchase Line check mark yourself. If you forget it, that field will not carry over. Set it on each piece of information you want the vendor to receive.

Creating the drop shipment purchase order

Creating the purchase order follows the standard process. You enter a purchase order, add a Ship-to using the customer address, and add the customer. From the function menu you select Drop Shipment, then Get Sales Order, and pick the sales orders that have drop shipment lines for that customer.

When you select the sales order, Business Central pulls in the relevant lines. The master data information you entered on those sales lines appears on the matching purchase lines, updated with the correct values.

Item setup overrides sales line information

There is one important exception. If a field is set up to flow from the item number to the purchase line, the item-level value wins and overrides what you wrote on the sales line. In practice you might enter something extra on a sales line, such as a note at the end of the gear field, and find it did not come through, because that field is already configured to flow from the item.

So the setup decision you need to make for each field is whether the information should come from the sales line or from the item. Once you have that clear, you can reliably make master data flow from sales orders to purchase orders using drop shipment or special order functionality.

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