Sales Orders
A Sales Order (SO) is a confirmed commitment to supply goods or services to a customer at agreed quantities, prices, and dates. It's usually the first "hard" document in a sale — raised when a customer places an order or sends a purchase order (PO).
Use a Sales Order to:
- Record what a customer has ordered, before you deliver or bill it.
- Reserve and track quantities so you know what's still to be invoiced or to be delivered.
- Give your team (dispatch, production, accounts) a single agreed reference.
Before you begin: the customer and the items/services on the order must already exist. If a customer or item is missing, add it first in the Customer or Item module.
The Sales Order list
Open Sales → Sales Orders to see the list of orders. This is your working screen for finding, reviewing, printing, and creating orders.
Full-screen shot of the Sales Order list. Show the status tabs across the top (All / Approved / Pending / Hold / Rejected / Cancelled), the filter bar (Customer, Date Range, From/To date, and the Show Data button), a few example order rows, and the blue Create button at the top-right. Add a callout arrow to the Create button.
Filtering the list
The filter bar controls which orders are shown:
- Customer — show orders for one customer, or All.
- Date Range — choose a preset range (for example, month-to-date) or a custom from/to date. Choose All Open Invoices to see every order with an outstanding balance, regardless of date.
- View toggle (Document / Item) — Document view shows one row per order; Item view shows one row per order line, so you can see quantities item-by-item (ordered, invoiced, balance, returned).
- Show Data — applies your selections and loads the list.
Status tabs
The tabs above the list group orders by status and show a live count of each:
| Tab | Shows orders that are… |
|---|---|
| All | Every order in the selected range |
| Approved | Reviewed and confirmed |
| Pending | Awaiting approval |
| Hold | Temporarily parked |
| Rejected | Not approved |
| Cancelled | Voided |
Columns
In Document view, each order row shows:
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| SO No | The system order number (click to open the order) |
| SO Date | Date the order was raised |
| Type / Sub-type | The order type and sub-type |
| Item Tax Group | The tax group applied |
| End Date | Delivery/closing date |
| Status | Current status |
| Customer ID / Name | Who the order is for |
| Amount | Order total |
| Payment Terms | Agreed payment terms |
| Customer PO No / Date | The customer's own reference and date |
| Amendment No / Date | Revision number and date, if amended |
| Note | Free-text note |
| Created / Updated | System audit dates and the user who created it |
In Item view you additionally see per-line quantities: Ordered, Invoiced, NRGP, Job-work, Balance, and Returned, along with the item, HSN code, unit, and rate.
List actions
- Open an order — click the SO No, or double-click the row.
- Print — select one or more rows, right-click, and choose Print Document to generate a PDF of the selected orders.
- Export to Excel — use the grid's export option to download the current view.
Create a Sales Order
- On the Sales Order list, click Create (top-right). The Sale Order form opens.
- Fill in the sections described below.
- Click Save to store the order.
The Sale Order create form. Show the customer selector at the top, the billing/shipping address area, the header strip (SO Type, SO Subtype, Sale Type, Item Tax Group, Customer PO No/Date), the line-items grid (Item, Quantity, Unit, Rate, Discount, Tax, Amount), and the totals panel on the right. Highlight the Save button.
1. Customer
Select the customer the order is for. When you choose a customer, Ace CBM automatically fills in their default billing and shipping addresses and default payment terms. You can override any of these on the order.
2. Addresses
- Billing address — where the invoice will be sent.
- Shipping address — where the goods will be delivered.
Both default from the customer record; change them here if this order is different.
3. Order header
The header strip classifies the order and captures the customer's reference. Set these before you add items — several of them determine which items and taxes are valid.
| Field | What it's for |
|---|---|
| SO Type | The kind of order. A normal order fixes quantities up front; an Open order is a blanket/standing order. Switching an order to Open resets all item quantities to 0 — Ace CBM asks you to confirm. Required. |
| SO Subtype | Further classifies the order (from your configured list). Because items belong to a specific subtype, changing it after adding items clears the lines (with a confirmation). Required. |
| Sale Type | The revenue/sales account the order posts to. Changing this after adding items also clears the lines, for the same reason. Required. |
| Item Tax Group | The tax group that drives how each line is taxed. It becomes available once Sale Type is set, and is required. |
| Customer PO No. | The customer's own purchase-order reference. Required, and it can't contain spaces. Ace CBM checks it's not already used — if the PO is already attached to another order you'll see "The PO no. is already attached to SO no. …". |
| Customer PO Date | The date on the customer's PO. Required; defaults to today. |
| SO Date | The order date. Defaults to today. |
| End Date | The delivery/closing date. It's set when the order is closed. |
4. Line items
Add a row for each item or service on the order. For each line:
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Item | The product or service being ordered. Use the item lookup to search your catalog. |
| Inventory item | (For stocked goods) the specific inventory item to fulfil from. |
| Quantity | How many units are ordered. On an existing order, a line's quantity can't be reduced below the amount already invoiced — you'll see "New quantity cannot be less than already invoiced … quantity." |
| Unit | The unit of measure (defaults from the item). |
| Rate | Price per unit (defaults from the item's price; editable). |
| Discount | Any line discount. |
| Tax group | The tax to apply to the line (defaults from the header's item tax group). |
| BOM | (For manufactured items) the bill of materials to use, if applicable. |
| Note | An optional line note. |
As you add lines, the totals panel updates automatically — quantity totals, tax, any round-off, and the grand total.
5. Amendments (revising an order)
When you revise an order, use the amendment fields to keep a clear history:
- Amd No. — the amendment/revision number (starts at 0 for the original). Increase it for each revision.
- Amd Date — the revision date. It becomes editable once Amd No. is greater than 0.
Ace CBM checks that the PO No. + Amendment No. combination is unique — if that pair is already attached to another order you'll be warned, so the same customer PO revision can't be recorded twice.
6. Notes and documents
- Note — any free-text instructions for this order.
- Documents tab — attach supporting files, such as the customer's signed PO.
7. Save
Click Save. The order is created with a system SO number and enters the Pending status, ready for approval.
Tip — copy an existing order. You can create a new order by copying an existing one. Ace CBM brings over the customer, items, and prices and stamps today's date, so repeat orders take seconds.
Field reference
Header (order-level)
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| SO number | System-generated order identifier |
| SO date | Date the order is raised |
| SO type / subtype | Classifies the order (including Open/blanket orders) |
| Customer | The party the order is for |
| Sale type (sales account) | The revenue account the order posts to |
| Item tax group | Tax applied to the order's items |
| Billing / Shipping address | Addresses for the order |
| Payment terms | Agreed terms |
| Customer PO No / Date | Customer's reference (unique per customer) |
| Amendment No / Date | Revision tracking (unique PO + amendment) |
| End date | Delivery/closing date |
| Note | Free text |
Line item
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Line no | Row number |
| Item / Inventory item | Product or service, and the stock item to fulfil from |
| Quantity / Invoiced qty | Ordered quantity and how much has been invoiced (quantity can't drop below invoiced) |
| Unit | Unit of measure |
| Rate / Amount | Price per unit and line total |
| Discount | Line discount |
| Tax group / Tax rate | Line tax |
| BOM | Bill of materials, for manufactured items |
| Note | Line note |
Sales Order lifecycle
Pending ──approve──► Approved ──invoice──► (fulfilled) ──► Closed
│ │
├──► Hold └──► Reopen (after Close)
├──► Rejected
└──► Cancelled
- A new order starts as Pending.
- Once reviewed, it is Approved and can be invoiced.
- When everything on the order has been delivered/invoiced, you Close it. A closed order can be Reopened if more activity is needed.
- Orders that won't proceed can be Cancelled (or Rejected during approval).
Actions on an order
Open an order to access these actions. The options you see depend on the order's status and your permissions.
The Sales Order detail screen with the actions menu open, showing Approve, Close SO (or Reopen SO), Cancel SO, Amend, Print, and Print Schedule. Also show the order header (customer, dates, status chip) and the Schedule tab.
Approve
Send the order through your approval workflow to confirm it. Depending on how your workflow is configured, approval may route to a manager before the order becomes Approved and can be invoiced.
Close SO / Reopen SO
Close an order once it's fully delivered/invoiced so it no longer shows as open. The Close Sale Order dialog asks for:
- Close Date — when the order is being closed (it can't be a future date).
- Additional Note — a required note; it's appended to the order's existing note.
If the order is already closed, the same action becomes Reopen Sale Order — submitting it clears the end date and makes the order open again. (Reopening only needs a note.)
The Close Sale Order dialog showing the read-only Existing Note, a required Close Date picker, and a required Additional Note field, with Cancel and Submit buttons. Note that the title changes to Reopen Sale Order (without the date field) when the order is already closed.
Cancel SO
Void an order that won't proceed. The Cancel Sale Order dialog shows the existing note and requires an Additional Note (your reason), which is appended to the order. Cancelled orders can't be invoiced.
Amend
Revise an approved order by increasing the Amendment No. and setting the Amd Date. Ace CBM keeps the revision history and checks the PO + amendment number is unique.
Print & Schedule
- Print — generate the order PDF.
- Schedule / Print Schedule — open the Schedule tab to view the delivery schedule for the order, and print it for a chosen schedule date.
Turn a Sales Order into an invoice
When you're ready to bill the customer, you don't re-key the order — you create a Sales Invoice from the Sales Order. The invoice pulls in the order's customer, items, quantities, and prices; you then confirm what's being dispatched and post the invoice. See Sales Invoices for the full procedure.
Tips & FAQ
- A button I need is missing. Screen and button access is controlled by your role. Ask your administrator to grant the relevant Sales Order permission.
- I can't invoice an order. Check that the order is Approved and not Closed or Cancelled.
- It won't let me lower a quantity. A line can't go below what's already been invoiced. Raise a Sales Invoice Return or a Credit Note instead, or adjust the un-invoiced balance only.
- "PO already attached to SO…" — that customer PO number (and amendment) is already on another order. Use the correct amendment number, or open the existing order.
- How do I see what's left to deliver? Switch the list to Item view and look at the Balance quantity column.