Step-by-step guide to creating purchase orders in OmniOrders. Select suppliers, choose products, assign fulfillment locations, and submit to restock inventory.
---
title: Creating Purchase Orders
description: Step-by-step guide to creating purchase orders in OmniOrders. Select suppliers, choose products, assign fulfillment locations, and submit to restock inventory.
---
Create purchase orders to plan inventory replenishment from suppliers. The multi-step creation process guides you through supplier selection, warehouse locations, product quantities, delivery details, and final confirmation.
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:::tip[Quick Access]
Navigate to Purchase Orders and click **Create purchase order**, or go directly to `/po-create`.
:::
---
## Why Create Purchase Orders?
**Creating a Purchase Order in OmniOrders generates a formal restock request sent to your supplier, with quantities assigned to one or more fulfillment locations. The guided workflow validates quantities, tracks what's ordered versus received, and updates inventory automatically when shipments arrive.**
<CardGrid>
<IconCard title="Restock Inventory" icon="package-open">
Order products from suppliers to maintain stock levels and prevent stockouts.
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<IconCard title="Multi-Location Support" icon="map-pin">
Assign products to one or more warehouse locations in a single purchase order.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Guided Workflow" icon="list-check">
Follow a 5-step process that ensures all required information is collected before submission.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Draft and Confirm" icon="check-circle">
Save as draft to continue editing, or confirm to finalize the purchase order for shipping.
</IconCard>
</CardGrid>
## Creating a Purchase Order
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<Steps>
1. **Select Supplier**
Choose the supplier you're ordering from. Click the supplier card or search by name. You must select a supplier before continuing to the next step.
2. **Select Warehouse Location**
Choose one or more warehouse locations where products will be received. You can select multiple locations if you need to distribute inventory across warehouses.
**Note**: If no locations are selected, you'll see an error: "Please select a location"
3. **Select SKUs**
Add products to the purchase order and set quantities for each location:
- **Add Products**: Click the add button to search and select SKUs
- **PO Qty**: Total quantity being ordered from supplier
- **Location Quantities**: Distribute the PO qty across selected locations
- **Unassigned**: Shows any remaining units not assigned to locations (must be 0 or higher)
- **Adjust PO Qty**: Quickly adjust total quantities for multiple products
- **Delete**: Remove products from the purchase order
**Validation**: The "Unassigned" column shows if quantities don't add up. Red values indicate over-assignment. All products must have valid quantities before proceeding.
4. **Delivery Sites** (Optional)
Configure delivery information for each warehouse location:
- **Ship To**: Company name, email, phone, contact person, and address
- **Edit**: Click the pencil icon to update delivery details
- **Delivery Details**: Set expected date and estimated shipping cost
- **SKU Quantities**: View which products and quantities go to each location
**Skip Option**: Click **Skip Delivery Sites** if you want to skip this step and move directly to preview.
**Validation**: Required fields include company name, email, first name, and last name for each delivery site.
5. **Review Purchase Order**
Preview all purchase order details before saving:
- Supplier information
- Warehouse locations and delivery sites
- Complete product list with quantities and pricing
- Total amounts and costs
**Save Options**:
- **Continue Editing**: Return to make changes without saving
- **Save as draft**: Save and continue editing later (status: draft)
- **Save PO**: Save the purchase order (status: open)
- **Save and Confirm PO**: Finalize and confirm the purchase order (status: confirmed)
</Steps>
## Key Features
<CardGrid>
<IconCard title="Step Navigation" icon="arrow-right">
Move between steps using **Continue** buttons. Click step numbers to return to completed steps.
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<IconCard title="Quantity Distribution" icon="chart-bar">
Automatically track unassigned units as you distribute quantities across locations.
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<IconCard title="Error Prevention" icon="alert-circle">
Validation messages appear if required fields are missing or quantities are invalid.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Flexible Saving" icon="save">
Choose between draft, open, or confirmed status based on your workflow needs.
</IconCard>
</CardGrid>
## Understanding PO Quantities
When adding products to a purchase order:
- **PO Qty**: The total quantity you're ordering from the supplier
- **Location Quantities**: How much goes to each warehouse location
- **Unassigned**: Calculated automatically as: `PO Qty - Sum of all location quantities`
**Example**:
- PO Qty: 100 units
- Location A: 60 units
- Location B: 40 units
- Unassigned: 0 units ✅ (valid - all units assigned)
**Invalid Example**:
- PO Qty: 100 units
- Location A: 60 units
- Location B: 50 units
- Unassigned: -10 units ❌ (invalid - over-assigned by 10 units)
:::caution[Quantity Validation]
You cannot proceed to the next step if any SKU has a negative unassigned value. Adjust location quantities or increase PO Qty to fix this.
:::
## 💡 Best Practices
<CardGrid>
<IconCard title="Verify Supplier First" icon="user-check">
Confirm you've selected the correct supplier before adding products to avoid mistakes.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Plan Distribution" icon="chart-pie">
Think about your warehouse needs before distributing quantities. Consider demand and storage capacity.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Use Draft Status" icon="file-edit">
Save complex purchase orders as drafts if you need to gather more information or get approvals.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Review Before Confirming" icon="eye">
Always check the preview screen carefully. Confirmed purchase orders cannot be edited.
</IconCard>
</CardGrid>
## Common Validation Messages
- **"Please select a supplier"**: You must choose a supplier in Step 1
- **"Please select a location"**: You must choose at least one warehouse location in Step 2
- **"Please select at least one SKU"**: You must add products in Step 3
- **"SKUs exceeding quantity"**: One or more products have negative unassigned values (over-assigned)
## After Creating a Purchase Order
Once saved, you can:
- **View** the purchase order in the Purchase Orders list
- **Edit** draft purchase orders before confirmation
- **Print** or **Download PDF** for supplier communication
- **Track Shipments** as products are received
- **Clone** to create similar purchase orders quickly
## Troubleshooting
**Can't proceed to next step**:
- Check for error messages in red text
- Verify all required fields are filled
- Ensure quantity validation passes (no negative unassigned values)
**Supplier not showing**:
- Verify the supplier is active in your system
- Check that you have permission to order from this supplier
**Products not appearing**:
- Ensure products are linked to the selected supplier
- Verify products are active and not discontinued
**Delivery site validation fails**:
- Fill in all required contact fields: company name, email, first name, last name
- Check that email addresses are valid
## Related Links
**Next Steps**:
- [Purchase Orders Overview](/purchase-orders/overview/) - View and manage all purchase orders
- [PO Shipments](/purchase-orders/shipments/) - Track incoming shipments
- [Managing Suppliers](/suppliers/managing/) - Set up supplier information