You can specify patterns for customer P/O numbers. During sales order entry, only P/O numbers that match at least one pattern you specify will be accepted.
Each patterns defines both the sequence and the number of characters for a P/O number. For example, a customer's P/O numbers might always begin with the same letters or have a hyphen in the middle. By specifying a pattern for these specific letters and hyphens, you can accept only P/O numbers that adhere to the pattern during entry; others are rejected. This is particularly useful if a customer P/O number is required during sales order entry (the Cust P/O # Req box is selected on the File>Customer>Master: Setup, General).
Patterns for customer P/O numbers follow the same rules as patterns for serial numbers and new products. See Pattern key in Configure pattern requirements for product numbers.
You can also configure spending limits for purchase orders by customer. To learn how, see Configure spending limits for purchase orders by customer.
- Go to File > Customer > Master.
- In the Customer box, find the customer you want to edit by typing the name, number, address, or phone. If the data for your customer does not appear automatically, press the Tab key.
- From the Setup page, click the P/O Specs tab.
- Click Edit.
- Click the Add Matching Pattern button.
A new row appears in the Patterns grid.
- In the new row that appears, type the Pattern key.
For example, a pattern of "T"3A"-"5N indicates that the number must begin with the letter T, followed by three letters, a dash, and ending in five numbers. An acceptable product or serial number that would match this pattern is TABC-12345.
- Click Save.