In This Release…
[Click here for a video overview of all the new features and updates]
Purchase Order Revamp
Streamlined & Enhanced Multiple Vendor Selection for Purchase Orders
We have streamlined the Purchase Order Vendor selection process, especially for Purchase Orders involving multiple potential Vendors. You now have a smoother, more flexible experience with clearer control, including a new Select button to manually assign a Vendor before sending an approval request. Additionally, we’ve improved multi-currency management by seamlessly prompting you to update Line Items when adding a Vendor with a different currency, and a new toggle and search feature makes assigning multiple Vendors faster than ever.
Editing Fulfilled or Closed Contract Managed Purchase Orders
To maintain accurate records and prevent unintended modifications, we have updated the editing rules for Contract Managed Purchase Orders. If a Purchase Order is in a Fulfilled or Closed status, users will no longer be able to edit the Line Items, even if they have the “Purchase Orders - Edit Contract Managed Approved PO” permission.
- Users with the appropriate permission can still edit other available information on the Purchase Order, excluding the Line Items.
- To add new Line Items or change the quantity of existing Line Items, the Purchase Order status must first be reverted to Approved or In Progress.
Vendor Portal Visibility Updates
We have updated the Vendor Portal to provide your Vendors with more context and information regarding their Purchase Orders. Vendors can now view Labels applied to their Purchase Orders directly on the Purchase Order List page and the Purchase Order Info page.
- Vendors will only see Labels that have been specifically marked in your system settings as visible in the Vendor Portal (e.g., “Urgent” or “Needs Discussion”). Private Labels remain hidden.
- Additionally, Vendors can now see any related Bills or Bill Credits that have been created for a Purchase Order right from the Vendor Portal. Clicking on these related transactions will open them directly, allowing the Vendor to view the associated details.
Improved Drop-down Menus on Purchase Orders
We have made a user interface improvement to several drop-down menus on the Purchase Order page to make navigating and selecting options much smoother. The drop-down menus for Type, Payment Term, Ship To Location, Ship Via, and PO Template now feature enhanced scrolling and search capabilities.
- You can easily scroll through all available options if the list is long.
- When you reopen a drop-down, your previously selected option will appear at the top for quick reference.
- A new search bar within the drop-down allows you to quickly filter and find the specific entity you need by typing its name.
Purchase Order List Page Enhancements
We have revamped the Purchase Order List page to significantly streamline how you view, search, and sort your purchasing data. By default, the page now conveniently displays your most recently viewed Purchase Orders. We have also introduced several new search filters and sorting options to help you locate exactly what you need with ease.
- New Search Filters: You can now filter by Billing Status (options include Not Billed, Billed, and Partially Billed) as well as explicitly filter the list to show only Purchase Order Templates.
- Expanded Columns: The list view provides crucial data at a glance, including Purchase Order Name, Vendor, PO Type, Status, Billing Status, PO Date, Approved Date, Promise Date, and Total.
- Sorting & Saved Searches: Sort your list effortlessly by PO Date, PO Number, Total, or Promise Date. You can also save your frequently used search criteria and load them instantly later.
- Updated Statuses: The search filters now support new PO statuses, allowing you to narrow down results by Incomplete, Pending, and Pending Approval.
Inline Actions & Quick Menus
To save you time and reduce unnecessary clicks, we have introduced new ways to take action directly from the Purchase Order List page without needing to open the full Purchase Order Info page.
- Inline Status Updates: Click directly on a Purchase Order’s Status in the list to instantly change it to another available status, depending on your permissions.
- Quick Attachments: A highlighted attachment icon indicates when files are associated with a Purchase Order. Click the icon to view existing files, edit them, or upload new attachments instantly.
- Comprehensive Action Menu: The kebab menu on the right side of each row provides quick access to view PO related Info, Assignments, Discussions, and the Hub.
- Rapid Transactions: From the Actions menu, you can also seamlessly Copy PO, Create Bill, Receive Items, Create Bill Credit, or generate a Share link (Internal or Vendor Portal) right from the list view.
Purchase Order User Permissions Update
We have expanded and clarified the user permissions associated with Purchase Orders to give system administrators more granular control over what actions team members can take. Access is governed by the main “Purchase Orders” permission, which grants general list and info page access, alongside several targeted special permissions.
Without the necessary special permissions, the corresponding functionality will be hidden from the user. Administrators can configure permissions for the following actions:
- Edit general terms and conditions, or Vendor-specific terms and conditions.
- Edit the exchange rate (if multi-currency is enabled).
- Manually edit the PO Number instead of relying on auto-generation.
- Allow the entry of negative Line Items on a Purchase Order.
- Update the Item cost directly.
- Create Bills.
- Mark a Purchase Order as Closed or Cancelled.
- Edit Contract Managed Approved Purchase Orders.
Comprehensive Purchase Order Labeling & Reporting
We’ve made comprehensive updates to Purchase Order Labels to simplify managing, organizing and reporting on your orders. You can now categorize Orders right from the creation page, quickly filter and manage Private or Public Labels on the Purchase Order List page, and use these Labels within Report Builder as columns and detailed filters to gain enhanced visibility into how your Purchase Orders are tracked and categorized.
Consolidated Purchase Order Statuses
We have significantly streamlined how you track Purchase Orders by consolidating the previous Purchase Order Statuses and Vendor PO Statuses into a single, unified Status flow. This update provides a much clearer, intuitive tracking process from creation to completion, saving you time and eliminating confusion, especially when managing Contract Managed Purchase Orders.
To better support this unified flow, we have introduced two new statuses and updated the terminology for several existing ones:
- Incomplete (New): You can now save a Purchase Order without it passing initial validation checks. This allows you to quickly capture preliminary information and finish creating the Purchase Order later.
- Pending Approval (New): For Contract Managed Purchase Orders, this status is automatically applied as soon as the Order is sent to the Vendor. This makes it incredibly easy to see exactly which Orders are currently awaiting Vendor action.
- Approved: This replaces the former Accepted status. It is automatically set when a Vendor accepts the Order through the Vendor Portal or when a Non-Contract Managed Purchase Order clears your internal review.
- In Progress: This replaces the former Partially Fulfilled status. It is automatically applied when a Bill is created for the Purchase Order, but can also be manually selected once an order is Approved.
Managing Purchase Order Statuses
With this streamlined process, we have also made it easier to update the status of your Purchase Orders as they move through their lifecycle. While certain statuses (like Incomplete, Pending Approval, and Declined) are fully automated by the system based on specific actions, you can manually update other statuses based on your user permissions.
You can easily change a Purchase Order’s status from two convenient locations:
- From the Purchase Order List: Click directly on the hyperlinked status within the Status column. A menu will appear displaying only the logical next-step statuses available for that specific Purchase Order.
- From the Purchase Order Info Page: Click the Change Status button located next to the Status field on the right side of the screen to select your next step.
Enhanced Items Section for Faster, Clearer Order Management
The Items section on Sales Orders and Purchase Orders has been completely revamped for a cleaner, more intuitive editing experience. The visual layout now includes distinct row boundaries and color-coded indicators (blue for viewing, yellow for editing) to ensure you are always modifying the correct Line Item, preventing accidental edits. Additionally, building Purchase Orders is now faster and more efficient thanks to enhanced search and sorting capabilities within the Line Items section, allowing you to quickly locate, select, and add multiple items simultaneously.
Custom Field Mapping for Purchase Order Line Items
We are introducing a highly requested feature that allows you to map Custom Fields directly from your Items to Custom Columns on your Purchase Orders. This automation ensures data consistency and saves you valuable time by eliminating the need to manually re-type or copy information from an Item record to a Purchase Order.
- Administrators can now configure field mapping to link a specific Item Custom Field to a corresponding Purchase Order Line Item Custom Column.
- For example, if you have an alphanumeric “Notes” Custom Field on an Item, you can map it to a “Notes” Custom Column on the Purchase Order.
- When you add that specific Item to a Purchase Order, the Custom Column will automatically pre-populate with the data saved on the Item record.
Zero & TBD Line Item Values on Purchase Orders
We have introduced greater flexibility when managing pricing on your Purchase Orders by allowing you to accurately distinguish between items with a zero cost and items whose prices are yet to be determined. When adding items to a Contract Managed Purchase Order, you can now choose to leave the Quantity or Unit Cost fields completely blank, or explicitly enter a zero. This significantly streamlines your procurement process by ensuring your financial totals reflect exactly what is known at the time of order creation.
- Leaving the Quantity or Unit Cost fields completely empty will automatically display the Line Item amount and Purchase Order total as TBD (To Be Determined).
- Explicitly entering a zero (0) in the Quantity or Unit Cost fields will accurately calculate the Line Item amount and Purchase Order total as zero.
- This enhancement is exclusively available for Contract Managed Purchase Orders.
- To utilize this feature, the Cannot add blank Line Items on PO option must be unchecked in your Employee Settings. If this setting is enabled, attempting to leave a field blank will automatically default the value to zero.
Enhanced Clarity & Visibility for Vendors in the Vendor Portal
We’ve improved the Vendor Portal to provide your Vendors with greater clarity and information about their Purchase Orders. Status terms have been updated for a clearer experience—for example, “Accepted” is now “Approved” and “Partially Fulfilled” is now “In Progress.” Additionally, Vendors now have enhanced visibility, allowing them to view internal Labels (if set to be visible in the Vendor Portal) and instantly access related Bills or Bill Credits associated with the Purchase Order.
Enhanced Vendor Portal Actions & Collaboration
We have expanded the collaboration and tracking capabilities within the Vendor Portal, making it easier for your Vendors to interact with your team and manage related transactions. When viewing a specific Purchase Order, Vendors will now find new action items and tabs that significantly streamline their process.
- A new View Assignments option allows Vendors to quickly see associated transactions, such as Bills created from the Purchase Order.
- Vendors can now view and reply directly to Discussions associated with the Purchase Order. Their replies will seamlessly sync back to your internal Striven system record for easy communication.
- The Create Bill button will dynamically appear if the Purchase Order status is Approved, In Progress, or Fulfilled (provided the Vendor has the necessary permissions).
- Vendors can easily use the Mark as Fulfilled option when the Purchase Order status is currently set to Approved, In Progress, or Partially Billed.
Purchase Order Notification Category Renaming
To provide clearer administrative organization, we have updated the CMS category names for Purchase Order-related notifications and portal content. You will notice these new, fully qualified names when managing your communication templates, making it much easier to locate the exact notification you need to configure.
- Previous category names like “PO acceptance” or “PO approved” have been renamed to more descriptive titles, such as Purchase Order Approval, Purchase Order Internally Reviewed, Purchase Order Approval Link, and Purchase Order Vendor Approved.
- This update only affects the administrative category titles within your system settings. Your existing, customized email subjects and body content remain completely unchanged and will continue to send exactly as you have configured them.
Consolidated Purchase Order Template Management
We have fully integrated Purchase Order Templates into the system, offering two streamlined locations for management and creation, saving you valuable time on standardized orders.
Access & Management
Templates are now centrally located in two places, depending on your role and need:
- For End-Users: Manage, search, and edit your templates directly from the Purchase Order List page by applying the new search filter Only PO Templates. Templates in the list are clearly marked with a Template label under the Type column. When editing a template, fields relevant only to live orders (such as PO Number, PO Date, and Requested By) are intelligently hidden to keep your focus on configuration.
- For Administrators: Dedicated configuration tools have been centralized under Company > Settings > Accounting > Purchasing > POs > Purchase Order Templates. Users must have the “Purchase Order Templates Add/Edit” permission to access this page, which offers advanced searching by Name, Type, Status, applied Labels, and Recurring Status.
Creation & Application
Building and utilizing templates is now faster and more intuitive:
- Saving a New Template: At the bottom of the Purchase Order creation page, select the Save this purchase order as template option. You can choose exactly what data to retain by checking options like Use template name as the purchase order name, Save pricing information, and Save Vendor and shipping information.
- Generating an Order: You can generate a new order from a saved template in two ways:
- On the Purchase Order List page, click the kebab menu next to a template and select Create Purchase Order to instantly launch the creation screen, pre-filled with the template’s details.
- When starting a blank Purchase Order, click the Create from the template link at the top of the page and select the desired template from the drop-down list that appears.
Template Lifecycle Management (Admin Only)
The dedicated Settings page also provides quick administrative actions:
- Generate a new PO by selecting the Create Purchase Order option from the hamburger menu next to the template name.
- Duplicate a template using the Copy Template option from the hamburger menu next to the template name.
- Permanently deactivate an outdated template by clicking the trash icon on the Purchase Order Template page, or by selecting the Mark as Cancelled option from the Action menu on the Template Info page (a status which cannot be reverted).
Enhanced Purchase Order Creation from Sales Orders
We have significantly improved the process for generating Purchase Orders directly from a Sales Order. Now, when you click the Create Purchase Order button on the Sales Order Info page, a new configuration popup will appear instead of immediately creating a new Purchase Order. This update provides you with much greater control over exactly which Items are ordered and allows you to seamlessly append Items to existing Orders, saving you time and reducing duplicate data entry.
- Item Preferences: You now have two distinct options for choosing which Items to include:
- Select all items: This will include every Item from the Sales Order.
- Items based on preferred Vendor: This will exclusively pull Items that have a preferred Vendor configured. If no items on the Purchase Order have a preferred Vendor, the system will immediately display a helpful alert.
- Purchase Order Destination: You can now choose whether to generate a brand new Purchase Order or update an existing one:
- Create new purchase order: Select this and click Continue to proceed to a new Purchase Order Info page with your selected Items pre-populated. Clicking Create Purchase Order will finalize the new record.
- Select an existing purchase order: Select this to search for an active Purchase Order using a type-ahead field. You can also select a specific Vendor to quickly filter the list of available Purchase Orders associated with them.
Clearer Selection of Existing Purchase Orders from Sales Orders
We have enhanced the data displayed when you choose to append Items from a Sales Order to an existing Purchase Order. This provides added convenience and ensures you are selecting the exact correct document without needing to open a separate browser tab to verify.
- When you use the type-ahead drop-down to select an existing Purchase Order, the system will now display the Number, Name, and Status of the order.
- If the existing Purchase Order does not have a designated name, the drop-down will intelligently display the Number, PO Date, and Status instead.
Rules for Appending Items to Existing Purchase Orders
If you choose the new option to append Sales Order Items to an existing Purchase Order, the system enforces specific status and permission rules to ensure your purchasing data remains accurate and secure. Once your eligible existing Purchase Order is selected, clicking Continue will open it in edit mode, and clicking Update Purchase Order will finalize the addition of the new Line Items.
- Purchase Orders currently in a Fulfilled or Closed status cannot be edited or appended to under any circumstances.
- Non-Contract Managed Purchase Orders: You can successfully append Items to these Purchase Orders if they are currently in an Incomplete, Pending, Declined, Cancelled, Pending Approval, Approved, or In Progress status.
- Contract Managed Purchase Orders: You can freely append Items if the Purchase Order is in an Incomplete, Pending, Declined, Cancelled, or Pending Approval status. To append Items to a Purchase Order that is Approved or In Progress, you must specifically have the “Purchase Orders - Edit Contract Managed Approved PO” user permission.
Creating Bill Credits from Purchase Orders
We’ve introduced a highly efficient way to generate Bill Credits directly from your Purchase Orders, streamlining your accounting by eliminating manual data entry. The system now automatically populates essential details and intelligently tracks credited item quantities, ensuring your records stay accurate. With seamless cross-linking between transactions, managing and auditing your Bill Credits is faster and more transparent than ever.
Editing Fulfilled or Closed Contract Managed Purchase Orders
To maintain accurate records and prevent unintended modifications, we have updated the editing rules for Contract Managed Purchase Orders. If a Purchase Order is in a Fulfilled or Closed status, users will no longer be able to edit the Line Items, even if they have the “Purchase Orders - Edit Contract Managed Approved PO” permission.
- Users with the appropriate permission can still edit other available information on the Purchase Order, excluding the Line Items.
- To add new Line Items or change the quantity of existing Line Items, the Purchase Order status must first be changed back to Approved or In Progress.
Unsaved Changes Warning for Purchase Orders
To prevent accidental data loss and provide added peace of mind, we have introduced an unsaved changes warning to the Purchase Order workspace. If you are actively editing an order and attempt to navigate away or close your browser tab without saving, the system will now intelligently prompt you to confirm your action.
Purchase Order Email Merge Fields
To enhance communication with your Vendors, the Purchase Order Email interface now supports new merge fields for notes. When emailing a Purchase Order, you can utilize the Vendor Notes and Internal Notes merge fields within your email body. This update automates the inclusion of specific instructions or documented comments, ensuring that vital information is communicated seamlessly without manual data entry.
Purchase Order Tracking & Visibility Updates
We have improved the visibility of crucial Purchase Order information directly on the Purchase Order Info page to help your team track progress at a glance, saving you time by reducing the need to click into related transactions or secondary tabs. Key updates include permanently recording the action when you save a Purchase Order as Incomplete within the Audit Log for accurate historical tracking. Additionally, a new billing status label will dynamically display directly on the Purchase Order Info page, so you will immediately see a Billed or Partially Billed status based on the current invoicing status of the Purchase Order.
Enforced Approval Limits on Purchase Order Imports
Restrictions have been added to the Purchase Order import process. If a user imports a Purchase Order that exceeds their established approval limit, the system will automatically set the status to Pending for internal review, regardless of the status provided in the import file.
Guides & User Documentation
Bookmark these new Purchase Order guides for quick access to complete setup and instructions:
Purchase Order Settings
Purchase Order Actions
Purchase Order Management
Standard Purchase Orders & Layout
Billing & Contract Management
Purchase Order Printable Formats
Sales & Inventory
Comprehensive Sales Order History Tracking
Our new Sales Order History page provides complete transparency into your order lifecycles with a detailed chronological record of modifications, accessible via the History button on the Sales Order Info page. This enhancement allows you to track vital status updates, review historical changes to key header fields like Customer PO Number and Target Date, and monitor specific adjustments to Line Items or Item Group configurations. You can also see which Optional Items were selected by Customers, ensuring superior auditability across all stages of the Sales Order. Note that Customer/Internal Notes and Progress Invoicing changes are not currently captured in these snapshots.
Expanded Search Filters for the Sales Order List
We have expanded the search capabilities on your Sales Order List page to help you locate specific transactions faster and with greater precision. You can now utilize two new filters to easily drill down into your active and historical sales data, providing added convenience to your daily administrative operations.
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Customer PO Number: You can now instantly search for and isolate Sales Orders using the exact Customer PO Number provided by your Customers.
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Department: We have brought back the Department filter. This allows you to filter your Sales Order List based on the specific Departments configured at the individual Item level.
Improved Drop-down Menus on Sales Orders
Based on your valuable feedback, we have enhanced the functionality of several drop-down menus (type-aheads) on the Sales Order page to make navigation and selection much smoother. You can now easily scroll through all available options without needing to clear out existing text first, significantly speeding up your data entry process.
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When clicking into a drop-down field, you can immediately scroll through the entire list of available options.
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You retain the ability to type and automatically filter down the results to quickly find a specific entry.
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This time-saving enhancement has been applied to the Order Type, Order Template, Location, Tax, Payment Terms, and Formats fields.
Streamlined Line Item Deletion & Menu UI
We have made a couple of focused interface updates to the Items section on the Sales Order page to prevent accidental clicks and speed up your editing process. Removing unwanted Items is now a one-click process, providing added convenience when adjusting large or complex orders.
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We have increased the vertical spacing between the Delete button and the Menu button on individual Line Items to minimize the chance of accidental misclicks.
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The system no longer requires you to confirm your action when deleting a Line Item. Simply clicking the Delete button will instantly remove the Item from the order.
Optimized Custom Field Layout on Orders
We have optimized how Custom Fields are displayed on your Sales Orders and Purchase Orders to provide a cleaner, more balanced workspace. Previously, Order-level and Type-level Custom Fields were separated into distinct columns, often resulting in inefficient screen utilization. Now, the system automatically alternates these fields across both columns, significantly streamlining your data review process by eliminating wasted space and keeping vital information grouped closely together.
- Balanced Display Pattern: Custom Field sections will now dynamically populate in an alternating left-to-right pattern. The system will always start by displaying your Order-level fields, followed by your Type-level fields, ensuring a perfectly even layout regardless of how many fields you have configured.
- Relocated Toggle Controls: To provide added convenience when navigating lengthy order records, the Expand All and Collapse All controls have been moved to the upper right corner, directly above the Custom Fields section.
- Dynamic Button Logic: The system intelligently adapts these toggles based on your current view. You will only see the Expand All option if all sections are currently closed, only Collapse All if everything is open, and both options simultaneously if you have a mix of expanded and collapsed sections.
Linking Customers & Sales Orders on Item Builds
We’ve introduced a powerful new feature on the Item Build page, allowing you to directly link any Item Build to a specific Customer and their associated Sales Order. This optional link, found just above the Memo field, significantly streamlines your flow by improving traceability, enhancing reporting, and integrating your build transactions with your sales processes. You can choose to link to a Customer, or both a Customer and a Sales Order, and quickly add new Customers as needed. The Customer data from these links is now fully visible for enhanced reporting, including use in search filters for your Transactions List and the Transaction Review Queue. Additionally, all Customer and Sales Order merge fields are now available for use on your Build Formats.
Copy Capability for Inventory Transfers
We have streamlined your inventory management process by introducing the ability to quickly duplicate existing Inventory Transfer transactions. This saves you valuable time and reduces manual data entry when performing routine or recurring stock movements between your Locations.
- When viewing an existing Inventory Transfer, you can now select the Copy option from the Actions menu at the top of the page.
- This instantly generates a new transfer record with identical Item and Location details, which you can then edit or process immediately.
Independent Item Visibility for Invoices
We have updated the visibility logic for Items displayed within the Customer Portal to give you more precise control over your shared billing documents. Previously, if you selected the checkbox on a Sales Order to hide its Items from the Customer Portal, this setting would inadvertently hide those Items on any associated Invoices as well. Now, the Sales Order visibility setting no longer affects your final billing documents. This provides added convenience by ensuring your Customers can always see exactly what they are paying for on their Invoice, even if the initial order details were kept internal.
Striven operates on a quarterly release cycle to ensure high-quality, reliable updates. If you have critical business integrations, please verify they are functioning correctly following the release.
Need help? Submit a ticket or email us at Support@Striven.com.