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Overview

This example demonstrates a comprehensive data definition for extracting data from purchase orders (POs). It covers buyer information, vendor details, line items, shipping, pricing, and approval workflows for procurement management systems.

Use Cases

  • Procurement Automation: Extract PO data for automated order processing
  • Vendor Management: Track vendor performance and order history
  • Inventory Management: Capture ordered quantities for inventory planning
  • Accounts Payable: Match POs with invoices for three-way matching
  • Spend Analytics: Analyze purchasing patterns and spending by category
  • Compliance Tracking: Ensure orders follow approval policies and budgets

Complete Data Definition Structure

YAML Configuration

Key Features

Comprehensive Header Information

  • PO Identification: Number, date, revision tracking
  • Reference Numbers: Requisition, project codes, department tracking
  • Buyer Information: Purchasing agent, cost center allocation

Complete Party Details

  • Buyer/Company: Issuing organization information
  • Vendor/Supplier: Complete vendor details and contacts
  • Ship To: Delivery destination with instructions
  • Bill To: Invoicing destination for AP processing

Detailed Line Items

  • Product Information: Item codes, descriptions, quantities
  • Pricing: Unit prices, discounts, calculated totals
  • Allocation: GL accounts, delivery dates per line
  • Flexible UOM: Support for various units of measure

Shipping and Logistics

  • Shipping Methods: Ground, express, overnight, freight, pickup
  • Shipping Terms: FOB origin/destination, prepaid, collect
  • Carrier Details: Carrier name, account numbers
  • Costs: Shipping and handling fee tracking

Financial Management

  • Payment Terms: Net 30, 2/10 Net 30, etc.
  • Payment Methods: Check, ACH, credit card, purchase card
  • Currency Support: Multi-currency handling
  • Tax Calculation: Automatic tax computation on subtotal + shipping

Automated Calculations

  • Line Totals: Quantity × Unit Price
  • Discounts: Percentage-based discounts calculated automatically
  • Net Totals: Line totals after discounts
  • Subtotal: Sum of all line items
  • Tax: Calculated on subtotal + shipping
  • Grand Total: Complete PO amount

Approval Workflow

  • Approval Tracking: Who approved and when
  • Signature Verification: Ensure authorized signatures
  • Budget Codes: Track authorization codes
  • Dynamic Approval Levels: Based on PO amount (Supervisor < 10k,Manager<10k, Manager < 50k, Executive ≥ $50k)

Status Tracking

  • Lifecycle Management: Draft → Approved → Sent → Received → Closed
  • Vendor Communication: Track confirmation numbers and delivery estimates
  • Internal Notes: Capture tracking and follow-up information

Validation Strategy

Critical Validations (Non-overridable)

Quality Checks (Overridable)

Conditional Business Rules

Conditional Formatting

Provides visual indicators for:
  • High-value orders (> $50k) - Gold highlight
  • Urgent delivery (< 7 days) - Orange warning
  • Overdue delivery - Red alert
  • Pending approval - Blue information
  • Cancelled orders - Red indicator
  • Fully received - Green success
  • Missing approval (large orders) - Red warning
  • Large orders (> 10 line items) - Purple indicator

Usage Tips

For Procurement Teams

  1. Use po_header fields for order tracking and management
  2. Monitor status.po_status for lifecycle management
  3. Track approval information for compliance
  4. Use totals.total_amount for spend analysis

For Accounts Payable

  1. Extract vendor and bill_to information for invoice matching
  2. Use payment terms for payment scheduling
  3. Verify totals match invoice amounts (three-way matching)
  4. Track po_number for invoice-to-PO reconciliation

For Receiving/Warehouse

  1. Focus on ship_to information for delivery routing
  2. Use line_items for receiving verification
  3. Track shipping.delivery_instructions for special handling
  4. Monitor po_header.required_by_date for prioritization

For Finance Teams

  1. Extract line_items.gl_account for accounting allocation
  2. Use department and project_code for cost center reporting
  3. Track totals for budget monitoring
  4. Monitor approval levels for spend compliance

Best Practices

  1. Always Extract Complete Line Items: Quantity, unit price, and description are critical
  2. Calculate Totals with Formulas: Use FORMULA type for line totals, subtotals, tax, and grand total
  3. Track Approval Workflow: Capture approver, date, and signature for audit trail
  4. Validate Financial Data: Ensure quantities and prices are positive, totals are accurate
  5. Monitor Delivery Dates: Flag urgent and overdue orders for priority handling
  6. Support Multiple Addresses: Ship To may differ from Bill To or Buyer address
  7. Handle Revisions: Track original PO numbers when processing amendments
  8. Capture Special Instructions: Delivery, packaging, and handling notes are important
  9. Link to Requisitions: Trace POs back to original purchase requests
  10. Enable Three-Way Matching: Structure data to match PO → Receipt → Invoice

Integration Examples

ERP/Procurement System

Accounts Payable System

Inventory Management System

Spend Analytics Platform