Import and Export Line Items When Creating a Shipment for a Purchase Order

This guide provides a clear, step-by-step walkthrough for using the Import/Export Line Items feature when creating a shipment for a Purchase Order (PO).

When to Use This Feature

Use import/export when:

A PO has many line items
Creating a partial shipment
Bulk entering or adjusting quantities
Manual entry would be time-consuming or error-prone

Step-by-Step Walkthrough

Step 1: Create a Shipment from a PO

Navigate to Inventory from the main menu.
Locate and open the relevant Purchase Order.
In the PO window, click Shipment > Create Shipment.
The Shipment Creation screen will load, displaying all available PO line items for allocation.
Confirm the PO and continue with shipment details as needed.

Step 2: Export Line Items

Click Export Items.
The file will automatically download.

Use this file to:

Review PO line items
Enter shipment quantities
Prepare data for bulk upload

Step 3: Update the File

Open the exported file.
Enter the quantities to be shipped for each line item.
Save the file.

Step 4: Import Line Items

Return to the Shipment Creation screen.
Click Import Items.
Upload the completed file.

The system will:

Map line items to the PO
Allocate shipment quantities
Validate quantities automatically

The system will:

Map line items to the PO
Allocate shipment quantities
Validate quantities automatically

If you did not select any PO when mapping the system will Auto-allocate. Below is the detailed explanation:

How Import Auto-Allocation Works

Allocation behavior depends on whether a PO was selected before importing.

Scenario 1: Importing After Selecting a PO

If a PO is selected before importing:

Quantities are allocated directly to that specific PO.
The system validates that quantities do not exceed what remains to be shipped.
If quantities exceed available amounts, validation errors will appear.

Scenario 2: Importing Without Selecting a PO

If items are imported without selecting a PO, the system automatically allocates quantities using an oldest-first method.

Step 1: Finding Eligible POs

The system looks for POs that:

Include the imported SKU
Are active
Still have remaining quantities to be shipped

Step 2: Sorting by Age

Eligible POs are sorted by creation date (oldest first).

Step 3: Filling Orders

The system starts with the oldest PO.
It allocates the quantity needed to complete that PO.
If additional quantity remains, it moves to the next oldest PO.
This continues until:
- The imported quantity is fully allocated, or
- No additional eligible POs remain.