DBD: PO Receiving Journal Asterisk
DBD: Purchase Orders - Best Practice: Review PO Receiving Journal For Asterisk
🔵 Overview The following reviews the use of the '*' Asterisk noted on the Purchase Order Receiving Journal to designate if an AP Vendor Invoice was not created during the PO Receiving process.
Sample of a PO Receiving Journal in reviewing the Invoiced information:
Purchase Order Receiving Report — sample with Invoice number Asterisks
- Order 00-028324-1 - Vendor Invoice Number is Blank with an Asterisk. This could mean it was inventory that was PO Received by a warehouse person or any user who does not have access to the Vendor Invoice Number field in the 1st screen of PO Receiving, or it could be a user who has access and didn't enter the vendor invoice.
- Order 00-028325-1 - Vendor Invoice Number with an Asterisk means the Vendor Invoice Number was entered in PO Receiving but was bypassed/exited from during AP Invoice Entry Interface. No Vendor Invoice created.
- Order 00-028326-1 - Vendor Invoice Number with No Asterisk beside it means the Vendor Invoice was entered in PO Receiving and the AP Vendor Invoice Number did get created during PO Receiving/AP Invoice Entry interface.
⚠️ CRITICAL UPDATE NOTE: Even though the Report Total may match the supporting documents, auditing the data entered may reveal it's incorrect — including whether the vendor invoice was created or not. Since sample order 00-028325-1 has a vendor invoice number, one would assume the invoice was created, but it was not, because it has an Asterisk beside it. The PO Receiving is then updated, and the AP Purchase Journal is created, printed, and updated without noticing the vendor invoice is missing.
Resolution
- If the vendor invoice did not get created and is caught before the PO Receiving and Update, go back into PO Receiving, enter the PO, interface with AP Invoice Entry, and add the record/invoice. Reprint the PO Receiving Journal and review — the Asterisk should no longer appear.
- If the PO Receiving Journal was updated without correcting an invoice not created, but a missing invoice was found on the Purchase Journal, the vendor invoice would need to be added manually in AP Invoice Entry in the corresponding Purchase Journal Batch from PO Receiving.
- If the AP Purchase Journal was updated and later an AP Invoice was found not to have been created, or a vendor calls for payment, the invoice would need to be created manually in AP Invoice Entry in a new batch.
Best Practice
Review the PO Receiving Journal and review the vendor invoice field that has an Asterisk on the report. Also, the Vendor invoice total on the receiving journal should match the AP Purchase Journal. If the Purchase Journal does not match, changes were made in AP Invoice Creation, or there's a missing vendor invoice that didn't get created.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What does an Asterisk next to the Vendor Invoice Number mean on the PO Receiving Journal?
A: It means the vendor invoice was not actually created — either because the invoice number field was left blank by a user without access to it, or because it was entered but the AP Invoice Entry Interface was bypassed/exited without creating the invoice.
Q: How do I know a vendor invoice was actually created successfully?
A: The Vendor Invoice Number appears on the report with no Asterisk beside it.
Q: I caught a missing invoice before updating PO Receiving — what do I do?
A: Go back into PO Receiving, enter the PO, interface with AP Invoice Entry, and add the record/invoice. Reprint the PO Receiving Journal — the Asterisk should no longer appear.
Q: I already updated PO Receiving and then noticed the invoice is missing — what now?
A: Add the vendor invoice manually in AP Invoice Entry in the corresponding Purchase Journal Batch from PO Receiving.
Q: The AP Purchase Journal was already updated and an invoice is still missing — what now?
A: Create the invoice manually in AP Invoice Entry in a new batch.
Q: What's the recommended best practice to catch this issue?
A: Review the PO Receiving Journal for any Asterisks next to the vendor invoice field, and confirm the vendor invoice total on the receiving journal matches the AP Purchase Journal — a mismatch signals a missing or altered invoice.
Tags: purchase-orders, po-receiving, ap-invoice, asterisk, best-practice, DB-distributor