Scenario:
The user noticed that some items with open Purchase Orders were still showing 0 in the On Order column on the Order Items page. As a result, NetSuite appeared to recommend reordering items that were already on existing Purchase Orders.
Solution:
This issue commonly occurs when the Purchase Orders do not have the correct inventory location assigned.
The On Order quantity only updates properly when the Purchase Order location matches the inventory location being viewed.
To configure a default Purchase Order location:
- Navigate to:
Setup > Accounting > Preferences > Accounting Preferences - Open the Order Management subtab.
- Locate the field:
- Default Location for Purchase Orders
- Select the primary inventory location.
- Click Save.
Once configured:
- New Purchase Orders will automatically populate the selected location at the transaction header level.
- The location will flow to item lines unless manually overridden.
- On Order quantities will properly reflect on inventory-related pages such as the Order Items page.
This setup is especially important in environments using:
- Multi-Location Inventory
- WMS
- Single-location accounts with location tracking enabled
Additional References:
- SuiteAnswers ID 79350 – Preselect Default Location for All Forms on Purchase Order
- SuiteAnswers ID 71531 – Set Purchase Order Location on Item Receipts by Default
- SuiteAnswers ID 90825 – Default Location on a Line Item of a Sales Order
