HOW-TO

How to handle a partial delivery against a purchase order in SAP B1

Short answer

In SAP B1, keep the purchase order open, check each A/P invoice against what has been billed so far and close the purchase order only when the last delivery is invoiced.

Last checked

A partial delivery is when a supplier delivers and bills only part of a purchase order, so the PO stays open with a balance.

Before you start

  • Goods receipt PO per delivery

The SAP B1 way

Where to find it: Goods Receipt PO > Copy From > Purchase Order

  1. Open Goods Receipt PO. Choose Copy From and pick the Purchase Order.
  2. Change the quantity on each line to what arrived on this delivery.
  3. Add the goods receipt PO. The order stays open for the rest.
  4. Repeat for each later delivery until all items are copied.
  5. Copy the goods receipt PO (or the order) to an A/P invoice when the supplier bills.

Limits in SAP B1

  • A purchase order does not change the accounts. It adds to the available inventory quantity. The goods receipt PO raises the actual quantity.

Good to know in SAP B1

  • The Purchase Analysis by Items report (Purchasing - A/P > Purchasing Reports > Purchase Analysis > Items) shows open quantities only. A part-copied order is listed with its remaining open quantity for deliveries or invoices. A closed or fully copied order shows zero.
  • Choose Purchase Order, Goods Receipt PO or A/P Invoices as the document type in that report. Cancelled orders are left out. A goods return counts under Goods Receipt PO and lowers the purchased amount.
  • Copy rules: a Purchase Order can copy to a Goods Receipt PO or an A/P Invoice. A Goods Receipt PO can copy to an A/P Invoice or a Goods Return.
  • If you make an A/P invoice with no goods receipt PO behind it, the invoice also raises stock quantity.

Words SAP B1 uses

  • Goods receipt PO. The document that records goods arriving against a PO.
  • Copy From. Button that creates a new document from an earlier one, such as an invoice from a PO.

The Pulsify way

  1. Sync your open POs from SAP B1 to Pulsify.
  2. Forward each A/P invoice. Pulsify links it to the purchase order and matches lines on quantity and unit price.
  3. Pulsify shows how much of the purchase order is claimed, what this A/P invoice adds and what is left.
  4. Pulsify flags a line that bills more than what is left on the purchase order.
  5. Approve. The A/P invoice is created in SAP B1 against the purchase order.

Pulsify connects to SAP B1. We set up the connection for you.

What Pulsify does not do here

  • Pulsify matches to within 1 cent and has no tolerance setting.
  • A lower quantity than the purchase order line is not flagged, because partial delivery is normal.

Common mistakes

  • Leaving the full ordered quantity on the goods receipt and receiving stock that has not arrived.
  • Not checking Purchase Analysis, so a part-filled order sits open for months.

More help

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-19. Confidence: confirmed.

Common questions

What happens to the PO after a part delivery?

Copy the PO into a goods receipt PO and change the quantity to what arrived. The PO stays open for the rest. SAP says open documents stay open until all items are copied.

How do I see what is still open on an order?

Purchase Analysis lists partly copied orders with the remaining open quantities.

Do I need one goods receipt for each delivery?

Yes. Each delivery gets its own goods receipt PO copied from the order, so every delivery docket has a matching record.

Does Pulsify handle partial deliveries?

Yes. It tracks the PO balance across invoices and flags a line that goes over what is left.

Pulsify setup guides

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