Raising a purchase order means writing down what you are buying, from whom and at what price and getting sign-off before you order. What is purchase order?
Before you start
- Purchasing authorisation
- Release procedure or flexible workflow for purchase orders
The S/4HANA way
Where to find it: Manage Purchase Orders, or Create Purchase Order (ME21N); release in Release Purchase Order (ME29N)
- Enter the supplier, items and prices.
- Save. If a release strategy applies, the PO waits for release.
- The person with the release code opens ME29N, then chooses Release or Reject on the Release Strategy tab.
- A rejected PO goes back to the buyer, who cancels the rejection in ME22N.
Limits in S/4HANA
- A release strategy must be defined in Customizing for Purchasing.
- Flexible workflow for purchase orders is another route (Manage Workflows for Purchase Orders).
The Pulsify way
- Raise and approve the purchase order in S/4HANA as usual.
- When the invoice arrives, Pulsify links it to the purchase order and matches the lines.
- Differences in quantity or price are flagged for review before approval.
Pulsify connects to S/4HANA. We set up the connection for you.
What Pulsify does not do here
- Raising and creating POs in Pulsify works with Xero only today. For S/4HANA, Pulsify matches bills to the POs you raise there.
Common mistakes
- Sending the PO to the supplier while it is still waiting for release.
- Expecting a rejected PO to move on without the buyer cancelling the rejection in ME22N.
More help
- How to raise a purchase order and get it approved in Dynamics 365 Finance
- How to raise a purchase order and get it approved in Kinetic
- How to raise a purchase order and get it approved in IFS Cloud
- How to match a supplier invoice to a purchase order in S/4HANA
- How to handle a partial delivery against a purchase order in S/4HANA
- How to set up supplier invoice approval in S/4HANA
- All S/4HANA how-to guides
- Pulsify setup guides
Sources
Last checked 2026-10-19. Confidence: confirmed.
Common questions
How does purchase order release work in SAP?
Save the PO. If a release strategy applies, it waits for release. The person with the release code opens ME29N, then chooses Release or Reject on the Release Strategy tab.
What happens to a rejected PO?
It goes back to the buyer, who cancels the rejection in ME22N.
What has to be set up first?
A release strategy defined in Customizing for Purchasing. Flexible workflow for purchase orders (Manage Workflows for Purchase Orders) is another route.
Does Pulsify email the PO to the supplier?
No. Send the approved PO yourself.
Pulsify setup guides
Want this done for you?
Book a call to see how Pulsify handles supplier bills in S/4HANA.