I would like to configure Business Central so that when a Purchase Order is created from a Sales Order (using the Actions menu), both documents share the same order number.
Currently, I am using separate number series with the same format (e.g., OR-10001 to OR-99999) for Sales Orders and Purchase Orders. However, when generating a purchase order from a sales order, the system does not allow me to manually assign the purchase order number — it always auto-generates a different one.
Is there a recommended way to:
Automatically assign the same number to the Purchase Order that was used on the originating Sales Order?
Or manually override the number when creating the PO from SO?
Any guidance or best practices on achieving this synchronization would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Good morning, afternoon, or evening depending on your location :) Hope you are well today! By default, Business Central does not allow the same number to be used for both Sales Orders and Purchase Orders, even if the number series format is identical. This is because each document type is tied to its own number series, and the system auto-generates the number when creating a Purchase Order from a Sales Order. Options to Achieve Matching Sales and Purchase Order Numbers 1. Custom Development (Recommended) To automatically assign the Sales Order number to the generated Purchase Order, you would need a custom extension that:
Captures the Sales Order number during the PO creation process.
Overrides the default number series behavior for Purchase Orders.
Assigns the Sales Order number to the new Purchase Order, assuming it doesn’t conflict with existing POs.
⚠️ This requires development in AL and careful handling to avoid number conflicts or posting issues. 2. Manual Number Entry (Limited) Business Central does not allow manual number entry for POs created via the “Create Purchase Order” action unless:
The Purchase Order number series is configured to allow manual numbering.
You disable automatic number assignment temporarily (not recommended for production environments).
3. Shared Number Series (Not Supported Natively)
Even if both Sales and Purchase Orders use the same number format (e.g., OR-10001), Business Central does not support sharing a number series across different document types out of the box.
Best Practice If matching numbers are critical for your process (e.g., for traceability or integration with external systems), the best approach is to:
Create a custom extension that links the Sales Order and Purchase Order with the same number.
Or, store the originating Sales Order number in a custom field on the Purchase Order for reference, while keeping separate number series.
Note: I collaborated with Copilot to help craft this response for clarity and completeness. Hope this helps some!
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