web
You’re offline. This is a read only version of the page.
close
Skip to main content
Community site session details

Community site session details

Session Id :
Dynamics 365 Community / Forums / Small and medium business | Business Central, N... / Lead Time on PO - Calc...
Small and medium business | Business Central, N...
Suggested answer

Lead Time on PO - Calculation Direction

(5) ShareShare
ReportReport
Posted on by Juliem 373
Hi,
 
Where do we define if we want to use Forward Calculation instead of Backward when calculating dates from Lead Time on Purchase Order?
 
 
When entering a new PO line, the system uses backward calculation, back dating the order date of the line. Is there a way to use Foward Calculation automatically?
 
-Julie
Categories:
Dynamics 365 Business Central
I have the same question (0)
  • Suggested answer
    Alex A Profile Picture
    Alex A 2,801 on at
    Lead Time on PO - Calculation Direction
    The formula is used to calculate dates based on either the Requested Receipt Date (backward) or Order Date (forward), depending on which is populated.

    If you don’t enter a Requested Receipt Date, Business Central will calculate the Expected Receipt Date by adding lead time to the Order Date. This makes for the forward calculation. So, don't enter a Requested Receipt Date if you want forward logic to apply.

    Please mark the answer if it helps.
  • Juliem Profile Picture
    Juliem 373 on at
    Lead Time on PO - Calculation Direction
    Requested Receipt Date is blank on both header and line.
    The system still calculates it backward after entering the item no.
    Cronus database, no custom extension
     
  • Suggested answer
    Alex A Profile Picture
    Alex A 2,801 on at
    Lead Time on PO - Calculation Direction
    Hello,
     
    Thank you for the response.  In your example, the system is now calculating the Expected Receipt Date Forward from the Order Date.
     
    Order Date      Starting point for forward calculation
    Lead Time Calculation      Date formula (e.g., 1W, 6D) added to Order Date
    Expected Receipt Date      Result of Order Date + Lead Time
    Planned Receipt Date      Often matches Expected Receipt Date unless modified by planning parameters


    If you leave the Requested Receipt Date blank, Business Central doesn’t use it at all in the calculation. Instead, it shifts to forward calculation and uses the Expected Receipt Date:
    - Order Date as the starting point
    - Lead Time Calculation from the Item or Vendor Card
    - Resulting in a calculated Expected Receipt Date

    * They system basically says, "I don’t have a target receipt date, so I’ll start from the Order Date and add lead time forward." It is a little confusing because there are like 4 fields ending in "..Receipt Date".
     


    Regards,



    Please mark the answer if it helps.
     
  • Suggested answer
    Alex A Profile Picture
    Alex A 2,801 on at
    Lead Time on PO - Calculation Direction
     
    Here is some more info to help:
     
     
    Field Name Description
    Requested Receipt Date The date you want the items delivered. If populated, triggers backward calculation.
    Expected Receipt Date System-calculated date based on Order Date + Lead Time (used in forward calculation if Requested Receipt Date is blank).
    Promised Receipt Date The date your vendor has committed to deliver the items.
    Planned Receipt Date Used in planning scenarios; may reflect expected supply timing from planning worksheets or requisitions.
  • Juliem Profile Picture
    Juliem 373 on at
    Lead Time on PO - Calculation Direction
    Maybe my screenshot is misleading.
    The actual order date is 4/5/2025 on the header and requested receipt date is blank
    When I add the item on the line that has a 5D lead time, the system does a backward calculation of the line order date and sets it as 3/31/2025
    It doesn't do a forward calculation of the expected receipt date based on the order date
  • Suggested answer
    YUN ZHU Profile Picture
    YUN ZHU 94,416 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at
    Lead Time on PO - Calculation Direction
    Hi, Although the information is a bit old, I hope it can give you some hints.
     
    Thanks.
    ZHU
  • Suggested answer
    Alex A Profile Picture
    Alex A 2,801 on at
    Lead Time on PO - Calculation Direction
    Hello,

    Yes, full sized screenshots are always best, but a lot of times we have to work through steps to a conclusion.
     
    This sounds like an old classic NAV quirk...
     
    The Purchase Line table is defaulting to backward calculation because something in the setup isn't airtight; certain date fields are missing, or a lead time is present.
     
    *In summary, BC is performing a backward calculation on the line Order Date because certain planning fields are triggered, which results in 3/31/2025 instead of it using the Header Order Date (4/5/2025) with forward logic.

    **Check the lead Time Calculation fields found on either the:
     - Item Card => Item."Lead Time Calculation”
     - Vendor/Item Cross Reference => Item Vendor.“Lead Time Calculation”
     
    **Look for a date formula somewhere (e.g., 5D, 2W) that tells Business Central how many days or weeks to add or subtract when calculating receipt dates.
     
    **Check the vendor card, item setup, or planning parameters.
     
    => BC sees a target date coming from setup somewhere and is calculating backward from it.
     
     
     
     
     
    Regards,

     
  • Suggested answer
    Alex A Profile Picture
    Alex A 2,801 on at
    Lead Time on PO - Calculation Direction
     
    You can do this in the meantime as a workaround, until you find the setup that is causing it:

    Step 1: Check the PO Header:
     - Order Date (Header) => Make sure this is your actual order date (e.g. 4/5/2025).
     - Requested Receipt Date (Header) => Keep this blank to avoid triggering backward logic.
     
    Step 2: Enter the Line (with manual checks):
     - Enter the item on the line.
     - Immediately check the Line Order Date:
       - If it auto-calculates backward (e.g., 3/31/2025), manually override it to match the Header Order Date (e.g., 4/5/2025).
     - Leave Requested Receipt Date (Line) blank.
     - Expected Receipt Date (Line) should now calculate forward using:
       - Line Order Date + Lead Time Calculation (from Item or Vendor)
     
    Step 3: Confirm:
    Line Order Date equals Header Order Date
    Expected Receipt Date equals Order Date + Lead Time
     
     
  • Suggested answer
    Nimsara Jayathilaka. Profile Picture
    Nimsara Jayathilaka. 4,830 on at
    Lead Time on PO - Calculation Direction
    Hi
     
    By default, Business Central uses backward calculation for purchase orders
    There’s no setup option to make forward calculation automatic.

    If you want to use forward calculation (order date + lead time = receipt date), you must trigger it manually or handle it via a custom extension.
     
    Nimsara-
  • Suggested answer
    Rishabh Kanaskar Profile Picture
    Rishabh Kanaskar 5,672 on at
    Lead Time on PO - Calculation Direction
    Hi,
     
    Business Central uses Backward Calculation by default when the requested receipt date is blank. To use Forward Calculation, you need to set the calculation direction in the Planning Parameters:
    > Go to the Planning Worksheet or Requisition Worksheet setup.
    > In the Calculate Plan or Planning Parameters, set Forward Calculation as the direction.
    > For purchase orders created manually, Business Central does not automatically apply forward calculation unless you specify a Requested Receipt Date. If that date is blank, the system calculates backward from the work date.
     
    There is no global setting for forward calculation on PO lines; it’s driven by the presence of the requested receipt date or planning setup.
     
    Thanks
    Rishabh

Under review

Thank you for your reply! To ensure a great experience for everyone, your content is awaiting approval by our Community Managers. Please check back later.

Helpful resources

Quick Links

Responsible AI policies

As AI tools become more common, we’re introducing a Responsible AI Use…

Pallavi Phade – Community Spotlight

We are honored to recognize Pallavi Phade as our Community Spotlight honoree for…

Congratulations to the October Top 10 Community Leaders!

These are the community rock stars!

Leaderboard > Small and medium business | Business Central, NAV, RMS

#1
OussamaSabbouh Profile Picture

OussamaSabbouh 2,915

#2
Jainam M. Kothari Profile Picture

Jainam M. Kothari 2,011 Super User 2025 Season 2

#3
YUN ZHU Profile Picture

YUN ZHU 1,989 Super User 2025 Season 2

Last 30 days Overall leaderboard

Featured topics

Product updates

Dynamics 365 release plans