Create or sync orders
Orders in Silkline can come from one of two sources: 1. synced from an external system, or 2. created in Silkline.
Syncing orders to Silkline
Silkline can be connected to an external system of record like an ERP or MES. Orders in external systems are typically synced in real-time when they are created. For external systems that don't have event-based APIs, orders are synced periodically – typically every 15 minutes.
Creating/editing orders in Silkline
Silklines supports creating orders directly within Silkline. When using Silkline with an external system of record, Silkline can be configured to sync new orders and updates to existing orders back to the external system.
Creating an order
Orders can be created in Silkline in multiple ways:
By clicking the "Create Order" button on the top right of the Orders page
By clicking the "Create Order" button on the top right of the page when viewing a quote
By clicking the "Cut PO" button on a quote when viewing a request
Editing an order
In order to edit an order, the order must be in draft. To edit an order, click the pencil icon next to the order number in the title bar:
Order status
Orders can have the following statuses:
Draft – order is in draft and can be edited
Review – order is in review and cannot be edited unless it is moved back to draft
Approved – order is approved and cannot be edited unless it is moved back to draft
Open – order is released and is ready to send. Note: order must be in the the Open status in order to send to a supplier
Closed – the order is complete (typically once all items are received)
Canceled – the order is cancelled
Currently, the Review and Approved are for tracking purposes only. The values are either determined by external systems or set manually in Silkline. In the future, these values will be automatically updated as a part of Silkline's approval workflow.
Order fields
Order Details Section
Supplier
Required. Select the supplier from the list of suppliers within Silkline. When creating an order from a quote, the supplier is automatically selected and cannot be changed.
Reference Quote Number
Optional. Reference the supplier's quote number for this order. When creating from a quote, this is pre-populated with the supplier's quote number if available.
Order Number
Optional. Specify a custom order number. This field is only editable when your organization has no integrations and has enabled the "Allow Order Number Override" setting. Otherwise, order numbers are automatically assigned. When integrations are enabled, external order numbers are synced from the integrated system.
Change Order
Optional. If this is a significant revision to an existing order, designate a change order number. This field is currently disabled for new orders.
Buyer
Required. Select the buyer for the order. This value will be displayed on the Purchase Order for the supplier.
Requester
Optional. Select the requester for the order. The requester will be automatically enrolled as a follower when the order status is moved to Open.
Tags
Optional. Tags to organize and categorize orders. Tags can be used to filter and group orders for reporting and analysis.
If your organization has configured custom fields for orders, they will appear in the Order Details section. Custom fields allow you to track organization-specific data about orders.
Billing & Shipping Section
Bill To Address
The billing address that appears on the order. This value can be automatically populated with an organization's default billing address. Depending on your organization's settings, this may be a text area or a dropdown selection.
Payment Terms
The payment terms for the order (e.g., NET 30, NET 60, Credit Card). Some organizations require this field. Defaults can be set at the supplier level. Depending on your organization's settings, this may be a text input or a dropdown selection.
Currency
Required. The currency for the order. When creating from a quote, defaults to the quote's currency. When creating from a supplier, defaults to the supplier's default currency. Otherwise, defaults to your organization's base currency.
Ship To Location
Optional. For organizations using structured locations, select the location to ship to. This is an alternative to the Ship To Address field.
Ship To Address
The shipping address that appears on the order. This value can be automatically populated with an organization's default shipping address. For organizations using structured locations, use the Ship To Location field instead. Depending on your organization's settings, this may be a text area or a dropdown selection.
Delivery Terms
The delivery terms (Incoterms) for the order (e.g., FOB Origin, DAP, DDP). Some organizations require this field. Defaults can be set at the supplier level. Depending on your organization's settings, this may be a text input or a dropdown selection.
Delivery Mode
The delivery/shipping mode for the order (e.g., Freight, Air, Ground). Defaults can be set at the supplier level. Depending on your organization's settings, this may be a text input or a dropdown selection.
Line Items
When creating an order from a quote, line items are pre-populated from the selected quote items and appear in a table at the top of the form. When creating an order manually, you can add line items individually.
Line
The line item number. This value can be manually changed but no two line items can have the same value. When lines are deleted, the original numbering is preserved.
Item
The part selected from the Parts library, a free text description, or both. Some organizations require all line items to have a part selected from the library.
Supplier PN
Optional. The supplier's part number or SKU for this item.
Quantity
Required. The quantity ordered for the line item. Unit of Measure is automatically retrieved and displayed from the item master. For items ordered in packages (e.g., boxes, packs), you can add purchase quantity information by clicking the "Purchase Qty" button. See Purchase Quantity below.
Unit Cost
Required. The unit price for the line item. When purchase quantity is used, this represents the cost per individual item and is automatically calculated from the purchase unit cost.
Extended Cost
Read-only. Automatically calculated as Quantity × Unit Cost. This field cannot be edited directly.
Need Date
The need date or contractual delivery date for each line. This value should typically stay constant once an order is confirmed in order to accurately track on-time delivery. When creating from a quote with a linked request and "Use Request Dates" is enabled, this is populated from the request. Otherwise, it's calculated from the quote's lead time. The value can be filled down to all lines by clicking the fill down button
ETA Date
Optional. The expected delivery date for the line item. This can be updated as delivery expectations change, while the Need Date remains constant for accurate on-time delivery tracking. When creating from a quote with a linked request and "Use Request Dates" is enabled, this is calculated from the quote's lead time. The value can be filled down to all lines by clicking the fill down button
Pedigree
Optional. Select the material pedigree or quality/traceability level for this line item (e.g., OEM, Aftermarket, Certified). Only appears if your organization has configured pedigrees. The value can be filled down to all lines by clicking the fill down button
Quality Clauses
Optional. The quality clause(s) that are applicable to the order. When a quality manual is configured for the organization, the full text of applicable quality clauses will automatically appear on the purchase order. The value can be filled down to all lines by clicking the fill down button
Tax Codes
Optional. Tax code(s) to apply to the line item when the Tax Module is enabled. Multiple tax codes can be applied to a single line (e.g., state and local taxes). Tax amounts are calculated automatically based on the line total and the tax rate(s) configured for each code. See Tax Module documentation for more details. The value can be filled down to all lines by clicking the fill down button
Budget
Optional. Assign the line item to a specific budget for tracking purposes. Only appears if your organization has configured budgets. The value can be filled down to all lines by clicking the fill down button
If your organization has configured custom fields for order line items, they will appear as additional columns in the line items table. Custom fields allow you to track organization-specific data about order line items.
Bulk Operations: You can upload a CSV or Excel file to import multiple line items at once. Click the upload icon next to the "Items" label and select your file. Silkline will automatically extract line item data including parts, quantities, and pricing.
Purchase Quantity and Unit of Measure
For items that are ordered in one unit of measure but tracked in another, Silkline supports dual quantity tracking:
When to use Purchase Quantity:
Packaged goods: Items ordered by the box/case but tracked individually (e.g., 5 boxes of 100 bolts each)
Raw materials: Materials sold in one unit but consumed in another (e.g., sheet metal sold in sheets but consumed in square meters)
Bulk materials: Items purchased in large units but used in smaller units (e.g., wire sold in spools but consumed in meters)
Volume conversions: Materials sold by weight but used by volume (e.g., chemicals sold in drums but consumed in liters)
How it works:
Click "Purchase Qty" button in the Quantity column to enable purchase tracking
Enter purchase quantity - The number of units ordered from supplier (e.g., 5 boxes, 10 sheets)
Enter purchase unit of measure - The supplier's unit (e.g., BOX, SHEET, SPOOL)
Enter purchase unit cost - The cost per supplier unit (e.g., $50 per box, $200 per sheet)
Enter item quantity - Manually enter the item quantity OR use the calculator icon to automatically calculate based on a conversion factor (e.g., units per box, square meters per sheet)
Examples:
Packaged goods:
Purchase: 5 BOX @ $50.00/BOX
Item Quantity: 500 EA (manually entered, OR use calculator with conversion factor of 100 units/box: 5 × 100 = 500)
Result: 500 EA @ $0.50/EA (auto-calculated per-unit cost)
Raw materials:
Purchase: 10 SHEET @ $200.00/SHEET
Item Quantity: 25 M² (manually entered, OR use calculator with conversion factor of 2.5 m²/sheet: 10 × 2.5 = 25)
Result: 25 M² @ $80.00/M² (auto-calculated per-meter cost)
Bulk materials:
Purchase: 3 SPOOL @ $150.00/SPOOL
Item Quantity: 1,500 M (manually entered, OR use calculator with conversion factor of 500 m/spool: 3 × 500 = 1,500)
Result: 1,500 M @ $0.30/M (auto-calculated per-meter cost)
Benefits:
Maintains accurate per-consumption-unit costs for inventory valuation
Preserves supplier's packaging/selling unit for receiving and logistics
Simplifies data entry when purchasing in bulk or alternate units
Supports accurate cost calculations for fractional quantities
Handles complex unit conversions automatically
The Unit Cost field becomes read-only and auto-calculated when purchase quantity is used. To manually set unit cost, remove the purchase quantity by clicking the trash icon.
External System Integration: When your organization has an integration with an external system (e.g., ERP, MES), order lines are always synced using the unit of measure defined in the item master.
Summary Section
Tax Calculation
When the Tax Module is enabled, you can specify how taxes should be calculated:
Add Tax: Unit costs are exclusive of tax. Taxes will be added on top of the unit costs based on the tax codes applied to each line item.
Tax Included: Unit costs already include tax (e.g., GST/VAT scenarios). Taxes are informational and won't be added to the total.
Adjustments
Order adjustments are additional charges or credits that apply to the entire order, such as shipping charges, discounts, or other fees.
Description
Required. The description of the adjustment item (e.g., shipping charges, handling fees, discounts, etc.)
Amount
Required. The currency value of the order adjustment. Can be positive (charges) or negative (credits/discounts).
When the Tax Module is enabled, taxes are not entered as manual adjustments. Instead, taxes are applied at the line item level using tax codes, and the totals are automatically calculated and displayed in the Order Summary section. See Tax Module documentation for more details.
NetSuite Integration: Adjustments are not available when your organization has a NetSuite integration enabled, as adjustments are managed within NetSuite.
Notes & Attachments
Memo to Supplier
Optional. Add any additional notes, instructions, or requirements for this order that will be visible to the supplier on the purchase order.
Files
Optional. File attachments that are shared securely when sending the order through Silkline. These file attachments could include additional documentation like an SOW, payment terms, work instructions, part files/drawings, etc.
Internal Notes
Order Rationale
Optional. Explain the rationale for this order, such as business need and supplier selection. This is for internal use only and will not be shared with the supplier. Some organizations require this field.
Terms & Conditions
Terms and conditions are legal terms that appear on the purchase order. They are automatically assigned based on:
Terms configured for the specific supplier (if set)
Your organization's default terms (if supplier-specific terms are not set)
You can modify terms by editing the order after it's created.
Related Records
Quote
Optional. Link the order to a quote. When creating an order from a quote, this is automatically populated and cannot be changed. You can also manually link orders to quotes for reference and traceability.
Requests
Optional. Link the order to one or more requests. When creating an order from a request or a quote linked to a request, this is automatically populated. You can also manually link orders to requests for reference and traceability.
Creating an order from a quote
When creating an order from a quote, the form includes additional features:
Quote Items Selection
At the top of the form, you'll see a table of all items from the quote. Select which items you want to include in the order by checking the boxes next to each item. You can also use the header checkbox to select all items at once.
By default, all quote items are unselected unless you've made prior quote selections in the quote comparison view. Confirm your selections before saving the order, as there is currently no option to add items from a quote once an order is already created.
Fixed Costs / NRE Items
If any quote items have fixed costs (such as setup fees or NRE charges), you'll see an option to "Add line items for fixed costs". When enabled, this creates separate line items for these one-time charges. You can choose to label them as either "NRE" or "Setup" items.
Request Date Mapping
When creating an order from a quote that's linked to a request, you can toggle "Use Need Dates from Request":
When enabled: Need Dates are populated from the request's required dates, and ETA Dates are calculated based on the quoted lead time
When disabled: Need Dates are calculated from the quoted lead time, and ETA Dates are left empty
Last updated