Skip to main content
Master orders (also called standing orders or blanket orders) allow you to manage recurring deliveries for customers who order the same items regularly. Instead of creating individual orders each time, you create one master order and then generate scheduled orders from it as needed.

​
What are Master Orders?

A master order is a template for recurring deliveries that contains:
  • Master Line Items: Items and total quantities ordered over the master order period
  • Customer Information: Which customer and location the master order is for
  • Recurring Schedule: The master order generates multiple individual “scheduled orders”
  • Tracking: Track how much has been ordered vs. shipped across all scheduled orders
Use master orders for customers who order the same items weekly, monthly, or on a regular schedule. This saves time compared to creating individual orders repeatedly.

​
Master Orders vs Regular Orders

FeatureRegular OrderMaster Order
PurposeSingle deliveryMultiple recurring deliveries
Line ItemsSpecific quantities for one orderTotal quantities split across multiple orders
Order GenerationCreated directlyGenerates scheduled orders
Status Flow10 statuses (Initialized → Closed)4 statuses (Open → Closed)
Delivery DateSpecific dateOngoing period

​
Master Order Statuses

Master orders have a simplified status flow:
StatusDescriptionEditable
OpenMaster order is active and can generate scheduled ordersYes
AcknowledgedMaster order terms have been confirmed with customerNo (Read-only)
SubmittedMaster order is submitted for ongoing fulfillmentYes
ClosedMaster order period is complete, no more scheduled ordersNo (Read-only)
Master orders become read-only once they reach Acknowledged or Closed status. You cannot modify master line items or customer information for master orders in these statuses.

​
Creating a Master Order

​
Step 1: Initialize the Master Order

  1. Navigate to Orders in the main menu
  2. Click Create Master Order (or similar button to distinguish from regular orders)
  3. Fill in the master order details:
    • Customer: Select the customer
    • Location: Choose the delivery location
    • PO Number: Customer’s purchase order reference (if applicable)
    • Salesperson: Assign the responsible salesperson
    • Payment Terms: Set or inherit payment terms

​
Step 2: Add Master Line Items

Master line items represent the total quantities across all scheduled orders:
  1. Click Add Line Items
  2. Select items from your catalog
  3. Enter the Ordered Quantity - this is the total across all scheduled orders
  4. Set pricing for each item
  5. Save the line items
The ordered quantity on master line items is the total you expect to deliver across all scheduled orders generated from this master order.

​
Step 3: Set Master Order Status

  • Start with Open status to allow scheduled order creation
  • Move to Acknowledged after confirming with customer
  • Move to Submitted when ready for ongoing fulfillment
  • Move to Closed when the master order period ends

​
Creating Scheduled Orders from Master Orders

Scheduled orders are the actual delivery orders created from the master order:

​
Generating a Scheduled Order

  1. Open the master order
  2. Click Create Scheduled Order or similar action
  3. The system creates a new regular order linked to the master order
  4. Set the specific delivery date for this scheduled order
  5. Add line items from the master order (quantities can be different for each scheduled order)
  6. The scheduled order follows the normal order status flow

​
Tracking Quantities

The master order tracks:
  • Ordered Quantity: Total quantity on the master line item
  • Scheduled Quantity: Sum of quantities on all scheduled orders
  • Shipped Quantity: Sum of quantities actually shipped across all scheduled orders
Watch your quantities! The sum of scheduled order quantities should not exceed the master order’s ordered quantity.

​
Managing Master Orders

​
Viewing Master Orders

Master orders appear in the main order list with a distinct indicator:
  • Look for the orderEntityType or similar field showing “MasterOrder”
  • Filter the order list to show only master orders
  • Master orders and regular orders can be viewed together or separately

​
Updating Master Line Items

You can modify master line items while the master order is Open or Submitted:
  1. Open the master order
  2. Navigate to the line items section
  3. Click Edit on the line item you want to change
  4. Update quantities or pricing
  5. Save your changes
Master orders in Acknowledged or Closed status are read-only and cannot be modified. Once scheduled orders have been created, be careful when modifying master line item quantities, as this doesn’t automatically update existing scheduled orders.

​
Viewing Scheduled Orders

To see all scheduled orders created from a master order:
  1. Open the master order detail view
  2. Navigate to the Scheduled Orders tab
  3. View the complete list of all orders generated from this master order
  4. The list shows:
    • Order number and status
    • Delivery date for each scheduled order
    • Quantities ordered and shipped
    • Link to view each order’s full details
  5. Click on any scheduled order to view or edit its details
The Scheduled Orders list is a quick way to see the fulfillment progress across all deliveries for a master order. You can identify which deliveries are complete and which are still pending.

​
Viewing Linked Orders

In addition to scheduled orders, you may also see a Linked Orders section that shows:
  • Related orders connected through business logic
  • Return orders linked to original purchases
  • Orders that reference this master order
This helps you understand the complete order relationship history.

​
Master Order Workflow

​
Typical Master Order Lifecycle

1. Create Master Order (Open status)
2. Add Master Line Items (total quantities)
3. Confirm with Customer (Acknowledged status)
4. Submit for Fulfillment (Submitted status)
5. Create Scheduled Orders as needed (weekly, monthly, etc.)
6. Track progress (scheduled vs. shipped quantities)
7. Close Master Order when period ends (Closed status)

​
Best Practices

Master Order Best Practices

  • Create master orders for customers with predictable recurring needs
  • Set realistic total quantities based on historical data
  • Generate scheduled orders at regular intervals
  • Monitor scheduled vs. ordered quantities to avoid over-ordering
  • Communicate with customers before generating each scheduled order
  • Close master orders promptly when the period ends

​
Reporting and Tracking

​
Master Order Information

Each master order provides:
  • Master Order Number: Unique identifier for the master order
  • Customer and Location: Who the master order is for
  • Status: Current master order status
  • Created Date: When the master order was created
  • Salesperson: Who manages this master order

​
Quantity Tracking

Monitor quantities across the master order:
  • Line Item Totals: Ordered quantities on master line items
  • Scheduled Order Count: How many scheduled orders have been created
  • Total Scheduled: Sum of all scheduled order quantities
  • Total Shipped: Sum of all shipped quantities
  • Remaining: Ordered minus shipped quantities

​
Common Scenarios

​
Weekly Standing Order

Use Case: Customer orders the same items every week
  1. Create master order with 12-week quantities (e.g., 12 units per item)
  2. Each week, create a scheduled order with that week’s delivery (e.g., 1 unit per item)
  3. Generate 12 scheduled orders total over the 12-week period
  4. Close master order after final delivery

​
Seasonal Bulk Order

Use Case: Customer orders large quantities to be delivered in stages
  1. Create master order with total season quantities (e.g., 1000 units)
  2. Create scheduled orders for each delivery date (e.g., 250 units per delivery)
  3. Track progress as each scheduled order ships
  4. Close master order when all quantities delivered

​
Flexible Recurring Order

Use Case: Customer orders regularly but quantities vary
  1. Create master order with estimated total quantities
  2. Communicate with customer before each scheduled order
  3. Adjust scheduled order quantities based on current needs
  4. Update master order quantities if needed
  5. Close and create new master order for next period

​
Troubleshooting

​
Can’t Create Scheduled Orders

If you can’t create scheduled orders from a master order:
  • Verify the master order is in Open, Acknowledged, or Submitted status
  • Check that you have permission to create orders
  • Ensure the customer and location are still active
  • Try refreshing the page

​
Quantities Don’t Match

If scheduled quantities don’t match the master order:
  • Review all scheduled orders created from the master
  • Check if any scheduled orders were cancelled or deleted
  • Verify that quantities on scheduled orders were entered correctly
  • Consider if the master order quantities need adjustment

​
Master Order is Read-Only

If you can’t edit a master order:
  • Check the master order status (Closed orders can’t be edited)
  • Verify you have appropriate permissions
  • See if the master order has been synchronized with external systems
  • Contact your administrator if issues persist

​
Next Steps