The General Ledger tour is over. With year-end close behind us, the Face-Off moves into Purchasing — the module where your team probably spends more clicks than anywhere else. Round 8 starts at the beginning: entering a purchase order.
A purchase order is a promise: we’ll buy this, from you, at this price. Both Dynamics GP and Business Central handle that promise well. The difference is how much the system fills in for you — and how much you have to know before you start.
How It Works in Dynamics GP: Purchase Order Entry
GP’s purchasing lives in the Purchase Order Processing module — POP, to its friends. Microsoft’s Purchase Order Processing documentation covers standard, drop-ship, and blanket purchase orders. Here’s the standard flow:
- Go to Transactions > Purchasing > Purchase Order Entry.
- Pick the Type — Standard, Drop-Ship, Blanket, or Drop-Ship Blanket.
- Tab through the PO Number field to let GP assign the next number.
- Enter the Vendor ID. If you don’t know it, open the lookup window and hunt for it.
- Enter each line: item number (it needs to exist in Inventory, or you flag it as a non-inventory item), quantity, unit cost, and the site it’s shipping to.
- Save it to a batch or print it. Statuses move from New to Released, then on through Received and Closed.
It’s a dependable process that GP users can fly through from muscle memory. But notice what GP asks of you: the vendor ID, the item numbers, the right document type up front, and a separate window for almost every next step. Power users manage; new hires need a cheat sheet. And if you want approvals, that’s a separate Purchase Order Enhancements feature to set up.
How It Works in Business Central: One Page, Mostly Filled In
BC’s version, from Microsoft’s own procurement quick start:
- Press Alt+Q, type “purchase orders,” and open the list. Click New.
- Start typing the vendor’s name — no ID memorization. Pick the vendor, and BC fills in the address, payment terms, currency, due date, and shipping details from the vendor card.
- On the Lines section, pick a line type — Item, G/L Account, Fixed Asset, Charge, or Comment — then the item and quantity. The cost pulls in from the item card, and totals calculate as you type.
- Choose Print/Send to email the PO to the vendor, or Post when goods arrive.
That mixed line-type list is worth a pause: in BC, one purchase order can hold inventory items, an expense coded straight to a G/L account, and a freight charge — no separate transaction needed. Need the same order as last month? Copy Document pulls a past PO in whole. Selling something you don’t stock? BC can create purchase orders directly from a sales order for the missing quantities. Approval workflows are built in — no add-on. And on the newest wave, Copilot can even match incoming e-invoices to your PO lines automatically.
Every PO line also carries the dimensions we covered in Round 5 — so purchasing data flows straight into department and project reporting without re-keying.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Dynamics GP | Business Central |
|---|
| Feature | Dynamics GP | Business Central |
|---|---|---|
| Where you start | Transactions > Purchasing > Purchase Order Entry | Search “Purchase Orders,” click New |
| Vendor entry | Vendor ID (lookup window if unknown) | Type the vendor’s name; details auto-fill |
| Line types | Inventory or non-inventory items | Item, G/L Account, Fixed Asset, Charge, Comment on one order |
| Reusing an old PO | Copy PO function | Copy Document, plus create POs from sales orders |
| Approvals | Separate PO Enhancements setup | Built-in approval workflows |
| Sending to vendor | Print or Word Template email setup | Print/Send action — email from the order |
| AI assistance | None | Copilot e-invoice matching to PO lines |
| Analysis coding | Account segments | Dimensions on every line |
Why BC Comes Out Ahead
- Less to memorize. Type a vendor name, not an ID. New team members enter their first clean PO on day one, not week three.
- One order, any line. Items, expenses, freight, and notes live on the same document — fewer workarounds, cleaner vendor communication.
- The system does the follow-up. Auto-filled terms, built-in approvals, email from the page, and Copilot matching invoices to lines. GP asks you to remember; BC remembers for you.
- Purchasing feeds reporting. Dimensions on every PO line mean spend-by-department reports without a spreadsheet in between.
Ready for Easier Purchasing?
If your PO process still depends on the one person who knows all the vendor IDs, the Aisling Dynamics team can show you what purchasing looks like when the system carries the load.
Contact us or call (251) 293-0555 for a walkthrough — and come back tomorrow for Round 9, when we receive what we just ordered.