Minimum Version Required: 25.01
Pre-Conditions
You have access to the relevant database or system containing invoice and customer history information.
You have the invoice number of the impacted invoice.
You have identified a specific product on the invoice that is experiencing a backorder issue.
Steps
1. Navigate to the Invoices table and select the invoice.2. Click the Data tab at the top.3. Click Subtables -> Invoice Transactions4. Take note of the key Invoice Transaction Fields for the backordered Product:Num units: The quantity of the product that was delivered on this invoice.Backorder: The quantity of the product that was backordered on this specific invoice line item.Ordered: The total quantity of the product that was ordered at the time the truck was loaded (this is equal to Num units + the total backorder at that time).5. Navigate to Customer History table using the Universal Search bar.6. Filter to the Customer and Product you are investigating.7. Review Customer History Fields:Date array: This field contains a history of dates related to backorder events for this product and customer.Backorder array: This field contains a history of backorder quantities associated with the dates in the date array.Backorder: The current total backordered quantity for this product for this customer.Backfill: The quantity of the product that has been backfilled (shipped to fulfill a previous backorder).Backorder date: The date the most recent backorder was placed or updated.8. Investigate Reason Codes on the impacted invoice:Note the Reason Code associated with the backordered Product.9. Navigate to the Reasons table. 10. Filter to the noted Reason code.11. Check the value of the Autobackorder field. A value of True indicates the system automatically backordered the item based on the Reason code.
Fields And Definitions
Num Units (Invoice Transactions) - The quantity of a specific product that was delivered to the customer on the particular invoice.
Backorder (Invoice Transactions) - The quantity of a specific product that was not delivered on the invoice and was marked as backordered (on that specific invoice line item).
Ordered (Invoice Transactions) - The total quantity of a specific product that the customer ordered on the invoice line item at the time the order was processed for shipment. Calculated as Num units + Total backorder at that time.
Date Array (Customer History) -History of dates associated with backorder events for a specific product and customer.
Backorder Array (Customer History) - Backorder quantities for the dates recorded in the Date array for a specific product and customer.
Backorder (Customer History) - The current total quantity of a specific product that is backordered for a particular customer across all open backorders. This is often calculated by summing the 'Backorder' field from relevant invoice transactions.
Backfill (Customer History) - The total quantity of a specific product that has been shipped to the customer to fulfill previous backorders.
Backorder Date (Customer History) - The date when the most recent backorder was placed or when an existing backorder's date was updated (e.g., when a new invoice with a backorder for the same product was created).
Reason Code (Invoice Transactions) - A code assigned to a product line item on the invoice that explains why a certain action (like a backorder) occurred.
Autobackorder (Reasons Table) - A field in the reasons table (associated with reason codes) that indicates whether the system automatically initiates a backorder based on that specific reason code (true or false).
Out of stock flag - An indicator that appears when the ordered quantity on an invoice transaction is greater than the number of units delivered (invoicetrans.ordered > Invoicetrans.num units).
Backorder expired - An indicator that appears when the number of units delivered on an invoice transaction is zero, and the backordered quantity on that transaction is less than zero (invoicetrans.num units = 0 and invoicetrans.backorder < 0). This likely indicates a backorder that was not fulfilled and potentially canceled or expired.
Backfilled - An indicator that appears when the number of units delivered on an invoice transaction is greater than zero, and the backordered quantity on that transaction is less than zero (invoicetrans.num units > 0 and invoicetrans.backorder < 0). This suggests that some of the backordered quantity was subsequently fulfilled on the same invoice or a later shipment.
Best Practices
Focus on One Product at a Time: When troubleshooting, isolate the issue by focusing on a single problematic product on the invoice.
Document Your Findings: Keep a record of the values you observe in each field during your troubleshooting process.
Understand the Data Relationships: Recognize that invoice transaction data provides a snapshot of the order at the time of invoicing, while the customer history table maintains a running total of backorders for a customer and product.
Consider the Timing of End-of-Day Processes: Remember that backorders on the customer history table do not expire until the end-of-day process is run for the backorder expiration date.