Documentation
Suppliers
Supplier is the shared purchasing business-partner identity used by sourcing, Purchase Orders, Purchase Invoices and Purchase Returns. Maintain it carefully because procurement history depends on a consistent supplier identity.
What Supplier controls
Supplier is not merely a name used on a Purchase Order. It is the shared Business Partner identity used throughout Purchasing, including RFQ supplier selection, Supplier Quotations, Purchase Orders, Purchase Invoices and Purchase Returns.
The reviewed Supplier screen combines core identity, primary-address information, shared Business Partner transaction history and supplier financial context. Keeping one accurate supplier identity makes sourcing, ordering and financial traceability easier to understand.
Screen tabs
| Tab | What it is for | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| General | Maintains Supplier identity, primary location and contact information. | Use for the normal supplier name, website, primary address, phone numbers and email addresses. |
| Transactions | Shows shared Business Partner transaction context for the Supplier. | Use it to review procurement/financial activity associated with this Supplier identity rather than maintaining duplicate history fields in the master. |
| Addresses | Maintains multiple supplier addresses and identifies the primary address. | Use this for registered office, branches, warehouses, billing/dispatch sites or other supplier locations instead of continually overwriting the General address. |
General tab – field reference
| Field | Requirement | Meaning / significance |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier Name | Mandatory | Primary business-partner name used in supplier searches and purchasing documents. This is the only hard validation requirement in the reviewed Supplier form. |
| Established Year | Optional | Reference date/year about when the supplier was established. It does not drive procurement status or accounting. |
| Website URL | Optional | Supplier website reference for buyer/vendor-master use. |
| Address | Optional | Street address of the primary supplier address. It is synchronized into the primary Address row when the Supplier is saved. |
| City | Optional | Primary-address city. |
| State | Optional | Primary-address state/region. |
| Country | Optional | Primary-address country. |
| Postal Code | Optional | Primary-address postal/ZIP code. |
| Phone Numbers | Optional | One or more supplier phone numbers. Enter multiple values separated by commas. |
| Emails | Optional | One or more supplier email addresses. Enter multiple values separated by commas. |
Addresses tab – primary address behavior
A Supplier can contain multiple address rows. One row is treated as Primary. The top-level Address, City, State, Country and Postal Code fields on General represent that primary address.
When the Supplier is saved, the General address values update the primary Address row. If no Address row exists yet, the save payload creates a primary address using the Registered address type. Other active rows are retained as non-primary addresses.
Transactions and financial context
The Transactions tab uses the shared Business Partner transaction view for a SUPPLIER. The Supplier screen also builds shared financial-summary context for the selected supplier.
These views are intended for understanding activity around the supplier identity. They do not replace Purchase Invoice, AP Payment, RFQ or Purchase Order as the source documents for those transactions.
Save, Apply and Close
| Action | What it does | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Save | Validates and saves the Supplier, then returns to the Supplier list. | Use when master maintenance is complete. |
| Apply | Validates and saves but keeps the Supplier open. A newly created Supplier is reopened by its generated ID. | Use when you want to save safely before continuing with Addresses or reviewing related information. |
| Close | Leaves the Supplier screen and returns to the list. | Use when you do not need to save additional changes. |
Recommended supplier-master checklist
- Search for the supplier first to avoid duplicate business-partner identities.
- Use the supplier legal/business name that users will recognize in purchasing documents.
- Maintain at least one reliable phone number or email where operationally useful.
- Keep the primary address current and maintain other supplier sites as separate Address rows.
- Review the Supplier Transactions/financial context before creating a new record merely because a buyer cannot immediately find old activity.
Related pages
Frequently asked questions
What is mandatory when creating a Supplier?
Supplier Name is the hard validation requirement in the reviewed form. Address and contact information are optional technically, but should be maintained where they are operationally needed.
Can one Supplier have multiple addresses?
Yes. Use the Addresses tab. One row is Primary and is reflected by the General address fields.
Why do Transactions appear on the Supplier screen?
Supplier uses shared Business Partner transaction context so users can understand activity associated with the supplier identity without duplicating transaction history in the master.
Can I put several phone numbers or emails in the same Supplier?
Yes. Enter multiple phone numbers or email addresses separated by commas.