Linking Contacts to Orders

Why Linking Matters

Linking contacts to orders transforms isolated transactions into a connected history. Once a supplier is linked to a purchase order, you can see everything you have bought from them, when, and at what price. Once a customer is linked to a sales order, you can track outstanding payments and see their buying pattern over time.

Linking a Supplier to a Purchase Order

1. Go to Purchase Orders and click Create PO.
2. In the Supplier field, start typing the contact's name. A dropdown will appear with matching contacts of type Supplier or Both.
3. Select the correct contact.
4. Continue filling in the order details — line items, dates, and status.
5. Save the purchase order. It is now linked to that supplier.

If you have not yet created a contact for this supplier, save the order as a draft, create the contact in the Contacts section, then come back and edit the order to add the supplier link.

Linking a Customer to a Sales Order

1. Go to Sales Orders and click Create SO.
2. In the Customer field, type the customer's name and select them from the dropdown.
3. Complete the order — products, quantities, prices, and dates.
4. Save. The order is now linked to that customer contact.

Viewing a Contact's Order History

To see all orders associated with a contact:

1. Open the Contacts section.
2. Find and click the contact's name to open their profile.
3. Scroll to the Order History section. You will see:
   • All purchase orders linked to this supplier, with dates, totals, and statuses
   • All sales orders linked to this customer, with the same detail
4. Click any order in the list to open it directly.

Practical Uses

• Price checking: Before placing a new order with a fragrance oil supplier, open their profile to see what you paid last time and whether prices have changed.
• Outstanding payments: Open a wholesale customer's profile to see which sales orders still have an outstanding balance.
• Supplier comparison: Compare order histories across two leather suppliers to see which one delivers more reliably and at a better price.
• 3D printing filament tracking: Link every filament purchase to your filament supplier contacts so you can see your total spend per supplier over the year.