New Features and Enhancements in SCM Winter 2023
The following new features have been introduced in the Winter 2023 release of SCM.
If you are upgrading from a previous version, see Upgrading to SCM Winter 2023. This provides a summary of the items that have been added for each feature and details of any required upgrade steps.
Enhancements in Purchase Contracts
In this release we have included a number of enhancements in purchase contracts.
Purchase Contract Lightning Page
To make look-ups easier, we have rearranged the fields and summary cards so that they are now grouped by topic in the top section from the Purchase Contract Lightning Page.
Quantity Field
Purchase contract lines and change request lines now include a field to specify quantities. A new field called Quantity has been added to the Purchase Contract Line object so that you can indicate the quantity that you want to include in a contract line. This enables you to use purchase contracts to reflect subscriptions. The quantity that you specify in this field can be used to indicate the quantities to include in the line items of the recurring purchase orders created from a purchase contract.
For more information, see:
Auto-Update of Recurring Purchase Orders Associated with a Contract after Applying a Change Request
The line items of the recurring purchase orders that you create from an active purchase contract are now automatically updated when you modify their associated contract lines by applying a change request. Any changes applied to the Quantity, Unit Cost, or Ship to Warehouse fields of the purchase contract lines are automatically reflected on their associated purchase order line items. The updates are applied to line items on purchase orders with a date of today or in the future. Line items on purchase orders with a date in the past are never updated.
For more information, see:
Reverting the Status of Change Requests
You can now revert to Draft the status of change requests that have already been approved or submitted for approval. To enable you to do this, we've added a new action called Revert Status. This action displays for purchase contracts of type Change Request when they have a status of Approved or Submitted for Approval. The action is also available from the Change Requests related list on purchase contract records.
Fore more information, see Reverting the Status of a Change Request.
Purchase Contract Lines Grid
You can now clone purchase contract lines from the Purchase Contract Lines grid that is available in the Line Items tab of the purchase contract’s Lightning record page. This is possible thanks to the clone button (
) that has been added to the grid's toolbar. Additionally, a confirmation message now displays when you attempt to delete purchase contract lines.
Purchase Contract Lines Related List Columns Field Set
We've added the following updates to the Purchase Contract Lines Related List Columns field set on the Purchase Contract Line object:
- The new Quantity field added to the Purchase Contract Line object is now included in the field set. This means it will be visible by default in the Purchase Contract Lines grid on purchase contract records.
- The following two fields related to the Item Being Procured lookup (Item Master object) are now available for the field set:
- Stocking UOM
- Supplier UOM
Purchase Contract Lines All Column Field Set
The new field set Purchase Contract Lines All Columns now defines the columns that display in the Purchase Contract Lines related list. This field set is based on the columns that display in the Change Request Lines window. When customizing this field set, you must not remove the Unit Cost field.
For more information, see Purchase Contract Fields.
Purchase Contracts Expiring in 60 Days Count Card
We have added this new count card to the SCM Procurement Workspace to display the number of purchase contracts due to expire in less than 60 days. This card also enables you to access the related list view showing the records of those purchase contracts due to expire.
For more information, see SCM Procurement Workspace.
Renewing Purchase Contracts
You can now renew purchase contracts with a status of "Active", "Expired" or a custom status by clicking Create Renewal on records of type Purchase Contract.
The new Renewal Reminder field on the Purchase Contract object enables you to set reminders for the date on which to report that a purchase contract is due for renewal.
In addition, the new list views available from the Purchase Contracts tab let you display a list of records sorted by their due date for renewal or the renewal reminder's due date.
For more information, see Renewing a Purchase Contract.
Editing Purchase Contract Fields
You can now edit the Renewing Reminder and any custom fields in Purchase Contract type records without a change request.
For more information, see Editing a Purchase Contract.
Enhancements in Creating Purchase Contracts from Requisitions
In this release we have continued to improve the creation of purchase contracts from requisitions. We've implemented the following enhancements:
- We've added a lookup field to the Purchase Contract Line object on the Requisition Line Item object. This new field is called "Purchase Contract Line" and links the requisition line items to their corresponding purchase contract lines, helping you to keep track of them. We've also made this new field available for the Requisition Line Item Fields field set on the Requisition Line Item object and added it to the following page layouts:
- Requisition Line Capital Equipment Layout
- Requisition Line Category Layout
- Requisition Line Description Layout
- Requisition Line Item Layout
- We've also added a new value to the Line Status picklist field on the Requisition Line Item object. The new status is called "Placed on a Purchase Contract" and has been included to reflect when a purchase contract line has been created based on the requisition line item. The SCM Acquisition Process Enhancements Feature Console feature has been updated with a new step that you can use to automatically add the new picklist value to the Line Status field for the following requisition line item record types: Description, Capital Equipment, Category, and Item.
Fore more information, see:
- Creating a Purchase Contract from a Requisition
- Requisition Fields
- Enabling the SCM Acquisition Process Enhancements Feature
Enhancements in Purchase Orders
New Purchase Order Reports
To help you track the total number of purchase orders and their cost, we have added the following reports to the SCM Procurement Workspace:
- Suppliers with POs by Category and Year
- Total Spend by Category for This Year
- Top Suppliers by Category for This Year
In addition, we have created a new report, Total Spend without POs, to help you track any spend out of the procurement scope. To use this report, you must:
- Ensure that the SCM Accounting Connector is installed and set up in your org.
- Add the report manually to the SCM Procurement Workspace.
For more information, see Purchase Order Reports .
Enhancements in Recurring Purchase Orders
In this release, we have introduced a number of significant enhancements as well as some minor changes which are aimed at providing you with an enhanced look and feel.
Recurring Purchase Orders with a Status of Approved
When creating a recurring purchase order from either an active purchase contract or an approved purchase order, the new purchase order is now automatically generated with a status of "Approved".
For more information, see:
- Creating a Recurring Purchase Order from an Approved Purchase Order
- Creating a Recurring Purchase Order from an Active Purchase Contract
Specifying a Start Date for the Recurrences
You can now specify a start date for the recurrences when creating recurring purchase orders from a purchase contract. We've added a new field called Recurrence Start Date to the New Recurring Purchase Order window that displays when you use the New Recurring Purchase Order action. This field enables you to indicate the date when you want the first recurrence to be created.
This means that the date that you specify in this field is used to populate the Purchase Order Date field on the first created purchase order. The date on the rest of the purchase orders is then calculated based on this date alongside the recurrence period, recurrence interval, and number of recurrences. In the same way, this start date also determines the dates for the following fields on the purchase order line items: Requested Delivery Date, Supplier Commitment Date, and Supplier Current Promise Date.
For more information, see Creating a Recurring Purchase Order from an Active Purchase Contract.
One-Off Lines
You can now include one-off lines when creating recurring purchase orders from purchase contracts. The lines that you define as one-off are only included in the first created purchase order. This helps you streamline your procurement process by enabling you to easily reflect one-off purchases that are within the terms of your purchase contract.
For more information, see Creating a Recurring Purchase Order from an Active Purchase Contract.
New Custom Permission and Visibility Changes for the New Recurring Purchase Order Action
We have introduced a new custom permission and changed the visibility settings for the New Recurring Purchase Order action on the Purchase Contract Lightning Page. Now, this new custom permission, which is called Create Recurring Purchase Orders from Purchase Contracts, is required to view the action on purchase contract record pages. The custom permission is included in the SCM - Initiate Acquisitions permission set.
For more information, see Creating a Recurring Purchase Order from an Active Purchase Contract.
List View Fields Change for the New Recurring Purchase Order
To help you create recurring purchase orders from an active purchase contract more efficiently, we have changed the layout of the New Recurring Purchase Order window. To achieve this, we have replaced the Information column in the New Recurring Purchase Order window with the following read-only columns:
- Category
- Item
- Description
For more information, see Creating a Recurring Purchase Order from an Active Purchase Contract.
Date Calculation
The purchase order date on recurring purchase orders is now calculated taking into account the recurring settings. Additionally, this date and both, the supplier commitment date and the supplier current promise date on recurring purchase order line items, are validated against the end dates on the associated purchase contract and purchase contract lines.
For more information, see:
Recurring Purchase Order End Date
To provide you with the basic information needed for the amortization process, we have added the End Date field, which displays the end date for a purchase order line item. The End Date field is populated automatically for recurring purchase orders with the last day of each recurrence period. This new field is now also available in the Purchase Order Line Item field set.
For more information, see Purchase Order Fields
Enhancements in Purchase Order Receipts
We have updated this feature to extend its functionality. You can now create receipts for purchase order lines with serialized or lot controlled items when using the Create Receipt action from the Purchase Order Line Items grid.
For more information, see Creating a Purchase Order Receipt.
Enhancements in Receipts
We have redesigned the Receipt in Lightning Experience by including a Receipt Line Items grid. This grid enables you to view receipt line items.
Buttons Added to the Receipt Line Items grid
We have added the Add Documents and Reverse Lines buttons to the grid. For more information, see Receipt Fields.
Receipt Line Item Field Sets
A new field set has been added on the Receipt Line object. For more information, see Receipt Line Field Sets.
Enhancements in the SCM Procurement Workspace
In the Winter 2023 release, we have rearranged the SCM Procurement workspace to help you:
- Track and manage purchases from your suppliers.
- Track the number of records found on corresponding list views, including the total cost of all purchase orders and their category per supplier site.
- Identify the trends, spending, and supplier information.
Alerts
We have improved the layout of the Alerts cards, helping you view important details about your purchase orders.
Counts
In addition to the Approved Requisition Lines Awaiting POs and Purchase Orders Awaiting Approval cards, we have now included the Purchase Contracts Expiring in 60 Days count card.
Standard Report Charts
To help you track your purchases, spending, and suppliers, the standard report charts now include:
- Monthly Purchase Order Trending
- Total Spend by Category for This Year
- Top Suppliers by Category for This Year
- Suppliers with POs by Category and Year
List Views
To help you view the details of your purchase orders, purchase contracts, and requisitions, we have added the following list views:
- Open Purchase Orders - Procurement
- Purchase Contracts
- Requisition Line Items
For more information, see SCM Procurement Workspace.
In addition, we have renamed the following list views:
|
List View |
Object |
New List View Name |
|---|---|---|
|
Active Catalogues - SCM Workspaces |
Supplier Catalogue |
Active Catalogues - Procurement |
|
Active Suppliers - SCM Workspaces |
Supplier Site |
Active Suppliers - Procurement |
|
All - SCM Workspaces |
Purchase Contract |
All - Procurement |
|
Open Purchase Orders - SCM Workspaces |
Purchase Order |
Open Purchase Orders - Procurement |
Enhancements in AP Vouchers
In this release we have redesigned SCM AP Voucher in Lightning Experience to include:
- AP Voucher Line Items Grid
- AP Voucher Line Credit Items Grid
This provides an effective approach to create and manage AP Vouchers and AP Voucher credits. For more information about:
- AP Voucher Line Item fields see AP Voucher Fields.
- AP Voucher Line Credit Item fields see AP Voucher Credit Fields.
Quick Actions Added in AP Voucher Lightning Experience
We have included Match, Receive, Reverse, and Void actions to the AP Voucher Lightning page. For more information, see AP Voucher Fields.
Serial Numbers Field Added to the AP Voucher Line Items Grid
The grid now includes options to add and edit serial numbers through the Serial Numbers field. For more information, see AP Voucher Fields.
Buttons Added to the AP Voucher Line Items Grid
We have added the Add Accounting Line, Add Lines from Purchase Order, and Credit buttons to the grid. For more information, see AP Voucher Fields.
Field Sets for AP Vouchers
New field sets have been added on the AP Voucher Line Items object and AP Voucher Line Credit Items object. For more information, see AP Voucher Line Field Sets and see AP Voucher Line Credit Field Sets.
Action Queues
The Action Queues application now includes a new Receiving tab. You can use this tab to confirm the receipt of the internal inbound transfer requests for the material transfer from one warehouse to another for the same company. We have included an Internal Inbound Transfer grid to the Receiving tab. For more information, see Action Queues Receiving Tab.
Internal Inbound Transfer Field Sets
A new field set has been added on the Action Queue applications Receiving object. For more information, see Shipping Field Sets.
Printing Customer Quotations in Lightning Experience
We have improved the user experience for printing a customer quotation record. The new Print Lightning action enables you to generate a PDF of the customer quotation. If automatic tax calculation using Avalara AvaTax is enabled in your org, tax is automatically calculated for the customer quotation and reflected on the generated PDF.
For more information, see Printing a Customer Quotation and Customer Quotation Fields.
Core Avalara AvaTax Integration
In Winter 2023 we have continued migrating the functionality from the SCM Avalara Connector to SCM Core. The new integration leverages the features available in Foundations, providing you with an enhanced experience when setting up and using the integration.
You can now calculate tax for customer quotations, sales orders, invoices, and credit invoices as part of your order fulfillment process. If you need to remit consumer use tax as part of your acquisitions, you can also calculate tax for purchase orders, AP vouchers, and AP voucher credits.
If you file returns using Avalara, after calculating tax, you can post and commit tax to Avalara for invoices, credit invoices, AP vouchers, and AP voucher credits.
For more information about the integration, see Tax Calculation Using Avalara AvaTax.
If you are using the SCM Avalara Connector extension package, we recommend that you migrate to the new integration. For more information, see Migrating from the SCM Avalara Connector to Core.
Introducing FinancialForce Trailhead: Release Highlights
If you want to learn more about the new features in this release, see the ERP Cloud - Winter 2023 Release Highlights Trailhead module. This module will guide you through the new features in our ERP Cloud products.
Fixes
Fixes are listed on the Known Issues page of the FinancialForce Community. You can access this page from the Community Support Hub. For a brief description of the issues that have been fixed in this version of SCM, see the relevant section of the Known Issues page.
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