Delivery Notes
Package: BILLING
1. General
The Delivery Notes module is used to represent deliveries – in particular partial deliveries. Delivered quantities are recorded at the line-item level in the triggering module.
A sales order comprises 10 units of a product, of which 6 units are initially available. From within the sales order, a delivery note is created with the Delivery type Partial delivery and a Delivery quantity of 6. The truck icon at the line item changes from black to green as soon as the remaining quantity has been fully delivered with a further delivery note.
All ordered line items of a sales order are in stock. A delivery note is created from the sales order with the Delivery type Complete delivery – the delivery quantities are filled in automatically. After the delivery, the invoice is created directly from the delivery note via the New invoice action.
This section describes only the special fields and functionalities of the module, as all general brainX functionalities are described elsewhere in the handbook.
2. List View
The list view in the Delivery Notes module offers the usual functionalities of a list view. For more detailed information, see the section Layout/Structure - List View.
2.1. Actions
In the list view, general actions are available – depending on the module. An overview and description of all general actions can be found in the section Actions (List View).
Module-specific actions are not available in this module.
3. Detail View
3.1. Fields
The following table describes mandatory fields as well as fields whose function is not self-evident. All other fields are self-explanatory.
Basic Data block
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Title * | Name of the delivery note |
| Delivery date * | Date of the delivery |
| Status * | Current processing status of the delivery note |
*Mandatory field
Line Items block - Basic settings
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Delivery type |
|
Line Items block
In the Line Items block, products or licenses are added and, if required, assigned to line-item groups. The basic functions correspond to those of the product block – see Product block in Billing modules.
Display of linked delivery notes
For each line item, the Truck icon is displayed next to the Quantity in stock field, provided that further delivery notes exist for the opened record. The icon appears in the Delivery Notes, Deals and Sales Orders modules.
- Icon black → Only a partial quantity has been delivered so far
- Icon green → The entire quantity has been delivered
After clicking the icon, a popup opens showing all linked delivery notes for the current record.
3.2. Actions
The following actions are available in the detail view:
3.2.1. General actions
- PDF Export
- Recommend
- Copy
- Delete
- Change tracking
For detailed information on the actions, see the section Actions (Detail View).
3.2.2. Module-specific actions
| Action | Prerequisite | Functionality |
|---|---|---|
| New invoice | – | Creates a new invoice and links it to the delivery note |
| Set status to "Cancelled" | – | Sets the status of the delivery note to Cancelled |
| Create return | – | Creates a return based on the delivery note |
| New email | Configured email account | Opens the email editor with reference to the delivery note |
3.3. Creating a Delivery Note
A new delivery note can be created in the following ways:
- Delivery Notes module → Create delivery note button or the Create action in the navigation bar
- Deals module → Create delivery note action in the detail view
- Sales Orders module → Create delivery note action in the detail view
The "Create delivery note" action in the Deals and Sales Orders modules is only available if it has the status active for the respective module in Module Management under Layout - Configure Links.
3.3.1. Creating from the Delivery Notes module
The create view is opened via the Create delivery note button or the Create action in the navigation bar. In addition to the basic data, the Delivery type must be set in Line Items – Basic settings, and at least one product or one license must be selected in the Line Items block.
3.3.2. Creating from the Deals module
After clicking the Create delivery note action, a popup opens. Fields such as organization, contact and line items are automatically taken over from the deal. In the popup, line-item groups, line items, stock quantity, ordered quantity as well as already delivered/reserved quantities are displayed.
For a Partial delivery, the desired Delivery quantity must be entered manually. For a Complete delivery, the quantity not yet delivered is entered automatically and the Delivery quantity field is locked.
3.3.3. Creating from the Sales Orders module
The procedure corresponds to that of Creating from the Deals module – fields are taken over from the sales order, and the behaviour for partial and complete deliveries is identical.
3.4. Deleting a Delivery Note
A record in the Delivery Notes module is removed from the database immediately and permanently upon deletion – it is not moved to the [Recycle Bin]() and cannot be restored.
4. Practical Examples
1 – Documenting a partial delivery for a sales order
A sales order for 10 units of a product is received, but initially only 6 units are available in stock. A delivery note is created from the sales order via the Create delivery note action. In the popup, the Delivery type is set to Partial delivery and the Delivery quantity is entered manually as 6. All other fields – organization, contact and line items – are automatically taken over from the sales order.
After saving, the truck icon at the line item in the sales order shows black to indicate that a remaining quantity is still open. As soon as the remaining 4 units are available for delivery, a second delivery note is created with the Delivery type Partial delivery and the remaining quantity of 4. The truck icon then changes to green – the total quantity has been fully delivered.
2 – Complete delivery with immediately following invoicing
All ordered line items of a sales order are in stock. A delivery note with the Delivery type Complete delivery is created from the sales order via the Create delivery note action. The delivery quantities are filled in automatically and the Delivery quantity field is locked. After saving, the delivery note is exported as a PDF and sent to the customer by email.
Afterwards, the invoice is created directly from the delivery note via the module-specific New invoice action and linked to the delivery note. In this way, the entire process – sales order, delivery and invoice – is seamlessly connected.
3 – Creating a return based on a delivery note
A customer reports that two of the delivered products arrived damaged and are to be returned. In the detail view of the corresponding delivery note, a return record is created via the module-specific Create return action, which is automatically linked to the delivery note.
The returned line items and quantities are recorded in the return record. The original delivery note remains unchanged; the return documents the return process separately and in a fully traceable manner.
5. Frequently Asked Questions
What do the colours of the truck icon at a line item mean?
The black truck icon indicates that so far only a partial quantity of the ordered quantity has been delivered. The green icon signals that the total quantity has been fully delivered via one or more delivery notes. After clicking the icon, a popup opens showing all linked delivery notes for the respective record.
What is the difference between "Partial delivery" and "Complete delivery"?
With a Partial delivery, the Delivery quantity is entered manually – so any partial quantity of the ordered line items can be delivered. With a Complete delivery, the remaining quantity not yet delivered is entered automatically and the Delivery quantity field can no longer be edited.
Can I restore a delivery note if it was deleted by mistake?
No. A deleted delivery note is removed from the database immediately and permanently – it is not moved to the Recycle Bin and cannot be restored. It is therefore advisable to ensure, before deleting, that the record is no longer needed.
From which modules can I create a delivery note?
A delivery note can be created directly in the Delivery Notes module via the Create delivery note button. Alternatively, the Create delivery note action is available in the detail view of the Deals and Sales Orders modules – provided that the link is set to active in Module Management under Layout – Configure Links.
Can I create an invoice directly from a delivery note?
Yes. Via the module-specific New invoice action in the detail view of the delivery note, a new invoice is created directly and linked to the delivery note.