To make sure order data are used in project calculations, click the Order link button to link an order or order line to a project line. For each project line, use the Link type field to specify the type of order(s) or order line(s) from the order structure that you are linking to the project line. You can link multiple orders or order lines to a project line, provided they are of the same order or line type, so that the data can be totaled in various project fields. This means you can link various production orders to a project line, but you cannot link both a periodic invoice line and a sales line to a project line.
The link type chosen determines which form is opened when you click the Order link button, and which fields are visible. The form displays a number of informational fields from the linked order. For linked sales orders, the data displayed include the order code, the order date, and the desired shipping date. Double-click the line on the List tab to open the order (or order line), so you can view and change the order data.
Examples
The most basic link is a link between a project and a sales order and production orders. This link will give you a quick overview of the financial and planning data.
To view detailed progress information, link a sales order to the project, and link production orders to a phase.
If you also want to be able to track critical operations, link a sales order to the project, link production orders to a phase, and link the operations to activities within the phase.
To display periodic invoices over time, link them to milestones. The link enables you to see which periods are to be invoiced and when.
To see all current purchase orders for a project at a glance, you could link them to a subproject. This link will display the commitments. If required, you can use budgets for your purchases.
To monitor the delivery time of parts ordered, you can link purchase lines to the 'Production start' milestone, for example. This will allow you to check whether important purchases will be received on time for use in the production process.
To check whether you will be able to deliver on time, you could link shipping lines to the 'Promised delivery date' milestone, for instance.