What is a Proforma Order?

A Proforma Order (also called Proforma Invoice) is a preliminary document that outlines the details of a potential sale before it becomes a formal sale order. It serves as a quote or estimate for customers.

***Use the Filter function to sort and search for the Proforma Orders you are looking for.

Key Features

1. Proforma Order Lifecycle

Proformas follow a structured workflow with these statuses:

• Draft → Issued → Converted (to Sale Order)

• Cancelled (can be set from Draft status)

• Overdue (automatically set by system when issued proformas pass their due date)

2. Creating a Proforma Order

Users can create proformas with the following information:

Basic Information:

• Auto-generated Proforma Order ID (format: PF-00001, PF-00002, etc.)

• Customer details (name, contact name, email, phone)

• Location assignment (optional)

• Status (Draft or Issued)

Line Items:

• Add inventory items from your catalog

• Specify quantity and price for each item

• Items must exist in your inventory system

Financial Details:

• Discounts (0-100%)

• Tax rate selection (from predefined tax rates)

• Shipping costs

• Payment terms (in days)

• Issued date and due date

Addresses:

• Billing address

• Shipping address

• Invoice notes

3. Status Workflow

Draft Status:

• Fully editable

• Can be deleted

• Can be cancelled

• No issued date required

• Items can be added/removed freely

Issued Status:

• Automatically sets issued date if not provided

• Calculates due date based on payment terms

• Can be converted to Sale Order

• Cannot be edited (read-only)

• Cannot be deleted

• Must have at least one item

Converted Status:

• Automatically creates a corresponding Sale Order

• Links to the created Sale Order

• Final status - no further changes allowed

• Preserves all proforma details in the new Sale Order

Overdue Status:

• Automatically set by a scheduled job (cron)

• Applies to Issued proformas past their due date

• System checks all organizations periodically

Cancelled Status:

• Can only be set from Draft status

• Final status - no further changes

4. Key Operations

Creating:

• Users with manage permission can create new proformas

• Can optionally pre-fill customer information via URL parameter

• Auto-assigns default tax rate if configured

Editing:

• Only Draft proformas can be edited

• All fields are editable in Draft status

• Changes are validated before saving

Converting to Sale Order:

• Only Issued proformas can be converted

• Creates a new Sale Order with identical details

• Links the proforma to the created Sale Order

• Proforma status changes to Converted

• Sale Order starts in Issued status

Deleting:

• Only Draft proformas can be deleted

• Requires manage permission

PDF Export:

• Any proforma can be exported to PDF

• Includes all order details, items, and totals

5. Automatic Calculations

The system automatically calculates:

Subtotal from all line items (quantity × price)

Discount amount applied to subtotal

Tax amount based on selected tax rate

Shipping costs added to total

Total Amount = (Subtotal - Discounts) + Tax + Shipping

6. List View Features

• Users can view all proformas with:

• Filterable by status, total amount range, and proforma ID

• Sortable by various fields (ID, customer, status, date, total)

• Paginated results

• Overview statistics dashboard

• Quick actions (view, edit, delete, export PDF)

7. Validation Rules

• Proforma Order ID must be unique

• Items must exist in inventory

• Customer, location, and tax rate (if specified) must exist

• Issued proformas must have at least one item

• Only Draft proformas can be edited or deleted

• Only Issued proformas can be converted to Sale Orders

• Discounts and tax must be between 0-100%

• Shipping and amounts must be non-negative

8. Audit Trail

• Each proforma tracks:

• Creator (user who created it)

• Creation date

• Last update date

• Status change history (via events)

Common User Workflows

1. Quote to Sale: Draft → Issue → Convert to Sale Order

2. Cancelled Quote: Draft → Cancel

3. Expired Quote: Draft → Issue → (System marks as Overdue if past due date)

Integration Points

Customers: Links to customer records

Items/Inventory: Uses inventory items for line items

Tax Rates: Applies configured tax rates

Locations: Associates with business locations

Sale Orders: Converts to Sale Orders seamlessly

This system provides a complete quote-to-order workflow for your business operations.