Have you ever struggled with transaction numbering in NetSuite?
Recently, I had another colleague who worked with a NetSuite client who had a specific need to number their invoices where the fiscal year was required to be part of the Invoice number string i.e “INV-<Current Fiscal Year>-<auto-generated number>.
In the past, you had tools such as the Auto-Generated Numbers setup where you can hardcode the prefix and have someone remember to update it annually, or maybe your billing team would modify the number manually at the time of creating the invoice, or you asked your reliable NetSuite developer to write a custom script or workflow to intercept the normal numbering function and set your own.
Well, now, thanks to NetSuite’s newly released feature – Advanced Numbering – we now have a utility to create multiple complex numbering sequences by transaction.
Step 1: Setup
1. Enable Advanced Numbering: Setup→Enable Features→Company Tab
Step 2: Enable for Invoice
2. Enable Advanced Numbering for the Transaction Type: Set-up→Company→Auto-Generated Numbers
*Note when you save this setting, NetSuite will automatically import your existing numbering sequence as the ‘Standard Rule’
Step 3: Setup Time!
3. Create an Advanced Numbering Rule by Transaction Type: You’ll notice that after you save the Auto-Generated Numbering screen after you selected the transaction types that a setup link now appears next to the selection(s)
This feature includes two components: a Rule Set and individual Rules, Where a Rule Set includes one or more Rules placed in a specific order for the system to determine which numbering to use.
Rule Set: This example has two rules, where it will run my “Fiscal Year Rule” first and will execute the “Invoice Standard Rule” if the criteria does not match the first rule.
Step 4: Define the format
Rule: In the Rule record you define a format or the numbering sequence, in our example “INV-<Current Fiscal Year>-<5 digit auto number>”. You can preview the number on the right-hand side of the screen to validate.
Step 5: Customize the Sequence
The Rule has two components:
A. Sequences by Segment – Here you select the data element to add to your sequence. Currently NetSuite only offers the following fields to be used
Fiscal Year, Location, Subsidiary
You can add one or more elements to your sequence.
Step 6: Play with the Criteria
B. Criteria – Here you can indicate the conditions of the transaction to qualify for this numbering rule using boolean operators and ALL conditions must match. In my example I am looking for invoices that are dated 1/1/2022 or later AND where the subsidiary of the transaction is in Canada.
The fields allowed to be used as criteria are: Subsidiary, Posting Period, Posting (Y/N), Memo, Location, Date, Currency, (Subsidiary) Country.
Custom header (main) fields are also visible as long as the type are: Checkbox, Currency, Date, Decimal Number, Email Address, Free-Form Text, Integer, List/Record, Rich Text, Text Area
With this in place if I create an invoice that passes my first rule, my result is:
Where if the first rule is NOT met, it will execute your standard rule or default rule:
Give it a try, and if you’re stuck don’t hesitate to contact one of our highly skilled NetSuite Consultants.
