WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

VendorPN (vendor part number) is the identifier a specific vendor uses for an item. On a Request, it tells Yellow Dog which of a vendor's part numbers you intend to order against, and it determines what carries onto a Purchase Order when the Request is converted. Setting the correct VendorPN on the Request means the resulting PO orders against the right vendor part number without manual re-entry.

 WHERE

Each VendorPN is assigned to a vendor product on the item's Vendor Products tab in the item editor, and can be set on any vendor product — not only the item's primary vendor. A vendor can carry an item in more than one size — the base unit plus any purchasing sizes — so VendorPNs are tracked per size, and autofill and selection are always scoped to the size on the Request line. The field appears on each Request line and, after conversion, on the matching Purchase Order line.

 HIGHLIGHTS

Autofill on a Request

•     Selecting an item on a Request line autofills its VendorPN.

•     A single vendor product → its VendorPN fills in automatically.

•     Multiple vendor products with one marked Preferred Vendor Product → that product's VendorPN fills in.

•     Multiple vendor products with none marked Preferred Vendor Product → the field is left blank.

•     Only vendor products marked Vendor Product Active are eligible; inactive vendor products are never selected automatically.

•     For a vendor set up to push orders by EDI a VendorPN is required — so when no Preferred Vendor Product is set, the field must be completed before the document can move forward.

Carryover when converting to a Purchase Order

Converting moves a Request to the next step in the purchasing flow — a Purchase Order when product needs to be ordered.

If a VendorPN is set on the Request and that same vendor is chosen for the PO → the PO uses the Request's VendorPN.

•     If no VendorPN is set → the PO fills in using the same rules as the Request: the VendorPN on the chosen vendor's Preferred Vendor Product, or the only VendorPN if there is just one. If none is preferred, it uses the first VendorPN listed for that size, or stays blank if none applies.

Editing on a Purchase Order

•     You can change the VendorPN on the PO and choose any existing part number for that vendor, item, and size.

•     If you type a VendorPN that doesn't exist yet, you can use it on the PO and add it as a new Vendor Product PN.

 BEST PRACTICES

•     Check Preferred Vendor Product on the Vendor Products tab when an item has multiple vendor products, so Requests autofill consistently instead of leaving the field blank.

•     Keep obsolete vendor products inactive so they're excluded from autofill and selection.

•     For EDI vendors, confirm a VendorPN is present before converting, since it's required to push the order.

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