POs drafted as Eclipse orders, split into generations the way your writers split them.

An order writer opens Sales Order Entry, finds the bill-to and ship-to, types the customer's PO and starts adding lines. Some products are on the shelf, some ship next week, and one or two are non-stocks keyed on the spot. The writer splits the order into generations, sets a status and ship via on each, and watches what price the matrix returns.

For the test, AI works from copies of POs your writers have already entered and drafts each one the way Eclipse holds it: header, generations, lines and the price source for every line, with a note on each choice. Nothing goes into Eclipse. Your reviewer then compares each draft with the saved order, one generation at a time.

One order, several generations. Eclipse gives an order an ID like S1234567 and numbers each part of it as a generation: in Epicor's own example, the .002 in S1234567.002 marks the second generation. Each generation carries its own customer PO, required date, ship date, ship via and status, so one generation can be invoiced while the next is still waiting on back-ordered stock. A PO that says send the fittings now and the gear when it lands is one order with two generations. The draft lays out the generations your writer would create, with the lines, dates and ship via for each, and explains where it drew the split.

The status decides what happens next. Order statuses are defined in a control record and include Bid, Ship When Available and Call When Complete. When a back-ordered item arrives for a Call When Complete order, Eclipse adds an entry to its Call When Complete queue so someone phones the customer. A bid is an order entered in Bid status, and a bid given a follow-up date appears in the Bid Follow Up Queue on that day. So when a PO accepts a bid, your writer may work from the bid itself instead of keying a new order. The draft picks a status for each generation and, when the PO answers a bid, names that bid and every line that moved.

Ship vias carry rules of their own. In Eclipse a ship via is an ID kept in Ship Via Maintenance, not just a carrier name. A control maintenance record called Will-Call Order Definition tells the system which ship vias mean will call and which print status a will-call order sits in until the customer picks it up. Epicor's release notes also describe putting an expedited ship via, such as your own truck on a rush, behind an authorization key, so only some users can choose it. The draft uses the ship via ID your desk used for that customer and that kind of delivery, and marks any expedited one for a person who holds the key.

Price lines, price classes and matrix cells. Products are grouped into price lines, and a branch or territory can keep a local price sheet whose settings take priority over the company default. Most customers are assigned a price class and every product a sell group, and the discounts that connect them live in the pricing matrix as matrix cells. Matrix cells carry expiration dates, and each sales order has a price date of its own. Eclipse's pricing audit shows which matrix cell priced a line. A cell can also restrict price changes in order entry, and Epicor's notes say that restriction outranks a user's general right to change a sell price. The draft names the price class and matrix cell it expects for each line, sets the result beside the buyer's number, and flags restricted cells, which only someone with the right key can override.

Two branches per generation, credit, non-stocks and your reviewer. Every generation records the branch its pricing was figured for and the branch it ships from, and in a multi-branch company the two need not match. The Open Order Status Review Queue is where Eclipse users check which orders sit on credit hold and are ready to print. Non-stocks keyed in Sales Order Entry get a second look as well: by default Eclipse checks the customer's credit again when one comes up on a suggested purchase order. For sized products such as air filters and dampers, Product Dimension Maintenance builds the non-stock from the dimensions entered and reuses it when the same size is ordered again. Your reviewer, usually a senior order writer or the inside sales manager, looks hardest at generation splits, ship vias and matrix cells, because those decide when material moves and what the customer is billed.

If the drafts meet the success criteria, new POs get the same drafts for about 30 days.

An order writer approves, edits or sends back each draft before any order exists in Eclipse, and generation splits, statuses and price overrides stay with your team. Whoever runs your Eclipse system decides how approved drafts get in: typed from the draft, or loaded with tools you already own. The scoring sheet from the test stays in use for the month.