Purchase Permissions and Troubleshooting
If a menu is missing or an action is blocked, it's almost always one of two things: the module isn't enabled, or the user's role doesn't have the right permission. Your administrator manages both under Settings → Users & roles.
Permissions, in plain language
| Permission | What it unlocks |
|---|---|
| View purchases | Lists, details, print, PDF, supplier advances |
| Create purchases | New invoice, return, import bill, create from GRN, create/duplicate PO |
| Edit purchases | Edit invoice; submit/cancel PO; link or unlink GRN and invoice on PO; email PO |
| Approve purchase orders | Approve submitted purchase orders, including the current workflow stage |
| Delete/cancel purchases | Cancel a purchase invoice |
| View purchase reports | Product purchase ledger |
| Manage goods receipt | GRN and Return to vendor (an Inventory permission) |
Purchase orders and GRN both also need the Inventory module enabled — Purchase alone only covers invoices, returns, and advances.
Reports
With View purchase reports:
| Report | Shows |
|---|---|
| Product purchase ledger | Purchases by product and date range |
| Purchase vs. sale | Yearly/monthly trend, when Sales is also licensed |
Finance margin and inventory valuation reports also draw on purchase data once Inventory and Accounting are active.
Frequently asked questions
Cannot approve a PO. It must be in Submitted status, and you need Approve purchase orders or Company Admin access. With multi-stage approval, only the user matching the current stage's role sees the Approve button.
Replenishment didn't create a requisition for a low-stock item. An open purchase order may already cover that item — check the PO list first.
Match score is low but the documents look correct. Link the GRNs and invoices from the PO's Details page so received and invoiced quantities actually roll up against the order.
Why is stock unchanged after saving the invoice? Auto-create GRN wasn't checked, and no GRN has been posted yet for it.
Cannot create a purchase return. The invoice must be Posted (or a legacy draft that already has cashflow activity) and not cancelled.
GRN says fully invoiced. All of that GRN's quantity is already matched to purchase invoices — no further invoice can be created from it.
Supplier advance won't apply. Make sure an actual supplier is selected (not Cash Purchase), and that the advance exists as a cash-payment row flagged as a supplier advance.