Document Creation Method in Oracle Fusion Purchase Orders

 Document Creation Method in Oracle Fusion Purchase Orders

In Oracle Fusion, the Document Creation Method field in the Purchase Order (PO) header specifies how the purchase order was created in the system. This attribute provides visibility into the origin of the PO and helps in tracking, reporting, and auditing procurement activities.

Typical Values:

The Document Creation Method may display different values depending upon the way PO was created in the system –

DOCUMENT_CREATION_METHOD	PO Creation Option Used	Description
AUTOCREATE	Process Requisitions	The PO is created through ‘Process Requisitions’ UI using the approved requisitions
AWARD_SOURCING	Complete Sourcing Award	Create a purchasing document when awarding a negotiation.
COPY_DOCUMENT	Duplicate Purchase Order	The PO is created using a Duplicate option from the existing PO
CREATEDOC	Generate Orders	The PO is created by a program that will create purchase orders for those requisition lines requesting products or services setup for automated buying.
ENTER_PO	Create Purchase Order	The PO is crated manually from scratch using the Create Order UI.
PDOI	Import Purchase Order	Purchase orders are imported from external systems.
PO_REST_SERVICE	Purchase Order REST Service	A REST service is used to create purchase orders from external systems.
PO_WEB_SERVICE	Purchasing Web Service	A Web service is used to create purchase orders from external systems.
PROCESS_REQS_REST	Process Requisitions REST Service	A REST Service for Processing Requisitions to place an order with identified supplier.

 

These values are defined in the - Manage Standard Lookups: PO_DOCUMENT_CREATION_METHOD

 

 

 

 

Why is it Important?

• The Document Creation Method acts as a key audit attribute for buyers and finance teams.
• It helps distinguish between POs that were manually created vs. system generated.
• It is useful for troubleshooting, compliance, and procurement analytics.

Business Use:

• Procurement Teams can analyze how many POs are auto generated versus manually created.
• Audit & Compliance teams can track the origin of purchasing activity.
• Operations can measure efficiency by checking the adoption of automation (e.g., auto-generated vs. manual).

 

Few Notable Scenarios:

Although the document creation method of AUTOCREATE indicates that the PO was originally autocreated from a Requisition, there would be a few scenarios where despite the PO's document_creation_method = AUTOCREATE, the links between the Requisition and PO would no longer exist. Here are such scenarios-

Scenario#1 Cancelling the PO line autocreated from Requisition

1.1.    Autocreate PO#1111 from Requisition#111, Line 1.
For PO#1111, po_headers_all.document_creation_method = AUTOCREATE.

1.2.    Add some additional lines to PO#1111. Save and get the PO approved.

1.3.    Now Cancel the PO line that was autocreated from Requisition#111, Line 1 and keep the newly added lines as it is.

In this case, the document creation method on the PO will be 'AUTOCREATE', however no Requisition lines are linked to this PO.
po_distributions_all.req_distribution_id will be null. Also, for Requisition#111, Line 1, po_requisition_lines_all.line_location_id will be null.

Scenario#2 Deleting the PO line autocreated from Requisition

2.1.    Autocreate PO#2222 from Requisition#222, Line 1.

For PO#2222, po_headers_all.document_creation_method = AUTOCREATE.

2.2.    Add some additional lines to PO#2222. Save and get the PO approved.

2.3.    Now Delete the PO line that was autocreated from Requisition#222, Line 1.

In this case, document creation method on the PO will be 'AUTOCREATE', however no Requisition lines are linked to this PO.
po_distributions_all.req_distribution_id will be null. Also, for Requisition#222, Line 1, po_requisition_lines_all.line_location_id will be null.

 

In summary:
The Document Creation Method in PO headers is more than just metadata — it provides transparency into how purchase orders are generated in Oracle Fusion, enabling better control, auditing, and process improvement.