Purchase Order Match lets you link a costs item to an existing purchase order in Xero or QuickBooks Online directly from the Item details page in Dext.
Before you start
Purchase Order Match is only available for accounts connected to Xero or QuickBooks Online.
For purchase orders to appear in Dext:
The supplier name in Dext must match the supplier name in Xero or QuickBooks Online exactly. If they don't match, select the correct supplier from the Supplier dropdown on the Item details page.
The purchase order must be in an eligible status in your accounting software - Draft or Approved in Xero, or Open in QuickBooks Online.
Dext only syncs purchase orders created in the last 6 months.
Dext syncs open purchase orders once every 48 hours. To sync immediately, go to Business settings > Connections, select Manage next to your Xero or QuickBooks Online connection, and select Refresh integration data.
How purchase order number extraction works
Dext automatically extracts purchase order numbers from documents and displays the value in the Extracted PO Number field. This field is read-only for Xero and QuickBooks Online users.
The extracted value isn't published separately to your accounting software - it's used to help identify the matching purchase order. You can still manually select a purchase order from the Purchase order dropdown even if the extracted value isn't correct.
Match a costs item to a purchase order
To match a costs item to a purchase order, open the item from your Costs inbox and complete the following steps on the Item details page.
Check the Supplier field. If the supplier isn't set, search for or enter the correct one. If Dext has extracted it from the document, confirm it's correct before continuing.
Select the Purchase order dropdown to see available open purchase orders for that supplier.
To view the purchase order in Xero or QuickBooks Online for comparison, select the open icon next to the purchase order field.
Select the correct purchase order. If the item total doesn't fully match the purchase order total, a warning appears below the field. You can still proceed, but review the amounts carefully before publishing.
Set the mark as billed or closed toggle:
Xero: Mark PO as Billed in Xero - set to Yes to mark the purchase order as billed after publishing. Set to No if you need to match additional invoices to the same purchase order.
QuickBooks Online: Mark PO as closed in QuickBooks Online - set to Yes to close the purchase order after publishing. Set to No if you need to match additional invoices to the same purchase order.
Complete any remaining item details and select Publish.
Note: You can't match multiple purchase orders to a single costs item.
What happens in Xero or QuickBooks Online after publishing
After publishing, Dext adds a note to the item's History tab and to the purchase order in your accounting software, confirming the match.
In Xero, the purchase order status updates to Billed if you set the toggle to Yes. In QuickBooks Online, the purchase order status updates to Closed.
Frequently asked questions
Why don't I see any purchase orders in the dropdown?
Why don't I see any purchase orders in the dropdown?
Purchase orders only appear if the supplier name in Dext matches the supplier name in your accounting software exactly. Check the Supplier field on the Item details page and correct it if needed.
Also check that the purchase order exists and is in an eligible status in your accounting software:
Xero: the purchase order must be Draft or Approved
QuickBooks Online: the purchase order must be Open
If everything looks correct but nothing appears, try refreshing your integration data. Go to Business settings > Connections, select Manage next to your Xero or QuickBooks Online connection, and select Refresh integration data.
Why is the wrong purchase order showing in the dropdown?
Why is the wrong purchase order showing in the dropdown?
Dext matches purchase orders using a combination of the extracted PO number and the supplier name. If the PO number on the document was extracted incorrectly, matching purchase orders will still appear in the dropdown as long as the supplier names match.
The Extracted PO Number field is read-only for accounts connected to Xero or QuickBooks Online - but editing it wouldn't affect the matching process anyway. Use the Purchase order dropdown to manually select the correct purchase order if needed.
Why doesn't the purchase order number appear in my CSV export?
Why doesn't the purchase order number appear in my CSV export?
Purchase order numbers aren't included in CSV exports at the moment. If this is something you'd like to see added, you can submit a feature request via Resources (?) in the top right of your Dext account > Suggest a feature.