UofG Open POs Report Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I open the report?
Do not click the attachment in the email directly. Download the file first, and then open the downloaded file in Excel.
The detailed steps are:
- Click the DOWNLOAD button beside the attachment.
- In the SAVE AS window, select the desired directory, click SAVE.
- Once the download is complete, click the file, and from the menu, select USING EXCEL to open the file.
You should now see a file similar to the following:
Q: How do I see all the contents in all columns?
Once the file is opened in Excel, click the top left cell of the tab (highlighted in yellow as below) to select the entire worksheet.
From the home screen menu, click FORMAT, from the drop down list, select AutoFit Column Width. The columns of the entire worksheet are now automatically spaced to show the full content of the cell.
Your report should now look like the following:
Q: How do I save the report for future use?
In the Excel window, click on the menu FILE, click SAVE AS, in the SAVE AS window, change the SAVE AS TYPE from CSV (Comma delimited) to Excel Workbook, click SAVE. Your report has now been saved as an excel file.
Before: 
After: 
Q: How do I interpret all the columns in the report?
The report contains all the information in the University’s PO system, you may customize the report based on your needs, such as sorting, filtering or hiding columns you don’t need.
Below is the list of columns and the detailed descriptions:
| Column | Description | Example |
| PO | The PO number | 201500269 |
| Revision | The revision of the PO. “0” means the PO is the original version and has never been revised. “1” means the PO has been revised once, and so forth. | 0 |
| Buyer |
The buyer who issued the PO or revised the PO. |
Kuindersma, Lis |
| Vendor Name | The vendor for the PO | ABC Company |
| Vendor Site |
The vendor site this PO is issued to. All HVPO site should begin with “P”. |
P-TORONTO |
| Currency | The currency the PO is issued in. | CAD |
| Location Code | The Ship-To address entered on the requisition. This is a 4 digit departmental unit code followed by a numerical number. | 0020-1 |
| Line Num | A PO might have multiple lines. This is the line number of the item on the PO. | 1 |
| Ship Num | The Shipment number under the line. This info does not show on the PO. | 1 |
| Distrib Num |
The Distribution number under the shipment. This info doesn’t show on the PO. This is where the GL coding resides on the PO. |
1 |
| This is the email address associated with Location Code (Ship-To). PO is emailed to this email address. | Purchase@uoguelph.ca | |
| Description | The item description on the line. | Advertisement Fee |
| Quantity | The quantity of the item on the line. | 100 |
| Unit Measure | The Unit Measure of the item on the line. | Currency 1 |
| Price | The unit price of hte item on the line | 1 |
| Line Amt Ordered | The total amount of the PO line | 100 |
| Line Amt Billed | The amount already paid against the PO line | 60 |
| Line Amt Outstanding |
The amount outstanding against the line. This equals to the total amount of the line minus the amount paid so far. |
40 |
| Dist Quant Ordered |
The quantity of the item ordered on the distribution level. This info shows on the DDR report only. |
100 |
|
Dist Quant Billed |
The quantity already paid on the distribution level. |
60 |
| Dist Quant Outstanding | The quantity outstanding on the distribution level. This equals to the total quantity of the distribution minus the quantity already paid. | 40 |
| Dist Amt Billed | The amount already paid on the distribution level. | 60 |
| Fund | 3 digit funding code | 100 |
| Unit | 6 digit unit code. Due to the CSV format issue, the cell only displays a number with zeroes at front being removed. Please add zeroes at front until it has 6 digits. | 2000 (the unit should be read as 002000) |
| Grant | 6 digit grant code. Due to the CSV format issue, the cell only displays a number with zeroes at front being removed. Please add zeroes at front until it has 6 digits. | 0 (the grant should be read as 000000) |
| Project | 6 digit project code. Due to the CSV format issue, the cell only displays a number with zeroes at front being removed. Please add zeroes at front until it has 6 digits. | 0 (the project should be read as 000000) |
| Object | 5 digit object code |
62513 |
Q: Why is this report sent to this email address? Can I set up so the report is sent to a different email address such as my own email?
The email address receiving the Open POs Report is the same one receiving the HVPOs. Currently most departments have an organizational email set up to receive HVPOs, which ensures the department always have access to their HVPOs regardless of personnel change. We highly recognize this best practice and will continue to enforce this.
The email address receiving HVPOs is associated with the Ship-To location code selected by requisitoners when entering requisitions. It is imperative that requisitioners pick the correct Ship-To location code, which is a four digit unit number followed by dash and a numerical number, for example 0020-1. An incorrect Ship-To location code will cause the HVPO as well as the UofG Open POs Report being sent to the wrong recipients.
If your department would like to change the email address for this report or for any particular HVPOs, please contact Purchasing Services to discuss.
Q: If my department has several Location Codes, do I receive several reports?
The report is grouped by the email address associated with the Ship-To location codes on the PO. If there is only one email for all of your departmental location codes, only one report will be generated and sent to the email. If there are different emails associated with different location codes, each email address will receive a report for the HVPOs with corresponding Ship-To location codes.
Please note if there are not any outstanding POs for a specific email, then you will not receive the report. See below for an example.
| Ship-To location code | Email for HVPOs | Are there any open HVPOs? | Report Status |
| 0020-1 | a@uoguelph.ca | yes | A report for 0020-1 and 0020-2 will be send to a@uoguelph.ca |
| 0020-2 | a@uoguelph.ca | yes | see above |
| 0020-3 | b@uoguelph.ca | yes | A report for 0020-3 will be sent to b@uoguelph.ca |
| 0020-4 | c@uoguelph.ca | yes | No report will be sent to c@uoguelph.ca |
Q: What should I do if I would like to remove the commitment from a particular PO based on the report?
If you know exactly which PO and what amount you would like to cancel, send an email request to the buyer whose name appears on the report for that particular PO. Buyers will cancel the PO according to your written instructions only.
If you are not sure which PO and what amount needs to be de-committed, or there is a discrepancy between the Open POs Report and the FRS for a specific PO, please email your request and the information including a screenshot of the FRS account you’re inquiring about to myreq@uoguelph.ca.
In general, an outstanding HVPO always create a commitment in FRS. The amount on a PO is net without taxes while the PO commitment in FRS would be including any applicable taxes. There are also other reasons that contribute to incorrect commitment for an account, which we will need to investigate and determine.
For more information on de-commitment, please refer to the de-commitment section on our website https://www.uoguelph.ca/finance/de-commitment.