Creating Sales Invoices
Sales invoice activities are used to bill customers for sales and to record the billing, shipping, item, quantity, and bin distribution details of the sale in one step. When you create a sales invoice, you do not have to create an order and then fulfill it. The sales invoicing process completes both steps at once.
Sales invoice information is used to:
Update the customer's account
Create a shipment
Update inventory records
Update revenue and cost of goods sold accounts
Getting to the TransactionGetting to the Transaction
From the Sales menu, select Sales Invoices to open the Sales Invoices window.
Click [New] to open the New sales invoice window.
Basic InformationBasic Information
In the Customer field, use the lookup to select the customer for whom you are creating the sales invoice.
In the Description field, enter optional brief information regarding this sales invoice.
In the Sales rep field, use the lookup to select the person in your company making the sale.
In the PO number field, enter the customer's PO number if applicable.
In the Ordered by field, use the lookup to select the customer contact who is responsible for this invoice.
To view all contacts, use the drop-down menu to select No filter.
To view contacts for this customer only (the default setting), use the drop-down menu to select Filter > Customer contacts.
To view contacts for this customer and contacts who are not currently associated with any customer, use the drop-down menu to select Filter > Customer or unassociated contacts.
To add a new contact, use the drop-down menu to select New. The system displays the New Contact window. For more information on creating a new contact, see the Creating Contacts topic.
In the Branch field, use the lookup to select the branch of your company with which to associate the revenue from the sales invoice.
In the Number field, enter a number to identify this sales invoice or make no change to allow the system to sequentially assign the next available number to this sales invoice.
In the Type field, use the drop-down menu to select the type of sales invoice you are creating (i.e. invoice, credit memo, debit memo).
In the Date field, enter the creation date of this sales invoice or make no change to use the system date displayed.
In the Due by field, enter the date the payment from the customer is due or make no change to use the date displayed.
In the Req. date field, enter the date by which the customer requires the item(s) on the sales order.
In the Warehouse field, use the lookup to select the company warehouse from which e-automate should allocate the items added to this sales invoice unless otherwise specified or make no change to use the default warehouse displayed.
In the Department field, use the lookup to select the department receiving credit for all items sold on this invoice. You use this field to override all departments specified on the item’s sales code. If you leave this field blank, e-automate associates the departments based on the item’s sales code, or based on an override from a billing account code if you are associating this invoice with an equipment and contract.
As you add items to and/or remove items from the sales invoice, review the system-updated totals in the yellow Summary region in the top right corner of this window.
Items TabItems Tab
To add supply items based on an equipment item or items included under contract, do the following:
Check Add equipment and contract to display the Equipment and Contract fields.
In the Equipment field, use the lookup icon to select the equipment associated with the selected customer.
If the equipment is on a current contract, e-automate adds the contract to the Contract field. You can change if the equipment is covered under multiple contracts.
In the Item field, use the Lookup to select the desired item.
In the Quantity field, enter the quantity of the item you are selling to the customer.
Click [QuickAdd] to add the item to the list.
To add an item to the sales invoice that is not associated with a contract, do the following:
If the Add equipment and contract checkbox is checked, uncheck it.
In the Item field, use the Lookup icon to select the item you are selling to the customer.
In the Quantity field, enter the quantity of the desired item.
Click [QuickAdd] to add the item to the list.
If the item requires a serial number, the Edit Sales Invoice Item window displays.
Complete the following fields as appropriate:
Item number: Number of the item being added to the sales invoice.
Serial number: Use the Lookup to select the correct serial number, if applicable.
Description: Description of the item being added to the sales invoice.
Invoice quantity: Quantity of the item to be included on the sales invoice.
Price: Amount you charge for the item based on the unit of measure quantity.
Item discount: Percentage of price discount.
Discount amount: The total discount amount.
Total amount: Total amount of the items, less discounts.
Unit of measure: Classification of the possible quantities that can be ordered such as each, box, or case. This is set by default based on the item’s default unit of measure.
In the Miscellaneous region, complete the following fields as appropriate:
Equipment: If this is a supply order, select the customer’s equipment to associate this item with equipment and the contract, if any.
Contract: Number of the service contract associated with the piece of equipment, if any.
Shipping contact: Use the lookup to select the person that you want as the shipping contact on this item.
Branch: The branch of your company with which to associate the revenue from this line item.
Department: Department credited with the sale.
Tax as: Tax category in which the item you are adding belongs.
Parent line item: If this item is an accessory item, use the drop-down arrow to select the parent item that it belongs to.
Rollup Price: Check this box if you want each accessory item displayed on the customer order but the prices rolled into the host/parent.
Hide when printed: Check this box if you don’t want the parent line items printed on the sales order.
Ship to: Use the drop-down menu icon to select the ship to customer.
To view item availability information for the item you are editing, click the button that appears as a bin in the Availability region. When you hover over the button, the tooltip is View Item Availability.
To change the warehouse and bin from which e-automate will pull the inventory item, do the following:
In the Warehouse/Bin/Quantity/On hand region, select the warehouse and bin identified by e-automate, and e-automate populates the Warehouse, Bin, and Quantity fields.
In the Warehouse field, use the Lookup icon to select a different warehouse.
In the Bin field, use the Lookup icon to select a different bin.
In the Quantity field, enter the correct quantity to be drawn from the identified warehouse and bin.
Click [Update] to correct the warehouse, bin, and quantity.
To change the out cost for this item, do the following:
On the Warehouse / Bin / Quantity tab, select a warehouse and bin combination and click [Edit] to open the Edit Sales Invoice Item Bin window.
On the Out Cost tab, check the Override checkbox and in the Override field, enter the out cost per item for this transaction. Changing an out cost on any row of the Warehouse / Bin / Quantity tab changes the out cost for all rows.
Click [OK] to save your changes and return to the Edit Sales Invoice Item window.
Click [OK] to save the edited information.
To rearrange the column order on the sales invoice list, click on a column heading and drag it to a new location.
When users purchase multiples of the same item, e-automate allows you to give volume discounts. This functionality works well if all the items are identified on a single row of the sales invoice. If you have added the same item to the sales invoice multiple times in order to give the customer the quantity discount, you can still apply the volume discount by clicking the [Apply volume discounts across all line items] button on the lower left of the Items tab. When clicked, e-automate re-calculates the prices for items added multiple times to the sales invoice.
Billing TabBilling Tab
Click the Billing tab to bring it forward with the customer's address in the Bill to address field.
Complete the following fields as appropriate:
Terms: Customer's payment and discount terms. Not applicable on a credit.
Terms discount: Percentage discount available if payment is made by discount date. Not applicable on a credit.
Discount date: Date by which payment is due in order to get the discount, if applicable. Not applicable on a credit.
Invoice discount: Percentage discount for this sales invoice.
If the Charge method is On Account, proceed to the Shipping Tab section of this topic. If you want to change the charge method to Credit Card/ACH on this transaction, do the following:
In the Charge method field, use the lookup to select Credit Card/ACH.
Check the Auth on OK checkbox to pre-authorize the amount to be charged to the credit card or ACH account.
If you want to process this order using a one-time payment, select Single use account. When all the information on each tab is complete and you click [OK] on the New Sales Invoice window, the system will display the Single Use Charge Account window and you will enter the credit card or ACH account information at that time.

To select an existing account or enter a new account, click the Use existing account radio button to make the Charge account field available.
To select a saved charge account, use the lookup icon in the Charge account field to select an account on file.
To enter a new account, do the following:
Click the drop-down menu and select New to open the Add Charge Account window.
In the Name on account field, enter the name of the person imprinted on the credit card.
In the Address, field, enter the billing address for the credit card.
In the City field, enter the billing city for the credit card.
In the State field, enter the billing state or province for the credit card.
In the Zip field, enter the billing zip or postal code for the credit card.
In the Phone field, enter the phone number for the credit card.
In the Remarks field, enter any notes for this credit card.
To add a charge account, do ONE of the following:
To add a new credit card account, do the following:
Select the Credit Card button.
Click [Add account to vault] to open the NET1 Payment Solutions window.
In the Card Number field, enter the new credit card number to be charged.
In the Expiration field, enter the new expiration date of the credit card to be charged.
Click [Submit] to save the new account, or [Cancel Transaction] to close and not save the new credit card information.
To add a new ACH account, do the following:
Select the ACH button.
Click [Add account to vault] to open the Add Account window.
In the Account Number field, enter the bank’s account number to add to this invoice.
In the Routing Number field, enter bank’s routing number to add to this invoice.
Checking/Savings: Select which account type, either checking or savings.
Click [OK] on the Add Account window to return to the Add Charge Account window.
Click [OK] on the Add Charge Account window to save the new account information.
Shipping TabShipping Tab
Click the Shipping tab to bring it forward.
In the Ship to customer field, use the lookup to select the ship to customer for this sales invoice.
Click [QuickAdd] to add the customer as a ship to customer.
To edit the ship to customer’s information, do the following.
Select the ship to customer from the list and click [Edit] or double-click on the customer to open the Ship To window.
Complete the following fields as appropriate:
Ship to identifier:
Customer: Customer from whom the item will be received.
Attn: Specific person to whom you want the shipment sent.
Address: Address where the ship to customer is located.
City: City in which the ship to customer is located.
State: State in which the ship to customer is located.
Country: Country in which the ship to customer is located.
Branch: Branch from which the items are being shipped.
Ship method: How the customer should return the item(s) to you.
Tax code: Tax code under which the credit will be taxed.
QuickTax: Use the drop-down menu to select the tax code assigned to the customer, bill-to customer, or ship-to customer.
Taxable: When checked, e-automate calculates and assesses tax on the sales quote according to the tax code identified. When unchecked, the Exempt code field becomes active.
Exempt code: Use the Lookup to select the appropriate exempt code, if applicable.
Freight: Dollar amount of the predicted freight charges.
Default ship to: When checked, this customer is set as the default ship to customer.
Update customer profile with this address: When checked, the changes are saved on the customer record.
Click [OK] to save the changes.
Miscellaneous TabMiscellaneous Tab
Click the Miscellaneous tab to bring it forward.
Complete the following fields as appropriate:
Accounts receivable: Accounts receivable account to which the amount of the sale will be applied.
Freight charge: Account with which the freight charges will be associated.
Freight department: Department with which freight charges will be associated.
Invoice discount: Account to which the order discount will be applied.
Discount department: Department with which the invoice discount will be associated.
Job: Number of the job to which this sales invoice is assigned, if any.
User defined field 1 or 2. If your system administrator labeled the User defined fields under Sales Options, these fields are displayed here based on the names given by the administrator. These are custom fields, populate as necessary.
To select a category to customize the sales invoice, do the following:
In the Category field, use the Lookup icon to select the category.
Click [QuickAdd] to add the category to the list.
Select the category and click [Remove] as necessary.
To add another sales rep besides the one listed above, do the following:
In the Alternate Sales Rep field, use the lookup to select the alternate sales rep.
Click [QuickAdd] to add the alternate sales rep to the list.
Out Cost TabOut Cost Tab
Click the Out Cost tab to bring it forward.
The Out Cost tab displays the total revenue, total out cost and the sales rep’s margin. Review the figures and return to items to make changes as necessary.
In the Notes field, enter notes as appropriate.
Remarks TabRemarks Tab
Click the Remarks tab to bring it forward.
Enter any remarks you want to print on the sales invoice.
Completing the TransactionCompleting the Transaction
To view more information, do the following:
Click the [More info] button. The system opens the "More Information" window.
Using the "More Information" window, do any of the following:
To display a different list, in the Available Lists field, use the drop-down menu to select the list for which you want to see more information. You can view the following lists:
Item locations
Open customer transactions: Displays a list of all open transactions associated with this customer.
Sales item usage history
Service material usage history
To locate specific information in the selected list, enter search criteria in the QuickSearch region. For more information on using QuickSearch functionality, see the Using the QuickSearch topic.
To export the information from the display in an on-premise environment, do the following:
Click the [Export] button. The system opens a Save As window, defaults the save as location to be your Documents folder, populates the File name field with a default file name, and gives you the option to set the Save as type to Excel Workbook (*.xlsx), CSV (*.csv), OpenDocument Spreadsheet (*.ods), or HTML (*.html).
Using the Save As window, do the following:
To use the default save as location, make no change; to save the file to a different folder location, navigate to the location where you want to save the file.
In the File name field, enter a name for this export file, or make no change to use the name displayed.
In the Save as type field, make no change to use Excel Workbook (*.xlsx), the default setting, or select one of the following file format types: CSV (*.csv), OpenDocument Spreadsheet (*.ods), or HTML (*.html).
Click the [Save] button to save the file.
When finished, click the [Close] button to close the "More Information" window.
To add notes, click the [Notes] button to open the Notes window. Add notes as appropriate. For more information, see the Using E-automate Notes topic.
The customer’s invoice delivery method is displayed by e-automate as an icon in the lower left-hand corner . Hovering your mouse over the icon will display the customer’s selected method and the associated accounts receivable contact. Your system administrator determines which invoices/memos can be queued for printing, fax or email. Only invoices allowed to be queued can be changed. To change the delivery method for this invoice, click the icon and do ONE of the following:
To cancel sending the invoice, check Do not send invoice and click [Hide] to close the window.
To identify a different contact to receive the invoice, in the Contact field, use the lookup icon to select a different contact. If you are not making other changes, click [Hide].
To view all contacts, use the drop-down menu to select No filter.
To view contacts for this customer only (the default setting), use the drop-down menu to select Filter > Customer contacts.
To view contacts for this customer, this customer's parent customer (if any), and/or contacts who are not currently associated with any customer, use the drop-down menu to select Filter > Customer, parent, or unassociated contacts.
To add a new contact, use the drop-down menu to select New. The system displays the New Contact window. For more information on creating a new contact, see the Creating Contacts topic.
To change the delivery method, select Print, Email, or Fax. If you are not making other changes, click [Hide].
If printing the invoice, you may enter the number of copies to be printed in the Print XX additional copies of this invoice field. If you are not making other changes, click [Hide].
Determine invoice delivery method changes as necessary.
Click [OK] to save the sales invoice with your settings.
If you checked Auth on OK and Use existing account on the Billing/Shipping tab, the Pre-authorize Charge window displays. Do the following:
In the Pre-authorization amount field, verify the amount to pre-authorize or override the amount if necessary.
Click [OK].
If the authorization is successful, the system displays the message, "Authorization was successful." Click [OK] to acknowledge the message.
If you checked Auth on OK and Single use account on the Billing/Shipping tab, the system displays the Single Use Charge Account window.

Complete the following fields as appropriate:
Name on account: Enter the name of the person imprinted on the credit card.
Address: Enter the billing address for the credit card.
City: Enter the billing city for the credit card.
State: Enter the billing state or province for the credit card.
Zip: Enter the billing zip or postal code for the credit card.
Phone: Enter the phone number for the credit card.
Pre-authorization amount: Confirm the amount to be credited, or edit if needed.
To authorize a charge, do ONE of the following:
To authorize a credit card charge, do the following:
Select the Credit Card button.
Click [Authorize] to open the NET1 Payment Solutions window.
Card Number: Enter the new credit card number to be charged.
Expiration: Use the drop-down menu to select the expiration date of the credit card to be charged.
CVV: Enter the three digit security code found on the back of the credit card.
Click [Swipe Card] to charge the card, or [Cancel] to close the window and not charge the credit card.
Once the Swipe Card process has completed, click [Next] to view the billing information.
Click [Submit]. The system displays the transaction detail.
Click the [Close] button in the bottom right corner of the window to return to e-automate.
To authorize an ACH charge, do the following:
Select the ACH button.
Click [Authorize] to open the Add Account window.
Account number: The bank’s account number to add to this invoice.
Routing number: The bank’s routing number to add to this invoice
Checking/Savings: Select which account type, either checking or savings.
Click [OK] to save the ACH account information.
Click [OK] to save the transaction.
Auto-Create EquipmentAuto-Create Equipment
There is a feature in e-automate that if enabled can automatically create equipment records for inventory items you have sold that have equipment codes. This feature is available in the administrative options area under Sales. For more information on this option see Setting Sales Options. If the feature is enabled, upon the sale of one or more equipment items, e-automate displays the Auto-create/update equipment settings window. You use the displayed window to configure settings on the equipment records auto-created as a result of your fulfillment activities. These fulfillments can be sales orders, sales invoices, and RMAs. The window allows you to specify which equipment to update, the billing information on the equipment, the Install date, the equipment Warranty date. The window also allows you to specify whether or not you want to review each created equipment record upon clicking [OK].
If you have sold inventory items with equipment codes and your Auto-Create Equipment from Sales Invoice option is enabled, e-automate displays the Auto-create/update equipment settings window. Use these instructions to complete the window.
If you decide to not create equipment or modify any equipment sold, click [Cancel] to close the Auto-create/update equipment settings window.
Determine which equipment that you have just sold that you want to update equipment settings. If you want to set all equipment you sold on the invoice, select All equipment on the sales invoice. If you only want to set the equipment that are not already setup, select Only equipment on the sales invoice that are not already associated to Customer number – Customer name. This option is convenient if the equipment already has the customer information associated with it due to the equipment being on a demonstration at the customer.
If the sales transaction has a different Bill to than customer, e-automate activates the billing region for the equipment. This allows you to determine whether or not you want the Bill to from the sales transaction set on the equipment as the Bill to or not. There are occasions that you may create a sales invoice that is billed to a leasing company but the equipment should, after the original sale be billed to the customer and not the leasing company.
If you want to update the created equipment records with an installation date, check the Update all equipment with the following install date checkbox. In the Install date use the drop-down menu to select an appropriate date. This date is defaulted to the date identified on the invoice.
If you want to specify a warranty date for the created equipment, check the Update all equipment with the following warranty date checkbox. In the Warranty date field use the drop-down menu to select an appropriate warranty date.
If you want to review each created equipment record, check Review each equipment before saving checkbox.
Click [OK] to close the window and create/modify equipment from the sales transaction with your specified settings. If you opted to review equipment history tracking equipment or if e-automate is created completely new equipment, it displays the equipment records from the sales transaction. If there is more than one equipment record, e-automate displays them successively. Review and make any necessary changes to each equipment before clicking [OK].
©2025 ECI and the ECI logo are registered trademarks of ECI Software Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.