# Customer Sales Orders

Sales orders are used to enter sales to a customer. Once a sales order has been entered several events may then occur. Inventory items can be ordered (Purchase Orders), items shipped or drop-shipped, pick slips, packing slips or invoices can be generated for some or all of the items in the order as they become available in your inventory. Reports can be generated to list the inventory shortfalls inventory sales. Sales orders do not affect your financial situation, income statement or balance sheet. they merely act as a placeholder to determine inventory stock levels needed to fulfill sales.

Partial shipments are possible from a single sales order.

NOTE: Sales orders are not required if you operate in a point-of-sale type sales system. In this case entering the sales directly as sales/invoice or point-of-sale is all that is required.

### Related Topics

#### Customer Accounts

Adding a new customer account
Updating a customer account
Setting up a customer credit limit
Checking customer balances

#### Sales Orders

Entering a sales order
Deleting a sales order
Closing a sales order
Printing a pick list/packing list

#### Sales/Invoicing

Invoicing a sales order

#### Shipping

Shipping a sales order