Table of Contents

  1. Introduction

  2. Overview of Sales and Purchase Workflow in Dolibarr

  3. Activating Sales and Purchase Modules

  4. Managing Products and Services Catalog

  5. Creating and Managing Sales Proposals

  6. From Proposal to Order: Managing Customer Orders

  7. Creating and Validating Sales Invoices

  8. Handling Customer Payments and Settlements

  9. Managing Purchase Requests and Orders

  10. Receiving Products and Managing Supplier Deliveries

  11. Recording Supplier Invoices and Payments

  12. Multi-currency Sales and Purchases

  13. Discounts, Taxes, and Commercial Terms

  14. Stock Management in Sales and Purchases

  15. Linking Documents: Full Lifecycle Traceability

  16. Reporting and Analytics on Sales Activities

  17. Reporting and Analytics on Purchases

  18. Workflow Automation and Scheduled Tasks

  19. Integration with CRM, Accounting, and Inventory

  20. Best Practices and Final Recommendations

1. Introduction

Sales and purchasing processes are the lifeblood of any organization. Dolibarr ERP/CRM provides a structured, end-to-end environment for managing these operations with full visibility and control. This guide dives deep into each step of sales and procurement tracking in Dolibarr, from proposals to payments, covering workflows, configurations, and best practices.

2. Overview of Sales and Purchase Workflow in Dolibarr

Dolibarr handles sales and purchases as interconnected but distinct workflows:

  • Sales flow: Proposal → Order → Invoice → Payment

  • Purchase flow: Request → Order → Reception → Supplier Invoice → Payment

Each document builds upon the previous one, ensuring traceability and data consistency.

3. Activating Sales and Purchase Modules

Before you can manage these processes:

  • Navigate to Home > Setup > Modules/Applications

  • Enable:

    • Sales Proposals

    • Customer Orders

    • Customer Invoices

    • Purchase Orders

    • Supplier Invoices

You can also activate:

  • Stock Management

  • Margin module

  • Multicurrency if needed

4. Managing Products and Services Catalog

All sales and purchases revolve around defined products and services:

  • Go to Products/Services > New Product or Service

  • Define:

    • Reference code

    • Description

    • Type (product or service)

    • Selling and buying price

    • Tax rates

Assign products to categories and manage supplier links for purchasing purposes.

5. Creating and Managing Sales Proposals

Sales proposals are typically the first step in the customer workflow:

  • Navigate to Commercial > Proposals > New Proposal

  • Select a customer, add lines for products or services

  • Apply discounts or tax adjustments

  • Save and validate the proposal

You can generate a PDF to send by email, and log follow-ups through the agenda.

6. From Proposal to Order: Managing Customer Orders

Once the proposal is accepted:

  • Click Create Order from Proposal

  • Adjust quantities and delivery dates

  • Confirm the order and notify the customer

Track the status of each order (draft, validated, shipped) from the order card.

7. Creating and Validating Sales Invoices

To issue an invoice:

  • Create it from the customer order or manually

  • Add payment terms, notes, and bank details

  • Validate the invoice to finalize numbering

Invoices can be downloaded, emailed, or archived automatically.

8. Handling Customer Payments and Settlements

Record payments via:

  • Sales > Invoices > Record Payment

  • Choose the bank account and payment method

  • Register partial or full payments

Dolibarr tracks open balances and overdue invoices. You can reconcile transactions with your bank and apply late fees if needed.

9. Managing Purchase Requests and Orders

To initiate a purchase:

  • Create a Purchase Proposal or Purchase Order from the supplier record

  • Add items with quantities, prices, and expected delivery

  • Validate the order

Orders can be printed, emailed, or sent to suppliers with attachments.

10. Receiving Products and Managing Supplier Deliveries

On receiving goods:

  • Open the Purchase Order and click Create Reception

  • Enter received quantities per line item

  • Validate to update stock automatically (if inventory is enabled)

This step is crucial for inventory accuracy and triggers supplier invoice creation.

11. Recording Supplier Invoices and Payments

Generate a supplier invoice from a validated PO or manually:

  • Match lines with PO or delivery note

  • Add payment terms and tax details

  • Validate and record payment under Purchase > Supplier Invoices

You can track pending invoices and due payments under supplier statistics.

12. Multi-currency Sales and Purchases

Activate multicurrency via Setup > Currency:

  • Define exchange rates

  • Set currency per customer/supplier

  • Dolibarr calculates and converts values during transactions

Currency differences are recorded for financial reporting.

13. Discounts, Taxes, and Commercial Terms

Dolibarr supports:

  • Line item discounts

  • Global order discounts

  • Tax breakdown per jurisdiction

  • Pre-defined commercial terms (e.g., Incoterms)

Configure these under Setup > Dictionaries and assign defaults per third party.

14. Stock Management in Sales and Purchases

When stock module is enabled:

  • Product quantities are automatically adjusted upon delivery/reception

  • Alerts can notify low stock levels

  • Stock movements are logged per warehouse

Stock valuation is reflected in financial summaries.

15. Linking Documents: Full Lifecycle Traceability

Dolibarr maintains traceability across documents:

  • Proposal → Order → Invoice → Payment

  • PO → Reception → Supplier Invoice → Payment

Each document links to its source and successors, with navigation buttons and history logs.

16. Reporting and Analytics on Sales Activities

Under Commercial > Statistics:

  • View revenue by customer or product

  • Analyze monthly or annual trends

  • Track top-performing sales reps

Export data for advanced analysis or build custom dashboards using external tools.

17. Reporting and Analytics on Purchases

Use Purchase > Statistics:

  • Review vendor spending

  • Identify price evolution over time

  • Compare vendor delivery times

Reports help optimize sourcing strategies and budget planning.

18. Workflow Automation and Scheduled Tasks

Automate reminders and tasks:

  • Configure recurring invoices

  • Use scheduled jobs for stock updates or invoice generation

  • Automate email notifications for overdue payments

Set up cron tasks to run these processes regularly.

19. Integration with CRM, Accounting, and Inventory

Sales and purchase modules are interconnected with:

  • CRM: Convert leads into proposals

  • Accounting: Generate journal entries

  • Inventory: Adjust stock and track locations

This ensures that commercial activity is reflected across the system.

20. Best Practices and Final Recommendations

  • Keep your product/service catalog up to date

  • Validate documents promptly to avoid bottlenecks

  • Use categories to segment customers and suppliers

  • Train staff on data entry consistency

  • Regularly audit payment and delivery records

By following structured workflows, Dolibarr becomes a reliable source of truth for your commercial operations.