When the attachment does not follow to the posted invoice

A vendor invoice as a PDF is attached to the purchase order, but afterwards the bookkeeper cannot find it on the posted invoice. This is annoying at audit time and when the vendor asks questions. This article explains what Microsoft Learn says about attached files following the document, which exceptions there are, and where to find the documents afterwards. You also get a checklist so documents are not lost.

What standard promises, and the exceptions

On most lists, cards and documents you can attach files, links and notes on the Attachments tab in the FactBox. Microsoft Learn says they stay on the card or document while it is processed further, for example from an ongoing sales order to a posted sales invoice.

So the main rule is that the attachment follows. The problems arise in the exceptions.

Partial delivery and invoicing. When a sales or purchase order is partly delivered and invoiced, the attachment is only linked to the last invoice on the order.
Deferrals. When invoicing deferrals, the attachment is linked to the G/L entries for the document, but not to the deferral entries.
Deletion. If an order is deleted before it is invoiced, the attachment is removed as well.
Files on lines. Files linked to lines on documents are not shown on the Attachments tab.
Incoming documents. Files attached through the Incoming Documents feature are not shown on that tab either.

Get documents from purchase order to purchase invoice

If you create the purchase invoice from receipts with the action Get Receipt Lines, the attachment on the linked purchase order is, according to Learn, added to the invoice. That is a good reason to put the vendor's PDF on the order, if you follow that process.

The same logic does not apply to every process. If you create the invoice directly without a receipt, there is no order to fetch the attachment from, and then it has to be placed on the invoice from the start.

Incoming documents as an alternative

The Incoming Documents feature is built for documents that come from outside. According to Learn, the files can be linked to purchase and sales documents in all statuses, including to the entries created when posting: customer, vendor and G/L entries. You can see the documents from the document or entry afterwards, and you can find G/L entries without an incoming document from the chart of accounts.

This makes incoming documents the strongest choice if the auditor asks for documents for individual postings. On the other hand, employees need to use it consistently.

Remember that the documents on the Attachments tab and in Incoming Documents are two different places. If you only search one of them, you may think the document is missing.

Why it goes wrong, and a checklist

The error typically occurs because the document was put in the wrong place: on a line, in a note or in a folder on a shared drive that is not linked to the entry. Or because the order is partly invoiced, and you look for the document on the first invoice instead of the last.

Make a single person responsible for the rule, and write it down. Review it when new employees start.

Choose one place for documents: the Attachments tab or Incoming Documents, not both.
Attach to the document, not to the line, if the document needs to be findable afterwards.
Use the Attach as PDF action to save a document's content at a given step, for example before an approval.
Check a partly delivered order separately, so you know which invoice has the attachment.
Do a spot check every month: open five posted invoices and see whether the attachment is there.

The idea

The idea Attachment Carry-Over is on our list of possible apps. It corresponds to an idea about letting attached files follow to the posted purchase invoice, which has about 151 votes on Microsoft's ideas portal. It is an idea we are considering, and not something you can download or buy today.