When you create a production order from a sales order using the function “Create Production Order and Order Hierarchy”, Business Central builds the order hierarchy automatically. You can then view it directly from the order hierarchy page.
The order hierarchy shows the relationship between configurable hierarchy items across multiple levels. Each order in the hierarchy carries a reference number that points back to the originating sales order, so you always know which sales order an order belongs to.
You can show or hide components in the view. Components are the extra items on the production and purchase orders that are not part of the configurable hierarchy items. These components are bought normally to stock, which is the whole point of separating them from the hierarchy.
The hierarchy uses indentation levels to show how items relate to each other. A top-level configurable item sits at indentation level 1, its configurable sub-items sit at level 2, and so on. Components that are not configurable do not appear in the hierarchy unless you choose to show them.
Building the order hierarchy from a sales order
Once you run “Create Production Order and Order Hierarchy”, the system creates the order hierarchy for you. You view it from the order hierarchy page, where you see all the orders that were generated. Each order references the sales order it came from through a reference number.
Showing and hiding components in the hierarchy
From the hierarchy view you can show or hide the components. By components, we mean the extra items on the production order and purchase order that are not configurable hierarchy items.
If you hide them, you see only the configurable hierarchy items. If you show them, the view adds the remaining items from the bills of material at each level.
Understanding indentation levels with the city bike example
Take a city bike that has a bill of material at indentation level 1. In this scenario, the front wheel and the back wheel are the only two items on the city bike’s bill of material that are made as configurable hierarchy items.
If you show the documents, you add several other level-1 items. These are all the remaining items on the bill of material for the top-level city bike.
Look at item number 1100. On level 2, it has two configurable items: a configurable purchase item and a configurable production item. Be aware that this production item has, on level 3, two other purchased items that are not configurable.
Also on level 2, you find the remaining parts of the bill of material for the front wheel. So if you view the front wheel at indentation level 1, everything below it is the bill of material for that order.
The back wheel is a parallel item on level 1. It includes its own components, and the level-3 items below it relate to the back wheel.
Why components stay outside the hierarchy
The point of separating components from the hierarchy is straightforward. All the components that are not part of the hierarchy are bought normally to stock. Only the configurable hierarchy items need the multi-level order structure. You can unfold and fold the documents in the view to navigate the structure as needed.
Q&A
How do you create an order hierarchy from a sales order in Business Central?
You run the function “Create Production Order and Order Hierarchy” from the sales order. It is called automatically and builds the order hierarchy for you, which you can then view from the order hierarchy page.
What is the reference number on each order in the hierarchy?
Each order in the hierarchy carries a reference number that points back to the sales order it was created from, so you can always trace an order to its originating sales order.
What does showing or hiding components do in the order hierarchy?
Showing components adds the extra items on the production and purchase orders that are not configurable hierarchy items. Hiding them leaves only the configurable hierarchy items in the view.
What do indentation levels mean in the order hierarchy?
Indentation levels show how items relate to each other. A top-level configurable item sits at level 1, its configurable sub-items at level 2, and their non-configurable purchased items at level 3.
How are components that are not part of the hierarchy handled?
Components that are not part of the hierarchy are bought normally to stock. Only the configurable hierarchy items use the multi-level order structure.