Update PO Lines Workflow Job



REMEMBER: Only designated staff members are permitted to run jobs. Refer to the matrix at Jobs & Batch Processes to see which staff members are approved to run which jobs.

Parameters and Planning

Let’s go over the parameters and notes for the Update PO Lines Workflow job:

 [Go to EL Knowledge Center page: https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Product_Documentation/010Alma_Online_Help_(English)/050Administration/070Managing_Jobs/020Running_Manual_Jobs_on_Defined_Sets#Manual_Jobs_and_Their_Relevant_Parameters]

This is a straightforward job that lets you apply an action to all the PO lines in a set. There are no sub-options for these choices.

Depending on your choice, the job will: 

  • Move PO lines that are In Review to the next step in the process. OR
  • Change PO lines from Ready to In Review. OR
  • Reopen closed or canceled PO lines and set them to In Review.

You can re-run this job on the same set to push the same records along in their workflow, though remember that you lose any granularity in how those records are treated. If you have a large batch of POLs that all need the same action, this can be a quick way to take that action.

  1. Run the job once to change PO lines from Ready to In Review.
  2. Run the job again on the same set to move the POLs on from In Review to the next step in their process.

For more information, see Reviewing PO Lines and Closing, Reopening, and Relinking PO Lines.

Limits to Updates by Job

The most important limit to remember is that all of the PO lines in your set will have the same action applied to them. Choose carefully.

Also, if you reopen a PO line, it will not automatically relink it back to the original PO. You will need to do that manually, or via a different job.

Creating the Set

Create the set for the Update PO Lines Workflow job using the following criteria:

  • Use the Order Lines search type to act on PO Line records
  • Use any criteria to search, depending on what you need to do
  • Create an itemized set, so you can review the records after you run the change. If you use a logical set and one of your search query criteria is the status, those records won't be findable by that search after you run the job.

If you use a file to create your set: For the Update PO Lines Workflow job, you can only use the PO line reference (the POL number) as a unique identifier. If you need to assemble a list of POL numbers, you can ask for or run an Analytics report based on other criteria that includes the PO line reference in the report, then move that column to the first position and upload it to create the set.

(info) If creating a set from a file, to find the correct header for your data, refer to this Ex Libris Documentation

Running the Job

Once you've selected the job and the set, all you need to do is choose the action from the options provided.


Reviewing Job Results

Reviewing records changed by the job: In addition to the general ways to review the effect of your job, for Update PO Lines Workflow you can review the history for each order line (in a small set). To review an individual order line, click on Edit Order and review all the fields. In addition, you can view the History tab to see any changes made during the job update – they’ll be identified as having been made by the System.

In the Job Report: The Counters section for the Update PO Lines Workflow job will include how many records were changed or skipped by the job, and the PO line reference for any records that failed to update


Update PO Lines Workflow Job Cannot Be Restored

Notice that our Update PO Lines Workflow job is not on the list of jobs that can be Restored. You cannot hit “undo” for this job, which is why it’s so important to fully understand the changes you’re making before you make them.

Additional note for this job: You cannot just run the Update PO Lines Workflow job again to "undo" a previous change, because this job is intended to move PO Lines forward in their workflows.

However, you can use the Change PO Lines Status job to close, cancel, or delete the PO lines in your set. See the the Change PO Lines Status job information page for more on that job.


Harvard Documentation

Batch Acquisitions Work (Page TBD)

Sets documentation and online training materials

Ex Libris Documentation

Reviewing and Managing PO Lines

Closing, Reopening, and Relinking PO Lines.

Running Manual jobs on Defined Sets

Overview of Jobs – Batch Job Planning Guidelines (for time)

Managing Jobs and Sets section page