The quick answer
Open Sales Channels and check Can Only Use Dedicated Order Reservations as Supply for the channel. Then open an existing Order Reservation for the same channel, item, and location. Read its dates and quantity summary, and use Supply Allocation to see the displayed supply and demand links. A Yes channel setting and allocation rows show policy and current links; they do not prove that stock has arrived or an order has shipped.
This example inspects Dealer Portal and an existing reservation for VK-80 Valve Kit at Oakland Warehouse. The person and operating-company names in the screenshots are fictional example data. Nothing is created or saved in this walkthrough.
Before you start
The account needs Sales Channels, Supply Allocation, and Order Reservations available; Multi-Location Inventory matters for location-based allocation. Use a role that can view the records and allocation details. You need an existing reservation to inspect. Check its channel, item, location, subsidiary where applicable, dates, strategy, and closed state. If approval routing is enabled, also confirm approval. These header checks provide context; they do not, by themselves, prove that any supply is eligible. Forms and permissions can change which fields and rows you see.
01. Check the sales channel
Open the Sales Channels list using the navigation available to your role. Find the channel and read Can Only Use Dedicated Order Reservations as Supply. In the example, Dealer Portal says Yes; Direct Sales says No. A Yes value describes the channel's supply policy. It does not create a reservation or allocate inventory. If the list does not show the field, inspect the channel record before concluding what the policy is.
02. Open a matching reservation
Open the Order Reservations list and select an existing record. The example reservation is Dealer Portal - Valve Kit. Its Primary Information shows Dealer Portal, VK-80 Valve Kit, Oakland Warehouse, and US Distribution. Allocation Details shows the example strategy name Available Supply Strategy, a start date of 10/01/2026, an end date of 12/31/2026, and a Transaction Date of 10/18/2026. Check your own record's dates, closed state, strategy, and approval status if approval routing applies. The Transaction Date can affect which current and future inventory is considered. A matching header still does not establish supply eligibility.
03. Read the quantity summary
Read the values as the record displays them. This example shows Quantity 36, Allocated Supply 28, Allocated Demand 12, Quantity Committed 22, Target Quantity 36, and Quantity Remaining 8. Those fields describe different parts of the reservation's state. Quantity Committed is not a receipt or fulfillment count, and Quantity Remaining should be read as NetSuite displays it rather than reverse-engineered from two other fields. Don't force these values into a universal subtraction rule or use them alone to infer what can ship. Allocation can include future supply and can change when the allocation process runs.
04. Inspect Supply Allocation
Open Supply Allocation. Read the supply type, source, quantity, receipt date, and allocated amount in each displayed row. In the example, both rows show Inventory for Commitment and Allocation at Oakland Warehouse, each with supply quantity 60. The first allocates 16 and the second 12. A blank supply-order or receipt-date cell is not evidence of a received purchase order.
Scroll across the grid if needed. Here, the Demand Type and Demand Order Status columns show an Order Reservation reference, 17, with Approved, and a Sales Order reference, SO-8472, with Pending Fulfillment. Those are grid values, not an independent approval or fulfillment check. Read the demand type and linked order when they are actually present; not every reservation will show a sales-order row.
05. Check what the evidence proves
You can conclude that Dealer Portal is set to use dedicated order reservations as supply and that this example reservation displays two allocation rows. You cannot conclude that the item has been received, the sales order is fully covered, or the order can ship. For a customer promise, check the sales-order line and allocation, actual supply and its status, and any fulfillment transaction. The reservation's Fulfillment subtab may provide fulfillment details, but this walkthrough does not inspect that tab. If Supply Allocation is empty, check approval where required, effective and transaction dates, closed state, item, location, subsidiary, strategy, eligible supply, competing allocations, and whether allocation processing has produced a result.
Common questions
Does the sales-channel setting allocate supply by itself?
No. It describes which supply the channel can use. An eligible reservation and its allocation still need to exist.
Does Allocated Supply mean the goods have arrived?
No. It can include future supply. Inspect the supply source, transaction, receipt date, and current status before treating it as available stock.
Why might Supply Allocation be empty?
Possible causes include dates, closed or approval state, strategy, supply type or status, location, competing allocations, or an allocation process that has not produced a result. Check the record and process in your account rather than assuming one cause.
Does a row linked to a sales order mean it can ship?
No. The row shows a displayed allocation link. Check that sales order's allocation and the supply status separately before promising shipment.