The quick answer
With a partner handheld add-on that receives against ASN records, open the add-on's Receive ASN screen, scan or enter the ASN number of each carton that arrived and submit it. The add-on creates the item receipt for the purchase order, so the order shows the received quantities and a partial status. An ASN you did not scan stays unreceived. Confirm the result on the purchase order's Received column and on the saved item receipts, not on the handheld message alone.
The example is purchase order PO4520 to Ridgeline Fastener Supply: 25 FS-250 Fastener Starter Kits, 20 BP-410 Hex Bolt Packs and 1 SC-620 Sensor Cable. The vendor ships it as three cartons, each with its own ASN: 5201, 5202 and 5203. The screenshots use sample data and fictional person and operating-company names.
Before you start
This workflow depends on a partner add-on. The handheld app, the ASN custom record, the Item Received flag and the Receiving menu are the add-on's, not standard NetSuite. The app in the screenshots is shown as OzLINK. NetSuite itself supports creating item receipts from a purchase order, receiving part of a line and leaving the rest open. Your add-on's menus, messages and records will differ.
Advanced Receiving has to be on for the item receipt and the vendor bill to be separate transactions (Setup > Company > Enable Features). The purchase order has to be in a receivable state: approved if your account uses approval routing or a workflow requires it, and with a quantity still open to receive. The add-on needs permission to create item receipts and to update its own ASN records. Each ASN has to be linked to the right vendor, purchase order and item lines, and your overage, matching, period and location controls must allow the quantities.
In this example the items are plain inventory items without bins, lots or serial numbers. For bin, lot, serial-numbered or inventory-status items, the add-on has to collect and save the inventory detail on the item receipt, and a completed scan does not by itself prove that it did. In this add-on the ASN is a custom record, separate from NetSuite's Inbound Shipment. Other products can create or use inbound shipments from ASN data, so check which record your add-on uses.
01. Open the purchase order
Open PO4520. It is Pending Receipt, and nothing has been received.
On the Items sublist, FS-250 is ordered 25, BP-410 is ordered 20 and SC-620 is ordered 1. Received is 0 on every line.
02. Check the ASN records
Open the add-on's ASN list. Here it is the OzLINK ASN Receiving List, a custom record list. It has three ASNs on four lines. ASN 5201 holds 5 FS-250 and 1 SC-620, ASN 5202 holds 10 BP-410, and ASN 5203 holds 10 BP-410. Every line shows Item Received No.
The record, its fields and its list name belong to the add-on, so yours will look different. The ASN stores what the vendor said it would send, and the purchase order stores what was ordered.
03. Open Receive ASN on the handheld
On the handheld Main Menu, tap Receiving. The Receiving Menu lists Receive Order, Receive Return, Receive ASN and Put-Away. Tap Receive ASN. The ASN Receiving screen asks for an ASN Number.
The handheld is a third-party device running the add-on. It is drawn here as an illustration of the partner app's screens.
04. Scan the ASNs that arrived
Scan or enter ASN 5201 in ASN Number and tap Submit. A scanner that types like a keyboard fills the field the same way as typing.
The handheld answers "ASN Receipt Completed Successfully!" Tap OK.
Scan ASN 5202 the same way. The same message appears.
Do not scan ASN 5203. That carton has not arrived. How many item receipts one ASN creates, and whether it does so straight away or through a queue, is up to the add-on. Open the saved receipts and check that Created From points to the purchase order and that the quantities and location are the ones you expect. The handheld message alone does not show that inventory posted. If the add-on reports success but no receipt appears, check for queued processing or an add-on error before you scan again, because a second scan or a manual receipt can duplicate inventory.
05. Confirm the purchase order is partially received
Refresh PO4520. In the example account the status now reads Pending Billing/Partially Received. Status wording depends on the received and billed quantities, your release, form and settings, so rely on the received quantities and the saved receipts under Related Records.
On the Items sublist, FS-250 shows Received 5 of 25 and BP-410 shows 10 of 20, so both lines are still open. SC-620 shows 1 of 1, so that line is complete.
The open quantities stay on the order until another receipt covers them or the line is closed.
06. Confirm which ASNs were received
Refresh the ASN list. ASN 5201 and ASN 5202 show Item Received Yes. ASN 5203 still shows No, so that carton is waiting to be received.
The Item Received flag is the add-on's record of what it has processed. It is not a NetSuite status. Standard NetSuite tracks the received quantity on the purchase order lines.
Common questions
Is receiving by ASN a standard NetSuite feature?
No. The handheld Receive ASN screen, the scan flow, the completion message and the Item Received flag are not standard NetSuite behavior unless a particular add-on or customization supplies them. NetSuite does provide purchase order receiving and inbound shipment workflows, but those are different from this add-on's custom process.
Does scanning an ASN create an item receipt?
In this add-on's design it should, once the submission succeeds. Open the saved receipt and check Created From, the item quantities, the location, any inventory detail and the receipt date. A handheld message or an ASN flag is not enough proof. If no receipt appears, check for queued processing or an error before scanning again.
Why does my purchase order say Pending Billing/Partially Received?
The order has received some quantity and still has quantity open. The displayed status depends on received and billed quantities, approval, the form and your account configuration, so check the Received and Quantity columns and the related receipts rather than one status label.
Can I receive only some of the ASNs on a purchase order?
Yes, if the add-on lets you submit ASNs one at a time and each ASN is linked to an open purchase order with valid quantities. In the example, scanning 5201 and 5202 updates only their quantities and leaves 5203 unreceived. Confirm that the add-on refuses a repeat scan and does not mark every ASN on the order as received.
Do I need Advanced Receiving?
You need it when the item receipt and the vendor bill must be separate transactions. Without it, NetSuite uses a combined flow in which receiving and billing go through the bill process, so an add-on that creates separate item receipts may not work as described. Check the feature, permissions, form and the add-on's requirements in your account.
Is an ASN the same as an inbound shipment?
Not necessarily. In this guide the ASN is the add-on's custom record, separate from NetSuite's Inbound Shipment. Other products can create or use native inbound shipments from ASN data. Identify which record your add-on uses before you describe the workflow.