The quick answer
Create an Inbound Shipment saved search and add Purchase Order Fields... > Line Unique Key as a Group column next to Items - PO. Show Purchase Order : Quantity with Maximum, and Items - Quantity Expected, Items - Quantity Received and Items - Quantity Remaining with Sum. Each group is then one purchase order line. Grouping by item instead puts two lines of the same item in one group, and Maximum keeps only the largest one.
The screenshots use fictional company, person, item and purchase order data. Use your own records when following the steps.
Before you start
You need the Inbound Shipment Management feature, permission to create saved searches and permission to see the shipments and purchase orders. In this example, PO5120 has Corrugated Mailer on two lines (120 and 80) and Packing Tape on a third (50). Shipment 31 carries 70 of the first mailer line and all 80 of the second. Shipment 32 carries the other 50 of the first line and the tape. Shipment 31 has received 45 of its first line.
An Inbound Shipment search normally returns one row per shipment line. A purchase order line split across two shipments returns two rows, and each row repeats that line's ordered quantity. Menu labels and available fields vary with role, enabled features and account configuration, so verify the row counts against a shipment you know.
01. Start the search
Go to Reports > Saved Searches > All Saved Searches > New (or Lists > Search > Saved Searches > New, depending on your role's menu) and choose Inbound Shipment. Set Search Title to PO Line Shipment Execution. On Criteria, choose Items - PO, select PO5120 and click Set. The search now covers only that order's shipment rows.
02. Add the columns
Open Results and click Remove all to clear the default columns. Add Shipment Number, Items - PO and Items - Item. Then add a new Field row, choose Purchase Order Fields..., pick Quantity in the popup and click Add. The column reads Purchase Order : Quantity. Finish with Items - Quantity Expected, Items - Quantity Received and Items - Quantity Remaining.
03. Preview the shipment lines
Click Preview. Four rows return, one per shipment line.
On shipment 31, the first mailer line shows Expected 70, Received 45 and Remaining 25. The same line appears again on shipment 32 with Expected 50, so its Purchase Order : Quantity of 120 repeats. In this account, Items - Quantity Remaining returned the expected quantity less the quantity received on each shipment line. Compare it with Expected and Received on a partly received shipment in your own account before you rely on it.
04. Summarize by item and read the trap
Click Return To Criteria and open Results. Set Summary Type to Group on Items - PO and Items - Item, Maximum on Purchase Order : Quantity, and Sum on the three quantity columns. Give the quantity columns the Summary Labels PO Quantity, On Shipments, Received and Not Yet Received. Click Preview.
The mailer row reads 120 ordered and 200 on shipments, which looks like an over-shipment. It is not. The group holds two purchase order lines of the same item, 120 and 80. Maximum returned the largest single line, 120, not the 200 total. Summing the PO quantity instead would count the split first line once per shipment: 120 + 80 + 120 = 320.
05. Group by the line key
Click Return To Criteria and open Results. Add a new Field row, choose Purchase Order Fields..., select Line Unique Key, set Summary Type to Group and click Add.
Click Preview. Three rows return, one per purchase order line.
Line 318204 has PO Quantity 120, On Shipments 120, Received 45 and Not Yet Received 75. Line 318205 shows 80, 80, none received and 80, and line 318206 shows 50, 50, none received and 50. Each group is exactly one line, so Maximum of the PO quantity is that line's ordered quantity. The search groups by PO as well, so keep Items - PO if you widen it to several orders. All three lines are fully assigned to shipments, and only 45 of 250 units are received.
06. Save and label it
Click Return To Criteria, open the arrow beside Save and choose Save & Run. The saved results show the same three rows.
The label Not Yet Received is the summary label chosen in this example for the Sum of Items - Quantity Remaining. It is a report label, not a NetSuite status, and it covers shipments that are To Be Shipped as well as shipments in transit. To report one state, add a filter on the shipment Status on Criteria. The Total row adds the result rows as displayed, so it does not correct a repeated joined value. A shipment search also never returns a purchase order line that is on no shipment, so check those lines with a purchase order search.
Common questions
Why does Maximum of the PO quantity give the wrong answer when I group by item?
Two purchase order lines of the same item fall into one group. Maximum returns the largest single line quantity, not the total, and hides the other lines. In the example, the mailer group shows 120 even though the order has 200 mailers across two lines.
Why not Sum the Purchase Order : Quantity?
A line split across shipments appears once per shipment, and each row repeats the line's ordered quantity. Summing counts that line's quantity once per shipment, so the total overstates the order.
What does Items - Quantity Remaining mean after a partial receipt?
In the example account, it returned Quantity Expected less Quantity Received on that shipment line: 70 expected and 45 received gave 25. It is not the unassigned purchase order quantity, and the Add PO Items window on a shipment shows a different Quantity Remaining. Check both meanings in your account.
Does Not Yet Received mean in transit?
No. Not Yet Received is only the summary label used here for the remaining quantity. It also includes shipments that are still To Be Shipped. Filter or group by the shipment Status when you need goods in transit.
Will purchase order lines without a shipment show up?
No. The search starts from shipment lines, so a purchase order line that is on no shipment has no row. A line can also be absent because of your criteria or role. Use a purchase order based search to find unassigned lines.