With the DocuSign integration for Business Central, you can send a DocuSign purchase order to your vendor for a digital signature directly from within BC. No printing, no scanning, no chasing emails. This guide covers how to send the document, what the vendor sees, and how Business Central tracks the signing status for you.
Why Digital Signatures on Purchase Orders Matter
Many vendors ask for a signed purchase order before they start work or ship goods. In the past, this meant printing the order, signing it by hand, scanning it, and sending it back by email or fax. However, this process is slow and hard to track. Moreover, if the vendor misses the email or loses the document, you have to start again.
Digital signatures fix this. You send the document online and the vendor signs it on their computer or phone. Business Central checks the status for you and updates it when the vendor signs. Overall, the whole process is faster, cleaner, and keeps a clear record in one place.
In addition, there is no extra training needed for your team. Once the integration is set up, sending a DocuSign purchase order takes just a few extra clicks on a document you already work with every day.
The DocuSign Integration for Business Central
The DocuSign integration adds a DocuSign menu to your Business Central purchase order page. Specifically, you see a new group of actions in the home bar – including Send with DocuSign. You can use the integration on purchase orders and on sales documents as well.
When you send a document, Business Central creates a DocuSign envelope. This is simply the term DocuSign uses for a document it sends for a signature. Business Central pulls the vendor’s email address from the purchase order and uses it to address the envelope. Furthermore, Business Central tracks the status of each envelope and updates it as the vendor acts.
How to Send a DocuSign Purchase Order
Start with a purchase order that has all its lines filled in and is ready to send. You do not need to release it first. Then go to the DocuSign menu in the home bar and click Send with DocuSign.
A dialog appears with the recipient details pulled from the purchase order. You can check and edit the email address and name before you send. Once you are happy, click OK. Business Central confirms that the envelope has been sent and the order’s status field updates to Sent.
Indeed, the whole process takes less than a minute. You do not need to leave Business Central or open a separate tool. Consequently, anyone on your team can send a signed request without any DocuSign training beyond the initial setup.
What the Vendor Receives
The vendor receives an email from DocuSign with a link to review the document. When they click the link, DocuSign opens the purchase order in their browser. The vendor clicks to place their signature and then clicks Finish. They do not need a DocuSign account to sign – the whole process works from any standard web browser.
Once the vendor clicks Finish, DocuSign marks the envelope as complete. The vendor also gets a copy of the signed document sent to them by email. From that point, the signed PDF is ready to view from within Business Central.
How Business Central Tracks the DocuSign Purchase Order Status
Once you send the envelope, a new field appears on the purchase order: Envelope Status. It starts as Sent. A job queue runs in the background and checks the status of all open envelopes on a set schedule. When the vendor signs, the status changes from Sent to Complete – and you see this update on the purchase order without doing anything.
Thus, you can check the status of any DocuSign purchase order at a glance, right on the purchase order page. There is no need to log in to the DocuSign portal or send a follow-up to the vendor. Likewise, if you manage many purchase orders at once, you can see which ones still need a signature and which ones are done.
Viewing the Signed Document in Business Central
When the vendor signs, Business Central downloads the signed PDF and stores it in the envelope record. To view it, go to the DocuSign menu on the purchase order and click View DocuSign Envelope. This page shows the DocuSign envelope ID, a log of all status changes with dates and times, and a link to the signed PDF.
When you open the PDF, you see the original purchase order with the vendor’s signature on it. Specifically, Business Central stores all signed documents inside your BC instance. You do not need to go to the DocuSign portal to find them. They sit alongside the purchase order and all other records for that vendor.
In addition, the log lines on the envelope record show exactly when the document was sent and when the vendor signed it. This gives you a clear audit trail for every purchase order that needed a vendor signature. For example, if a vendor later disputes an order, you can show the signed document and the exact time they signed it. Moreover, all of this is stored in Business Central with no extra steps from you.
What Happens If the Vendor Has Not Signed Yet
It is also worth noting what happens if the vendor has not signed after a few days. Business Central continues to check the envelope status on each job queue run. However, if you want to follow up, you can see the current status on the purchase order at any time. For example, if the status is still Sent after two days, you know the vendor has not signed yet and you can send them a reminder. Furthermore, you can resend the envelope from the DocuSign menu if needed. This gives you full visibility into where each order stands without having to manage it in a separate system. You can also see all open envelopes and their current status without leaving Business Central, which saves time when you manage a large number of purchase orders.
In short, the DocuSign integration removes the manual steps that used to slow down the purchase approval process. Instead of printing and scanning, you click a button. Instead of waiting for an email reply, you check a status field. Consequently, your team spends less time on paperwork and more time on the work that matters.
Wrapping Up: DocuSign Purchase Order in Business Central
Sending a DocuSign purchase order from Business Central takes just a few clicks. Open the purchase order, go to the DocuSign menu, click Send with DocuSign, confirm the recipient details, and click OK. The vendor receives an email, signs the document in their browser, and Business Central updates the status on its own. The signed PDF is stored in BC and ready to view from the purchase order at any time.
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