How to Communicate a PO to Multiple Supplier Email Adresses

Before 11.5.10, the E-mail Notification supports multiple E-mail addresses as long as the combined addresses list is no longer than 60 characters. The E-mail addresses need to be separated by commas. As a workaround the supplier may setup a distribution list address, including all the single E-mail addresses that would receive the E-mail. We were able to use  only a single e-mail address when using the feature to mail during the approval process .
 
The use of commas to separate multiple addresses is no longer supported in 11.5.10 or Release 12. Refer to Note: 333719.1 11.5.10: Not Able To Send Multiple E-Mails Upon Approval Of Purchase Order for details.

 When attempting to set an email address for a supplier site to multiple email addresses the following error occurs:
 
    Error
    Row 1 Email - Please enter a valid Email Address. 

As of now, the following workarounds are available:

 1. Using Professional Buyer Work Center in R12, where you can mention the suppliers/buyers E-mail addresses need to be separated by commas.
2. Create and use an e-mail distribution list defined by your electronic mail system.
3. Use the PO: Secondary Email address profile option as a second e-mail destination.

       To send a copy of the e-mail PO to your company, define an alternative E-mail address in the profile option PO: Secondary E-mail Address. To resend the supplier e-mail, log into this secondary e-mail account and resend it from there.
 

4. If using the PDF option for PO Output Format there is another workaround. By navigating to PO Summary (query a PO) and then go to Tools > Communicate there is an option to email a purchase order again. Any valid  email address can be used (one email address at a time).

Customization Option :

In one of my previous assignments, followed the below approach to send a mail to multiple email IDs

  - Developed a concurrent program to creates an ADHOC user for each of the Supplier User with the mail ID(used the Workflow APIs).

-         Create another program to add the users to an ADHOC  Rule

-         Sends the notification to the ADHOC role.

Will provide the program and API details very soon.

Advanced Option:

 If you have GRC Installed in your applications, you can create a role with all of the supplier mail IDs and add that mail it at supplier site level. (Need to Test this approach). 

  
FAQ: E-Mail PO Functionality (Supplier Notifications)

What is the format of the purchase order E-mail notification?

The format of the purchase order E-Mail notification when using the Text format cannot be modified through the application. Its format is hardcoded to text/html before 11.5.10 and to HTML with Attachments for POXWPA1B.pls-115.140.1159.22 and higher. The notification does not take in consideration the user notification E-Mail preference.

After 11.5.10, Oracle Purchasing has the ability to e-mail a purchase order in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). In Oracle Purchasing, the buyer can view a draft version of the PDF purchase order. After approval, generated PDF documents can be sent using E-mail, fax, or print and are viewable online in Oracle Purchasing, Oracle iSupplier Portal, and Oracle Sourcing. You can set up layout templates that define how your purchase orders should be formatted, including the company logo, headers, footers, and watermarking.

Why PDF format is not available in the list of values for PO Output Format Setup in the Purchasing Options form?

Oracle XML Publisher is not installed. Refer to Note 301824.1 PDF is Not in LOV for PO Output Format Setup for details.

Does the E-mail PO functionality allow sending to more than one e-mail address?

Before 11.5.10, the E-mail Notification supports multiple E-mail addresses as long as the combined addresses list is no longer than 60 characters. The E-mail addresses need to be separated by commas. As a workaround the supplier may setup a distribution list address, including all the single E-mail addresses that would receive the E-mail.

The use of commas to separate multiple addresses is no longer supported in 11.5.10 or Release 12. Refer to Note 333719.1 11.5.10: Not Able To Send Multiple E-Mails Upon Approval Of Purchase Order for details.

How to resend a copy of the e-mail PO?

To send a copy of the e-mail PO to your company, define an alternative E-mail address in the profile option PO: Secondary E-mail Address. To resend the supplier e-mail, log into this secondary e-mail account and resend it from there. In case you need to send a copy of the e-mail PO to more than one buyer, assign a mail distribution list email address to the profile.

If profile is not set, resend the notification via the PO summary form:

1. Go to the purchase order summary form
2. Query the purchase order
3. Go to tools -> communicate
4. Click e-mail and type the email address
Save changes.

Can terms and conditions be included in the E-mail PO notification?

Generic terms and conditions will be appended on the E-mail PO body. Oracle Purchasing allows you to maintain separate files containing language specific copies of generic terms and conditions to include in every purchase order that is transmitted via E-mail. These terms and conditions are also sent out in the supplier's preferred language. Refer to Note 556099.1 Communication Methods In Oracle Purchasing for details.

Is it possible to attach different terms and conditions to the purchase orders based on the Operating Unit being used?

Currently there is not a feature that allows to attach terms and conditions based on Operating Units. As a workaround, you can set the profile option 'PO: Terms and Conditions File Name' at the responsibility level and attach a different file for each operating unit responsibility.

How to disable the supplier E-mail check box when approving documents?

The notification method by default is E-mail for the supplier sites. Go to the suppliers form and change the notification method or disable it by selecting a null method. Refer to Note 179071.1 How to disable the supplier email check box from defaulting to always checked for more details.

Where is the E-mail address from the approval window stored for later use during the approval workflow?

The email address entered or defaulted in the approval window is stored as a workflow attribute in the WF_ITEM_ATTRIBUTE_VALUES table. The attribute name is EMAIL_ADDRESS. Refer to Note 213260.1 Where Is the Email Address and Fax Info From the Approval Window Stored For Use During the Approval Workflow? for more details.

Can file type attachments entered in the purchase order form be included in the Supplier email PO notification?

The purchase order approval workflow does not support this functionality in 11.5.10. This feature was included in Release 12.  The text format notification will display the attachments as links. The PDF notification will include the attachments as .zip files (the extension can be adjusted in the Purchasing options form). On the Purchasing Options setup page, you can also specify the maximum allowed size for the ZIP attachments.
Besides .doc or .xls documents as zip attachment, HTML attachments (web pages) is also included in the PDF as hyperlink.
In order to display the attachments, the category needs to be 'To Supplier'.

Does the E-mail PO functionality work for automatic releases created through the Create Releases Program?

No. The create releases program does not send e-mails to the suppliers for automatic releases. Refer to Note 231683.1 For Your Review E-Mail Notifications Are Not Being Sent To Suppliers For Blanket Releases After the Releases are Automatically Created in Approved Status

How to resend failed email-PO supplier notifications?

There is a new concurrent request called 'Resend Failed/Error Workflow Notifications in 11.5.10.1 and onwards that can be used to resend failed notifications. Refer to Note 562551.1 How to resend/retry Workflow e-mail Notifications Marked With Status ''Failed' . The program was improved in ATG.RUP7 to include From Date and To Date parameters to let you resend notifications that failed during a particular range of dates. The program also includes a Mail Status parameter to let you specify whether to resend notifications with a status of Failed or Error (wf_notifications.mail_status), as well as a Message Type parameter to let you resend only notifications that belong to a particular item type

What articles, white papers, or manuals should I read for more information on E-mail PO functionality?

Note 556099.1 Communication Methods In Oracle Purchasing