Purchase Order Ship to Address Assignment or Why won't Purchase Order Ship to Address Auto Fill?

Purchase Order addressing requires several data points to auto assign the Ship to Address to line items on Purchase Orders.

First you need to select Standard, or Drop Ship – a selection here is of course mandatory. The shipping method selected works in combination with the PO Type selection to determine exactly where in the system to pull the default Ship to Address for Purchase Order Lines. These selections effect the behavior of the Ship to Address location as follows (KB 887113):

PO type	Shipping method - PO line	Address that is used for this combination of purchase order type and shipping method
Standard	Delivery	The address that is contained in theSite IDfield in the purchase order line
Standard	Pickup	The address that is contained in the vendorPurchase Address IDfield in the purchase order line
Drop-ship	Delivery	The address that is contained in the customerShip To Address IDfield in the purchase order line
Drop-ship	Pickup	The address that is contained in the vendorPurchase Address IDfield in the purchase order line

The most common options selected are Standard PO Type and Delivery Shipping Type. In this scenario, purchased materials are delivered to your organization by vendors via common carrier. 

If a Shipping Method is not selected, then the Ship to Address cannot be assigned automatically. 

Shipping Methods default from the Vendor record.

Shipping Methods have a setting for Delivery or Pickup. The selection of Pickup or Deliver assigned to a Shipping Method effects several functions in Dynamics GP, one of which is where in Dynamics GP the Purchase Order Ship to Address is pulled from. 

Shipping Type Options

For Standard Purchase Order Types, including Standard – Blanket, Shipping Methods with Shipping Type Pickup are assumed to be picked up at the Vendor’s Purchase Address. 

For Standard Purchase Order Types, including Drop Ship – Blanket, Shipping Methods with Shipping Type Delivery are assumed to be delivered to the PO Line Site ID Address. 

For Drop Ship Purchase Order Types, which Drop Ship to a particular Customer, Shipping Methods with a Shipping Type of Delivery are assumed to be delivered to the Customer’s Ship to Address. 

For Drop Ship Purchase Order Types, Shipping Methods with Shipping Type Pickup are assumed to be picked up at the Vendor’s Purchase Address. 

Both Standard and Drop Ship Purchase Orders, with a Shipping Type of Pickup with Default the Vendor’s Purchase Address ID.  Deliveries for Standard Purchase Order Types will use the Site ID address, while Delivery’s for Drop Ship Purchase Order Types will use the Customer’s Ship to Address.

Since Addresses in Dynamics GP only have one required field, Address ID, it is also possible for an Address ID to be selected and no address information to be captured. If this is the case, simply find the offending Address ID and fill in the address fields. In the image below, the Site ID link can be clicked, which will open the Site Maintenance window where Address information can be entered. 

Address Information Maintenance

So, if you find the Ship to Address is missing from a Purchase Order, start by checking the Shipping Method, as it's the likely cause. If the purchase order has a Shipping Method assigned, then you may have an Address ID which has no address information. Use the chart above as a reference to determine where the Purchase Order Address should be originate from.

Finally, if Dynamics GP isn't behaving as it should, it is entirely possible a customization is at fault.

I hope this helps get you where you're going.