Transaction Types (SuiteBuilder)

Comprehensive guide to transaction types in NetSuite and how they affect custom fields, forms, workflows, and reporting.

Overview

Transaction types determine where your custom fields, forms, and automations apply. Understanding transaction types is essential for proper SuiteBuilder configuration.

TRANSACTION TYPE SCOPE
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

When you create a:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Custom Transaction Body Field                                               │
│ Custom Transaction Line Field                                               │
│ Custom Transaction Form                                                     │
│ Workflow                                                                    │
│ Saved Search                                                                │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                                    │
                                    ▼
                    You must specify which transaction
                    types it applies to:
                    ─────────────────────────────────
                    ☑ Sales Order
                    ☑ Invoice
                    ☐ Cash Sale
                    ☑ Purchase Order
                    ☐ Vendor Bill
                    ... etc.

Transaction Types by Category

Sales Transactions

Transaction Type	Internal ID	Description	GL Impact
Estimate	`estimate`	Quote/proposal to customer	None
Sales Order	`salesorder`	Customer purchase commitment	None (until fulfilled)
Item Fulfillment	`itemfulfillment`	Ship goods to customer	COGS, Inventory
Invoice	`invoice`	Bill customer for goods/services	Revenue, AR
Cash Sale	`cashsale`	Immediate payment sale	Revenue, Cash
Credit Memo	`creditmemo`	Credit to customer	Reduces Revenue, AR
Return Authorization	`returnauthorization`	RMA approval	None
Customer Payment	`customerpayment`	Receipt of payment	Reduces AR, Cash
Customer Refund	`customerrefund`	Return payment to customer	Reduces Cash
Customer Deposit	`customerdeposit`	Advance payment	Liability

Purchase Transactions

Transaction Type	Internal ID	Description	GL Impact
Purchase Requisition	`purchaserequisition`	Internal purchase request	None
Purchase Order	`purchaseorder`	Order to vendor	None (commitment)
Item Receipt	`itemreceipt`	Receive goods from vendor	Inventory
Vendor Bill	`vendorbill`	Bill from vendor	Expense/Inventory, AP
Vendor Credit	`vendorcredit`	Credit from vendor	Reduces AP
Vendor Return Authorization	`vendorreturnauthorization`	Return approval to vendor	None
Vendor Payment	`vendorpayment`	Pay vendor	Reduces AP, Cash
Vendor Prepayment	`vendorprepayment`	Advance to vendor	Asset

Inventory Transactions

Transaction Type	Internal ID	Description	GL Impact
Inventory Adjustment	`inventoryadjustment`	Adjust quantities	Inventory, Adjustment
Inventory Transfer	`inventorytransfer`	Move between locations (instant)	None (same GL)
Transfer Order	`transferorder`	Move between locations (tracked)	In-Transit
Assembly Build	`assemblybuild`	Build assembly from components	Inventory
Assembly Unbuild	`assemblyunbuild`	Disassemble to components	Inventory
Work Order	`workorder`	Manufacturing order	WIP
Work Order Issue	`workorderissue`	Issue materials to WO	WIP
Work Order Completion	`workordercompletion`	Complete assembly to inventory	Inventory
Work Order Close	`workorderclose`	Close work order	Variance

Financial Transactions

Transaction Type	Internal ID	Description	GL Impact
Journal Entry	`journalentry`	Manual GL entry	Various
Statistical Journal Entry	`statisticaljournalentry`	Non-posting journal	None
Intercompany Journal Entry	`intercompanyjournalentry`	IC journal	Various
Deposit	`deposit`	Bank deposit	Cash
Deposit Application	`depositapplication`	Apply customer deposit	Liability
Check	`check`	Write check	Cash, Expense
Expense Report	`expensereport`	Employee expense	Expense, Payable
Paycheck	`paycheck`	Employee pay	Payroll

CRM Transactions

Transaction Type	Internal ID	Description	GL Impact
Opportunity	`opportunity`	Sales pipeline record	None
Case	`supportcase`	Customer support ticket	None
Issue	`issue`	Bug/issue tracking	None

Using Transaction Types in SuiteBuilder

Custom Transaction Body Fields

TRANSACTION BODY FIELD - APPLIES TO
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Navigation: Customization → Lists, Records, & Fields → Transaction Body Fields

Field: Delivery Priority (custbody_delivery_priority)

Applies To:                           Best Practice:
─────────────────                     ───────────────
☑ Sales Order                         Select ONLY the transaction
☑ Item Fulfillment                    types where this field is
☐ Invoice                             relevant to avoid form
☐ Cash Sale                           clutter.
☑ Transfer Order
☐ Purchase Order
☐ ... (many more)

IMPORTANT:
  • Field will appear on all selected transaction types
  • Selecting too many creates maintenance overhead
  • Consider if field should "flow" between linked transactions

Custom Transaction Line Fields

TRANSACTION LINE FIELD - APPLIES TO
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Navigation: Customization → Lists, Records, & Fields → Transaction Line Fields

Field: Warehouse Instructions (custcol_warehouse_instruct)

Sublist:                              Transaction Types:
─────────                             ─────────────────
● Items                               ☑ Sales Order
○ Expenses                            ☑ Item Fulfillment
○ Partners                            ☐ Invoice
○ Sales Team                          ☑ Purchase Order
                                      ☑ Item Receipt

Line fields appear in the specified sublist
only on the selected transaction types.

Custom Transaction Forms

TRANSACTION FORMS BY TYPE
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Navigation: Customization → Forms → Transaction Forms

Each transaction type has its own form(s):

Sales Order Forms:
┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ • Standard Sales Order                 │ ← Default
│ • Sales Order - Wholesale              │ ← Custom
│ • Sales Order - E-Commerce             │ ← Custom
│ • Sales Order - International          │ ← Custom
└────────────────────────────────────────┘

Purchase Order Forms:
┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ • Standard Purchase Order              │ ← Default
│ • Purchase Order - Capital             │ ← Custom
│ • Purchase Order - Services            │ ← Custom
└────────────────────────────────────────┘

Form Features:
  • Show/hide fields per form
  • Reorder fields and tabs
  • Set default values
  • Assign to specific roles

Transaction Type Groups

For efficiency, NetSuite provides transaction type groups for bulk selection.

TRANSACTION TYPE GROUPS
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

When configuring "Applies To" for fields:

☑ All Sales Transactions
    └── Includes: Estimate, Sales Order, Invoice, Cash Sale,
        Credit Memo, Return Authorization, etc.

☑ All Purchase Transactions  
    └── Includes: Purchase Requisition, Purchase Order,
        Vendor Bill, Vendor Credit, etc.

☑ All Inventory Transactions
    └── Includes: Inventory Adjustment, Transfer Order,
        Assembly Build, Work Order, etc.

☑ All Financial Transactions
    └── Includes: Journal Entry, Check, Deposit, etc.

Tip: Use groups for broadly applicable fields,
     individual types for specific fields.

Transaction Field Flow

Understanding how fields flow between linked transactions.

FIELD VALUE FLOW (CREATEDFROM)
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Sales Order #SO-001                   Invoice #INV-001
┌─────────────────────────────┐       ┌─────────────────────────────┐
│ custbody_project: PRJ-100   │──────▶│ custbody_project: PRJ-100   │
│ custbody_priority: High     │       │ custbody_priority: High     │
│                             │       │ (Values copied)             │
└─────────────────────────────┘       └─────────────────────────────┘

Field Flow Behavior:
────────────────────
1. When Invoice is created from Sales Order
2. Body fields on both types are COPIED automatically
3. Line fields also flow to matching lines

Configuration:
  • Field must "Apply To" both transaction types
  • Sourcing available on child transaction
  • Scripts can modify after copy

Transaction Types in Workflows

WORKFLOW TRANSACTION TYPE SELECTION
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Navigation: Customization → Workflow → Workflows → New

Base Record:     [Transaction]
Sub Types:       
                 ☑ Sales Order
                 ☑ Invoice
                 ☐ Cash Sale
                 ☐ Estimate
                 ... (select applicable types)

IMPORTANT:
  • Workflow applies ONLY to selected sub types
  • State conditions can reference type-specific fields
  • Actions execute in context of the transaction type
  
Example: Approval Workflow
  Sub Types: Purchase Order, Vendor Bill
  Condition: amount > 10000
  Action: Route to finance manager

Saved Searches and Reporting

TRANSACTION SAVED SEARCH - TYPE FILTER
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Navigation: Reports → Saved Searches → All Saved Searches → New

Search Type:    Transaction

Criteria:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Type          is any of    Sales Order, Invoice, Cash Sale                 │
│ Date          within       This Month                                      │
│ Status        is any of    Open, Pending Fulfillment                       │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Results:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Date | Type | Document Number | Customer | Amount | Status                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Type Formulas:
  • {type} returns internal ID: "SalesOrd", "CustInvc"
  • {recordtype} returns full name
  • Use CASE statements for custom labels

Best Practices

Field Applies-To Strategy

Scenario	Recommendation
Field relevant everywhere	Use "All Sales Transactions" group
Field for specific process	Select only needed types
Field should flow	Ensure both parent and child selected
Reporting field	Consider if needed on all transaction types

Form Management

Practice	Benefit
Create forms per role	Simplified UI per function
Hide unused fields	Faster data entry
Consistent field order	Training efficiency
Test with real roles	Verify access works

Performance Considerations

Consideration	Impact
Fewer applies-to	Less form loading overhead
Targeted workflows	Faster transaction saves
Specific searches	Quicker search execution

References

Full transaction type list: Transaction Types Reference
Custom body fields: Transaction Body Fields
Custom line fields: Transaction Line Fields
Custom forms: Custom Forms
Workflows: Workflows

Overview​

Transaction Types by Category​

Sales Transactions​

Purchase Transactions​

Inventory Transactions​

Financial Transactions​

CRM Transactions​

Using Transaction Types in SuiteBuilder​

Custom Transaction Body Fields​

Custom Transaction Line Fields​

Custom Transaction Forms​

Transaction Type Groups​

Transaction Field Flow​

Transaction Types in Workflows​

Saved Searches and Reporting​

Best Practices​

Field Applies-To Strategy​

Form Management​

Performance Considerations​

References​