Material Request
Overview
Material Request – Business Overview
Material Request is a key business document used in Dafater to formally ask for items that are needed for operations. It acts as an internal demand note, ensuring that materials are planned, approved, and supplied in a controlled and transparent way.
What Material Request Is Used For
Material Request is used to:
- Signal the need for raw materials, finished goods, consumables, or spare parts
- Trigger procurement or internal stock transfers
- Support production planning, maintenance activities, and project execution
- Ensure departments receive the right materials at the right time
It helps businesses avoid shortages, reduce emergency purchases, and maintain smooth operations.
Prerequisites and Setup Requirements
Before using Material Request, the business should have:
- Items clearly defined with proper descriptions and units
- Warehouses or storage locations set up
- Basic purchasing and inventory policies agreed internally
- Clear roles for who can request, review, and approve materials
This ensures Material Requests are accurate and aligned with business rules.
Typical Workflow and Business Process Fit
A common business workflow looks like this:
Need Identification
A department (production, maintenance, projects, or administration) identifies a requirement for materials.Creation of Material Request
The user raises a Material Request specifying:- What items are needed
- Required quantities
- When the items are needed
- Purpose of the request
Review and Approval
The request is reviewed by supervisors or managers to confirm necessity, budget, and priority.Fulfilment Action
Based on availability:- Items are issued from existing stock, or
- A purchase process is initiated, or
- Materials are transferred from another location
Tracking and Closure
The Material Request remains as a reference to track whether the demand was fully or partially fulfilled.
This process ensures accountability and proper planning across departments.
Key Business Scenarios Where Material Request Is Essential
Material Request is especially important in:
- Manufacturing – requesting raw materials for production plans
- Maintenance – requesting spare parts for equipment repairs
- Projects – planning materials required for project milestones
- Retail & Distribution – replenishing stock to avoid shortages
- Administration – requesting office supplies and consumables
In all these scenarios, Material Request helps control spending and improve coordination.
Important Considerations for Users
- Always specify realistic required dates to support proper planning
- Avoid over-requesting to prevent excess inventory
- Clearly mention the purpose to help reviewers make informed decisions
- Check existing stock availability before raising urgent requests
- Treat Material Request as a planning and control tool, not just a formality
Business Value Summary
Material Request brings structure, visibility, and discipline to material planning in Dafater. It helps businesses reduce delays, control costs, improve coordination between departments, and ensure materials are available exactly when needed.
Basic Information
- Module: Stock
- Document Type: Document
Fields
| Field Name | Label | Type | Required | Options | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| naming_series | Series | Select | ✓ | MAT-MR-.YYYY.- | Auto-generated document numbering series in Dafater. |
| title | Title | Data | - | Short descriptive title for the material request. | |
| materialrequesttype | Purpose | Select | ✓ | Purchase, Material Transfer, Material Issue, Ma... | Business purpose defining how materials are requested in Dafater. |
| customer | Customer | Link | Customer | Customer associated with this material request, if applicable. | |
| company | Company | Link | ✓ | Company | Company entity under which the request is created. |
| transaction_date | Transaction Date | Date | ✓ | - | Date when the material request is recorded in Dafater. |
| schedule_date | Required By | Date | - | Date by which the materials are required. | |
| buyingpricelist | Price List | Link | Price List | Price list used to estimate purchasing costs. | |
| amended_from | Amended From | Link | Material Request | Reference to the original material request being amended. | |
| scan_barcode | Scan Barcode | Data | Barcode | Scan item barcode to quickly add items. | |
| setfromwarehouse | Set Source Warehouse | Link | Warehouse | Default source warehouse for material movement. | |
| set_warehouse | Set Target Warehouse | Link | Warehouse | Default target warehouse for requested materials. | |
| items | Items | Table | ✓ | Material Request Item | List of items and quantities requested. |
| tc_name | Terms | Link | Terms and Conditions | Predefined terms and conditions applied to this request. | |
| terms | Terms and Conditions Content | Text Editor | - | Detailed terms and conditions content for the request. | |
| status | Status | Select | , Draft, Submitted, Stopped, Cancelled, Pending... | Current workflow status of the material request. | |
| per_ordered | % Ordered | Percent | - | Percentage of requested quantity already ordered. | |
| transfer_status | Transfer Status | Select | , Not Started, In Transit, Completed | Progress status of material transfer process. | |
| per_received | % Received | Percent | - | Percentage of requested quantity already received. | |
| letter_head | Letter Head | Link | Letter Head | Letterhead format used for printing documents. | |
| selectprintheading | Print Heading | Link | Print Heading | Heading displayed on printed material request. | |
| job_card | Job Card | Link | Job Card | Related job card linked to this request. | |
| work_order | Work Order | Link | Work Order | Associated work order driving the material requirement. |
Child Tables
Items (Material Request Item)
| Field Name | Label | Type | Required | Options | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| item_code | Item Code | Link | ✓ | Item | Unique Dafater item identifier requested for procurement or transfer |
| item_name | Item Name | Data | - | Readable name of the requested item | |
| schedule_date | Required By | Date | ✓ | - | Date when the item is required |
| description | Description | Text Editor | - | Detailed business description of the requested item | |
| item_group | Item Group | Link | Item Group | Category classification for reporting and procurement control | |
| brand | Brand | Link | Brand | Preferred or required brand for the item | |
| image | Image | Attach Image | - | Visual reference of the requested item | |
| qty | Quantity | Float | ✓ | - | Requested quantity in selected unit |
| stock_uom | Stock UOM | Link | ✓ | UOM | Default inventory unit maintained in Dafater |
| from_warehouse | Source Warehouse | Link | Warehouse | Warehouse from which stock will be issued | |
| warehouse | Target Warehouse | Link | Warehouse | Warehouse where the item is required | |
| uom | UOM | Link | ✓ | UOM | Unit of measure used for this request |
| conversion_factor | UOM Conversion Factor | Float | ✓ | - | Conversion ratio between selected UOM and stock UOM |
| stock_qty | Stock Qty | Float | - | Requested quantity converted into stock UOM | |
| minorderqty | Min Order Qty | Float | - | Minimum quantity allowed for procurement | |
| projected_qty | Projected Qty | Float | - | Expected inventory balance after this request | |
| actual_qty | Actual Qty | Float | - | Current available stock quantity | |
| ordered_qty | Completed Qty | Float | - | Quantity already ordered against this request | |
| received_qty | Received Qty | Float | - | Quantity received so far against this request | |
| rate | Rate | Currency | Company:company:default_currency | Expected or estimated unit cost | |
| pricelistrate | Price List Rate | Currency | currency | Standard rate from applicable price list | |
| amount | Amount | Currency | Company:company:default_currency | Total estimated cost for requested quantity | |
| expense_account | Expense Account | Link | Account | Account to record consumption or expense | |
| wipcompositeasset | WIP Composite Asset | Link | Asset | Work in progress asset linked to this request | |
| manufacturer | Manufacturer | Link | Manufacturer | Item manufacturer reference for sourcing | |
| manufacturerpartno | Manufacturer Part Number | Data | - | Manufacturer specific part identification number | |
| bom_no | BOM No | Link | BOM | Bill of Materials reference driving this request | |
| project | Project | Link | Project | Project associated with this material requirement | |
| cost_center | Cost Center | Link | Cost Center | Cost center charged for this material | |
| leadtimedate | Lead Time Date | Date | - | Expected availability date based on supplier lead time | |
| sales_order | Sales Order | Link | Sales Order | Customer sales order driving this material demand | |
| salesorderitem | Sales Order Item | Data | - | Specific sales order line reference | |
| production_plan | Production Plan | Link | Production Plan | Production plan that generated this request | |
| materialrequestplan_item | Material Request Plan Item | Data | - | Planning record linked to this material request | |
| jobcarditem | Job Card Item | Data | - | Job card operation requiring this material | |
| page_break | Page Break | Check | - | Insert page break when printing the document |
Permissions
| Role | Read | Write | Create | Delete | Submit | Cancel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purchase User | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Stock Manager | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Purchase Manager | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Stock User | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Related DocTypes
| DocType | Relationship | Module |
|---|---|---|
| Pick List | Linked from | Stock |
| Work Order | Linked from | Manufacturing |
| Company | Links to | Setup |
| Customer | Links to | Selling |
| Job Card | Links to | Manufacturing |
| Letter Head | Links to | Printing |
| Material Request | Links to | Stock |
| Price List | Links to | Stock |
| Print Heading | Links to | Setup |
| Terms and Conditions | Links to | Setup |
| Warehouse | Links to | Stock |
| Work Order | Links to | Manufacturing |