How to Set Up Budgets and manage budgets in DPO

The Budget Management feature in DPO allows you to set spending limits, assign budgets to P.O.s, and monitor budget usage throughout the purchasing process. You can create main budgets and sub-budgets, define spending limits and tolerances, control whether a budget is required, and determine which users can view or edit budget information. This guide explains how to configure, use, monitor, and manage access to budgets in DPO.

Video Tutorial

Prefer a visual walkthrough? Watch our video tutorial to learn How to Set Up Budgets and manage budgets in DPO.

Create a Budget

1. Go to the Settings → Budgets tab
2. Click "Add Budget"

3. Enter a name for the budget.
4. Define the spending limit.
5. If required, configure an over-budget tolerance:

• As a percentage
• As a fixed amount

6. Save the budget.

Add Sub-Budgets (Optional)

Sub-budgets allow you to divide a top budget into smaller individual budgets for more detailed tracking.

They can be useful for separating spending by, for example:

• Project
• Department
• Cost category
• Time period

Create the required sub-budgets underneath the relevant top budget.

Require a Sub-Budget

If users should not be able to assign only the main budget to a P.O., you can lock the top budget.

1. Go to Settings → Budgets.
2. Open the relevant top budget.
3. Enable “Locked.”
4. Save your changes.

Once the top budget is locked, users can select it the top budget but are also required to select one of its sub-budgets.

Make a Budget Mandatory

You can decide whether users are required to assign a budget when creating a P.O.

1. Go to Settings → Budgets
2. Enable the option "Require a budget for each P.O. item"

When enabled, a P.O. cannot be created without selecting a budget.

Apply Budgets When Creating a P.O.

When creating or editing a P.O.:

1. Select the relevant budget.
2. Select a sub-budget, if required.
3. Continue creating the P.O.

If the P.O. exceeds the configured budget limit or tolerance, DPO will respond according to your budget configuration, for example by displaying a warning or preventing the P.O. from being submitted.

Monitor Budget Usage

Budget information can be reviewed directly from a P.O.

1. Open the relevant P.O. from the Purchase Orders section.
2. Review the displayed budget information, including:

• Budget usage
• Percentage of the budget used
• Sub-budget information, if applicable

This gives users and approvers visibility into the current budget status when reviewing a purchase order.

Budget Overview

For a broader overview, go to Budget Overview.
Here you can review your budgets and their current usage without opening individual purchase orders.

Budget Permissions

User permissions determine whether a user can view all budget values or make changes to the budget assigned to a P.O.

To configure these permissions:

1. Go to Settings → Users.
2. Open the relevant user profile.
3. Go to Permissions.
4. Enable the appropriate budget permissions.

Can View All Budget Values

Enable “Can view all budget values” if the user should be able to see the values of all budgets.
If this permission is not enabled, access to individual budget values can instead be controlled using Budget Roles.

Can Edit Budgets

Enable “Can edit budgets” if the user should be able to add or change the budget assigned to a P.O.

Add or Change a Budget on an Existing P.O.

A budget can also be added or updated after a P.O. has been created.

The user must have the “Can edit budgets” permission.

1. Open the relevant P.O.
2. Click the edit (pencil) icon.
3. Select a budget if no budget has been assigned yet, or change the existing budget.
4. Save your changes.

Restrict Budget Visibility with Budget Roles

If a user should only see the values of specific budgets, you can control access using a dedicated User Role.

This is useful when users should have access to selected budget values without being able to see the values of all other budgets.

Step 1: Create a Budget Role

1. Go to Settings → User Roles.
2. Create a new role.
3. Enter a name for the role, for example “Budgets.”

4. Under Members, assign the users who should receive access through this role.
5. Save the role.

Step 2: Give the Role Access to a Budget

1. Go to Settings → Budgets.
2. Open the budget whose values the users should be allowed to see.
3. Go to Access.
4. Assign the relevant User Role.
5. Save your changes.

Result

Users assigned to the role will be able to see the budget values for the budgets to which their role has been granted access.

They will not be able to see the values of other restricted budgets unless they have been given access through another role or have the “Can view all budget values” permission.

Questions or need help?
Our customer support is always available to help with any questions or setup assistance

Contact us
Email: support@digitalpurchaseorder.com
Support: +1 888 376 7254
Support Int'l: +44 20 331 88 338
Berlin Office: +49 (0)30 55 572 5956

Or book a personalized support call
We look forward to hearing from you.

Updated on: 21/08/2026