There are lots of dates to choose from in a NetSuite transaction, specifically a sales order. I'm using SuiteTalk to synchronize shipping information from NetSuite to a legacy system. Which date is the correct date to determine when activity has taken place against a sales order to indicate something shipped?
NetSuite Transaction Dates
2.8k Views Asked by Kevin M AtThere are 3 best solutions below

After reviewing and comparing all date values in all sales orders, I've concluded that there is no clear winner which shows the last date/time it had activity. A formula field was the best solution. Here is a saved search that demonstrates that formula.
Notice the formula below that finds the maximum date from all relevant dates.
This calculated date can also be used in a filter to find only recently modified sales orders items, specifically those that shipped along with tracking numbers and quantities.
Here is the formula in a format which can be cut and pasted.
GREATEST({trandate},{lastmodifieddate},{linelastmodifieddate},{billingtransaction.trandate},{billingtransaction.lastmodifieddate},{billingtransaction.linelastmodifieddate})
After contacting NetSuite support, I learned that the {linelastmodifieddate} is not available via the SuiteTalk API. That left me with the following dates:
In my case, I'm monitoring all sales orders to see when something ships. So I want to know when we fulfill a line item in-house or when we drop ship an item. The problem I had was that these dates are all over the place. I wanted to include {linelastmodifieddate}, because there were times when it was the most recent.
Since we invoice when items ship or drop ship, the {billingtransaction.trandate} represents an accurate ship date. {billingtransaction.quantity} represents and accurate quantity shipped. And {billingtransaction.trackingnumbers} includes a list of tracking numbers for that shipment. That's all the info I need to see the "Ship status" of every line item in a sales order.
Here is some sample code that I started with to identify sales orders that have recently had a shipment.