Summary
During manual testing of receipt processing, the question arose: should receipts have a direct relationship to vendors, or is the indirect linkage through work orders sufficient?
Currently there is no vendor field on receipts. The only path to associate a vendor with a receipt is indirectly: receipt → work order → vendor.
Discussion
Arguments for keeping indirect-only (via work order):
- Simpler data model — no new FK on receipts table
- Enforces process discipline: every expense has context through a work order
- Avoids multiple paths to the same outcome
- Easier reporting and data reasoning
Arguments for adding direct vendor-on-receipt:
- Not every receipt originates from a work order (supply runs, one-off purchases)
- Users may think in terms of "I paid this vendor" not "I paid this work order"
- Enables direct querying: "show me everything I've paid Vendor X"
Decision
Deferred. The indirect path through work orders covers the primary use case. No action until beta testers surface a need for direct vendor-receipt linkage.
This issue exists to document that the relationship was considered and intentionally deferred — not overlooked.
Origin
Discovered while executing TC-REC-008 (Inline Vendor Creation during receipt processing) — that test case describes a feature that does not exist and should be reviewed.
Summary
During manual testing of receipt processing, the question arose: should receipts have a direct relationship to vendors, or is the indirect linkage through work orders sufficient?
Currently there is no vendor field on receipts. The only path to associate a vendor with a receipt is indirectly: receipt → work order → vendor.
Discussion
Arguments for keeping indirect-only (via work order):
Arguments for adding direct vendor-on-receipt:
Decision
Deferred. The indirect path through work orders covers the primary use case. No action until beta testers surface a need for direct vendor-receipt linkage.
This issue exists to document that the relationship was considered and intentionally deferred — not overlooked.
Origin
Discovered while executing TC-REC-008 (Inline Vendor Creation during receipt processing) — that test case describes a feature that does not exist and should be reviewed.