How to Configure Sales Stage in iDempiere

Sales Stage is a master configuration in iDempiere used to define the progress of a sales opportunity through the buying journey, from initial contact to closure.

Sales Stages help sales teams track where a customer stands when considering a bulk purchase, and estimate the likelihood of converting the opportunity. The Probability assigned to each stage drives Weighted Amount calculations on the Opportunity, directly impacting pipeline reporting and sales forecasting.

Process Flow

Business Rules

• Every Sales Opportunity must be assigned a Sales Stage.
• Search Key and Name are mandatory for each Sales Stage record.
• Only Active Sales Stage records are available for Opportunity selection.
• Probability is mandatory and must be entered as a percentage value.
• Probability drives Weighted Amount calculation on the Opportunity.
• Closed Status flag must be enabled for terminal stages such as Closed Won and Closed Lost.
• Won flag must be enabled on the Closed Won stage to mark successful conversions.
• Deactivating a Sales Stage prevents future selection without affecting existing opportunities.

Prerequisites

• Tenant configured.
• Organization available.
• User access to Sales Management setup windows.

Configuration Steps

Step 1: Create the Sales Stage Record

Each stage in the sales cycle requires a dedicated record with a probability value that reflects the expected likelihood of closure at that point.

• Open the Sales Stage window and click New Record.
• Enter Organization, Search Key, Name, Description, and Probability. Set Closed Status and Won only for terminal stages, then save.

Field	Sample Value	Mandatory	Description
Organization	*	Yes	Tenant-level record shared across all organizations
Search Key	PROSP	Yes	Unique identifier for the Sales Stage
Name	Prospecting	Yes	Display name shown on the Opportunity
Description	Potential customer identified and initial engagement initiated.	No	Purpose and definition of the stage
Probability	10.00	Yes	Percentage likelihood of closing at this stage
Closed Status	Unchecked	No	Enable only for Closed Won and Closed Lost
Won	Unchecked	No	Enable only on the Closed Won stage
Active	Checked	Yes	Makes the stage available for Opportunity selection

Step 2: Configure the Full Sales Stage Pipeline

All stages in the sales cycle must be created so opportunities can be tracked from initial contact through to final closure.

• Create one record per stage.
• Set Closed Status to checked for the two terminal stages. Enable Won only on the Closed Won stage.

Search Key	Name	Probability	Closed Status	Won
PROSP	Prospecting	10.00	Unchecked	Unchecked
QUAL	Qualification	20.00	Unchecked	Unchecked
PROP	Proposal Submitted	50.00	Unchecked	Unchecked
NEGOT	Negotiation	80.00	Unchecked	Unchecked
WON	Closed Won	100.00	Checked	Checked
LOST	Closed Lost	0.00	Checked	Unchecked

Step 3: Assign Sales Stage to an Opportunity

Assigning the correct Sales Stage on each Opportunity allows the sales team to track pipeline position and calculate forecast values.

• Open the Opportunity window and create or edit a record.
• Select the appropriate Sales Stage from the configured list. iDempiere derives the Probability and updates the Weighted Amount automatically.

Field	Sample Value	Mandatory	Description
Sales Stage	Qualification	Yes	Current stage of the sales opportunity
Probability	20.00	Auto	Derived from the selected Sales Stage
Opportunity Amount	As entered	Yes	Expected deal value for the opportunity
Weighted Amount	Auto	Auto	Opportunity Amount multiplied by Probability
Expected Close Date	As entered	Yes	Target date for opportunity closure

Step 4: Progress and Close the Opportunity

Sales Stages must be updated as the opportunity moves through the pipeline to keep forecasts accurate and pipeline reports current.

• Open the Opportunity record and update the Sales Stage field as the customer progresses.
• Move to Closed Won when the order is confirmed, or Closed Lost when the opportunity is not converted.

Sales Stage	When to Use	Probability
Prospecting	Customer identified; initial contact made	10%
Qualification	Requirements confirmed; budget and intent assessed	20%
Proposal Submitted	Commercial quotation shared with the customer	50%
Negotiation	Pricing and terms under active discussion	80%
Closed Won	Customer accepted and confirmed the order	100%
Closed Lost	Opportunity not converted into a sale	0%

Common Issues and Resolutions

Issue	Cause	Resolution
Sales Stage not visible on Opportunity	Record is inactive	Enable the Active flag on the Sales Stage record.
Weighted Amount not calculated correctly	Incorrect Probability value	Verify the Probability field on the Sales Stage record.
Closed Won not marking opportunity as converted	Won flag not enabled	Enable the Won checkbox on the Closed Won stage record.
Pipeline report showing wrong stage	Opportunity stage not updated after customer interaction	Update the Sales Stage field on the Opportunity after each customer event.
Duplicate Search Key error	Search Key already exists in the tenant	Use a unique Search Key for each Sales Stage.
Closed Lost stage affecting weighted pipeline total	Probability not set to 0 for Closed Lost	Set Probability to 0.00 on the Closed Lost stage record.

Next Steps

• Create a Lead and convert it to an Opportunity.
• Assign the appropriate Sales Stage at the time of Opportunity creation.
• Update the Sales Stage after each customer interaction.
• Use Opportunity reports to review pipeline status by stage.
• Close opportunities promptly to keep pipeline forecasts accurate.