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Derive
Derive is the NGB platform concept for creating the next business document from an existing one without losing business lineage.
Typical examples include:
- Sales Order to Sales Invoice;
- Sales Invoice to Credit Memo;
- Maintenance Request to Work Order;
- lease charge to downstream settlement document.
Why derive exists
Derive is not a copy-and-paste shortcut.
It exists so the platform can preserve:
- source document identity;
- workflow intent;
- allowed transition rules;
- prefilled business data;
- durable provenance for later explainability.
That distinction matters because a follow-up document should carry more meaning than “someone created a similar record by hand.”
What a good derive flow should guarantee
A production-ready derive flow should define:
- which source document types are allowed;
- which target document types can be created;
- which source statuses permit the action;
- which fields and parts are prefilled;
- which business relationships are recorded.
If those rules are not explicit, derive becomes opaque and unreliable.
Derive and workflow continuity
Derive belongs to the business workflow layer.
It should help a user move through a chain such as:
- order to invoice;
- invoice to correction;
- request to execution document;
- source commercial document to settlement document.
That is why derive should be visible in document actions and later visible in Document Flow.
Derive and provenance
When one document is derived from another, the system should preserve:
- the source reference;
- the relationship type;
- the fact that the target is a follow-up artifact rather than an unrelated record.
Without that provenance, downstream audit and support work become much harder.
Design checklist
When defining a derive flow, confirm all of the following:
- the source document has a stable business meaning;
- the target document is a real downstream artifact, not a convenience duplicate;
- status rules prevent invalid derivation;
- the prefill logic is deterministic and explainable;
- resulting document relationships remain visible to users.