PROTOTYPE Costpoint Empty State — Description Field When No Data Exists
Description Field: No Costpoint Data
When a vendor has no Costpoint data uploaded, the Description "Click to select" field leads to a dead end.
Three options for handling this better.
❌ Current Behavior
Name
Description
PO Number
Charge Code
Qty
Unit Price
Amount
Click to select
Select from Costpoint Data
+ Add Manually
No costpoint data available. Click "+ Add Manually" to enter data.
Problems:
• "Click to select" is grey and vague
• Opens a dropdown to nowhere
• "+ Add Manually" is easy to miss
• User doesn't know why there's no data
• All other fields stay locked until this is resolved
A
Auto-detect: skip Costpoint, go straight to manual
If no data → all fields are immediately editable
ℹ
No Costpoint data found for this PO. Fields are in manual entry mode.
Name
Description
PO Number
Charge Code
Qty
Unit Price
Amount
✓ ProsZero friction. User can type immediately. No dead-end dropdown. Cleanest UX.
✗ ConsNo reminder that Costpoint data could be used. User might not know to upload it first.
B
Mode toggle: Costpoint vs Manual
Explicit switch — Costpoint greyed out with reason
Name
Description
PO Number
Charge Code
Qty
Unit Price
Amount
How it works: When Costpoint data exists, both buttons are active and "Costpoint Data" is selected by default.
When no data exists, "Costpoint Data" is greyed out with "(no data)" and "Manual Entry" is auto-selected.
If data is uploaded later, the Costpoint button becomes active.
✓ ProsUser sees both modes exist. Clear why Costpoint isn't available. Easy to switch later if data gets uploaded.
✗ ConsExtra UI element. Toggle may confuse users who don't know what Costpoint is.
C
Smart field: editable with source badge
Always editable — badge shows where data came from
Description field is always a regular text input. A small badge indicates whether data was entered manually or pulled from Costpoint.
No Costpoint data:
Name
Description
MANUAL
With Costpoint data:
Name
Description
COSTPOINT
✓ ProsNo mode switching. Field always works. Clear data source. User can override Costpoint values if needed.
✗ ConsBadge adds visual noise. Doesn't solve PO/Charge Code auto-fill (those need separate handling).