Hi,

In Odoo Enterprise v18, the automatic creation of draft Delivery Notes when a Sales Order is confirmed is standard behavior, not a defect. Odoo assigns a sequence number to the delivery as soon as the picking is created, even in draft state. If that delivery is later cancelled, the sequence number is still considered used and is not reused, which naturally leads to gaps in numbering.

From Odoo’s design perspective, delivery note numbers are treated as technical identifiers, not as fiscal or legal numbers. Because of this, Odoo allows gaps and does not enforce chronological order based on validation dates. The creation date of a delivery note and its validation date are independent, which explains why later numbers can be validated earlier than draft ones that were cancelled.

This behavior can conflict with fiscal or audit requirements in countries where delivery notes must be continuous and chronological. Unfortunately, there is no standard configuration in Odoo v18 to prevent draft delivery notes from consuming sequence numbers or to delay numbering until validation. Unlike invoices, delivery notes are not handled as fiscal documents by default.

The practical options are limited. Most companies accept Odoo’s internal numbering and rely on invoices for fiscal continuity. In regulated environments, the usual solution is to introduce a separate fiscal delivery note number that is assigned only at validation and used on printed or electronic documents. This approach requires a small customization but ensures legal compliance without breaking Odoo’s standard logistics flow.