When records (customer, supplier, sales orders etc..) are opened for editing using the Record button, in a multi-user, network installation, the record is locked so that other users can not edit the same record to prevent changes being overwritten.

The locked records are automatically unlocked when the changes are either Saved or Canceled.

If you do not wish to make any changes, then its a good practice to use the View button to view the details which does not place any record locks.

If a record is locked, other users are still able to View the record details as they were before the record was selected for editing.