• Should the material be available on the 14th, we could confirm a delivery date of
the 20th.
However, should the materials not be available on the 14th and indeed the system finds the materials will only be available at a later date, it immediately carries out forward scheduling, projecting the earliest possible delivery date based on the scheduling of the business processes from the material availability date forward.
Forward scheduling takes the availability date of the material in the future, and adds the business processing scheduled times required to meet the requested delivery date.
Thus, should the stock be available on the 18th in the above example, the materials will arrive at the customer's site on the 18th plus six days (4 + 1 + 1) = the 24th (less the time taken for transportation lead time, one day, as this step could have been carried out during the period waiting for the materials availability). Therefore, the delivery date based on forward scheduling would be the 23rd of January. An illustration of forward scheduling is shown in Figure 6-11.
If the route is not used when the pick/pack time or loading time is determined, the shipping point and the weight are the only factors used in determining the pick/pack time.
The shipping point and the loading group are used for determining the loading time.
The route is used to determine the transportation lead time and the transit time for transportation scheduling.
Delivery Blocks
Delivery blocks are very powerful in that they have the ability to not only block the delivery from being created but they may also block available stock from being assigned to a sales document that is blocked.
Blocking Reasons
There are many areas available in the Sales and Distribution module for blocking. Shipping or delivery blocks are commonly used and may be manually entered or automatically proposed in the sales order and the delivery documents.
One may configure these delivery blocks using the following menu path.
Menu Path SAP Customizing Implementation Guide | Logistics Execution | Shipping| Deliveries | Define Reasons for Blocking in Shipping | Deliveries: Blocking Reasons/Criteria
Transaction code [OVLS]
Figure 6-12 shows the configuration of the delivery block with the following checkboxes:
• Order This setting will permit this block to be used to block a sales order for delivery processing. This block may be defaulted from the customer master record or placed manually in the sales order.
• Confirmation This setting will block the confirmation of stock after an availability check. This means the schedule line of the sales order will have a confirmed quantity of 0. The requirement will still be passed to the MRP list but will not consume stock, which ensures the stock is available to be confirmed for other sales orders. Note that the confirmed schedule lines will be set to 0 only once the block is set and the document is saved.
• Print This setting will block the output of the document. For example, if you have
a document with a failed credit check, you may wish to block the order confirmation output.
• Delivery Due List This setting will block the sales document from being processed automatically by the delivery due list. It seems confusing to some people that a delivery block set manually in the sales document may block the delivery from being created individually, but does not block the delivery from being created with the delivery due list. If you wish to block both, then check this checkbox as well as the Order checkbox.
• Picking This setting will block the picking. (This block is always effective, regardless of the assignment of the delivery block to the delivery document type seen in Figure 6-13.)
• Goods Issue This setting will block the goods issue for the delivery document. (This block is always effective, regardless of the assignment of the delivery block to the delivery document type seen in Figure 6-13.)
After you have defined the delivery blocks, you must assign them to the delivery types for which they function, using the following menu path.
Menu Path SAP Customizing Implementation Guide | Logistics Execution | Shipping| Deliveries | Define Reasons for Blocking in Shipping | Delivery Blocks
Once set, delivery blocks must be removed manually from the sales order.
A delivery block set at header level in the sales document blocks the confirmation and sets it to 0. If you look in [MD04] the requirement is there, however, it does not consume ATP quantities. If you look in [CO09] the requirement does not reduce ATP quantities.
A delivery block set at schedule line level in the sales document does not block the confirmation. If you look in [MD04] the requirement is there. If you look in [CO09] the requirement does reduce ATP quantities.
Delivery Blocking at Header Level
Delivery blocks may be assigned manually in the sales order by entering the desired block in the header, using the following path.
Menu Path From within the sales document | Goto | Header | Shipping | Then enter the delivery block
Should you desire the block to be automatically proposed for specific sales document types, you may set the delivery block in the sales document type which you wish to automatically block. This is done in the shipping area of the Maintain Sales Order Types screen, as seen in Figure 6-14.
However, this delivery block is only effective if it has been assigned in the respective delivery document type, as seen earlier in Figure 6-13.
Delivery Blocking at Schedule Line Level
Delivery blocks are also available at the schedule line level. These are simply delivery blocks that are manually entered in the sales document at the schedule line level.
It is possible to have the system automatically propose a delivery block in the sales document for particular schedule lines. This may be done by allocating the delivery block to the Schedule Line Categories screen, as seen in Figure 6-15.
This delivery block at schedule line level is always effective, regardless of whether the delivery block is assigned to the respective delivery document type or not.
The schedule line category block is very useful, as it is not copied in to the sales document item level but is effective only at the schedule line level. This allows you, for example, to create a sales order item and manually set the delivery block for some schedule
lines due for delivery with a delivery date of over one month, while still allowing deliveries for unblocked schedule lines to be created within the month and both sets of schedule lines originate from the same line item.
Delivery Blocks at the Customer/Header Level
You may also block a customer master record for a particular sales area, or for all sales areas as far as deliveries are concerned. This is done in transaction code [VD05], as seen in Figure 6-16. To set this block, use the following menu path.
Menu Path SAP Menu | Logistics | Sales and Distribution | Master Data | Business Partner | Customer | [VD05] - Block
You can block the customer for a particular sales area or for all the sales areas for which the customer belongs. This block is then copied into the sales document.
Packing
Packing is carried out at the item level. One is able to determine that it is mandatory for a specific item to be packed or that it is only packed when necessary. This packed item then in turn may be packed again into a handling unit, which in turn may be packed into another handling unit, thus having the ability of creating a multiple level procedure.
Packing by Item Category
Packing is carried out at the item level. Thus, some items may be relevant to be packed, and other items may be forbidden to be packed. Each item category for which packing is to be carried out must have its corresponding setting at the item category level.
Menu Path SAP Customizing Implementation Guide | Logistics Execution | Shipping | Packing | Packing Control By Item Category
• For those item categories for which packing must be carried out, set the indicator to A.
• For those item categories that cannot be carried out, set the indicator to B.
• For those item categories that do not have to be packed but for which packing may be carried out, leave the assignment blank, as shown in Figure 6-17.
You may select that should there be a batch split in the delivery, the system is to pack the main item with the accumulated batch quantity or the batch split items only. Should you wish the main item to be packed, leave the Pack Accumulated Batch field blank.
If handling unit inventory management is in use for a storage location, then the Pack Accumulated Batch setting has no impact.
Packing Requirements
Menu Path SAP Customizing Implementation Guide | Logistics Execution | Shipping | Packing | Define Requirements for Packing in the Delivery
You may wish to create a requirement for packing. This requirement performs in the same way as all other requirements in the Sales and Distribution module, in that the criteria stipulated must be met in order for packing to be carried out. An example of a requirement here could be that no packing is to be carried out for items that have a credit block.
Returnable Packaging
Not all packaging materials are inexpensive enough for the cost of the sale to include the cost of the packaging as well. One may have packaging materials that are valuable, and should a customer decide to keep or destroy the packaging items, he should reimburse the business.
Thus returnable packaging is used in the process whereby the business sells items to the customer. These items are packed into handling units such as boxes and crates. The customer may then keep the boxes or crates for a certain period, by which time he must have returned the items. Should the customer not have returned the shipping units specified by that set date, or should he have destroyed the shipping units, the business may bill the customer.
Special Stock
The stock you deliver incorporates packaging materials. This packing is kept at the customer's location, but will remain the property of your company. The stock is recorded automatically as special stock at the customer's location.
This special stock may be seen using the stock overview screen using transaction code [MMBE]. Returnable packaging has the stock indicator of V. It is very similar to consignment stock, which was dealt with in Chapter 4.
You may also view returnable packaging at the customer's site by selecting SAP Menu | Logistics | Materials Management | Inventory Management | Environment | Consignment |
[MB58] - Consignment at Customer. Then select Returnable Packaging at Customer, as seen in Figure 6-18.
There is no special sales document required to use returnable packaging. However, you should use the sales order view of a double line entry. This will permit you to view the main item as well as the returnable packing stock item, which may be seen as the lower level item to the item it packs. This is merely for display and traceability in the sales order. The packaging material may also be the main item of a sales order.
The packaging's material master record should use the material type VERP for packaging and the item category group LEIH. The item category group LEIH is the SAP standard for returnable packaging.
If you enter a packing proposal in the order (by selecting Extras | Packing Proposal from within the order document), it is copied into the delivery if the packing materials are inventory managed and are relevant for a delivery, which must be the case for returnable packaging.
You may see details relating to the handling unit and packing materials by selecting the handling unit from within the packing proposal. Then select Goto | Detailed HU | General Details, as seen in Figure 6-19.
The returnable packaging material follows the same rules as a standard material in that you must define an item category for it as well as the necessary copy control rules. SAP standard uses item category TAL.
Should you wish to create your own sales document item categories, you may copy and change the SAP standard that uses the item category LAN for the returnable packaging pick up and use the item category LNN for the returnable packaging issue. Do not forget to give your returnable packaging material a price. This price may be used when you create a returnable packaging issue, similar to a consignment issue where you invoice the end customer for the stock of returnable packaging.
The standard ECC ERP returnable packaging item categories are
TAL: Ret. Packag. Shipment
LAN: Ret. Packaging Pickup
LNN: Ret. Packaging Issue
Special Stock Partners
A special stock partner is a partner who is assigned to the customer master record in the sales order. You can have special stock partners for both returnable packaging and consignment stock. You may create a new customer for them by using the same account group as if you were creating a sold to party.
This partner need not be the sold to (SP), ship to (SH), bill to (BP), or payer (PY) partner. This partner instead may be the partner who actually "consumes" the materials.
For example, should a large organization have a central depot where all consignment stock goes to, then the consignment stock is shipped directly to each customer's plant as needed. The central depot would be registered in the system as a partner. One must then assign these special stock partners to the relevant Sold-to Party's customer master records. The special stock partners have the partner function key SB.
When materials are "consumed" by the special stock partner, should there be any consignment stock or returnable packing, the system automatically picks up the special stock partner and records the stock in the system as being stored at their site. You may view these allocations of stocks in the same ways as previously discussed using transaction code [MMBE] or [MB58].
Routes
Some companies use the same regular routes to ship goods to their customer. If you use the same routes for your shipping, it would be beneficial to use automatic route determination to control your logistics execution transportation.
Defining Routes
Route determination is automatically proposed for each sales document item in the sales order. It is a process whereby one is able to assign a specific route with transportation legs using different shipment types and carriers.
Route determination may also be redetermined in the delivery. This will use the weight group of the item, which may, if configured, propose a different route to be used.
Before one can assign the route determination to be used by the sales or delivery document, one needs to define the data that is used in the route determination. The configuration is carried out using the following steps.
Defining Routes
Menu Path SAP Customizing Implementation Guide | Sales and Distribution | Basic Functions | Routes| Define Routes| Define Modes of Transport
The modes of transport are self-explanatory. They may be, for example, road or plane. Define the mode of transport used in the business, and assign a two-character alphanumeric key with a meaningful description, as seen in Figure 6-20. This mode of transport has a mode of transport category assigned to it (seen in column SType).
In the SAP Customizing Implementation Guide, proceed to define shipping types.
Menu Path SAP Customizing Implementation Guide | Sales and Distribution | Basic Functions | Routes| Define Routes| Define Shipping Types
In this assignment, as seen in Figure 6-21, you assign the shipping types (column PT) along with the previously defined modes of transport (column MdTr) and a shipping type procedure group (STPG).
The shipping types are the actual "vehicles" used to transport the materials, and may be defined as a train, mail, etc.
The modes of transport are the types of transportation used to transport the materials, and may be defined as a road, etc.
The shipping type procedure group is used to calculate the costs relating to the transportation.
In the SAP Customizing Implementation Guide, use the following menu path.
Menu Path SAP Customizing Implementation Guide | Sales and Distribution | Basic Functions | Routes| Define Routes| Define Transportation Connection Points
Transportation connection points, as seen in Figure 6-22, may be airports, railway stations, border crossings, etc. They define points where transportation types connect, or where a transportation type crosses a border.
After completing the transportation connection points, proceed with Define Routes
and Stages.
Menu Path SAP Customizing Implementation Guide | Sales and Distribution | Basic Functions | Routes| Define Routes| Define Routes and Stages
In this activity, as displayed in Figure 6-23, one defines the route with its associated route stages and transportation connection points.
Define a route with a six-character alphanumeric key with a description.
For the defined route you are able to set a forwarding agent or carrier (column ServcAgent), as well as define the transit times and the transit lead time, which is the number of days (column TransLdTm) or hours and minutes (column Tr.lead tim.) required for organizing a shipment for an item that is to be delivered via a certain route. One is also able to specify the distance to be traveled and the total transit duration.
After defining the route proceed with defining the route stages by selecting the route and the Route Stages folder in the file structure on the left side of the screen.
Select your departure point from the list of transport connection points previously defined. Then select your destination point—for example, an airfield—which is also a connection point as previously defined. Proceed with a new entry and continue with the assignments.
Now that the route has been defined, you are able to proceed with an optional step of maintaining the stages for the routes. This would have been carried out for each individual leg. However, once you have many routes in the system and you need to define some "global" changes, you may proceed to the Maintain Stages for All Routes screen. This can
be done by using the following menu path:
Menu Path SAP Customizing Implementation Guide | Sales and Distribution | Basic Functions | Routes| Define Routes| Maintain Stages For All Routes
In the selection screen enter the data you wish to change. For this example, I have entered all stages defined as transport legs for route 000001, WHICH offers me the transport legs seen in Figure 6-24.
One is now able to expand these legs and select all of them. You will notice a red traffic light. After selecting them all, click on the Change button (shown with the pencil icon).
This will offer you a number of attributes, which you may now select and change. These changes will be assigned to all the originally selected legs. For example, one can set the shipping type to truck. Click the Execute button.
You will notice the traffic signal is displayed as yellow. After again selecting all of the items and clicking Save, you will notice the traffic signal indicates green. This signaling is merely there for one to use as an indicator of which items have been processed and which are still to be processed when working with a very large number of entries.
Now that the routes have been maintained, you are able to proceed with defining the route determination.
Route Determination
We have defined the route. Now one needs to define how the route is determined in the system.
Route determination occurs in the SAP system based on the following items:
• The country and departure zone (taken from the shipping point)
• The country and receiving zone of the Ship-to Party
• The shipping conditions as in the sales order
• The transportation group of the material master record
• The weight group (optional and only relevant in the delivery)
The system then copies the route as proposed in the sales order into the delivery document header.
The route already determined in the sales order and copied into the delivery may be
redetermined in the delivery document. This redetermination may use the weight of the materials and must be indicated for each relevant delivery document types in customizing.
Proceed to the Define Transportation Zones screen.
Menu Path SAP Customizing Implementation Guide | Sales and Distribution | Basic Functions | Routes| Route Determination| Define Transportation Zones
For route determination, you divide a country up into transport zones. A customer exists in a transport zone, and so does a shipping point. SAP determines the route for moving from a shipping point in the one zone, to the customer in the other zone (also taking into account other conditions like the weight of the materials and the shipping conditions of the customer).
Here you assign all the zones you require to use in route determination. Each zone has a description and an assignment to a country key. This country key is later used to detrmine what zones are relevant for what shipping points.
Now select Maintain Country And Transportation Zone For Shipping Point from the SAP Customizing Implementation Guide.
Here you assign the departure zone to the shipping points you use. Note that the shipping point is maintained for a plant and the plant resides in a country. You must also enter the country key of the shipping point here. This country key, as seen in Figure 6-26, determines what departure zones you are allowed to select from, based on the previous settings.
After defining the transportation departure zones, you may now proceed with the definition of the transportation group by selecting Define Transportation Groups from the SAP Customizing Implementation Guide.
The transportation group is assigned to the material master record sales/plant view. This transportation group is then copied into the delivery item.
As the transportation group is a prerequisite for the determination of the route, it is advisable to include it as a mandatory field for the material master record to ensure during the maintenance of the material that the field is never left empty.
Defining Shipping Conditions
The shipping conditions, are held on the customer master record. They are used to define the route determination as well as used in determining the shipping point. One is able to assign a shipping condition to a sales document. If this has been maintained the system will not copy the shipping condition from the customer master record.
Use the following menu path.
Menu Path SAP Customizing Implementation Guide | Logistics Execution | Shipping | Basic Shipping Functions | Shipping Point and Goods Receiving Point Determination | Define Shipping Conditions
(We used shipping conditions to determine the shipping point earlier in this chapter.)
Shipping Weight Groups and Routes
You can use the weight group to further refine the route determination in the delivery.
This is configured by selecting SAP Customizing Implementation Guide | Sales and Distribution| Basic Functions | Routes | Route Determination | Define Weight Groups.
For example, let's say the customer shipping condition is "As soon as possible." It makes sense to send the stock by air. But this might be too expensive if the weight is more than 50KG.
So you can say for the customer that the shipping condition is: Up to 50KG, use the route that has a transportation type by air; over 50KG, use a road or sea route.
The weight group can therefore be used to determine the route, taking into consideration the weight of the delivery. This is very important when sending stock by rail or truck, for example.
It is generally cheaper to send the stock by truck rather than rail if the quantity is small, but for very large quantities, it is usually cheaper to use rail. For the smaller quantities, determine a route that is defined for road shipments; for large quantities, determine a route that is defined for rail shipments.
Define weight groups with a short meaningful description. We will see their use in the route determination.
Always use the weight group as defined in "up to…" as this offers greater ease of use later.
Now that we have all the components, we can now derive the route determination
Maintaining Route Determination
Proceed back to the SAP Customizing Implementation Guide path.
Menu Path SAP Customizing Implementation Guide | Logistics Execution | Shipping | Basic Shipping Functions | Routes | Route Determination | Maintain Route Determination
Note that you are also able to locate this configuration area in the following path.
Menu Path SAP Customizing Implementation Guide |Sales and Distribution | Basic Functions | Routes | Route Determination | Maintain Route
Determination
By referring to Figure 6-27 we can see that the key to the routes is the country of departure plus the departure zone, plus the destination country, plus the receiving zone—for example, in the figure Austria and Region East is shipping to Austria and Region East.
Select the entry and then select the Route Determination with Weight Group (Delivery) folder. In the file structure on the left side, you are able to see the configuration shown in Figure 6-28.
This assignment may now have all the proposed routes for further combination of shipping condition, weight group, and transportation group. We are now able to assign the route we previously maintained to this determination.
Should you wish the route in the delivery to be redetermined, proceed with the menu path:
Menu Path SAP Customizing Implementation Guide | Sales and Distribution | Basic Functions | Routes| Route Determination | Define New Route Determination By Delivery Type
You are now able to assign an indicator of:
• Blank Indicates no new check
• A Indicates new route determination without check
• B Indicates new route determination with check
The check performed is the comparison of the proposed route with the actual routes allowed in.
Menu PathSAP Customizing Implementation Guide | Sales and Distribution | Basic Functions |
Routes| Route Determination | Define Allowed Actual Route By Proposed Route
In this assignment you merely assign additional routes to the proposed route that the system determines automatically. These additional routes may be entered manually or they may be used to determine if they are valid in the redetermination of the route in the delivery.
Posting Goods Issue in the Delivery
Goods issue is posted for a delivery causing the goods to be transferred into the hands of the carrier. In other words, the ownership of the goods leaves the business and transfers to the carrier. The carrier then relieves himself of ownership of the goods once the customer signs for the articles. Once goods issue is posted in a delivery, the system updates numerous records.
The posting of goods issue causes the system to update the stock quantities—that is, the warehouse or plant stock is decreased by the quantity of goods that have left the warehouse.
The system also automatically updates the posting to the general ledger accounts. Based on the account determination for the inventory posting, the system decreases the value of the stock on hand and increases the cost of goods sold. Later, when the invoice is created, SAP will update the revenue accounts and the amount to be received from the customer. This completes the sales transaction from an accounting perspective.
The system also updates the requirements in the stock requirements list. That is, once goods issue has occurred, there is no longer a need for a customer's delivery requirement to sit in the stock requirements list [MD04].
The system then proceeds to update previous documents with a status displaying that goods issue has been posted.
The system updates the deliveries relevant for billing, adding the delivery, if billing-relevant, to the billing due list.
You can reverse a goods movement/issue posting. To do this, use the following menu path.
Menu Path SAP Menu | Logistics | Sales and Distribution | Shipping and Transportation |
Post Goods Issue | Cancellation/Reversal
Transaction code [VL09]
Enter in the selection criteria you wish, and click the Execute button. You will then see the deliveries that match your selection criteria as seen in Figure 6-29. Select the deliveries that you wish to cancel and click Cancel/Reverse. After the cancellation has taken place you will see a dialog box like the one shown in Figure 6-29, which confirms the reversal.
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