Managing Serial Numbers in the Decentralized WMS (SAP Library - Decentralized Warehouse Management (LE-IDW))

Managing Serial Numbers in the Decentralized WMS

Purpose

You can now transfer serial numbers from the ERP system to the decentralized Warehouse Management system (WMS) during distribution of inbound and outbound deliveries. For the most part, this involves the system executing requests for the handling unit or delivery assignment following delivery distribution. You can create serial numbers for the deliveries or handling units during confirmation of the deliveries, which are then reported back to the central ERP system. The following scenarios are currently supported:

Inbound Delivery
Outbound Delivery
Posting Changes

Prerequisites

Make the setting in Customizing to allow maintenance of serial numbers in the decentralized system. To do this, set the indicator serial numbers permitted in decentralized WMS. In this case, you must make sure that the serial numbers are unique outside the system. In the SAP system, there is no cross-system check of the serial numbers created. Also make sure that this indicator is the same in the central and the decentralized system. You can find additional information in the Implementation Guide (IMG) under Logistics Execution ® Decentralized WMS Integration ® Central Processing ® Application ® Define Interface to Inventory Management and Delivery-Relevant Data ® Controlling Change Management for Deliveries and under Logistics Execution ® Decentralized WMS Integration ® Local Operations ® Application ® Controlling Change Management for Deliveries.

If you have set up immediate distribution in Customizing, then you cannot create any serial numbers in the central ERP system. If you have set up subsequent processing in Customizing, then you can assign serial numbers to inbound or outbound deliveries. For more information on how to set the distribution status via the delivery type, see Logistics Execution à Shipping à Deliveries à Define Delivery Types in the Implementation Guide (IMG). For more information about how to set the distribution status via the warehouse number, see Logistics Execution à Decentralized WMS Integration à Central Processing à Application à Activate Decentralized WMS in the Implementation Guide (IMG).

Process Flow

The following process flow occurs for the individual scenarios if you work with serial numbers in the central ERP system and in a decentralized WMS:

Inbound Delivery

If an inbound delivery is created, you can create and change serial numbers at delivery item level, in both the central ERP system and in the decentralized WMS.

When you create serial numbers for an outbound material, the serial numbers receive the status available (AVLB). This status indicates that the serial numbers have been created, but do not have any stock as yet.
If the delivery item is packed, you can maintain the serial numbers at HU item level as an alternative to the delivery item.
If you create the serial numbers in the decentralized WMS, the central ERP system only recognizes the serial numbers on confirmation via the confirm IDoc.

When you post the goods receipt, the system confirms the inbound delivery and the serial numbers to the ERP system.
Following successful confirmation, the serial numbers obtain the status in the warehouse (ESTO) in the central ERP system. However, in the decentralized WMS, the serial numbers receive the status available (AVLB). If the posting is executed in an HU-managed storage location, the serial numbers also receive the status HU assigned (HUAS).

When you confirm the additional serial numbers, which are not yet assigned to the inbound delivery in the central ERP system, the system creates these in the ERP system and assigns them to the delivery.

Caution

Make sure when you confirm the inbound delivery, that you only confirm those serial numbers to the ERP system, for which the goods receipt has not yet been posted in the central system.

Outbound Delivery

You can assign serial numbers to an outbound delivery at item level in the central ERP system. You can either copy the serial numbers from the sales order or enter them manually.

You can also create or assign the serial numbers in the decentralized system. In this case however, the central ERP system does not recognize the serial numbers for the delivery until the confirmation from the decentralize system has occurred.

Note

If you use HU-managed storage locations, the serial numbers are tied to the handling unit and you cannot issue them manually.

When you save the outbound delivery, the system distributes the serial numbers to the decentralized WMS.
Once the outbound delivery has been saved, the serial number status in the central ERP system is in the warehouse (ESTO), assigned in delivery note (EDEL).
When you execute the goods issue posting in the decentralized WMS, the outbound delivery and the serial numbers are confirmed to the central ERP system together.

Following successful goods issue posting, the serial number status in the central ERP system changes to at customer site (ECUS). In the decentralized WMS, the status remains at available (AVLB). If the serial number is assigned to a handling unit, the status, HU assigned (HUAS) is deleted.

Posting Changes

Posting changes which you execute via the Inventory Management transactions in the central ERP system lead ultimately to an inbound or and outbound delivery in the decentralized WMS.
The confirmation of the serial numbers occurs at the same time as the inbound or outbound delivery.

Constraints

Do not set up a serial number profile with stock check in Customizing. Goods movements triggered by the decentralized WMS do not report any serial numbers to the central ERP system, with which an update of the serial number data is not possible. In the decentralized system, serial numbers are not posted along with good movements, with which they do not receive qualified stock information. This means that special stocks and stock categories are not recognizable from the serial number. You therefore cannot check on delivery assignment, whether the serial number is allowed for this activity. You must therefore ensure in some other way during serial number assignment that posting of a serial number in the central ERP system is allowed.

For additional information, see Logistics Execution à Shipping ® Basic Shipping Functions ® Serial Numbers ® Determine Serial Number Profiles in the Implementation Guide (IMG).

Changes to the master data of the serial numbers, in particular the user status, are not distributed between the systems.

Example

You can ensure that the serial number is unique, by, for example, defining a number range within each system in which the serial numbers are to be created.

System	Serial Number
ERP system	A.........
Decentralized WMS 1	B.........
Decentralized WMS 2	C......

No Serial Number Management in the Decentralized WMS

If you only want to manage serial numbers in the central ERP system and not in the decentralized WMS, you can employ the following methods:

The system does not let you post materials with a serial number profile to a decentralized storage location.

The system is set up so that serial numbers cannot be posted to a decentralized storage location. If you want to allow serial numbers for the decentralized WMS, set the indicator serial numbers allowed in the decentralized WMS, as described in the prerequisites.

You post materials with a serial number profile to a decentralized storage location.

This possibility means that you can create serial numbers in connection with a decentralized WMS in the central ERP system. We recommend only working with can-serialization for this scenario. For additional information, see Logistics Execution à Shipping à Basic Shipping Functions à Serial Numbers à Determine Serial Number Profiles in the Implementation Guide (IMG).

Create serial numbers for the individual inbound or outbound deliveries in the central ERP system (use the incompleteness procedure where applicable, in order to avoid a distribution of the delivery as long as relevant delivery items are not serialized).
When you distribute these deliveries to the decentralized WMS, the serial numbers are not reported to the decentralized system at the same time and therefore they are not known in the decentralized system.
When you confirm the deliver to the central ERP system, the goods movement is posted in the ERP system with the serial numbers, which you posted at the beginning.

Caution

Note for this scenario, that the following problems can occur for underdeliveries and overdeliveries, which can lead to an error during confirmation to the central ERP system.

Overdelivery

If you confirm more during the confirmation to the central ERP system (for example additional items or larger quantities), serialization of this excess quantity is not possible. If a complete serialization is necessary during the goods movement posting, then the goods movement cannot be posted because of the missing serial numbers.

Underdelivery

If you confirm less during the confirmation to the central ERP system, then the ERP system cannot be informed of which serial numbers are missing. Since the serial number object list that is transferred from the central ERP system cannot be changed in the decentralized WMS, underdeliveries are fundamentally not possible in this scenario.