The following graphic shows the various documents involved in an Advanced Returns Management supplier return.

You create a returns purchase order either with or without reference to a previous purchase order. You create an outbound delivery for the returns purchase order and post the corresponding goods issue. You create the credit memo from the vendor with reference to the returns purchase order. The goods issue information is used to determine the default value for the credit memo quantity.

The purchase order for vendor replacement materials is created with reference to the returns purchase order. However, a returns purchase order item is not used as reference in a purchase order item, and there is no reference to the document flow for the returns purchase order or for the replacement material purchase order.

You post the goods receipt for the automatically created inbound delivery that refers to the purchase order for the replacement materials. The system then creates a document in invoice verification that serves as both a credit memo and as an invoice with the value zero. The system creates this document with reference to the returns purchase order item and to the purchase order item. The replaced quantity and replacement material quantity that you entered when you received the material are relevant for the credit memo quantity and the invoice quantity in this document.

The following graphic shows the various documents involved in an Advanced Returns Management store return.

You create a returns stock transport order either with or without reference to a previous stock transport order. You create an outbound delivery for the returns stock transport order and post the corresponding goods issue.

When you post the goods issue, the system automatically creates an inbound delivery for the receiving plant. You post the goods receipt for this inbound delivery. For cross-company-code store returns, you create a credit memo in the receiving company code with reference to the inbound delivery so that the issuing company code is refunded.

In the issuing company code, you can either manually enter the credit memo from the receiving company code in invoice verification or you can set up an Application Link Enabling (ALE) scenario so that the credit memo from the receiving company code is automatically transmitted by IDoc to the issuing company code.