The substitution reason directs how the system performs product selection. With this reason, you can specify, for example:

• What products should be printed in documents, such as an order confirmation
• Whether the selected products should be reevaluated when the document is referenced, for instance when a delivery is created
• Whether the selected products should be copied directly from the source document, from returns for example.

To create a substitution reason, perform the Customizing activity Basic Functions ® Material Determination ® Define substitution reasons (transaction OVRQ):

1. Choose New entries.

Enter substitution reason key and a description.

2. Select the Entry indicator if you want the original material (not substitutes) to be printed in documents.
3. Leave the Warning and Strategy indicators blank.

Do not mark these indicators, or you will not be able to perform automatic product selection based on ATP.

4. Assign either outcome A or B depending on your preferences for the following:

One of the most important decisions that you have to make about the product selection process is whether or not substitutions determined in the order are to be redetermined in the delivery.

When you assign outcome A to a substitution reason, note the following special processing features and constraints:

• The system redetermines product substitutions when copying them from sales documents to deliveries.
• Rush orders are not supported.
• Main item and sub-items must be carried through from the sales document, to the delivery, to the billing document.
• If you use listings and exclusions in the sales document process, the system does not take them into account when redetermining substitutions in the delivery.
• The system uses only the copy rules associated with the main item when transferring data from document to document.To transfer the sub-item from order to delivery, assign copy rule 110 to it.
• Item category usage indicator PSHP is used for the main item, and PSEL for the sub-item.

When you assign outcome B to a substitution reason, note the following special processing features and constraints:

• The system does not redetermine product substitutions when copying them from sales documents to the deliveries. All items are copied directly.
• Rush orders are fully supported.
• Main item and sub-items do not have to be carried through from the sales document, to the delivery, to the billing document.
• If listings and exclusions are used in the sales document process, the changes made as a result influence the delivery documents.
• The system takes copy rules for both the main and sub-items when transferring data from document to document.
• Item category usage indicator PSA1 is used for the main item, and PSA2 for the sub-item.

In this example, product selection is performed in the order.

If you select outcome A, the system carries out a new product selection in the delivery. At the time the delivery is created, there is more inventory available for the first alternative material, cold tablets with coupon. In this case, the system ignores the second alternative and confirms the entire requested quantity of the first alternative.

If you select outcome B, the product selection from the order is copied directly to the delivery. There is no new availability check.