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 Process Flow for Sales Orders

Purpose

You use this process to handle sales orders in a distributed environment, with the ERP system (SAP ECC) controlling data flow to and from warehouses using individual warehouse management systems – either SAP EWM (Extended Warehouse Management) systems or external systems.

The following illustration describes this process:

Process Flow

  1. You create a sales order in SAP CRM, specifying the customer and proposed delivery data.

  2. SAP CRM system triggers an ATP (available to promise) check in SAP APO to determine the source of supply, stock availability dates, and transportation route. SAP APO then passes the information about the first cross-docking warehouse to SAP CRM which in turn passes it to the ERP system along with the order information.

    Note Note

    If the sales order indicates a fixed transportation route, then the ATP check will not determine a transportation route. It will not override the route specified in the sales order. SAP APO passes the first cross-docking warehouse for this route to SAP CRM.

    End of the note.

  3. The ERP system creates an unchecked delivery, which acts as a preview of the actual delivery. It also determines the customer number of the next receiving warehouse on the cross-docking route.

    For more information on unchecked and checked deliveries, see Conversion of Unchecked to Checked Deliveries .

  4. As the shipping date approaches, the ERP system changes the unchecked delivery to a checked delivery and calls the ATP check again to determine actual stock availability. If the ATP check or a BAdI determines that cross-docking is involved, the ERP system automatically adds the cross-docking partner (the next receiving warehouse) as a proposal to the outbound delivery header data.

  5. The warehouse receives the outbound document and processes the delivery. If the warehouse system determines that the customer’s expected delivery date cannot be met using the current transportation route, it can change the route to shorten the transit time, perhaps eliminating further warehouse stops along the way.

  6. The warehouse system sends the goods issue confirmation to the ERP system along with a changed transportation route, if applicable, and the final decision about the next cross-docking partner.

  7. The ERP system determines the appropriate movement type for posting the goods to “stock in transfer” at the receiving warehouse’s storage location for cross-docking stock.

  8. The ERP system creates a pair of inbound and outbound delivery documents for the next cross-docking warehouse.

    Note Note

    The delivery documents are always created as a pair. An inbound delivery document automatically triggers the creation of an outbound delivery document for the next stop along the transportation route.

    End of the note.

  9. The cycle repeats until the final shipment to the customer occurs.