The WM system can also be interfaced to other systems (non-warehouse systems). In this scenario these are usually systems which send requests regarding goods movements to the WM system. Goods receipt announcements or goods issue requirements are sent. The following systems are affected by this interface:

• External picking or shipping systems

• External production planning and control systems

• External materials management systems

The requests or announcements received by the WM system are generated as transfer requirements. These can be converted to transfer orders in various different ways in the WM system. This interface currently only supports the path from the external system to the WM system. It is not possible to report requests in the standard system once the warehouse transfers have been made.

The following example describes the process of sending requests for picking and preparing goods:

External system:

• Determines the scope of picking and preparation

• Reports requests to the WM system

Interface external system WM

WM:

• Generates transfer requirements for the reported requests

• Converts transfer requirements to transfer orders

• Executes picking or preparation

The requests must be structured in the same way as the standard IDoc WMTRID01 on the external system side and sent to the SAP system. The system determines the materials and respective quantities to be picked, the time at which this is to take place and where the picked quantities are to be transferred to. On the WM side, transfer requirements are generated from these IDocs which are then converted at some later point in time to transfer orders in the WM system.