You can use the various delivery types to deal with the different kinds of business transactions necessary for delivery processing. In the standard version of the SAP System, delivery types include:

When you enter an outbound delivery with reference to a sales order, for example, the system automatically proposes the delivery document type on the basis of the underlying order.

Specific functions can be defined for each delivery document type. This is done using control elements that are specified in tables. The document types can be tailored to meet the needs of your company. New document types can also be defined if you find that your business needs a wider selection than those specified in the standard version of the SAP System. Your system administrator is responsible for maintaining control elements.

You can distinguish between delivery document types according to the following criteria:

• Which number range does the document number come from for internal and external number assignment?
• Which partner functions are allowed and which must be entered?
• Does an order have to be based on a preceding document?
• Which requirements must items fulfill to be included in the delivery?
• Should the route be redetermined? Should a check then be carried out to determine whether the new route is permissible?
• According to which rule should the storage location be determined for an item if a storage location is not specified?
• Which output types are allowed for the business transaction and according to which procedure are they proposed?