Entering content frameProcess documentation Foreign Trade: Outbound Processing in the SAP System Locate the document in its SAP Library structure

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Purpose

This topic discusses the role of the SAP Foreign Trade (FT) application component during the outbound movement of goods, that is, the movement of goods from your country to another country or customs territory. In FT, when goods are sent to a member nation within a customs union or territory it is referred to as a dispatch. The transfer of goods to a country outside of a customs union or territory is referred to as an export.

Business Scenario

This scenario is intended to provide a step-by-step process to explain what users must do in the SAP system to export goods to a foreign country. It particularly pertains to users who are responsible for import and export processing within a company, who must ensure that foreign trade data for this function is complete and correct.

Prerequisites

  1. Customizing: Ensure that the Customizing entries for Foreign Trade (FT) are complete. See Structure link Checklist for Customizing FT Master Data.
  2. Master data: Ensure that all data relevant to foreign trade (FT) is complete in master records. See Structure link Foreign Trade Data in Master Records. You can create, view and maintain the master records from the Master data section of the Structure link General Foreign Trade Processing Cockpit.

Process Flow

The following steps include the actual transactions that must be carried out in the SAP System when an export or dispatch is handled for a business.

For information about the export process, see Scenario - Exporting to a Third Country.

  1. Sales Order: Once you have received a purchase order from your customer, you create a sales order based on the purchase order. To create a sales order from the SAP standard menu, choose Logistics ® Sales and Distribution ® Sales ® Sales order ® Create.

    2. Data relevant to Foreign Trade is maintained in the delivery and invoice headers. You can retrieve existing sales orders and check them for completeness from the Export section of the Structure link Operative Cockpit.

  2. Delivery: Create an outbound delivery for the sales order. This document contains information about the means of transport, delivery date and time. To create an outbound delivery from the SAP standard menu, choose Logistics ® Sales and Distribution ® Shipping and Transportation ® Outbound delivery ® Create ® Single document ® With Reference to Sales Order.

    3. FT data to be maintained in the outbound delivery header or line item is listed in Foreign Trade Data in SD Documents.

  3. Goods Issue: Once the goods are available you post a goods issue. From the SAP standard menu, choose Sales and Distribution ® Shipping ® Goods Movement ® Goods Issue ® For Sales Order ® Number Known. You can also change foreign trade data in the goods issue.
  4. Billing Document: When you send your invoice to the customer, the export documents are created based on the data in the invoice.

Foreign Trade System Processes

When you execute the process steps listed above, if you have set up the FT system properly, it will automatically check much of the necessary foreign trade data to ensure that it is correctly entered into each of the associated documents. Other tasks associated with foreign trade are listed below.

Legal Controls

From the Structure link Legal Control Cockpit, you can create license master records (if required), assign licenses to documents, and carry out other necessary activities associated with legal regulations. See also Structure link Legal Control.

Export Simulation

When you use the Export Simulation task, the system indicates whether an export transaction is permitted by law in the exporting country. It also simulates both embargo and boycott list checks. For more information, see Structure link Legal Control Simulation.

Printing/Filing Declarations

For information about creating, printing and transmitting required import declarations, see Structure link Periodic Declarations and Structure link Communication/Printing.

See also:

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