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Background documentationIntegration of Transit Warehousing with SAP TM

 

You must integrate Transit Warehousing in SAP Extended Warehouse Management (SAP EWM) with Freight Order Management in SAP Transportation Management (SAP TM) to control and monitor the entire transportation process from the planning stage to the delivery to consignees.

Note Note

For information about the integration of SAP EWM with SAP TM for planning purposes in standard warehouse planning and execution, see Integration of Freight Orders (TM) in Shipping and Receiving.

End of the note.

Prerequisites

You have made the settings necessary for working in Transit Warehousing. For more information, see Prerequisites for Transit Warehousing.

Features

Freight Documents

SAP EWM supports freight orders and freight bookings available in SAP TM. However, SAP EWM does not support trailer units as separate entities. Instead, trailer units must be included in freight orders. Note that in SAP TM you must configure freight documents as being relevant for SAP EWM in Customizing for Transportation Management under Start of the navigation path Freight Order Management Next navigation step Freight Order Next navigation step Define Freight Order Types End of the navigation path.

For information about freight orders and freight bookings, see SAP Library for SAP TM on SAP Help Portal at http://help.sap.com/tmInformation published on SAP site. In SAP Library, choose Start of the navigation path Freight Order Management End of the navigation path.

Communication Between SAP TM and SAP EWM

Freight document data is transferred between SAP TM and SAP EWM using enterprise services (see TM-EWM Integration). This communication can be realized using either SAP Process Integration or point-to-point communication (Web Services Reliable Messaging). When communicating with SAP EWM, SAP TM uses request message TransportationOrderLoadingAppointmentRequest to transfer freight document details. SAP TM also sends consecutive request messages to SAP EWM to inform SAP EWM about changes to SAP TM freight documents. SAP EWM keeps SAP TM informed of the warehouse execution progress by sending notification message TransportationOrderLoadingAppointmentNotification at different points in time in the process. For example, when arriving at a checkpoint, when the loading or receiving is completed, or when departing from a checkpoint. All these actions can be reversed.

SAP EWM updates or creates the following objects based on request messages from SAP TM:

  • Vehicles and transportation units (TUs) (freight orders only)

  • Inbound deliveries or outbound delivery orders

  • Handling unit (HU) containers or TU containers (usually used in freight bookings)

  • Transit HUs

Example Example

SAP TM transfers each of the following freight documents to SAP EWM, triggering SAP EWM to create related objects:

  • A freight order containing an active vehicle resource and package items in an inbound process – SAP EWM creates a vehicle and a TU from the active vehicle resource, and an inbound delivery and transit HUs from the package items.

  • Another freight order containing an active vehicle resource and package items in an outbound process – SAP EWM creates a vehicle and a TU from the active vehicle resource, and an outbound delivery order and planned transit HUs from the package items.

  • A freight booking containing a HU container and package items in an outbound process – SAP EWM creates a planned HU container from the TU resource item, and an outbound delivery order and planned transit HUs from the package items.

  • A freight order for delivery containing an active vehicle resource and a HU container with reference to the freight booking in an outbound process – SAP EWM creates a vehicle and a TU from the active vehicle resource, and a planned HU container from a freight booking is assigned to the vehicle or the TU.

End of the example.
Transportation Stops

SAP TM sends stop information to SAP EWM for SAP EWM-relevant stops specified in freight documents. SAP TM sends this information in a request message that contains only information relevant to the stops.

Example Example

A planner in SAP TM creates a freight order with two stops. Two package items are to be loaded at the first stop and three package items are to be loaded at the second stop. The first stop is an SAP EWM-managed location. Therefore SAP EWM receives a request message for the first stop.

End of the example.

In SAP TM, a location is linked to an SAP EWM warehouse number and logical system. For more information about locations, see SAP Library for SAP TM on SAP Help Portal at http://help.sap.com/tmInformation published on SAP site. In SAP Library, choose Start of the navigation path Master Data Next navigation step Transportation Network Next navigation step Location Next navigation step Definition of Locations End of the navigation path.

Packaging Materials

When SAP EWM receives a request message from SAP TM, SAP EWM uses mapping to determine the packaging material as follows:

  • Transit HUs

    SAP EWM determines the packaging material by mapping the packaging type code in SAP TM with a corresponding packaging material type in SAP EWM. For example, SAP TM has a package item with the packaging type code PAL and SAP EWM has a packaging material EUROPALLET with packaging material type PAL. SAP EWM therefore creates transit HUs with packaging material EUROPALLET.

  • HU containers and TU containers

    SAP EWM decides whether to create HU containers or TU containers for TU resource items in SAP TM freight documents based on the packaging material types defined in Customizing for Extended Warehouse Management under Start of the navigation path Cross-Process Settings Next navigation step Handling Units Next navigation step Basics Next navigation step Define Packaging Material Types End of the navigation path. SAP EWM determines the packaging material from the TU type in SAP TM. For example, SAP TM has a TU type item with the TU type PMC6 and SAP EWM has a packaging material PMC6. SAP EWM therefore creates a HU container with packaging material PMC6.

  • TUs (inbound and outbound) and planned vehicles (outbound only)

    1. SAP EWM determines the packaging material from the packaging material of the vehicle type or vehicle resource in SAP TM.

    2. If the vehicle type or vehicle resource does not have a packaging material in SAP TM, SAP EWM determines the packaging material from the vehicle type itself in SAP TM.

    3. If there is no vehicle type in SAP TM, SAP EWM determines the packaging material from the means of transport in SAP TM.

For information about defining packaging materials in SAP EWM, see Prerequisites for Transit Warehousing.

Updates Transferred from SAP TM to SAP EWM

SAP TM uses request message TransportationOrderLoadingAppointmentRequest to transfer updates to freight documents automatically to SAP EWM as follows:

  • Inbound process

    • You can update freight documents until the TU arrives at a checkpoint.

      To avoid overwriting manual updates entered in SAP EWM, freight documents cannot be automatically updated once the TU arrives at a checkpoint.

    • In freight bookings, you can update delivery items, HUs, HU containers, or TU containers until the corresponding items arrive at a checkpoint.

  • Outbound process

    • To allow the last minute loading of cargo during the outbound process, updates are allowed even after the TU arrives at a checkpoint.

    • You can update delivery items, HUs, and HU containers until the loading of the TU is completed.

      If HUs are loaded onto a HU container or TU container, delivery item or HU updates are allowed until the loading of the TU containing the HU container or TU container is completed.

    • You can update TU containers until the loading of the parent TU is completed.

    • You can update TUs and vehicles until the TU or vehicle arrives at a checkpoint.

The deletion of a freight document in SAP TM can be transferred to SAP EWM until the TU arrives at a checkpoint.

Updates Transferred from SAP EWM to SAP TM

SAP EWM uses notification message TransportationOrderLoadingAppointmentNotification to notify SAP TM automatically of the following occurrences:

  • The arrival of a vehicle at a checkpoint and the reversal of this action

    The notification message contains only information about the vehicle.

  • The departure of a vehicle, its TUs, and the content from a checkpoint and the reversal of this action

    The notification message contains information about the vehicle, its TUs, and the content (that is, the HUs, HU containers and their HUs, and the TU containers and their HUs).

  • The completion of the receiving or loading of a TU and a HU container or TU container

    The notification message contains information about the TU, HU container or TU container, and its content.

  • The loading or unloading of a TU container onto a TU or the coupling or uncoupling of a TU and the reversal of those actions

    The notification message contains information about the TU container and its parent TU or about the TU and its parent vehicle.

  • The deletion of a vehicle and its TUs (equates to the deletion of a freight order)

  • The deletion of an inbound delivery or outbound delivery order (equates to the deletion of a freight booking)

Note that you must specify a default discrepancy code for notification messages to be able to communicate to SAP TM about HUs that are to be clarified in an inbound process. You specify a default discrepancy code in the Dflt Discrep. (TM) (Default Discrepancy Type for SAP TM Integration) field in Customizing for Extended Warehouse Management under Start of the navigation path Master Data Next navigation step Define Warehouse Number Control End of the navigation path.

More Information

Transit Warehousing