Allocation: Supply Source Determination in Allocation Tables
Use
Supply sources can either be entered directly in the allocation table or you can carry out supply source determination. This can be done automatically or manually.
Integration
If you have the system automatically find the source of supply, you use the general supply source determination function as used in requirements planning or ordering, for example. For further information, see
Supply Source Determination.
Features
The supply source data required in the allocation table is determined by the type of business transaction being carried out (the item category):
A standard purchase order is created for the site and placed with a vendor. You do not have to maintain the distribution center view. You do, however, have to have the system find external vendors or enter them manually. If an order is to be placed with a vendor that is not the regular vendor, this always has to be entered manually.
The site orders directly with the distribution center. The distribution center creates a stock transfer order from warehouse stock. The distribution center must therefore be entered as the source of supply.
The site order placed with the distribution center leads to the distribution center placing a purchase order with an external vendor. A distribution center has to be maintained as a source of supply for the site and an external vendor for the distribution center.
For further information, see
Allocation: Business Transactions in the Allocation Table.If you previously switched off the supply source determination function in Customizing, you must enter the supply source manually. While the automatic supply source determination function produces one single vendor, more than one valid source of supply may be found when you trigger the supply source determination function manually.
If you enter delivery phases for distribution centers or sites in the allocation table, the system determines the sources of supply for the date of the first delivery phase. If you do not enter any delivery phases, the sources of supply are determined for the current date.
If no source of supply has been maintained, an error message is issued in the incompleteness log and the allocation table is not released.