Allocation Table Processing 

Purpose

Retailers often have to centrally distribute merchandise among a large number of recipients (for example, stores). One example would be fashion merchandise or promotional items. Using allocation tables, you can plan the distribution of this type of merchandise and then trigger the necessary goods movements.

The allocation process can be automated using site groups, allocation strategies or allocation rules. You are supported in creating an allocation table by functions such as automatic supply source determination, listing check, scheduling or stock overview.

When you create an allocation table, you can reference an existing purchase order, a contract, or a shipping notification, and thus copy data to the allocation table. For more information, see Creating an Allocation Table Referencing a Document.

You can also use allocation tables to handle returns managed by the head office.

You can also plan logistics processes, such as cross-docking or flow-through, using allocation tables. (See Merchandise Distribution)

Process Flow

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       1.      You determine the allocation table type.

       2.      You define the organizational data.

       3.      You define the default data and the header data.

       4.      You maintain the allocation table item data. This includes the article, site group or allocation rule, allocation strategy and source of supply. The allocation table type, item category, and notification category determine which information must be maintained and which is optional. Various data is also used as default data at site level.

       5.      You maintain information at site group level (such as site group, planned quantity per site group, and site quota as a default value).

       6.      You maintain information at site level (such as site, quota per site, delivery dates and source of supply).

       7.      If goods are procured from an external vendor and sent to a distribution center, you maintain data in the Distribution Center view (such as source of supply, delivery dates, processing method in the distribution center).

       8.      The system carries out a consistency check for every item.

       9.      It also creates worklists for follow-on document generation. It takes the chronological sequence into consideration defined via the item category for follow-on document generation and notification processing.

Notes and Remarks

●      You can use site groups in an allocation table that were created in the Classification System.

You can also maintain your own site groups in an allocation table. This site group is only used and recorded in the allocation table and has no relevance to the Classification System.

●      Allocation rules are used in allocation tables to help you split up the total quantity. You can “fix” (freeze) allocation rules, which frees you from the dynamic link to the Classification System. Subsequent changes in the Classification System are not taken into account when you create new allocation tables.

If you do not fix an allocation rule, any changes made subsequently in the Classification system affect new allocation tables. This means that the current allocations from the Classification system are used.

●      If goods are procured from an external vendor and sent to a distribution center, the processing method in the distribution center details view determines how the goods move through the distribution center. Cross-docking and flow-through can be implemented in Merchandise Distribution.