Distribution Processing: Adjusting Distribution Data 

Use

If you post a goods receipt for a purchase order for which distribution data exists in the system, the distribution data must be adjusted to correspond with the quantities actually delivered, and the processing method must be determined. In Customizing, you can specify whether the system automatically adjusts the data during posting of goods receipts, or whether you adjust the data manually in a separate transaction.

If the vendor delivers exactly the quantity ordered, merchandise is distributed as planned. In the case of an underdelivery or overdelivery by the vendor, the quantity for the recipients is reduced or increased in line with the process defined in Customizing.

You can also use the function for adjusting distribution data to distribute returned stocks for outstanding sales orders or stock transport orders (backorders). For further information, see Sales Order Processing: Distribution of Returned Stock Among Backorders.

Prerequisites

Adjustment of distribution data is controlled by the following Customizing settings.

·        Adjustment profile

You assign function modules for distribution in the case of overdeliveries and underdeliveries here.

·        Article distribution profile in distribution center

You can enter an adjustment profile here. A distribution profile, and therefore also an adjustment profile, are allocated to each article at distribution center level in the article master. You can also define a tolerance for automatic adjustment in goods receipt. If you define a tolerance, the system only adjusts the data if the difference between the delivered quantity and ordered quantity does not exceed the tolerance.

·        Site profile

The adjustment indicator controls when the distribution data is adjusted. You have the following options:

Automatic adjustment without tolerance check

If you have not defined a tolerance in the article distribution profile for the distribution center, the goods receipt quantity is distributed automatically using the method defined in the adjustment profile.

Automatic adjustment with tolerance check

If you have defined a tolerance in the article distribution profile for the distribution center, the system checks whether the delivered quantity is within this tolerance. If it is, the goods receipt quantity is distributed automatically using the method defined in the adjustment profile. If the tolerance is exceeded, no distribution is made, which means that you have to make a manual adjustment after the goods receipt has been posted.

Manual adjustment

The data is adjusted online in a separate transaction after the goods receipt has been posted.

Scope of Functions

Automatic Adjustment at Time of Goods Receipt

If the appropriate Customizing settings have been made, and the quantity is within the tolerance, the distribution data is automatically adjusted at the time of goods receipt. The delivered quantity is distributed among the recipients as planned.

The distribution data contains a quantity field for each issue document item, recipient and processing method. The quantity to be received by a recipient is entered in the quantity field of the appropriate processing method. If the delivery is a partial delivery, and a partial delivery has already been shipped, the quantity of the current partial delivery is added to the previous partial delivery.

Manual Adjustment Following a Goods Receipt

If the appropriate Customizing settings have been made, the distribution data is not changed at the time of goods receipt. As a result, you process the distribution data online in a special transaction.

The quantity delivered is distributed in the same way as automatic adjustment. The only difference occurs in the case of partial deliveries. If a partial delivery is received, and a previous, related partial delivery was also received, quantities are not added together. Instead, call quantities previously distributed are set to zero, and recalculated on the basis of the total delivery quantity (when you manually adjust the collective purchase order) .

With partial deliveries you should always carry out manual adjustment of the collective purchase order, not to the goods receipt, otherwise additional manual corrections are necessary.

You can copy a partial quantity from a quantity field of one processing method to a quantity field of a different processing method. As a result, you indirectly change the processing method for this partial quantity. In this case, you must then carry out a transfer posting for the stock from the storage location for the originally planned method to the storage location of the new method.

Cancellation of Goods Receipts

When you cancel a goods receipt, the distribution data is not changed. If you already adjusted the distribution data in line with the goods receipt before you canceled it, the distribution data is no longer up to date after the cancellation. You therefore have to make sure that you manually adjust the distribution data following the goods receipt that is posted after the cancellation. This adjustment allows you to correct the distribution data.

Example

The example shows what happens when a distribution is automatically adjusted at goods receipt. You ordered 10 pallets of an article for which the optimizing method cross-docking/flow-through is defined. A pallet consists of 10 cartons.

A partial quantity of 5 pallets is received in the distribution center. Distribution proportional to the planned quantity is defined as the adjustment method for an underdelivery. This leads to the following result (simplified):

 

Issue document/ item	Recipient	Planned quantity	Cross docking quantity	Flow-through quantity	Total issue document item
Warehouse order 1 / 1	Store 1	6 pallets	3 pallets		3 pallets
Warehouse order 1 / 2	Store 2	3 pallets	1 pallet	5 boxes	15 boxes
Warehouse order 2 / 1	Store 3	6 boxes		3 boxes	3 boxes
Warehouse order 2 / 2	Store 4	4 boxes		2 boxes	2 boxes