SCM671
Availability Check in SAP ERP
SAP ERP - Sales and Services
Date Training Center Instructors Education Website
Participant Handbook
Course Version: 92 Course Duration: 3 Days Material Number: 50094044No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or for any purpose without the express permission of SAP AG. The information contained herein may be changed without prior notice.
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Procedures
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Course Overview ... vii
Course Goals ...vii
Course Objectives ...vii
Unit 1: Availability Check Based on ATP Quantity ... 1
ATP Check Using the Example of Sales and Distribution ...3
ATP Check in Manufacturing ...103
ATP Check in Materials Management...132
Unit 2: Availability Check Against Product Allocations ... 165
Availability Check Against Product Allocations ...166
Unit 3: Availability Check Against Planned Independent Requirements ... 189
Availability Check Against Planning in Sales and Distribution Processing ...190
Unit 4: Backorder Processing and Rescheduling ... 221
Backorder Processing and Rescheduling ...222
Unit 5: Appendix ... 247
Target Audience
This course is intended for the following audiences:
• Project team members and consultants who configure the availability check in the logistics process as part of an SAP ECC implementation.
Course Prerequisites
Required Knowledge
• SCM600 – Processes in Sales and Distribution • SCM500 – Business Processes in Procurement • SCM300 – Production Overview
Recommended Knowledge
• None
Course Goals
This course will prepare you to:
• Understand the basic concept of the availability check
• Understand the integration and interaction of the availability check with materials planning and planning
• Recognize the application areas of the availability check
• Apply the various methods of the availability check to meet specific goals
Course Objectives
After completing this course, you will be able to:
• Understand the basic concept of the availability check
• Understand the integration and interaction of the availability check with materials planning and planning
• Decide between using the ATP check, the product allocation, and the check against planned independent requirements
• Configure the availability check in production and analyze the results of the check
• Configure the availability check in Materials Management and analyze the results of the check
Unit 1
Availability Check Based on ATP
Quantity
Unit Overview
This lesson covers the availability check based on the ATP quantity. In real-life scenarios, this is the method most commonly used. The first lesson of this unit introduces the concept, configuration, and interpretation of the ATP check in detail, using the sales application as an example. The following two lessons provide an overview of how the ATP check can be used in the areas of planning and manufacturing to ensure that components are available. You will also learn in greater detail how the ATP check can be used with reservations, stock postings, and stock transfer orders in the “Materials Management” application.
Unit Objectives
After completing this unit, you will be able to: • Understand the concept of the ATP check • Explain the fundamentals of the ATP check • Activate the ATP check in Sales and Distribution
• Explain the specific aspects of the ATP check in Sales and Distribution • Configure the Customizing settings for the ATP check
• Interpret the results of the ATP check in Sales and Distribution
• Explain how the availability check for material components is carried out and controlled on the basis of the ATP quantity
• Interpret the results of the availability check
• Check availability based on the ATP quantity for stock transport requisitions, stock transport orders, and replenishment deliveries
• Check availability on the basis of the ATP quantity for material reservations and stock postings
Exercise 1: ATP Check in Order and Delivery... 35
Exercise 2: Activating and Selecting the Check Method ... 51
Exercise 3: Controlling the ATP Check ... 65
Exercise 4: Shortage Check ... 89
Lesson: ATP Check in Manufacturing...103
Exercise 5: ATP Check in Manufacturing ...109
Lesson: ATP Check in Materials Management ...132
Lesson: ATP Check Using the Example of Sales and
Distribution
Lesson Overview
In this lesson, you will learn about the ATP check together with the sales order and outbound delivery in more detail. It discusses the concept of the ATP check along with how to interpret the results and configure the Customizing settings.
Lesson Objectives
After completing this lesson, you will be able to: • Understand the concept of the ATP check • Explain the fundamentals of the ATP check • Activate the ATP check in Sales and Distribution
• Explain the specific aspects of the ATP check in Sales and Distribution • Configure the Customizing settings for the ATP check
• Interpret the results of the ATP check in Sales and Distribution
Business Example
When you create a sales order, you can confirm delivery of the goods on the requested delivery date only if they are available for all processing activities before the delivery is issued. So that you can reliably confirm a delivery, availability has to be checked on the basis of the ATP quantity as part of order processing and generating the outbound delivery.
Concept of the ATP Check
Figure 1: Concept of the ATP Check
The ATP availability check is a function that can be executed for: sales
documents, outbound deliveries, planned orders, production orders, service orders, stock transport requisitions, stock transport orders, stock transport scheduling agreements, subcontracting items for purchase orders, reservations, and stock postings.
The ATP check informs the user whether all required materials are available for sales or shipping, production, and goods movements. At the same time, it prevents the required material from being displayed as available for other requirements. The aim is to provide reliable delivery confirmations, in other words, to confirm materials, quantities, and dates for the customer (both internal and external customers).
The basic concept of the check based on the ATP quantity is summarized as follows: Incoming requirements (for example, customer requirements or component requirements in manufacturing) are checked against the “cumulated ATP quantity” for the requirement date. If the cumulated ATP quantity for the requirement date is sufficient, the requirement can be confirmed. At the same time, the requirement reduces the cumulated ATP quantity. The quantity is therefore “reserved” for the requirement and is not available for other requirements. You can use the Customizing settings to specify the stocks and stock changes that are taken into account when the ATP quantity is calculated and availability checked.
Interpreting the Results of the ATP Check
Figure 2: Availability Check
If the availability check for the order is successful, the system confirms the required material and quantity for the required date. In this case, the user does not notice the availability check. The result is a confirmed schedule line in the sales order. If the availability check is unsuccessful, the system response is dependent on the Customizing settings. The system can branch to the Availability Control screen or automatically select the delivery proposal specified in the Customizing settings for Availability Check Default Values.
On the Availability Control screen, the system informs the user of the quantities that can be confirmed as required and those that cannot be confirmed as required, and if possible, proposes an alternative delivery.
Note: Fix Quantity/Date: If the customer or order processor accepts the
delivery date and quantity proposed and confirmed by the system, this quantity and date can be fixed. The system then transfers the requirement to materials planning so that the confirmed date and quantity can be met. The date and quantity originally required are not forwarded to materials planning. If you do not select the Fix Qty/Date field, the delivery date and confirmed quantity are not fixed. If materials can be either produced or procured more quickly, you may be able to deliver the materials closer to the required delivery date, that is, earlier than the date confirmed by the system. However, the delivery quantity and date may also be negatively affected.
Figure 3: Default Values in Customizing
In the Avail. Check Rule field, you can activate or deactivate the Availability
Control screen for sales document processing. If the screen is deactivated, the
end user cannot manually select a delivery proposal if the availability check is insufficient. Therefore, Customizing settings must be configured to specify how the system is to respond. Is the system to select one-time delivery, complete
delivery, or delivery proposal automatically in the background?
If the Availability Control screen is active, you still have to define how the system responds if the availability check is insufficient for functions that run in the background and that check availability (for example, rescheduling).
You can also control whether the Fix Qty/Date parameter on the Availability
Figure 4: Order Schedule Lines
The result of the availability check is documented in the order schedule lines. In the sales documents, the required material, quantity, and date are entered at item level. For each item, there is at least one schedule line that the system generates automatically. If the required quantity and date can be confirmed on the basis of the availability check and shipping and transportation scheduling, this is documented in the system by a confirmed schedule line for the order item. If the required quantity and date cannot be confirmed, and the availability check does not return a delivery proposal, an unconfirmed schedule line may exist in extreme cases. Unconfirmed schedule lines cannot be delivered. This kind of situation therefore requires immediate backorder processing. In situations in which the required quantity cannot be confirmed for the required date, the system usually generates delivery proposals based on the forecasted ATP quantities, and these proposals are then documented as additional schedule lines for the order item.
You can set the complete delivery indicator in the sold-to party master record, and this is then transferred to the document header of the sales document. It specifies that a document and all of its items must be delivered in full.
The partial delivery indicator for the document items can be proposed from the sold-to party master record or the customer material info record. 1. The information in the customer material info record takes precedence. It refers to the full or split delivery of several schedule lines for an item.
The following partial delivery agreements are possible at item level: • _ Partial delivery allowed
• A Create a delivery with qty greater than zero • B Create only one delivery (also with quantity = 0) • C Only complete delivery allowed
• D No limit to subsequent deliveries
The complete delivery at header level and partial delivery at item level indicators can be changed manually when you process sales documents.
Declarations about the availability situation can be made only on the basis of the ATP quantity. Transaction CO09 “Availability Overview” can be used for this. The stock/requirements list (transaction MD04) and the stock overview (transaction MMBE) cannot be used for declarations about availability. If they are used, the availability situation is often misinterpreted.
Figure 7: Digression: Material View and Enhanced Material Search
In Customizing, you can activate the material view or the material view and
enhanced material search for the sales order application. Using the material view function, you can display detailed material data without having to access the
material master directly. In the material view for material of one or more sales document items, you can display the ATP quantity based on the current date across several plants. You access the material view screen by selecting one or more sales order items and choosing the icon with the quick info Display Material View. You can specify the plants to be evaluated (the “associated plants”) for the plant of the order item. The possible selection of plants ranges from the selection of only the delivery plant of the order item to all plants that are assigned to the sales organization of the order or all plants that are assigned to the company code of the operation. You can also analyze all plants in a region or “all” plants for which the material is maintained. Using the transaction WSD_CBP “Display Close-By Plant Assignments,” you can also freely specify the plants that are to be analyzed in the material view in conjunction with the availability check.
The concept of the extended material search is to enable you to find materials quickly and efficiently. The extended material search can therefore be used as
key words. In the search result of the extended material search, the ATP quantity can be displayed across plants for each material. To select plants to be analyzed, the same options as for the material view are available. A traffic light immediately informs you whether the material has been created in the respective plant and whether it is available in that plant. In the result of the extended material search, you can enter the required order quantity for a valid combination of material and plant (material is maintained in the plant), and the required materials can then be transferred to the order as order items.
Using the ATP Check in Sales and Distribution
Figure 8: Using the ATP Check in the Sales Process
In the sales process within the SAP system, the availability check can be used in all sales documents that have the “schedule line” level. It can also be used in outbound deliveries. Once availability has been checked in the initial sales document, a new check may be useful at the time the delivery is created since the ATP situation may have changed in the meantime.
Figure 9: Activating the Availability Check
So that the availability check is carried out as part of document processing for sales and outbound deliveries, this function must be “activated.” If necessary, the availability check can be activated only for specific materials or material groups, or for selected operations. Whether the material or operation is relevant for the check depends on the various Customizing objects and parameters, as well as the corresponding fields in the material master record.
The following objects may be relevant: requirement class, schedule line category, delivery item category, checking group, strategy, requirement type, MRP group, strategy group, and MRP type.
Figure 10: Deciding on the Check Method
Once you have decided whether availability has to be checked, you also have to decide which check method to use.
Figure 11: Activating and Selecting the Check Method
If an ATP check is expressly intended, it is essential that the availability check is activated in the method at the level of the requirement class. For sales documents, the availability check must also be active in the relevant schedule line categories; for outbound delivery documents, it must be active in the relevant delivery item categories. If an availability check is not intended at the level of the requirement
class, it cannot be activated at schedule line or item level. However: If the availability check is active at the level of requirement classes, it can still be deactivated at schedule line or delivery item level.
In addition, the ATP check can be activated and deactivated using the checking group. The checking group is defined in the material master and groups materials in terms of the requirements transfer and the ATP check. Consequently, there is an additional option of activating and deactivating the ATP check in relation to the material.
Figure 12: Determining the Requirement Class in Relation to the Material
Whether an availability check is carried out may be dependent on the material or operation. You can define this using the requirement class.
Determining the requirement class using the material:
• First, an attempt is made to determine a strategy using the strategy group from the material master. If the strategy group is not maintained, the MRP group is used to determine it. If the MRP group is not defined, the system uses the material type instead of the MRP group to determine the strategy group (the material type has to be maintained as the MRP group).
• A requirement type for customer requirements is determined using the strategy.
• The requirement class is determined using the requirement type for the customer requirement.
Figure 13: Determining the Requirement Class in Relation to the Operation
Determining the requirement class using the operation:
• If a requirement class cannot be determined using the material, the system attempts to determine a requirement type or class using the item category (document) and the MRP type (material master).
• If this is not possible, the system attempts to determine a requirement type or class using only the item category.
If all of the attempts to determine a requirement class fail or if the availability check is deactivated for the requirement class determined, the operation is not relevant for the availability check.
Note: The Source field can be used to choose an alternative search
strategy. You also have the option to prioritize the determination of the requirement type/class using transactions.
Figure 14: Automatically Determining the Schedule Line Category
If an ATP check is to be carried out in the sales document, it must be active in the relevant schedule line categories.
The system uses two steps to automatically determine the schedule line category to control the order schedule lines: First, it tries to determine the schedule line category using the key combination of item category and MRP type. If a schedule line category is not found, the system then finds the schedule line category using only the item category.
In each case, automatically determining the schedule line category is therefore based on the order item category that was previously determined. This is determined on the basis of the following criteria:
• 1. Order type of the document
• 2. Item category group from the material master record
• 3. Use of the item that is implemented within the program for specific business transactions and functions
Figure 15: Determining the Delivery Item Category
In Customizing for the delivery item category, you can deactivate the availability check for delivery items. The item category of a delivery item is determined as follows:
When you copy an order item to a delivery, the system copies the key of the order item category to the delivery item.
The system cannot copy an (order) item category for order-independent items in the delivery (for example, packaging material in the delivery) or for a delivery without a reference to an order (for example, delivery type LO). In this case, the system determines an item category for the delivery according to the assignments specified in Customizing. Determining the item category in the delivery is very similar to determining the item category in the order. To determine the item category, the system takes into account the delivery type as well as the item category group (from the material master of the item). Additional use is set internally for some functions.
Controlling the ATP Check
Figure 16: Check Logic
The basic check logic of the ATP check is hard-coded and cannot be changed in Customizing. The ATP check is successful if a sufficient, cumulated ATP quantity is available on the material availability date. You can display the stock, receipt, and requirement information necessary to calculate the ATP quantity, as well as the relevant points in time, in a time series. Programming dictates that the system always attempts to fulfill requirements with the most recent receipt. On the basis of this logic, along with the stock, receipt, and requirements information, and your time points, the system calculates and displays the cumulated ATP quantity from today to a given point in the future.
To consolidate your understanding of the ATP check, here is a summary of the most important points:
• The ATP check is successful if a sufficient (cumulated) ATP quantity is available on the material availability date.
• The scope of the ATP quantity is defined individually for each company based on the operation or product (scope of check).
• The basic check level is at plant or storage location level.
• The check can be carried out regardless of whether the replenishment lead time is used.
• The ATP check in SAP ECC is accurate to the day. • Issues always try to consume the most recent receipt first.
Figure 17: Controlling the ATP Check
The type and scope of the ATP check is defined in Customizing for “Availability Control”. This defines the ATP quantity calculation and the level of the check, and determines whether the ATP check is carried out with or without the replenishment lead time.
Figure 18: Selecting Check Control
The “availability control”, that is, the type and scope of the ATP check, can again depend on the material, the material group, and the operation. The checking group is one feature of determining the “availability check control.” For the ATP check,
materials are grouped using the checking group, whereby a specific checking group is assigned to the required materials in the material master. New checking groups can be defined in Customizing if necessary.
The second feature for determining the “availability check control” is the checking rule. This is used to distinguish operations in terms of the ATP check. The assignment of document type and checking rule is hard-coded in the “Sales and Distribution” application. In general, checking rule A is assigned to the sales document and checking rule B is assigned to the delivery document. However, company-specific requirements can be modeled in the “Sales and Distribution” application using the user exit RV03VFZZ.
ATP Quantity
The basic concept of the check based on the ATP quantity is summarized as follows: The requirement date of incoming requirements (for example, customer requirements or component requirements in manufacturing) is checked against the cumulated ATP quantity. If the ATP quantity for the requirement date is available, the requirement can be confirmed. At the same time, a confirmed requirement reduces the cumulated ATP quantity. The quantity is therefore “reserved” for the requirement and is not available for other requirements.
The stocks and stock changes that are taken into account when the ATP quantity is calculated and the availability is checked depend on the scope of the check. The document processor can display the check scope of a document when processing the document. This is defined in Customizing
In the “availability check control,” you also define the scope of the check. That is, you specify which stock segments, planned requirements, and planned receipt elements are included in the ATP quantity calculation.
The following elements can be included in the availability check:
• Stocks: unrestricted-use stock, safety stock, stock in transfer, stock in quality inspection, and blocked stock.
• Receipts/issues: purchase orders, purchase requisitions, planned orders, production orders, reservations, dependent reservations, dependent requirements, sales requirements, and delivery requirements.
Receipts in the past: If planned receipts are included in the ATP quantity calculation, the following situations may arise. At present, there may be planned receipts that were expected in the past. These receipt elements should already have been added to stock. However, they are still planned receipts with a planned receipt date in the past. In Customizing for the “availability check control,” you can now decide whether this receipt element is to be included in the ATP quantity calculation. In either case, you can activate an additional warning message for the user.
For operations that generate special stocks (such as make-to-order production, consignment processing, or returnable packaging processing), availability is checked against the special stock using the specified scope of check in conjunction with the respective special stock indicator from the requirement class.
Since various, operation-based scopes of check can be defined, they must be consistent along the process chain. If, for example, the checking rules dictate that the availability check in sales documents is to include both sales and delivery requirements, but that the availability check in deliveries is to include delivery requirements only, there is a danger that quantities already “reserved” by sales documents may be displayed as available for the availability check of deliveries. As a result, there may be a backlog of sales documents in some cases.
Note: In SAP SCM APO, the scope of the product availability check can
Check Level of the ATP Check
Figure 20: Where Is ATP Checked?
Availability for sales documents and deliveries is generally checked at plant and storage location level. If the material is handled in batches, an additional check is carried out at batch level. However, you can configure the Customizing settings to deactivate the check at storage location level.
In sales documents, availability is checked in the plant of the order item. The plant is usually determined automatically (location determination) based on the master data. Any master data in which the delivery plant can be defined is accessed in the following sequence:
• 1. Customer-material info record (detailed view)
• 2. Customer master record of the goods recipient (Sales Data: Shipping tab page)
• 3. Material master record (Sales: Sales Org. 1 tab page)
If you enter the delivery plant manually during order processing, your entry will overwrite the default value for location determination.
Caution: Availability for a sales document item is checked in the
delivery plant of the item; if a storage location is defined in the order item and the storage location check is active, the check is carried out in this storage location only. An automatic, cross-plant availability check is not
available in SAP ERP. However, the Other Plant option on the availability control screen of the order allows you to manually include multiple plants in the availability check, not only the delivery plant of the item.
Note: Besides determining locations in the ECC system based purely on
master data as described above, you can also use the SCM APO system to determine locations and check availability based on rules (for more information, see course SCM 670 Global Available-to-Promise). This allows you to check availability automatically and across plants. The storage location is not automatically determined in sales documents. The availability check of sales documents is therefore specific to a storage location only if the storage location is specified with the document item either manually or by configuring the system.
Availability for deliveries is checked at the level of the delivery plant or storage location of the delivery item if the check at storage location level is active. The storage location can be and generally is determined automatically in deliveries. Depending on the attributes of the requirement (plant, plant/storage location, plant/batch, plant/storage location/batch), availability is checked at different
levels. For example, if a requirement applies only to a plant, it is sufficient to
restrict the stocks, receipts, and issues to plant view. However, if the issue refers to a batch or storage location, batch and storage location stocks must be included along with the plant stock. For example, if a batch is specified, the check is carried out on two levels: first against the batch and then against the plant stock. If a batch and a storage location are specified, the check is carried out on four levels: first against the batch storage location, then against the batch, then against the storage location, and finally against the plant stock.
Caution: The organizational level with the lowest ATP quantity
determines the result of the check.
Note: If the storage location is excluded from materials planning or is
planned separately, the additional check at plant level is not carried out since this storage location stock is not included in the plant stock.
Sales order stocks and project stocks are managed separately in the system and are not included in the plant stock. If material is issued from sales order stock or project stock, the check is carried out for this individual stock only. A two-level check is not carried out.
Figure 21: Customizing the Check Level
In Customizing for the “availability check control,”, the check at storage location level can be deactivated in the “Storage Location Inspection” area. If the No Stor.
Loc. Inspectn indicator is not set, availability is checked at the level of the storage location. This assumes however, that the requirement contains storage location
information. If this is not the case, the check is carried out at plant level only. The requirement must always contain plant information. If the No Stor. Loc. Inspectn indicator is set, availability is checked at plant level. This is the case, even if the requirement contains storage location information.
Note: If a storage location is excluded from materials planning or
is planned separately, the check without storage locations cannot be activated.
Figure 22: Example: Checking at Plant Level
Once the ATP quantity has been checked, the result is as follows:
Requirement 1 in the amount of 1,200 pieces can be confirmed in full. To confirm this requirement, 500 pieces are obtained from receipt 1 and the remaining 700
Figure 23: Example: Checking at Storage Location Level
The plant stock of 1,000 pieces comprises the stock in storage location 1 in the amount of 800 pieces and the stock in storage location 2 in the amount of 200 pieces. Requirement 2 for 500 pieces is to be removed from storage location 1. At present, this storage location contains 800 pieces. Requirement 2 still cannot be confirmed in full since only 300 pieces of plant stock are available at plant level. Requirement 2 is therefore confirmed in the amount of 300 pieces. If the system confirmed the full requirement quantity of 500 pieces, the availability of confirmed issue 1 (for which the issue storage location is not specified and that removes items from the plant stock) would be compromised since it would be 200 pieces short.
Time of the ATP Check
The availability check is based on the material availability date.
The availability check in the order presupposes delivery and transportation scheduling. First, the material availability date is calculated (by examining the latest point in time at which the material must be available in the warehouse so that there is sufficient time remaining for the shipping process, and so that the goods can be delivered to the customer on the required delivery date).
Figure 25: Backward Scheduling
For backwards scheduling, the customer’s requested delivery date is used to calculate the material availability date and the transportation lead time. The outbound delivery must be created at the earliest of the two dates (selection date for the outbound delivery). The material must be available on the material availability date since only then can the shipping process begin.
If both dates are after the date on which the order was created and the material is available on the material availability date, the customer’s requested delivery date can be confirmed. A schedule line is created for the sales document item. The date of the schedule line displays the confirmed delivery date, which is the same as the customer’s requested delivery date.
If one of the two dates is before the order date or if the material is not available on the material availability date, the requested delivery date cannot be confirmed. Therefore, the system attempts to determine the next possible delivery date (forward scheduling).
Figure 26: Forward Scheduling
If the result of backward scheduling means that the delivery date required by the customer cannot be confirmed, the system generally continues scheduling using forward scheduling.
The earliest date on which the material is available in the warehouse is the new material availability date. This is the starting point for new delivery scheduling. Forward scheduling takes into consideration the time parallels of the work flows for transportation planning and picking/packing of materials. The longer of these two periods is relevant for scheduling. The selection date of the outbound delivery is the earlier of the material availability or the transportation planning dates.
Figure 27: Periodicity of the ATP Check
The ATP check in SAP ECC is accurate to the day. The day begins at 00:00 and ends at 00:00 in the time zone of the plant (local time) in which the ATP check takes place. The exact times (hour, minute, and second) of the planned requirements and planned receipt elements are not taken into account. The relevant elements are cumulated for each day and evaluated at the start of the day. As a result, all receipts are technically available at the start of the day, although they may actually be available only later in the day. Occasionally this leads to shortages.
Note: SAP SCM APO can be adjusted to meet the customer’s
requirements:
• Separate definition of receipt and issue buckets (move receipts) • Daytime availability check (= several buckets per day)
• Evaluation logic of the ATP time series (bucket logic: conservative, totally conservative, and progressive)
• Bucket limits can be managed in UTC or in summer time for the local time zone in the respective location.
ATP Check Taking into Account the Replenishment
Lead Time
The replenishment lead time is the time required to order or produce the requested material and to provide it in the company. In the “availability check control,” you specify whether the ATP check is to be carried out with or without the replenishment lead time.
Figure 28: Check Taking into Account the Replenishment Lead Time
ATP Check Including the Replenishment Lead Time
Availability is checked only until the end of the replenishment lead time. If the material availability date for the item when calculated from the current date is outside the replenishment lead time, the item can always be confirmed. In this case, the system assumes that any required quantity can be confirmed up to the material availability date and considers the goods to be available. They can therefore be contractually promised to the customer. If the material availability date is within the replenishment lead time, checks are carried out on the basis of the ATP quantity. The requirement is confirmed at the latest at the end of the replenishment lead time. The availability check that uses the replenishment lead time only produces meaningful results if you plan in regular intervals. (For single and daily requirements, you should plan on a daily basis. For weekly requirements, you should plan on a weekly basis). The confirmed quantities are then compared with receipts. This is necessary because the delivery date of an order that was confirmed on the day before the replenishment lead time already lies within the replenishment lead time on the current day, and thus leads to a shortage. This shortage could then prevent the delivery from being created, for example.
If the replenishment lead time is not taken into account during the availability check, the system carries out an unrestricted availability check.
Note: For an explanation of the different results for the end of the
replenishment lead time on the Availability Control and Availability
Overview screens, see SAP Note 100291.
Figure 29: Calculating the Replenishment Lead Time
The replenishment lead time is the time required to procure or produce the material in full, that is, using all BOM levels. The system calculates the replenishment lead time using specific times that you define in the material master record and in Customizing. Depending on the procurement type, it can be calculated from different time periods. So that the replenishment lead time can be calculated correctly, you must enter the necessary times in the material master record and in Customizing.
For materials produced in house, the following options are available. If the Total
RLT field (MRP 3 View) is maintained, the time maintained in this field is used for
the availability check. If the Total RLT field is not maintained, the system reads the in-house production time (MRP 2 view) and, if available, the goods receipt processing time (MRP 2 view) and interprets the total of these two times as the replenishment lead time for the availability check.
For materials procured externally, it is not useful to maintain the Total RLT field. For external procurement, the total of the purchase processing time (Customizing:
Time), planned delivery time (MRP 2 view), and goods receipt processing time
(MRP 2 view) is always interpreted as the replenishment lead time for the availability check.
Note: All times are maintained as working days, with the exception of the
planned delivery time, which is maintained in calendar days.
Concept of the Shortage Check
Figure 30: Shortage Check
Checking availability without taking into account the cumulated, confirmed quantity or requirement quantity (shortage check) may lead to overconfirmation. Based on the material availability date of the sales order in the past, the system checks whether there are receipt elements with an ATP quantity that is still free. If there is a planned receipt based on the material availability date of the sales order in the past, it is used to confirm the order requirement. If the planned receipt is then postponed to any date after the confirmation date, the sales order confirmation is retained even though there is not enough stock to cover the requirement. This is because changing the receipt does not automatically change the order. A new order created in this situation might also be confirmed because of the postponed receipt and thus lead to an overconfirmation. To correct the overconfirmation, you can execute a planning run, reschedule, or process a backorder. Since these functions require a lot of time, it is possible that orders whose entry dates indicate that they cannot be delivered are actually delivered.
The shortage check prevents the scenario described above from occurring since when it is active, the system not only confirms past receipt elements on the basis of the available ATP quantity, but also checks whether the total requirements and
confirmations exceed the total stock and receipt elements. If confirming a new requirement means that the total number of requirements or confirmations in the system exceeds the stock and receipt elements, no confirmation can be made as part of the ATP check. In our example, the second order cannot be confirmed.
Figure 31: Activating the Shortage Check
You can activate the shortage check in Customizing for the checking group. The following options are available.
• No shortage check
• Check taking into account the cumulated, confirmed quantities: When
calculating the cumulated ATP quantity, the system takes into account the total of all previously confirmed quantities. This means that new sales orders can be confirmed only if the total receipts exceed the confirmed quantities. We recommend that you work with cumulated requirement quantities when you create sales orders (checking group, field Accumul. parameter 2 or 3). • Check taking into account the cumulated requirement quantities: When
calculating the cumulated ATP quantity, the system takes into account the total of all requirement quantities open to date. This means that new sales orders can be confirmed only if the total receipts exceed the total requirement quantities. We recommend that you work with cumulated, confirmed quantities when you change sales orders (checking group, field Accumul. parameters 1 and 3).
• In addition, an information message can be activated to inform the user about the shortage situation (checking group, field Response, parameter 1).
Figure 32: Digression: Lock Logic
So that the results of the availability check are consistent, a material has to be locked for other users or checks during the availability check. There are two different lock concepts:
Material block: In the IMG activity Define Material Block for Other Users,
you specify whether a material master record is blocked for other users during the availability check for each checking group and call (order/delivery/material reservation). The block is set at material-plant level and remains until you save the sales document.
Material block with quantity transfer: For performance reasons, it is useful to
set the material block with quantity transfer only if multiple users often block the same material at the same time. If this is not the case in your organization, you can work with the standard lock logic at material-plant level. In Customizing, you can set the material block with quantity transfer in the IMG activity Define Checking
Groups. If this lock is active, the material is only locked during the availability
check when a sales document is created or changed. It is thereby possible that several users can process the same material at the same time within different operations without blocking each other. During the availability check, the material used is locked exclusively in the current plant in the same way as the standard lock. If another user attempts to process the locked material in the corresponding plant while the availability check is being carried out, the system waits for one second before making five attempts to lock the material exclusively for the second operation. If all five attempts fail, the check is canceled and the operation remains unconfirmed. To confirm the operation, the user must then call the availability check again. Once the check is complete, the confirmed quantities are locked, although not exclusively. The material block is reset. The non-exclusive quantity block then informs users processing other operations about the reserved quantities of the respective material that are currently in process in the selected plant. Once
processing is complete, the lock entries are reset. If the processed operation has been saved, the lock entries are reset only once the corresponding changes have been made to the database.
Note: If both lock options are active, the lock with the quantity transfer
takes priority.
During manual backorder processing, a material with a quantity lock is locked exclusively so that the availability of this material cannot be checked during this time.
Exercise 1: ATP Check in Order and
Delivery
Exercise Objectives
After completing this exercise, you will be able to:
• Carry out the ATP check in the sales order and the outbound delivery • Interpret the results of the ATP check
Business Example
Your company wants to check availability using ATP logic for orders and outbound deliveries. Familiarize yourself with this check method. Learn how to carry out the ATP check and interpret the results in the application.
Task 1:
Omega Soft-Hardware, Nuremberg orders 3,000 meters of “twisted conductor cable.”
1. Enter the sales order.
Order Type OR
Sold-to Party T-L64A##
PO Number ## Order 1
Requested Delivery Date One week from today
Delivery Plant 1200
Material T-AC1##
Order Quantity 3000
2. Since the material is not available as required, the system remains in order entry on the Availability Control screen.
Hint: If you have already left the Availability Control screen, you
can return to it by choosing Check Availability Item. In which plant is availability checked?
___________________________________________________________ 3. What quantity can be confirmed for the requested delivery date?
4. What other delivery proposals does the system make?
___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ 5. Explain why only 2,000 meters can be confirmed on the requested date but
delivery of 3,000 meters is possible at a later date. Examine the scope of the ATP check and the calculation of the cumulated ATP quantity of material T-AC1## in plant 1200.
Scope of
check:__________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ Calculation of cumulated ATP quantity:____________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ 6. Choose the delivery proposal One-Time Delivery on requested date and save
the order. Make a note of the document number.
___________________________________________________________
Task 2:
Display the schedule line(s) of the order you just created. 1. Determine the following data:
Delivery date: Order quantity: Confirmed quantity:
Task 3:
After Omega Soft-Hardware, Nuremberg has placed an order, a second order for material T-AC1## is placed in the order center. Motorrad Markt in Stuttgart requires 500 meters of T-AC1##. Enter this order as well.
1. Enter the second sales order.
Order Type OR
Sold-to Party T-S50B##
PO Number ## Order 2
Requested Delivery Date Today or as soon as possible
Delivery Plant 1200
Material T-AC1##
Order Quantity 500
2. Since the material is not available as required for this order either, the system remains in order entry on the Availability Control screen.
Hint: If you have already left the Availability Control screen, you
can return to it by choosing Check Availability Item. In which plant is availability checked?
___________________________________________________________ 3. What quantity can be confirmed for the requested delivery date?
___________________________________________________________ 4. Which other delivery proposal(s) does the system make?
___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ 5. Explain the delivery proposal. Examine the scope of the ATP check and
the calculation of the cumulated ATP quantity of material T-AC1## in plant 1200.
Scope of
check:__________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ Calculation of cumulated ATP quantity:____________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ 6. Choose the delivery proposal Delivery Proposal and save the order. Make a
note of the document number.
Task 4:
Motorrad Markt in Stuttgart is putting pressure on you. They do not want to wait two months for delivery. Check whether it is possible to deliver the goods to the customer from another plant on an earlier date.
1. For the second order, check the availability again and check the plant in which the system “automatically” checks material availability.
___________________________________________________________ 2. How is the plant in which availability is checked defined in the sales order?
3. Display the supplying plant for the order item.
___________________________________________________________ 4. Check whether you can deliver the order item from another plant on an
earlier date. Check availability for the order or order item again.
5. Since delivery plant 1400 Stuttgart is closer to the customer, you decide to deliver the goods from Stuttgart.
6. Which delivery plant is now shown in the order item?
___________________________________________________________ 7. Display the schedule line(s) for the order item.
Delivery Date Order Quantity Confirmed Quantity
Today
Today plus 3 working days
8. Why can the requested delivery date (today) of the order item not be confirmed, even though the material is available in delivery plant 1400 Stuttgart today?
___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ 9. Save the changed order.
Task 5:
Start the shipping process for the order with order number ## Order 2.
1. Deliver the order for Motorrad Markt, Stuttgart. Do not save the delivery yet. 2. Increase the delivery quantity of the delivery item to 1,000 meters. Is it
possible? If not, why?
___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ 3. Change the delivery quantity of the delivery item back to 500 meters. 4. Check the delivery plant and storage location from which the delivery item is
to be delivered.
Delivery plant:_____________________________________________ Picking location:______________________________________
5. Now analyze the availability check for the delivery item. Call the availability check for the outbound delivery again.
6. First check whether the availability of the delivery item is checked at plant level or at plant and storage location level.
___________________________________________________________ 7. Now check the cumulated ATP quantity of material T-AC1## in plant 1400
and storage location 0001. What cumulated ATP quantity is there today? What is the cumulated ATP quantity in 3 months?
Cumulated ATP quantity today:_________________________________ Cumulated ATP quantity in 3 months:___________________________ 8. Change the material availability date of the delivery item to today plus 3
months and increase the delivery quantity to 1,500 meters. Is it possible? Can you also confirm 2,000 meters for the new material staging?
___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ 9. Change the material availability date of the delivery item back to today and
the delivery quantity back to 500 meters. Then save the outbound delivery. Make a note of the document number.
Solution 1: ATP Check in Order and
Delivery
Task 1:
Omega Soft-Hardware, Nuremberg orders 3,000 meters of “twisted conductor cable.”
1. Enter the sales order.
Order Type OR
Sold-to Party T-L64A##
PO Number ## Order 1
Requested Delivery Date One week from today
Delivery Plant 1200
Material T-AC1##
Order Quantity 3000
a) Logistics → Sales and Distribution → Sales → Order → Create
Order Type OR
Sold-to Party T-L64A##
PO Number ## Order 1
Requested Delivery Date One week from today
Delivery Plant 1200
Material T-AC1##
Order Quantity 3000
2. Since the material is not available as required, the system remains in order entry on the Availability Control screen.
Hint: If you have already left the Availability Control screen, you
can return to it by choosing Check Availability Item. In which plant is availability checked?
___________________________________________________________ a) Plant 1200
3. What quantity can be confirmed for the requested delivery date?
___________________________________________________________ a) A one-time delivery in the amount of 2,000 meters is possible on the
requested date.
4. What other delivery proposals does the system make?
___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ a) The system suggests a complete delivery in approximately two months.
In addition, 2,000 meters can be confirmed on the customer's requested delivery date, with the remaining 1,000 meters being delivered in approximately two months.
5. Explain why only 2,000 meters can be confirmed on the requested date but delivery of 3,000 meters is possible at a later date. Examine the scope of the ATP check and the calculation of the cumulated ATP quantity of material T-AC1## in plant 1200.
Scope of
check:__________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ Calculation of cumulated ATP quantity:____________________________ ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________ a) On the Availability Control screen, choose Scope of Check. When the
ATP quantity is calculated, purchase orders are taken into account along with other planned receipts.
b) Close the Display Scope of Check screen. From the Availability Control screen, call the Availability Overview screen. Display the details. To do so, choose Settings → All Details.
Since you are displaying the “Availability Overview” from order processing, the order is displayed on the material availability date as a “simulated requirement” in the amount of 3,000 meters. On the material availability date of the requirement, only a “cumulated ATP quantity” of 2,000 meters is available. This “cumulated ATP quantity” results from the plant stock of the material. As a result, a maximum of 2,000 meters can be confirmed on the requested date.
Furthermore, there is a purchase order of 1,000 meters of material T-AC1## for plant 1200. The planned delivery date of the order is in approximately two months. Therefore, the “cumulated ATP quantity” for the planned delivery date of the order is 3,000 meters. After the planned receipt, up to 3,000 meters can consequently be confirmed. 6. Choose the delivery proposal One-Time Delivery on requested date and save
the order. Make a note of the document number.
___________________________________________________________ a) On the Availability Control screen, choose Edit → One-Time Delivery. b) On the Create Standard Order: Overview screen, choose Sales
Document → Save.
Task 2:
Display the schedule line(s) of the order you just created. 1. Determine the following data:
Delivery date: Order quantity: Confirmed quantity:
a) Logistics → Sales and Distribution → Sales → Order → Display Order: Enter the order number from task 1, step 6 or find the order
with the PO number ## Order 1.
b) On the Display Standard Order: Overview screen, choose Goto →
Item → Schedule Lines.
Delivery date: One week from today
Order quantity: 3000
Confirmed quantity: 2000
Task 3:
After Omega Soft-Hardware, Nuremberg has placed an order, a second order for material T-AC1## is placed in the order center. Motorrad Markt in Stuttgart requires 500 meters of T-AC1##. Enter this order as well.
1. Enter the second sales order.
Order Type OR
Sold-to Party T-S50B##
PO Number ## Order 2
Delivery Plant 1200
Material T-AC1##
Order Quantity 500
a) Logistics → Sales and Distribution → Sales → Order → Create
Order Type OR
Sold-to Party T-S50B##
PO Number ## Order 2
Requested Delivery Date Today or as soon as possible
Delivery Plant 1200
Material T-AC1##
Order Quantity 500
2. Since the material is not available as required for this order either, the system remains in order entry on the Availability Control screen.
Hint: If you have already left the Availability Control screen, you
can return to it by choosing Check Availability Item. In which plant is availability checked?
___________________________________________________________ a) Plant 1200
3. What quantity can be confirmed for the requested delivery date?
___________________________________________________________ a) No confirmation can be made on the requested date.
4. Which other delivery proposal(s) does the system make?
___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ a) The system suggests delivery in approximately two months.
5. Explain the delivery proposal. Examine the scope of the ATP check and the calculation of the cumulated ATP quantity of material T-AC1## in plant 1200.
Scope of
check:__________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ Calculation of cumulated ATP quantity:____________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ a) On the Availability Control screen, choose Scope of Check. When the
ATP quantity is calculated, purchase orders are taken into account along with other planned receipts.
b) Close the Display Scope of Check screen. From the Availability Control screen, call the Availability Overview screen. Display the details. To do so, choose Settings → All Details.
Since you are displaying the Availability Overview from order processing, the order today (material availability date) is displayed as a “simulated requirement” in the amount of 500 meters. Today, the “cumulated ATP quantity” is 0. The ATP quantity of the plant stock has been used when the first order was confirmed. Confirmation is therefore not possible on the requested date.
However, there is a purchase order of 1,000 meters of material
T-AC1## for plant 1200, with a planned delivery date in approximately two months. Therefore, the “cumulated ATP quantity” for the
planned delivery date of the order is 1000 meters. As a result of the planned receipt, the requirement of 500 meters can be confirmed in approximately two months.
6. Choose the delivery proposal Delivery Proposal and save the order. Make a note of the document number.
___________________________________________________________ a) On the Availability Control screen, choose Edit → Delivery Proposal. b) On the Create Standard Order: Overview screen, choose Sales
Document → Save.
Task 4:
Motorrad Markt in Stuttgart is putting pressure on you. They do not want to wait two months for delivery. Check whether it is possible to deliver the goods to the customer from another plant on an earlier date.
1. For the second order, check the availability again and check the plant in which the system “automatically” checks material availability.
___________________________________________________________ a) Logistics → Sales and Distribution → Sales → Order → Change
Order: Enter the order number from task 2, step 6 or find the order
with the PO number ## Order 2.
b) On the Change Standard Order: Overview screen, choose Edit →
Check Availability. Plant 1200
2. How is the plant in which availability is checked defined in the sales order?
Answer: Availability of an order item is checked in the supplying plant of
the order item.
3. Display the supplying plant for the order item.
___________________________________________________________ a) Leave the Availability Check screen by selecting the delivery proposal.
Navigate to the screen “Change Standard Order: Overview” and choose the tab page “Shipping”.The delivery plant for the order item is plant 1200 Dresden. The system checks availability in the delivery plant of the order item.
4. Check whether you can deliver the order item from another plant on an earlier date. Check availability for the order or order item again. a) On the Change Standard Order: Overview screen, choose Edit →
Check Availability.
b) On the Availability Control screen, choose Goto → Other Plants. c) Select the plants 1000 Hamburg and 1400 Stuttgart, and choose Check
Plant. The requested quantity can be confirmed in both plants for
the required date (today).
5. Since delivery plant 1400 Stuttgart is closer to the customer, you decide to deliver the goods from Stuttgart.
a) Select the item “Plant 1400 Stuttgart” and choose Goto → Adopt Plant. 6. Which delivery plant is now shown in the order item?
___________________________________________________________ a) On the Change Standard Order: Overview screen, choose Goto → Item
→ Shipping. The item is now delivered from plant 1400 Stuttgart.
7. Display the schedule line(s) for the order item.
Delivery Date Order Quantity Confirmed Quantity Today
Today plus 3 working days
a) On the Change Standard Order: Overview screen, choose Goto →
Item → Schedule Lines.
Delivery Date Order Quantity Confirmed Quantity
Today 500 0
Today plus 3 working days
0 500
8. Why can the requested delivery date (today) of the order item not be confirmed, even though the material is available in delivery plant 1400 Stuttgart today?
___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ a) Although 500 meters of material T-AC1## are available in plant 1400
Stuttgart on the material availability date “today,” the system also schedules shipping and transportation alongside the availability check. Forward scheduling determines that the shipping and transportation activities that have to be carried out will take a total of 3 workdays. Therefore, the items can delivered to the customer at the earliest in 3 days.
On the Change Standard Order: Item Data screen, choose the “Schedule Lines” tab page, select the “confirmed” schedule line, and choose Shipping. In the schedule line data, the Shipping tab page allows you to follow the forward scheduling.
9. Save the changed order.
a) On the Change Standard Order: Overview screen, choose Sales
Task 5:
Start the shipping process for the order with order number ## Order 2.
1. Deliver the order for Motorrad Markt, Stuttgart. Do not save the delivery yet. a) Logistics → Sales and Distribution → Shipping and Transportation →
Outbound Delivery → Create → Single Document → With Reference to Sales Order
On the Create Outbound Delivery with Order Reference screen, enter the following data:
Shipping Point 1400
Selection Date Today + 3 days
Order Document number from task 3,
step 6
Remain on the Create Delivery: Overview screen. Do not save the delivery.
2. Increase the delivery quantity of the delivery item to 1,000 meters. Is it possible? If not, why?
___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ a) On the “Create Delivery: Overview” screen, enter 1000 in the Deliv.
Qty field and confirm your entry by choosing Enter. In the status bar,
the system issues the message: “Only 1500 m of material T-AC1## is available”. Due to the availability situation, no more than 500 meters can be delivered on the material availability date “today”.
3. Change the delivery quantity of the delivery item back to 500 meters. a) On the Create Delivery: Overview screen, enter 500 in the Deliv. Qty
field and confirm your entry by choosing Enter.
4. Check the delivery plant and storage location from which the delivery item is to be delivered.
Delivery plant:_____________________________________________ Picking location:______________________________________
a) On the Create Delivery: Overview screen, choose the tab page Picking.
Delivery Plant: 1400 Stuttgart (Picking) Location: 0001
