Delivery Process The delivery process is a continuation from the sales process.

It is generally used in outbound processing to move goods from the plant to the shipping vendor to the customer. However, the returns process of inbound deliveries is also included as a standard SAP delivery process, where instead of "posting goods issue" for outbound deliveries, we "post goods receipt" for an inbound flow of products back into our plant. A delivery document can be created with reference to a sales document such as an order or a scheduling agreement (which was discussed in Chapter 4). Or it may be created, for example, with reference to an inbound return sales document. In mySAP ERP, the shipping functions have been removed from the Sales and Distribution section of the SAP Customizing Implementation Guide. Instead, they have been placed in the Logistics Execution section. However, it is critical that the people responsible for the SD module understand this topic. Delivery Document Configuration A delivery document type is similar to the sales order document type. Whereas in the sales process the sales document structure and control were defined largely by the sales document type, in the delivery process the delivery document type controls how the delivery is to function. The structure of the delivery document is very similar to a sales document type in that a delivery document has a header and item structure. The output of an SAP delivery is a goods movement. Defining Delivery Types The SAP delivery document is usually the step subsequent to a sales document type and preceding a billing document. However, a delivery is not restricted to being created from a sales document type. Use the following menu path. Menu Path SAP Customizing Implementation Guide | Logistics Execution | Shipping | Deliveries | Define Delivery Types [0VLK] The delivery document type, shown in Figure 6-1, has fewer control settings than the sales document type. The associated settings of the delivery document type are as follows: Document Category This is a critical field that identifies to the system what document type is being used. It is used in internal table controls, for example, to determine system responses and messages. Number Systems Here you assign the particular number range that your delivery will follow, as well as the item increment in the delivery document type. You may create the number ranges relevant for delivery documents by selecting SAP Customizing Implementation Guide | Logistics Execution | Shipping | Deliveries | Define Number Ranges for Deliveries [VN01] After creating the interval, you may assign your delivery document number range to the document type. (See Chapter 3 for more information on number ranges.) Order Reference With this setting enabled, you can create this delivery without reference to a sales document type. You must specify a "pseudo" sales documents type in the Default Order

Type field. This will cause the system to use the control data set for this referenced pseudo document type.

When it is necessary to have a specific goods movement assigned to a delivery that has no sales document type used as a reference, your pseudo sales document type must have an item category followed by an assigned schedule line category. It is this schedule line category that must have the assigned goods movement. Here's an example of a pseudo sales document: The warehouse asks for a specific delivery, which must not be created from a sales order but is to use a special goods movement type. This goods movement typefor example, 901is used to show the return of stock to a supplier. 1. You would configure this by copying a standard delivery type such as LF, and naming it ZLF. 2. Then you would copy a sales document type such as TA and name it ZTA. 3. Next you would copy an item category TAN and name it ZTAN. 4. Finally you would copy a schedule line category such as CP and name it ZCP. Assigned to this schedule line category would be the movement type 901. 5. You would then assign the sales document type ZTA to the delivery type ZLF as the default order type. 6. Do not forget your individual settings in the relevant document types and item categories, as well as the copy controls settings. The specific control of the item categories in the delivery will be covered a little later. The item requirement must be fulfilled before an item can be processed in a delivery created without reference to a sales document type. Document Content Most of the fields in the document content screen are not configurable from this view. They are mostly determined in individual settings that then allocate the settings to the delivery document type. They are shown in the delivery document type for ease of understanding and control. Only the delivery split according to warehouse number, the delivery split according to additional partners, the rescheduling, the automatic packing indicators, the general packing material item, and the distribution mode are controllable from this section. In this section the storage location rule specifies how the system determines the picking/storage location when you create a delivery without entering a picking/storage location for the item.

The storage location is determined by a combination of shipping point + plant + storage condition. However, this only applies if the storage location rule on the delivery document type is MALA. (Storage location rules are defined in materials management and warehouse management, and are not covered in this book.) The output determination procedure and output type are used by the system in allocating output to the delivery document type. (Output is described in Chapter 9.) The text determination procedure is used by the system to determine where texts are allocated from in the delivery. (Text determination is described in Chapter 9.) The document statistics group is the determining field that updates the logistics information structures (LIS). It is not possible to assign a value to this field here. You are able to assign a value to the delivery document type in the control settings for LIS. Note that it is only advisable to assign a statistics group value to those deliveries and delivery items that do not contain a reference to an order. You are able to assign a delivery split per warehouse number, that is, items belonging to different warehouse numbers will be split into different deliveries. You can also force a delivery split by partners by setting the delivery split part checkbox. The assignment and control of route determination will be covered later in this chapter. The settings for the application are internally used by the system to allocate outputfor example, whether the output is used for sales orders or for delivery documents, etc. The partner determination is also not available to set in the delivery document type. it is set in the assignment of document types to the partner determination procedure. Partner determination procedures will be covered in Chapter 9. The rescheduling indicator is used to control the rescheduling of backlog deliveries. The automatic packing indicator controls if the packing proposal should be adhered to and the items in the delivery automatically packed or not. If you permit the delivery document type to automatically create packing items based on the configuration for packing (see packing later in this chapter), then check the generate packing material item checkbox. If you use a decentralized warehouse management system, you will wish to update the system automatically. This is defined by the setting in distribution mode. Transaction Flow In the definition of the delivery document type, in the transaction flow you may define the following: Screen sequence group is used to determine the screens and the sequence in which the SAP system should display them for a certain delivery type.

 The display range controls the data display for the delivery items. For example, you can limit the display to only the main items and to suppress all items dependent on main items. The standard text field is not used in ERP ECC6. An example of the standard delivery document types in ERP ECC are Standard delivery: LF Delivery without reference: LO Returns delivery: LR Returns delivery from a purchase order: RL Replenishment delivery: NL The standard SAP version of a delivery that may be made without reference to a sales order is delivery document type LO.