Setting up Deliveries

Watch the following video to learn more about Delivery Types. You will also learn how to access the configuration activity to maintain them.

The previous video explained the significance of delivery types. It also showed you how to access the configuration activity to maintain them.

Deliveries are usually created with reference to an order: purchase order for inbound delivery, sales order for outbound delivery, stock transport order for replenishment delivery, purchase order for vendor return delivery, and so on. In these cases, the delivery type is derived from the reference order. The delivery type is determined automatically in the background and cannot be changed. The determination rules themselves are fixed and cannot be adjusted in SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition.

You can also create outbound deliveries without reference to a sales order. In this case, you must specify the delivery type manually by selecting the desired delivery type from a limited list of possible choices.

Watch the following video to learn more about Item Categories. You will also learn how to access the configuration activity to maintain them.

The previous video explained the significance of item categories. It also showed you how to access the configuration activity to maintain them.

The following describes how the system determines the item category for a delivery item and how you can configure that determination.

When you create a delivery document with reference to a sales order, the system copies the item category of the order item to the delivery item.

Of course, it is not possible to copy the item category from a sales order for items in a delivery that do not reference a sales order item (for example, packaging material), for deliveries without reference to an order, or for inbound deliveries (for example, delivery type EL for a purchase order). For these delivery items, the system determines the item category during delivery item creation.

The item category determination can be configured according to the following parameters:

1. The delivery type of the delivery document

2. The item category group of the material specified in the delivery item

   The item category group is maintained in the material master record. Examples of item category groups include standard (NORM), third-party item (BANS), service (SERV), make-to-order (CB04), and so on.

    
   Note

   The product master contains two item category group fields, a general item category group and an item category group maintained at the sales organization and distribution channel level. The general item category group is maintained only at the material level and is not dependent on the sales organization and distribution channel. This field is used to determine the item category in inbound deliveries. The item category group maintained at the sales organization and distribution channel level is used when the delivery contains a sales organization and distribution channel.

3. The item category usage

   The item category usage is defined internally and is used to identify very specific functions and scenarios, such as:

   • PACK for packaging item
   • CHSP for batch split
   • V for inbound deliveries for purchase orders and for deliveries in stock transfer processes

   The item category usage is set by the internal programming logic of SAP S/4HANA Cloud when such specific scenarios are detected. This means that the system may determine a different item category for delivery items resulting from processes that use these specific functions.

   Note

   Usages are determined in the underlying program logic of the process. You can, however, define a usage in the customer material information record. But the item category determination only considers this usage for the sales document, not for the delivery.

4. The item category of the higher-level item

   If the delivery item is a sub-item, the system has already determined the item category for the higher-level item. This is then used to influence the determination of the item category for the sub-item.

The item category determination for delivery items without reference to sales order items is predefined and meets all requirements in most cases.

However, if you need to adjust it, in our configuration environment, locate and select the Define Item Category Determination in Deliveries configuration activity.