Customer approval

You can set up customer approval if sold-to business partners must approve the goods that are delivered on a sales order before the goods can be invoiced. The ownership of the goods changes from the supplier to the sold-to business partner when the goods are approved by the sold-to business partner.

If customer approval is implemented, you must maintain and send invoices based on the quantity that is approved by the sold-to business partner and you can automatically generate a sales return order for the rejected quantity.

If customer approval is not implemented, the ownership of the goods changes from supplier to sold-to business partner when the shipment is confirmed in Warehousing. LN automatically generates an invoice for the sold-to business partner based on the delivered quantity.

Setting up customer approval

If you want to use the customer approval functionality, complete the following steps:

Step 1. Implemented Software Components (tccom0100s000)

Select the Customer Approval check box in the Implemented Software Components (tccom0100s000) session if you want customer approval to be implemented. You can only select this check box if the Order Management (TD) check box is also selected in this session.

Step 2. Ship-to Business Partner (tccom4111s000)

In the Ship-to Business Partner (tccom4111s000) session, you can indicate for the ship-to business partner whether:

  • The delivered goods must be approved for a sales order. If yes, select the Customer Approval check box.
  • A sales return order must be generated for the rejected quantity of the delivered goods. If yes, select the Return Rejected Quantity check box.
Step 3. Item - Sales Business Partner (tdisa0510m000)

Similar to the fields in step 2, you can define the following fields for an item - business partner combination in the Item - Sales Business Partner (tdisa0510m000) session:

  • Customer Approval
  • Return Rejected Quantity

You cannot define these fields if the item is a cost item, service item, subcontracting item, or an equipment item.

Step 4. Sales Order Types (tdsls0594m000)

If you want a sales return order to be generated for the rejected quantity of the delivered goods, and as a result the Return Rejected Quantity check box is selected in the Ship-to Business Partner (tccom4111s000) and Item - Sales Business Partner (tdisa0510m000) sessions, you must specify a sales return order type of the type Return Rejects in the Sales Order Types (tdsls0594m000) session.

Sales orders of the Return Rejects order type are always generated automatically.

Step 5.  Sales Order Type - Activities (tdsls0560m000)

If the Customer Approval check box is selected in the Implemented Software Components (tccom0100s000) session, the activity Sales Order Invoice Lines (tdsls4106m100) must be linked to the order type in the Sales Order Type - Activities (tdsls0560m000) session.

The Sales Order Invoice Lines (tdsls4106m100) activity must be executed:

  • After the activities Release Sales Orders to Warehousing (tdsls4246m000) or Maintain Deliveries Sales Order Lines (tdsls4101m200).
  • Before the activity Release Sales Orders/Schedules to Invoicing (tdsls4247m000).
  • Manually. As a result, you cannot select the Automatic check box for this activity.

The activity Sales Order Invoice Lines (tdsls4106m100) can be executed during the order procedure only if:

  • Customer Approval is applicable for the item and business partner on the sales order. Else, the Sales Order Invoice Lines (tdsls4106m100) activity is skipped/removed during execution of the order procedure.
  • The order type is not a return order, collect order, cost order, retro-billed order, consignment replenishment order, or consignment invoicing order.
  • The item is not a cost item, service item, subcontracting item, or equipment item.
  • The item's inventory handling status is not set to By Component in the Inventory Handling field of the Sales Order Lines (tdsls4101m000) session.
Step 6. Sales Order Parameters (tdsls0100s400)

Enter a sales return order type of the type Return Rejects in the Return Rejection Order Type field of the Sales Order Parameters (tdsls0100s400) session. This order type is defaulted to the Rejection Order Type field of the Sales Order Invoice Lines (tdsls4106m100) session when you reject goods in this session and a return order must be generated for the rejected goods.

Approving the delivered goods

When an actual delivery line is inserted in the Sales Order Actual Delivery Lines (tdsls4106m000) session, an invoice line is created for the actual delivery line in the Sales Order Invoice Lines (tdsls4106m100) session with an invoice quantity that is equal to the delivered quantity.

How invoice lines are handled in the Sales Order Invoice Lines (tdsls4106m100) session, depends on the setting of the Customer Approval check box in the Implemented Software Components (tccom0100s000) session.

Customer approval is not implemented:
  • Only one invoice line can be created for one actual delivery line.
  • You cannot maintain the invoice line.
  • You need not approve the generated invoice line. The invoice line is automatically approved.
  • If the Release Sales Orders/Schedules to Invoicing (tdsls4247m000) is not an automatic activity in the order procedure, you can release the invoice line to Invoicing from the Release to Invoicing tab in the Sales Order - Lines (tdsls4100m900) and Sales Order Line - Deliveries (tdsls4101m900) sessions.
Customer approval is implemented:
  • You must specify which part of the delivered quantity can be approved (invoiced) and which part is rejected, if applicable.
  • If a return order must be generated for the rejected goods and the return order fields are specified, LN generates the return order when you approve the invoice line.
  • If a part of the delivered quantity is approved or rejected and you approve the invoice line, LN accumulates the approved quantity and rejected quantity for the actual delivery line. If this accumulated quantity is lower than the delivered quantity, a new invoice line is generated for the remaining quantity. Therefore, multiple invoice lines can be created for one actual delivery line.
  • You must release the approved invoice line(s) to Invoicing by clicking Release Selected Sales Order Line(s), or Release to Invoicing (batch)... on the appropriate menu.
Note
  • To approve a sales order invoice line, select the line and click Approve on the appropriate menu of the Sales Order Invoice Lines (tdsls4106m100) session. As a result, the invoice line status changes from Free to Approved.
  • You must maintain the deliveries for cost and service items in the Maintain Deliveries Sales Order Lines (tdsls4101m200) session. As a result, the status of the invoice line is immediately set to Approved in the Sales Order Invoice Lines (tdsls4106m100) session.

You can perform all described actions also on the Invoice Lines tab in the Sales Order - Lines (tdsls4100m900) and Sales Order Line - Deliveries (tdsls4101m900) sessions.

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