Flexible sales order processing

You can automate the processing of sales orders. For each activity that is linked to an order type, you can specify its execution mode: automatic or manual.

The execution of the order procedure activities can start when a user approves the order. After approval of an order, all automatic activities are executed successively until an activity is defined as nonautomatic. After you manually executed the nonautomatic activity, LN executes the next automatic activity, and so on.

To enable flexible order processing, you must first specify the following data:

Sales order type and sales order type activities.
Default devices to which (error) reports for a user are printed.

Sales order types and activities

Specify sales order types and link activities to these order types in the Sales Order Type (tdsls0694m000) session. By selecting or clearing the Automatic check box for an activity, you can specify its execution mode.

Mandatory activities

When you create an order type in the Sales Order Type (tdsls0694m000) session, LN automatically links the following mandatory activities to the order type in the Activity field of the Sales Order Type - Activities (tdsls0560m000) session:

Note

For the consignment replenishment order type, the activity Release Sales Orders/Schedules to Invoicing (tdsls4247m000) is not linked. For the retro-billed order type, the activity Release Sales Orders to Warehousing (tdsls4246m000) is not linked.

Optional activities

The following optional activities, which you can remove again, are also automatically linked to the Sales Order Type - Activities (tdsls0560m000) session:

Note

The following exceptions are applicable:

For the return order type, collect order type, cost order type, retro-billed order type, and the consignment order types, the activity Sales Order Invoice Lines (tdsls4106m100) cannot be linked.
You cannot define the Sales Order Invoice Lines (tdsls4106m100) and Change Prices and Discounts of Sales Invoice Lines (tdsls4132m000) activities as automatic activities. These activities must always be executed manually, because in these sessions, you must first maintain, approve, or confirm invoice quantities.
For the retro-billed order type, the collect order type, and the cost order type, the activity Generate Freight Orders (tdsls4222m000) cannot be linked. This also applies if the Consignment Invoicing check box is selected in the Sales Order Types (tdsls0594m000) session.

Execution of activities

If the following activities are linked to the order type, the actual addition of these activities to the order procedure is determined automatically during the order procedure:

Release Sales Orders to Warehousing (tdsls4246m000) and Sales Deliveries (tdsls4101m200)
Although the activities Release Sales Orders to Warehousing (tdsls4246m000) and Sales Deliveries (tdsls4101m200) can both be linked as a mandatory activity to the order type, either the Release Sales Orders to Warehousing (tdsls4246m000) activity or the Sales Deliveries (tdsls4101m200) activity is executed during the order procedure. You cannot execute both activities for the sales order. This applies to sales orders with a cost or service item. A sales order is released to Warehousing if it contains an item whose Item Type is set to Cost or Service in the Items (tcibd0501m000) session and for which the Release to Warehouse check box is selected in the Items - Sales (tdisa0501m000) session. If the Release to Warehouse check box is cleared, you must manually maintain the deliveries for the sales order in the Sales Deliveries (tdsls4101m200) session.
Sales Order Invoice Lines (tdsls4106m100)
This activity is only activated/ must only be executed if the Customer Approval check box is selected in the Implemented Software Components (tccom0100s000) session. For more information, refer to Customer approval.
Generate Purchase Order Advice for Sales Order (tdsls4240m000) Generate Purchase Orders (tdsls4241m000)
Either the Generate Purchase Order Advice for Sales Order (tdsls4240m000) or the Generate Purchase Orders (tdsls4241m000) activity can be linked to the order type. In this way, you can determine whether purchase order advices must first be generated before cross-docking orders and direct delivery orders can be created.
Generate Production Orders (tdsls4243m000)
This activity is only activated/ must only be executed if the Delivery Type field is set to Production in the Sales Order Lines (tdsls4101m000) or the Sales Order Planned Delivery Lines (tdsls4101m100) sessions.
Generate Freight Orders (tdsls4222m000)
If you link Generate Freight Orders (tdsls4222m000) as an activity to the order type, execution of this activity is actually controlled on the sales order line, or the sales order delivery line. For more information, refer to Integration Freight Order Control and Sales.
Generate (Project PCS) Structure for Sales Orders (tdsls4244m000)
For more information, refer to Generate (Project PCS) Structure for Sales Orders (tdsls4244m000) session.
Calculate Standard Costs by Project (tipcs3250m000)
If you link Calculate Standard Costs by Project (tipcs3250m000) as an activity to the order type, this activity is added to the sales order procedure when you enter a sales order line with a customized item. The Calculate Standard Costs by Project (tipcs3250m000) session updates the sales order line with the calculated standard costs of the customized item. If you use lower cost or market value (LCMV), the sales order line is updated with the calculated standard costs of the customized item only if the Backdate Valuation Price Allowed check box is also selected in the Calculate Standard Costs by Project (tipcs3250m000) session.
Generate Inventory Commitment (whinp2200m000)
For more information, refer to Generate Inventory Commitment (whinp2200m000) session.

Important!

Ensure that the list of activities linked to an order type is extensive enough to cover all processes that can apply during execution of the order procedure. If an activity is not applicable for the order type, LN automatically skips/removes this activity.

You can view the actual activities that are linked to the sales order (delivery) line and the status of the activities in these sessions:

Default devices

Specify a default device to which reports are printed for the user in the Sales User Profiles (tdsls0139m000) session.

When you insert a user profile in the Sales User Profiles (tdsls0139m000) session, the following printing sessions are automatically inserted in the Default Devices by User (tdsls0140m000) session:

Print Sales Quotations (tdsls1401m000)
Print Sales Contract Acknowledgements (tdsls3405m000)
Print Sales Contract Reminders (tdsls3406m000)
Print Sales Order Acknowledgements/RMAs (tdsls4401m000)

For each printing session, you can define the device that is used for printing in the Default Devices by User (tdsls0140m000) session. You can start this session by choosing Default Devices by User from the appropriate menu of the Sales User Profiles (tdsls0139m000) session. The Device in the Default Devices by User (tdsls0140m000) session is defaulted from the Device in the Sales User Profiles (tdsls0139m000) session but can be overwritten in the Default Devices by User (tdsls0140m000) session.

The device search path for printing external documents is as follows:

From the Default Devices by User (tdsls0140m000) session.
From the Sales Order Type - Activities (tdsls0560m000) session.
If no device can be found, you must select a device.

The device search path for printing internal documents is as follows:

From the Sales User Profiles (tdsls0139m000) session.
From the Sales Order Type - Activities (tdsls0560m000) session.
If no device can be found, you must select a device.

Note

If an error report is printed, LN always uses the device specified in the Device field of the Sales User Profiles (tdsls0139m000) session. If no device is specified, you must select a device.
For automatically executed activities, no process reports are printed.

Sales order status and flexible sales order processing

Flexible sales order processing starts when a sales order receives the Approved status.

When a (delivery) line of an approved sales order is modified, the order header status changes to Modified. The modified sales order line is now excluded from the automatic execution of order activities. You must re-approve the sales order.

Note

If you specified an order as a rush order, the order cannot be rushed before it receives the Approved status. Once the rush order is released to Warehousing, it has priority over normal sales orders.

Example

Order type sequence	Activity	Automatic
1	Print Sales Order Acknowledgements/RMAs (tdsls4401m000)	Yes
2	Release Sales Orders to Warehousing (tdsls4246m000)	Yes
4	Process Delivered Sales Orders (tdsls4223m000)	No

Because Print Sales Order Acknowledgements/RMAs (tdsls4401m000) is an automatic activity, the sales order is printed when it is approved. Next, LN automatically executes the activity Release Sales Orders to Warehousing (tdsls4246m000). However, you must manually process the delivered sales order in the Process Delivered Sales Orders (tdsls4223m000) session.