Inventory shortage handling

You can check available inventory and resolve inventory shortages for sales quotation lines, sales order lines, and sales order component lines.

Checking available inventory

The following parameters determine if and when available inventory for a line is checked:

Sales order (component) lines Sales quotation lines
Sales Order Parameters (tdsls0100s400) Sales Quotation Parameters (tdsls0100s100)
Time-Phased Inventory Check Inventory Check during Quotation Line Entry
Extended Inventory Check Inventory Check during Confirmation
Sales Order Types (tdsls0594m000) Inventory Check during Processing
Extended Inventory Check Processing in Case of Inventory Shortage
Inventory Check Moment Extended Inventory Check
Note: Alternative lines on sales quotations are not checked on available inventory before their status becomes Confirmed or Processed. The alternative line with the highest success percentage is checked on inventory.

Inventory checks

When inserting or updating a line, an inventory check is executed.

The applicable inventory check is determined based on the following priority sequence for searching:

  1. External OPS (Order Promising Server) check by SCM Order Promiser.
  2. ATP (Available to Promise)/CTP (Capable to Promise) check by Enterprise Planning.
  3. Inventory check by Warehousing.

External OPS check

This inventory check can only be executed if all of the following are applicable:

  • The Infor SCM Promising Server check box is selected in the Implemented Software Components (tccom0100s000) session.
  • The item is a plan item.
  • The Extended Inventory Check check box is selected.
  • The Inventory Check Moment is set to Batch.
Note: 
  • If an external OPS check is applicable, inventory is checked and inventory shortages are resolved externally by SCM Order Promising.
  • Inventory handling by OPS can lead to an update of the following sales order (component) line fields: Planned Delivery Date, Warehouse, and Order Promising Status. It can also lead to a split sales order line with delivery lines.

ATP/CTP check

This inventory check can only be executed if the following are applicable:

  • No OPS inventory check can be executed.
  • The item is a plan item and the CTP Check for Sales check box is selected in the Planning Parameters (cprpd0100m000) session.

Inventory check by Warehousing This inventory check can only be executed by Warehousing if one of the following is applicable:

  • The item is not a plan item.
  • The item is a plan item and the CTP Check for Sales check box is cleared in the Planning Parameters (cprpd0100m000) session.

Carrying out inventory shortage options

After the inventory for a line is checked and a shortage discovered, several options help you solve the inventory shortage.

Whether LN automatically tries to solve the inventory shortage, or whether your interaction is required through the Inventory Shortage Menu (tdsls4830s000) session depends on:

  • The Automatic Inventory Shortage Handling check box in the Sales User Profiles (tdsls0139m000) session.
  • The Automatic Inventory Shortage Handling fields in the Sales Order Types (tdsls0594m000) session.
Note: If the automatic inventory shortage handling option that is defined for the order type is not applicable for a sales order or quotation, the Inventory Shortage Menu (tdsls4830s000) pops up from which you can select the action to take.

Assigning a promising status

If, in the Sales Quotation Parameters (tdsls0100s100) and Sales Order Parameters (tdsls0100s400) sessions, the Extended Inventory Check check box is selected, sales quotation lines, sales order lines, and sales order component lines receive a promising status in the inventory shortage handling process.

The following statuses exist:

  • Accepted

    The inventory check comes up with sufficient inventory to deliver the line on time.
  • Not Accepted

    The inventory check comes up with insufficient inventory to deliver the line on time.
  • Pending

    The line is waiting to be checked on available inventory.
  • Exception

    An error occurred during the inventory check, which must be manually solved.

For these lines, you can view and maintain their promising status in the following promising lines sessions:

Type of line Promising lines session Satellite of session
Sales order line Sales Order Promising Lines (tdsls4101m400)
  • Sales Order (tdsls4100m900)
  • Sales Order Line (tdsls4101m900)
Sales order component line Sales Order Promising Line Components (tdsls4563m200) Sales Order Lines - Components (tdsls4601m000)
Sales quotation line Sales Quotation Promising Lines (tdsls1501m200) Sales Quotation (tdsls1600m000)

Note: 
  • Sales order lines and sales order component lines with the statuses Not Accepted, Pending, and Exception must have their shortage manually solved to change the status to Accepted. Otherwise the linked sales order cannot be approved.
  • If the Processing in Case of Inventory Shortage check box is selected in the Sales Quotation Parameters (tdsls0100s100) session, when sales quotation lines are converted to sales order lines, the sales quotation line's promising status can be Not Accepted, Pending, or Exception. If the Processing in Case of Inventory Shortage check box is cleared, the sales quotation line's promising status must be Accepted to convert sales quotation lines.

Accepted

A line obtains this status if:

  • Sufficient inventory is available or the inventory shortage is solved.
  • The line does not need to be checked on available inventory, such as in a direct delivery situation.
  • The Extended Inventory Check functionality is not implemented.

Sales orders for which all (component) lines are Accepted, can be approved and continued to be processed. For more information, refer to Sales order procedure.

Not Accepted

A line obtains this status if:

  • Insufficient inventory is available or a shortage could not be solved.
  • A line with the Exception status is manually set to Not Accepted in the Sales Order Promising Lines (tdsls4101m400), Sales Order Promising Line Components (tdsls4563m200), or Sales Quotation Promising Lines (tdsls1501m200) session.

In the promising lines  sessions, you can solve the inventory shortage as follows:

  • On the appropriate menu, carry out one of the shortage options.
  • For sales order (component) lines, on the appropriate menu, click Check Inventory Sales Orders. The Check Inventory Sales Orders (tdsls4217m000) session is started, which searches for an automatic inventory shortage handling option for the order type.
  • Manually update the order (component) line or quotation line in the relevant session.

Pending

A line obtains this status if, in the Sales Order Types (tdsls0594m000) session, the Inventory Check Moment is set to Batch and:

  • Available inventory must still be checked.
  • Accepted, Not Accepted, or Exception lines are manually changed and must be re-checked on available inventory.
Note: A line receives the Pending status until it is checked on inventory in the Check Inventory Sales Orders (tdsls4217m000) session or in SCM Order Promiser. After the check, the line is set to Accepted, Not Accepted, or Exception.

Exception

A line obtains this status if LN cannot determine the status. If possible, an error message is logged in the Message Log (tcstl1500m000) session. You must manually solve the error.

Note: Sales order (component) lines with the Exception promising status cannot be checked on inventory in the Check Inventory Sales Orders (tdsls4217m000) session. To check the inventory for these lines, in one of the promising lines sessions, click an Exception line and, on the appropriate menu, choose Set to Not Accepted. The line's status changes to Not Accepted and can now be included in the inventory check in the Check Inventory Sales Orders (tdsls4217m000) session. After this check, it receives the Accepted, Not Accepted, or Exception status.

Registering planned inventory transactions

If, for planned items, the CTP Check for Sales check box is selected in the Planning Parameters (cprpd0100m000) session, the following are applicable:

  • Sales order (component) lines

    Planned inventory transactions are created when the order promising status becomes Accepted. If the Accepted status changes to another status for the line, the planned inventory transactions are reversed.
  • Sales quotation lines

    Planned inventory transactions are created when the quotation promising status becomes Accepted and the expected success percentage is equal or higher than the Minimum Success Percentage for Consideration in Time Phased Inventory in the Sales Quotation Parameters (tdsls0100s100) session. If the Accepted status changes to another status for the line, the planned inventory transactions are reversed.
Note: 
  • For non-plan items on sales quotation lines, planned inventory transactions are only written if the expected success percentage is equal to or higher than the value specified in the Minimum Probability % for Time Phased Inventory field of the Sales Quotation Parameters (tdsls0100s100) session. Therefore, for these items, planned inventory transactions are registered irrespective of the sales quotation line's promising status.
  • If the Infor SCM Promising Server check box is selected in the Implemented Software Components (tccom0100s000) session, planned inventory transactions are always written for sales order lines with plan items, because SCM Order Promiser uses the PIT data as input for its functionality.