Process explorer
SAP processes
MM — Materials Management
101 Goods Receipt
A supplier delivers goods against a purchase order. Posting movement type 101 increases stock, creates a material document and — for valuated stock material — an accounting document.
Procure-to-Pay
The full purchasing cycle: purchase requisition, purchase order, goods receipt (101), invoice receipt with three-way match, and payment.
102 GR Reversal
Correct a goods receipt that should not have been posted (102), and see how that differs from physically returning goods to the supplier (122).
201 GI to Cost Center
Issue stock for consumption by a cost center, charge the cost to Controlling, and return unused quantity with 202.
261 GI to Order
Issue components to a production order against its reservation, charge actual material costs to the order, and return unused components with 262.
311 SLoc Transfer
Move stock between storage locations inside one plant. Quantity moves; value typically does not.
301 Plant Transfer
Move stock from one plant to another in a single posting. Quantity leaves plant 1000 and arrives in plant 1100 at the same moment, with a value transfer between valuation areas.
Stock Transport Order
Plant 1100 orders stock from plant 1000 with an STO. An outbound delivery and goods issue (641) put the goods into stock in transit; a goods receipt (101) at plant 1100 completes the transfer.
Subcontracting
Components are provided to a subcontractor, who returns a finished product. The goods receipt automatically consumes the components from stock provided to vendor.
Consignment
The supplier's goods sit in your warehouse without being on your books. A liability arises only when you withdraw them, and is settled periodically.
Account-Assigned PO
Goods bought for direct consumption never become stock: the PO item carries an account assignment (cost center K, order F), the goods receipt posts the expense straight to that cost object, and the invoice clears GR/IR as usual.
103 GR Blocked
Goods arrive but are not yet accepted: movement 103 records the receipt against the PO without making it stock or posting value. After checking, 105 releases the good units into stock (and posts the value), while 124 sends the damaged ones back. The valuated alternative, 107/109, posts the value already at the 107 receipt and releases with 109.
Invoice Variances
A supplier invoices more than was received, at a higher price. MIRO posts the invoice but blocks it for payment for both reasons; GR/IR shows the open quantity; the missing goods arrive and clear it; the buyer accepts the price and MRBR releases the invoice for payment.
Stock Type Changes
The same pallets change status without moving an inch: quality inspection stock is released to unrestricted use (321), damaged goods are blocked (344) and sent back to inspection (349). None of these postings changes the stock's value.
Physical Inventory (MM)
The classic stocktake without EWM: a physical inventory document records the book quantity — and, if the document is created with a posting block, freezes it and blocks goods movements for the item — the count is entered, and posting the difference adjusts stock with 702 (shortage) or 701 (surplus) and writes the value off.
Intercompany STO
Stock moves between plants of two different company codes, so it is a sale and a purchase: the receiving company orders with an STO, the supplying company ships it with an intercompany delivery and goods issue (643), bills the transfer price with an intercompany invoice (IV), and the receiving company posts the receipt and the supplier invoice.
RFQ → PO
Sourcing a new requirement: RFQs go to three suppliers, their quotations are entered and compared, the best offer — not just the cheapest — is chosen, rejections are recorded, and the PO is created with reference to the winning quotation.
Contract & Release
An outline agreement fixes price and terms for a year; each actual purchase is a release order created with reference to it. The contract tracks how much has been called off, so purchasing sees consumption and buyers cannot drift to unagreed prices.
Scheduling Agreement
For steady, repetitive supply: one scheduling agreement replaces a stream of POs. Delivery schedule lines tell the supplier what to deliver when, and each delivery is received directly against the agreement.
Service Procurement
Buying work instead of goods: the PO has a service item charged to a cost center, the supplier performs the service, a service entry sheet records what was done, and its acceptance — not a goods receipt — posts the cost and allows the invoice.
Returns PO (161)
A document-based return: purchasing creates a returns item on a PO, shipping creates an outbound delivery to the supplier, goods issue posts movement 161, and the supplier's credit memo clears GR/IR — unlike the quick 122 return, which is posted directly in MIGO.
501 / 551
Two 'other' movements every inventory team needs: 501 receives stock that has no reference document, posting its value against an offsetting account; 551 scraps unusable stock and expenses its value.
309 Mat-to-Mat
Stock was booked under the wrong material number. Movement 309 moves the quantity from one material to another in one posting; if the two materials have different prices, the difference appears in the accounting document.
303/305 Transfer
A plant transfer in two postings: 303 removes the stock from the issuing plant into stock in transfer of the receiving plant, and 305 places it into the receiving storage location when it physically arrives. Compare with the one-step 301 and with a stock transport order.
Split Valuation
The same copper wire is bought locally and imported at different costs. With split valuation each origin is a valuation type with its own price, so receipts and issues carry the value of the stock actually moved, not an average.
SD — Sales & Distribution
Order to Cash
The complete standard SD cycle: a customer order (VA01) becomes an outbound delivery (VL01N), picking and goods issue (601) reduce stock and charge cost of goods sold, and the billing document (VF01) turns the delivery into revenue and a receivable.
Customer Returns
A customer sends goods back. A returns order and returns delivery bring them in with movement type 651 — into non-valuated blocked stock returns, so no accounting document is created. After inspection, movement 453 puts the good units back into valuated own stock, and a credit memo refunds the customer.
Customer Consignment
Stock is placed at the customer's site but stays yours. The fill-up (631) moves it to consignment stock at customer without any value posting or invoice. Only when the customer reports a withdrawal does the issue (633) post cost of goods sold and trigger billing. Unsold stock can come back with a pick-up (632).
Third-Party Sales
A sales order with a third-party item category (TAS) automatically creates a purchase requisition. The vendor ships straight to your customer, so no stock ever moves in your plant. The vendor's invoice posts the cost and your billing document posts the revenue.
Free-of-Charge Delivery
Samples are shipped to a customer at no charge. A free-of-charge order (FD) with a free item category (KLN) creates a delivery and a normal 601 goods issue, so stock and value still leave the company — but the item is not billing relevant, so no invoice and no revenue are ever created.
Credit Memo
A customer was overcharged. A credit memo request (CR) is created against the invoice, carrying an automatic billing block until someone approves it. Releasing the block allows the credit memo (G2) to be billed, reducing revenue and the customer's balance. No goods move and no stock changes at any point.
Inquiry → Quotation
Before an order exists: the customer's inquiry is recorded, a priced quotation with a validity date is sent, and the accepted quotation is copied into a sales order so the document flow, prices and lost-business analysis all stay connected.
Credit Block
A new order pushes the customer's credit exposure over its limit. The automatic credit check blocks the order, so no delivery can be created until a credit manager reviews and releases it — in ECC with VKM1, in S/4HANA through a documented credit decision.
Cash Sale / Rush
Two order types that compress order to cash. A rush order creates the delivery as soon as the order is saved; a cash sale goes further — the customer collects and pays on the spot, so the invoice is a cash receipt and no receivable is created.
Make-to-Order Sale
A product built for one customer: the sales order item passes its requirement to production, the finished goods are received into stock that belongs to that sales order (special stock E), and only that order can deliver them.
Intercompany Sales
A customer buys from one company, but the goods ship from a plant of another company in the group. The selling company invoices the customer; the delivering company posts the goods issue and bills the selling company with an internal intercompany invoice (IV).
ATP & Backorders
A deep dive into confirmation: the availability check confirms what stock and planned receipts allow, splitting the order into schedule lines; when supply arrives earlier than planned, confirmed dates do not move by themselves — backorder rescheduling brings them forward.
Sales Contract
The sales-side outline agreement: a quantity contract fixes a customer's yearly volume and price; each call-off is a sales order created with reference to it, which updates the contract's open quantity. Value contracts work the same way with an amount.
Down Payment
The customer pays 20% up front: a down payment request is billed from the order's billing plan (a noted item, not revenue), the payment is posted as a down payment received, and the final invoice deducts it and clears it.
Milestone Billing
Billing independent of delivery: an installation project is invoiced in three milestones (30/40/30) from the sales order's billing plan. Each date becomes due when its milestone is reached — not before.
Rebates
A customer earns 2% back on the year's sales. A condition contract defines the rebate; every invoice accrues it; at year end the settlement turns the accruals into a credit to the customer. In S/4HANA this replaces classic SD rebate agreements.
PP — Production Planning
Production Order
The canonical PP cycle: a planned order from MRP becomes a production order, components are issued to it (261), the work is confirmed (CO11N), the finished product is received into stock (101), and settlement clears the order's variance.
MRP Run
The planning side of PP: MRP compares demand with available stock, plans the shortfall of the finished good as a planned order, explodes its BOM into dependent requirements and plans the raw-material shortfall as a purchase requisition. Nothing physical moves.
Backflush
The same discrete production order, but nobody posts goods movements by hand: the confirmation (CO11N) backflushes the components (261) and receives the finished product (101) automatically. Failed movements land in COGI.
By-Product 531
A production order yields a secondary output alongside the main product: a BOM item with a negative quantity marks it as a by-product, movement 531 receives it into stock, and its value is credited to the order.
Repetitive Mfg
Period-based production with no production order: a run schedule quantity is planned per production version, one backflush (MFBF) receives the finished product (131) and consumes the components (261), and costs collect on a product cost collector that is settled at period end.
Process Order
The process-industry counterpart of the production order: a process order built from a master recipe (COR1) issues liquid components (261), its phases are confirmed on a resource (COR6N), the actual yield is received as a batch (101), and the yield loss shows up as a variance at settlement.
Make-to-Order (PP)
Production triggered by one sales order item: MRP plans in that order's own segment, the production order is assigned to the sales order, and the finished goods are received into sales order stock (special stock E) so nobody else can use them.
Strategy 40
Production is planned from a forecast (planned independent requirement), and real sales orders consume that forecast instead of adding to it. MRP keeps planning the larger of the two, so demand is never counted twice — and unconsumed forecast is a decision the planner has to make.
External Operation
One step of an in-house order is done by a supplier: the operation's control key creates a purchase requisition, purchasing orders the service, the parts travel as work in process (no stock posting), and the goods receipt charges the external cost straight to the production order.
Rework Order
Defective finished goods are blocked, repaired on a separate rework order that collects the extra labour, released back to unrestricted stock (343), and the rework cost is settled to a quality cost center instead of distorting the original order.
Kanban
Pull instead of plan: a control cycle keeps a fixed number of containers at the line's supply area. When a container runs empty its status is set to EMPTY, which triggers a stock transfer from the main store; setting it FULL again posts the transfer (311). MRP is not involved.
Production Versions
One product, two ways to make it: a manual line for small lots and an automated line for large ones. Production versions tie each BOM alternative to a routing and a lot-size range, and planned and production orders select the matching version automatically.
Partial Confirmations
An operation is confirmed in two parts — 60 EA, then 35 EA plus 5 EA scrap. The order shows progress (PCNF → CNF), only 95 good units can be received, and the scrapped units' cost stays on the order as a scrap variance.
Collective Orders
A multi-level product is produced as one collective order: the sub-assembly's order is linked to the assembly's order, both are scheduled together, and the sub-assembly goes straight into the assembly — no goods receipt or goods issue for it at all.
Co-Products
A separation process yields two products that both matter. Unlike a by-product, a co-product carries a share of the order's cost: an apportionment structure splits costs 70/30, both outputs are received with 101, and settlement distributes the order's costs to them.
Batch Determination
A process order needs 950 L of base fluid held in two batches with different expiry dates. Batch determination applies a search strategy (first expiry, first out), takes the 600 L that expire soonest and the rest from the newer batch, and the 261 posts per batch.
Capacity Levelling
MRP plans without looking at capacity, so a work center can end up overloaded. Capacity evaluation shows the load against what is available; levelling dispatches orders into periods that have room, respecting their due dates.
EWM — Extended Warehouse Management
EWM Inbound
The warehouse's side of a purchase-order receipt: an inbound delivery reaches EWM, the truck is unloaded to the goods-receipt zone, goods receipt posts movement 101, and a putaway warehouse task moves the stock into a storage bin, where it becomes available.
EWM Outbound
The warehouse's side of a sales delivery: the outbound delivery order is released in a wave, a picking task moves the goods from the pick face to the goods-issue zone, they are packed into a handling unit and loaded, and goods issue posts movement 601.
Replenishment
The warehouse looking after itself: a fixed pick bin falls below its minimum, the replenishment run calculates the quantity up to the maximum, and a warehouse task moves stock from bulk storage to the pick face. No sales or purchasing document is involved, and inventory management sees no change.
Physical Inventory
A bin is counted and comes up short. Posting the count moves the missing quantity out of the bin into the warehouse's interim difference area; the difference analyzer then reviews it and posts it to inventory management (711) and finance.
Cross-Docking
Goods arriving on an inbound delivery are needed by an open outbound delivery. Instead of putting them away and picking them again, EWM routes the needed quantity straight from the goods-receipt zone to the goods-issue zone; only the rest is put away.
Inbound + Inspection
Process-oriented putaway: received goods go into quality stock, pass through a deconsolidation station and an inspection work center, and only after a positive inspection decision are they changed to available stock and put away into a final bin.
Customer Returns
The warehouse's side of an SD return: the returns delivery reaches EWM, goods are received into non-valuated returns stock, inspected, and — if resellable — changed to own stock (453), which brings their value back, and put away.
Posting Changes
Stock in an EWM bin changes status without moving: damaged units are blocked, sent to quality, partly released and partly scrapped. Every change is made in EWM, which posts the matching movement types (344, 349, 321, 553) to inventory management.
Two-Step Picking
Instead of walking to the same bin once per delivery, the picker withdraws the wave's total in one trip (step 1) to an intermediate work center, where it is split per delivery and packed into handling units (step 2). Pick-pack-pass and warehouse order rules are explained alongside.
Production Supply
The warehouse feeds the shop floor: a released production order creates a production material request in EWM, a staging task moves components to the production supply area, consumption is posted from there, and the finished goods come back into the warehouse through a receipt from production and putaway.
Packing & Nested HUs
At a packing work center, picked goods are packed into three cartons, and the cartons onto one pallet. Each carton and the pallet is a handling unit with its own number; the pallet HU contains the carton HUs, so one scan moves all of them.
Value-Added Services
Some customers want work done on goods before shipping. A VAS order, created from the delivery and the customer's VAS requirements, routes the goods through a VAS work center where the activities are performed and confirmed — then they continue to the goods-issue zone.
Slotting & Rearrangement
The warehouse optimises itself: slotting analyses demand and decides that a fast-moving product belongs in a front pick face; rearrangement creates the tasks to move it there; and an ad hoc movement lets a worker move stock on the spot when needed.
Resources & Queues
Instead of choosing tasks themselves, workers log on as resources and the system hands them the next warehouse order from the queues they are allowed to work. Task interleaving combines a putaway with a nearby replenishment so the forklift never drives back empty.
Yard Management
Before goods are unloaded, the truck itself is managed: it is checked in at the gate as a transportation unit, parked in a yard bin while the doors are busy, moved to a free door, unloaded and received, then checked out.