Topic overview

The aim of an inventory allocation is to assign the available item inventory to order line items, taking delivery priorities, delivery dates and delivery restrictions into account. The delivery priorities only play a role if there are more open orders than available inventory.

Inventory allocation takes place in the following steps:

• calculation of the allocable quantity per order line item and
• setting the allocated quantities in the order.

You can calculate inventory allocations for the following order categories:

• Sales orders
• Distribution orders and
• Production orders

This article describes the Calculate inventory allocation application. You can use this application to calculate the allocatable item inventories per order line item and, if necessary, transfer them directly to the allocated quantities of the order line items. Otherwise, you can adjust the allocated item inventories in the Inventory allocation application.

Definitions of terms

Allocated quantity
Allocated quantities can be created manually or generated by inventory allocation. They define the quantities to be picked, delivered, or invoiced. Allocated quantities exist for each order line item. If an allocated quantity is set in at least one order line item, then the following applies across the entire order: it is not the open quantities that are applied to the next action, but rather the specified allocated quantities. By contrast, for customer invoices, the specified allocated quantity is added to the open quantity.

Inventory allocation
The inventory allocation serves to allocate the available item inventory to the undelivered quantities. This allocation must satisfy the delivery priority, shipping date, as well as the delivery restriction. The calculated quantities can be manually or automatically entered as the allocated quantities in the selected order line items.

Application description

The Calculate inventory allocation application is used to calculate how much of the existing item inventory can be allocated for order line items. Various search criteria are available to limit the quantity of order line items to be allocated.

You can calculate inventory allocations for the following order categories:

• Sales orders,
• Distribution orders and
• Production orders

Work pane

In the work pane, you will first find general query fields. You can use these to narrow down the order line items of all order categories. Below this is a grouping for each order category with special search criteria for the order categories.

Search criteria across order categories

With the help of these search criteria, you can:

• determine the order categories to be allocated,
• limit the order line items of all selected order categories or
• determine whether you want to transfer the calculated quantities directly to the allocated quantities of the order line items.

The following cross-order category search criteria are available:

Order category – if required, specify which order categories you would like to allocate. The order categories that can be selected in this field depends on the settings in the Customizing application. The following selection options are available:

• (All)
• Sales order – this selection option is only available if the Sales function is activated for the (active OLTP) client.
• Distribution order – this option is only available on multi-site systems.
• Production order – this selection option is only available to you if the Production function is activated for the (active OLTP) client.

If the conditions are only fulfilled for one order category, the field displays the order category. The field cannot then be changed. Otherwise, the default value is (All).

Demand date – if required, enter a date or a period for which you want to limit the selection of order line items with regard to their demand date. For sales and distribution order line items, the demand date corresponds to the shipping date. For production order line items, the demand date corresponds to the earliest start date of the order line item.

Delivery priority (checkbox) – if required, enter the delivery priority for which you would like to limit the selection of order line items. The following selection options are available to you:

• (All)
• 0 (highest priority)
• 1 (high priority)
• 2 (high priority)
• 3 (medium priority)
• 4 (medium priority)
• 5 (medium priority) and
• 6 (low priority)

The default value is (All).

Item – if required, enter items for which you would like to limit the selection of order line items.

Warehouse – if required, enter warehouses for which you would like to limit the selection of order line items. For all order categories, the warehouse corresponds to the issue warehouse specified in the order item.

Creation date – if required, enter a date or a period for which you would like to limit the selection of order line items according to the order entry date.

Employee responsible – if required, enter employees for whom you would like to limit the selection of order line items according to the employee responsible for the order.

Inventory owner – if required, enter companies for which you would like to limit the selection of order line items according to the inventory owner.

Permit multiple inventory owners – in this field, you can limit the order line items based on their setting for using multiple inventory owners. The following options are available:

• Yes
• No
• No, function cannot be used

Quantity allocation – select whether you want to transfer the calculated quantities directly to the allocated quantities of the order line items. If you do not wish to do this, the calculated values can be post-processed in the Inventory allocation application. The following options are available to you:

• No transfer
• Automatic transfer

The default value is No transfer.

Grouping: Sales orders

You can use these search criteria to limit the sales order line items to be allocated if you have selected Sales order in the Order category field. This grouping is only available if the Sales function is activated for the (active OLTP) client.

The following search criteria are available in this grouping:

Type – if required, enter sales order categories for which you want to limit the selection of sales order line items.

Number – if required, enter the sales order numbers for which you want to limit the selection of sales order line items.

Delivery restriction – if required, enter the delivery restriction for which you want to restrict the selection of sales order line items. The following selection options are available:

• (All)
• No restriction
• Deliver order in full
• Deliver line items in full

The default value is (All).

Delivery partner – if required, enter suppliers for whom you want to limit the selection of sales order line items according to the delivery partner.

Ordering party – if required, enter customers for whom you want to limit the selection of sales order line items according to the ordering party.

Delivery recipient – if required, enter customers for whom you want to limit the selection of sales order line items according to the delivery recipient.

Invoice recipient – if required, enter customers for whom you want to limit the selection of sales order line items according to the invoice recipient.

Sales organization – if required, enter sales organizations for which you want to limit the selection of sales order line items according to the delivery recipient. This field is only available on systems with content-related authorizations.

Grouping: Distribution orders

You can use these search criteria to limit the distribution order line items to be allocated if you have selected Distribution order in the Order category field. This grouping is only available on multi-site systems.

The following search criteria are available in this grouping:

Type – if required, enter distribution order categories for which you want to limit the selection of distribution order line items.

Number – if required, enter the distribution order numbers for which you want to limit the selection of distribution order line items.

Delivery restriction – if required, enter the delivery restriction for which you want to restrict the selection of distribution order line items. The following selection options are available:

• (All)
• No restriction
• Deliver order in full
• Deliver line items in full

The default value is (All).

Delivery partner – if required, enter suppliers for whom you want to limit the selection of distribution order line items according to the delivery partner.

Delivery recipient – if required, enter customers for whom you want to limit the selection of distribution order line items according to the delivery recipient.

Sales organization – if required, enter the sales organizations for which you want to limit the selection of distribution order line items.

Purchasing organization – if required, enter the purchasing organizations for which you want to limit the selection of distribution order line items.

Grouping: Production orders

You can use these search criteria to limit the production order line items to be allocated if you have selected Production order in the Order category field. This grouping is only available if the Production function is activated for the (active OLTP) client.

The following search criteria are available in this grouping:

Type – if required, enter the production order categories for which you want to limit the selection of production order line items.

Number – if required, enter the production order numbers for which you want to limit the selection of production order line items.

Description – enter the names for which you want to limit the selection of production order line items according to the name of the production order.

Production item – if required, enter production items for which you want to limit the selection of production order line items.

Production warehouse – if required, enter warehouses for which you want to limit the selection of production order line items according to the production warehouse.

Classification 1 – if required, enter nodes of production order classification 1 for which you want to limit the selection of production order line items.

Application-related action: [Generate inventory allocation]

Use this action to calculate how much of the existing item inventory can be allocated for order line items. Various search criteria are available to limit the quantity of order line items to be allocated.

You can calculate inventory allocations for the following order categories:

• Sales orders,
• Distribution orders and
• Production orders

Customizing

No settings need to be defined in the Customizing application for the Calculate inventory allocation application.

Business entities

For the application Calculate inventory allocation application, the following business entity is relevant, which you use, for example, to:

• assign authorizations,
• set up activity definitions or
• import or export data.

Inventory allocation reservation: com.cisag.app.inventory.obj.OnhandReservation

The business entity is part of the following business entity group: com.cisag.app.inventory.OrderData

Authorizations

Authorizations can be assigned using the authorization roles as well as by assigning an organization. The authorization concept can be found in the technical article Authorizations.

Special capabilities

There are no special capabilities for the Calculate inventory allocation application.

Organization assignments

Organizational structures are used to control which data is visible, usable or editable. To do this, the Content-related authorizations function must be activated in the Customizing application.

To ensure that the Calculate inventory allocation application is displayed to a person in the user menu, they must be assigned to an organization that is included in one of the following organizational structures:

• Inventory management

Special features

There are no special features for the Calculate inventory allocation application.

Authorizations for business partners

The Calculate inventory allocation application is not released for business partners.