Merchandise Distribution
SAP Best Practices for Retail (France)
SAP Best Practices
Scenario Overview 1
Purpose and Benefits:
Purpose

This scenario describes how to distribute trading goods via the distribution
center (DC). The distribution center is a warehouse that is supplied by vendors,
that uses efficient distribution methods to move merchandise through the
warehouse without it being put away temporarily and then prepares it to be
shipped to customers or stores.
Benefits

This scenario should be viewed simply as an example for implementation
purposes. However, with very little effort, this example can be adapted to fit any
customer-specific situation.
Key process flows covered




Distribution Planning
Collective Purchase Order (Pull)
Distribution Processing for Stock Placement and for Cross-Docking
Flow-Through Recipient-Driven Distribution
Scenario Overview 2
SAP Applications Required:
Required

SAP EHP3 for SAP ERP 6.0
Company roles involved in process flows








Retail Replenishment Planner
Retail Replenishment Planner – Power User
Retail Seasonal Purchaser
Retail Seasonal Purchaser – Power User
Retail Non – Seasonal Purchaser
Retail Non – Seasonal Purchaser – Power User
Retail Perishable Buyer
Retail Warehouse Clerk
Retail NonSeasonal Retail NonPurchaser Seasonal
– Power
Purchaser
User
Retail
Seasonal
Purchaser
Retail
Retail
Retail
Seasonal Replenish- ReplenishPurchaser
ment
ment
– Power
Planner –
Planner
User
Power User
Process Flow Diagram
Creating Stock
Transfer Order
Alternative 1:
Create a Purchase
Order
Alternative 2:
Create a Contract
Creating an
Allocation Rule
Alternative 3:
Without
Reference to any
Procurement
Document
Alternative 3:
Without
Reference to any
Procurement
Document
Reply from the
Stores
Goods Receipt
in the DC
Create a
Collective
Purchase
Order
Goods
Receipt in the
DC
Retail Perishable Buyer
Adjust
Distribution and
Generate an
Outbound
Delivery
Post Goods Issue
Picking
Retail Seasonal
Purchaser
Adjust
Distribution and
Generate an
Outbound
Delivery
Retail Warehouse Clerk
Process Flow Diagram
Creating
Distribution
Order
Post Goods Issue
Adjust
Distribution
Confirming
Distribution
Order
Generating
Outbound
Delivery
Mass Selection
of Article in
Allocation Table
Merchandise Distribution – Planning Phase
Pull:
Push:
Collective Ordering of
Aggregated Quantities
Centralised Allocation of
Total Order Quantity
Collective Purchase
Order with Vendor
Allocation Table +
Purchase Order
Purchasing
Delivery
CrossDocking
Storage
Distribution
Center
FlowThrough
Delivery
Store Order
Sales Order
Recipient
Allocation
Notification
Allocation Rule: Assignment to Allocation
Table
RIS
Alloc. Table 23
Assignment of
Allocation Rule in
Allocation Table
Article T-Shirt
Site Group North
Total Planned
Quantity 120 Pc
Allocation Rule 99
Store A
Store B
Store C
30 Pc
30 Pc
60 Pc

Search Function: Find
Allocation Rule
via Site Group and
Merch.Cat. / Article

View / Change

Generate
Alloc. Rule 99
for Site Group
Plan- oderNorth
Statistikdaten
Merch. Category
T-Shirts
Store
Quota
Store A
1
Store B
1
Store C
2
Merchandise Distribution – Execution Phase
Distribution Zone
30
Recipient 1
20
Cross-Docking
Merchandise is
Received Prepacked for
Specific Recipients
30
60
40
1
2
3
1
2
3
20
30
10
60
30
or
Recipient 2
Flow-Through
Anlieferung des
Gesamtbedarfs
Total Quantity of Needed
Merchandise is Received
130
Goods Receipt
60
40
Recipient 3
10
Goods Issue
Merchandise Distribution – Distribution
Methods
Flow-Through, article-driven
The complete quantity of one received article is distributed to all
recipients. Afterwards the next article is processed.
Flow-Through, recipient-driven
The complete delivery for a single recipient is picked from all received
articles. Afterwards the next recipient is processed.
Cross-Docking
The received units are already pre-packed for a specific recipient. They
Are just moved through the distribution area.
Legend
<Function>
Symbol
Description
Usage
Comments
Band: Identifies a user role, such as Accounts
Payable Clerk or Sales Representative. This band
can also identify an organization unit or group,
rather than a specific role.
Role band
contains tasks
common to that
role.
Symbol
Diagram
Connection
The other process flow symbols in this table go into
these rows. You have as many rows as required to
cover all of the roles in the scenario.
Hardcopy /
Document
External
to SAP
External Events: Contains events that start or end the
scenario, or influence the course of events in the
scenario.
Business
Activity /
Event
Flow line (solid): Line indicates the normal sequence
of steps and direction of flow in the scenario.
Flow line (dashed): Line indicates flow to infrequentlyused or conditional tasks in a scenario. Line can
also lead to documents involved in the process flow.
Connects two
tasks in a
scenario
process or a
non-step event
Business Activity / Event: Identifies an action that
either leads into or out of the scenario, or an outside
Process that happens during the scenario
Does not
correspond to a
task step in the
document
Unit Process: Identifies a task that is covered in a
step-by-step manner in the scenario
Corresponds to
a task step in
the document
SubProcess
Reference
Proces
s
Decisio
n
Usage Comments
To next / From last Diagram: Leads
to the next / previous page of the
Diagram
Flow chart continues on the next /
previous page
Hardcopy / Document: Identifies a
printed document, report, or form
Does not correspond to a task
step in a document; instead, it is
used to reflect a document
generated by a task step; this
shape does not have any outgoing
flow lines
Financial Actuals: Indicates a
financial posting document
Does not correspond to a task
step in a document; instead, it is
used to reflect a document
generated by a task step; this
shape does not have any outgoing
flow lines
Budget Planning: Indicates a
budget planning document
Does not correspond to a task
step in a document; instead, it is
used to reflect a document
generated by a task step; this
shape does not have any outgoing
flow lines
Manual Process: Covers a task
that is manually done
Does not generally correspond to
a task step in a document;
instead, it is used to reflect a task
that is manually performed, such
as unloading a truck in the
warehouse, which affects the
process flow.
Existing Version / Data: This block
covers data that feeds in from an
external process
Does not generally correspond to
a task step in a document;
instead, this shape reflects data
coming from an external source;
this step does not have any
incoming flow lines
System Pass / Fail Decision: This
block covers an automatic
decision made by the software
Does not generally correspond to
a task step in the document;
instead it is used to reflect an
automatic decision by the system
that is made after a step has been
executed.
Financial
Actuals
Budget
Planning
Manual
Proces
s
Unit Process
Process
Reference
Description
Process Reference: If the scenario references another
scenario in total, put the scenario number and name
here.
Sub-Process Reference: If the scenario references
another scenario in part, put the scenario number,
name, and the step numbers from that scenario here
Process Decision: Identifies a decision / branching
point, signifying a choice to be made by the end
user. Lines represent different choices emerging
from different parts of the diamond.
Corresponds to
a task step in
the document
Corresponds to
a task step in
the document
Does not
usually
correspond to a
task step in the
document;
Reflects a
choice to be
made after step
execution
Existing
Version /
Data
System
Pass/F
ail
Decisio
n