Goals and problems of cumulative quantities in SAP scheduling agreements
What are cumulative quantities?
Cumulative quantities are figures that an SAP system uses to plan and monitor deliveries. In simple terms, cumulative quantities indicate how many goods have already been delivered in total. In other words, they add up all deliveries so that, in the end, it is possible to compare what quantity has already been delivered and what quantity is still outstanding. With the help of cumulative quantities, companies can ensure that agreed quantities and deadlines are met.
Cumulative quantities in the SAP scheduling agreement
The SAP system maintains several cumulative quantities within a scheduling agreement:
- Cumulative delivered quantityIndicates how many goods of a certain material have already been entered as a delivery.
- Goods issue cumulative quantityIndicates how many goods of a certain material have already been recorded at goods issue.
- (Customer) cumulative quantity of goods receivedThis number is transmitted by the customer and indicates how many goods with a specific delivery (defined by the delivery number) have already been received.
- Progress number reported on the wayThis figure is calculated from the cumulative quantity issued and the cumulative quantity received by the customer. It shows how many goods are currently in transit.
- Customer requirementsThe SAP system uses the cumulative quantities and the quantity called off to calculate the outstanding requirement for goods.
Why are cumulative quantities important?
Cumulative quantities are essential for controlling delivery processes. They are the basis for the correct calculation of open quantities. If customer requirements are not calculated correctly, this can result in no new goods being produced or ordered. In the worst case scenario, the customer remains unsupplied.
By using cumulative quantities, companies can efficiently manage permanent changes in delivery schedules. They provide an accurate overview of the current status of deliveries and orders and enable precise tracking of all relevant goods movements.
What are the challenges in managing cumulative quantities?
One of the challenges in managing cumulative quantities is the Fiscal Year Change. This can be a problem for various reasons.
Case 1: Car manufacturers reset their cumulative quantities in goods receipt to zero at a fiscal year change, for example.
As a result, the supplier has discrepancies in its system between its own cumulative quantities and the cumulative quantities reported by the customer. As described above, open customer requirements can no longer be calculated correctly.
Order management is therefore faced with several problems at the same time:
- The resetting of customer progress figures must first be noticed, ideally immediately.
- You then have to calculate the quantity by which the cumulative quantities have been reset. Both the quantity of goods reported en route and any returns must be correctly taken into account.
- This correction must then also be made to the company's own cumulative quantities so that the customer requirements in the SAP system are correct at the end.
Case 2: The SAP standard may reset your own cumulative quantities in the scheduling agreement to 0.
The problems here are sometimes even more drastic: If your own delivered quantity is lower than the quantity received by the customer after the reset, SAP already recognizes an error with incoming IDocs. The call-offs can therefore only be transferred to your system once the error has been recognized and the cumulative quantities have been corrected. If you do not work carefully here, you may also have a problem with the subsequent call-offs.
How can companies overcome these challenges?
Enhancements to SAP functionalities can provide a remedy. This can be done either through your own programming or by using ready-made add-ons. Extensions make it possible to define and set up the fiscal year change according to your requirements and delivery logic. They reset cumulative quantities to the correct value, in some cases fully automatically, and also take into account deliveries that are in transit.
Conclusion
Cumulative quantities play a crucial role in the SAP system, especially in scheduling agreement processing. They enable companies to clearly display permanent changes to dates and quantities and provide a precise overview of the current status of deliveries and orders. By using suitable tools and enhancements, companies can efficiently manage cumulative quantities and successfully overcome challenges such as those that arise during fiscal year changes.