Lesson 4 of 6
Supplier ASNs to inbound deliveries (856 / DESADV)
8 min
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The advance shipping notification (ASN), the X12 856 or EDIFACT DESADV, tells Contoso what is on the truck before it arrives: which PO items, how many pieces, which packages, and when. In SAP S/4HANA the ASN becomes an inbound delivery, a document the warehouse can plan, put away against and post the goods receipt from.
From 856 to inbound delivery
Process Orchestration maps Lakeside's 856 to an inbound IDoc of message type DESADV. SAP uses basic type DELVRY07 for shipping notifications. In the inbound partner profile for LI 17300001, message type DESADV uses process code DELS, which SAP documents as calling function module IDOC_INPUT_DESADV1. The function module finds the PO items through the references in the IDoc, creates an inbound delivery (delivery type EL in the standard), and, if the item's confirmation control key includes the shipping notification category, writes an LA confirmation line on the PO item with the notified quantity and date.
Inbound deliveries created from ASNs cannot be changed from the purchase order. Changes go through the inbound delivery itself (VL32N or the corresponding app), and display is VL33N. For more complex receiving, for example ASN validation rules, handling of incorrect ASN data or multilevel receipts, SAP offers extended inbound delivery processing (VL60), which uses its own inbound function module for DESADV; Contoso does not use it in the first release.
Packing and warehouse
Lakeside packs rotors on pallets and sends the pallet structure in the 856 (shipment, order, pack and item levels). The DELVRY07 IDoc can carry handling units, so the inbound delivery arrives already packed with Lakeside's pallet IDs. Rotors are not EWM-managed at Contoso, so the inbound delivery stays in inventory management: Marcus's team receives the truck, posts the goods receipt (101) against the inbound delivery into storage location 171S, and later moves the rotors to line-side 171L with 311. Agree early whether you need packing data; it doubles the mapping and test effort.
| 856 level | Content | SAP target |
|---|---|---|
| Shipment (S) | Ship date, carrier, bill of lading, ship-from | Inbound delivery header: dates, carrier, external ID |
| Order (O) | Contoso PO number 4500002210 | Reference used to find the PO items |
| Pack (P) | Pallet serial shipping container codes | Handling units in the inbound delivery |
| Item (I) | Material, quantity, PO line 10 | Inbound delivery item with reference to PO item 10 |
Quantity and date differences
ASN quantities rarely match the PO exactly. SAP checks the notified quantity against the open PO quantity and the PO item's overdelivery tolerance; dates can be checked like acknowledgment dates. A shipment within tolerance creates the inbound delivery normally. A shipment above the open quantity plus tolerance fails, and the IDoc stays in 51 with the reason in the long text, unless the PO item allows unlimited overdelivery.
- ASN for 300 (partial shipment)?Yes → inbound delivery for 300; 200 stay open on the PO and in MRP
- ASN for 540 (within 10%)?Yes → inbound delivery for 540; the overdelivery is accepted within tolerance
- ASN for 600 (beyond tolerance)?Yes → IDoc status 51; buyer and Lakeside agree on a corrected ASN or a PO change
Dates in the ASN
An 856 carries a ship date and usually an estimated delivery date. Agree which one Lakeside sends as the delivery date and which SAP field it fills, because the inbound delivery's delivery date drives the dock schedule, MRP for the notified quantity and the date check against the PO schedule line. Contoso maps Lakeside's estimated delivery date to the inbound delivery date and keeps the ship date as information. Lakeside trucks reach Detroit in a day, so an 856 sent on October 19 with delivery on October 20 is the normal pattern for PO 4500002210.
What would you do?
Lakeside ships 300 rotors against PO 4500002210 and sends an 856. The DESADV IDoc posts with 53, but the PO item shows no LA confirmation line. What is the most likely explanation?
- Inbound DESADV uses basic type DELVRY07 and process code DELS (IDOC_INPUT_DESADV1) to create an inbound delivery.
- With a key that expects category LA, the ASN also writes a confirmation line on the PO item.
- Inbound deliveries from ASNs are changed in the inbound delivery (VL32N), not in the PO.
- Quantities are checked against the open PO quantity and the overdelivery tolerance; duplicates need a unique shipment ID.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. Which process code creates inbound deliveries from DESADV in SAP's documentation?
2. Where is an inbound delivery created from a supplier ASN changed?
3. An ASN exceeds the open PO quantity plus tolerance. What should a tester expect?