Lesson 1 of 6
The outbound flow: from sales order to outbound delivery order
9 min
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Outbound is where warehouse problems become customer problems. If inbound is slow, Contoso's own production waits; if outbound is slow, Great Lakes Fleet Services waits, and Maria, the order-to-cash key user, hears about it. This lesson traces how a sales order's delivery reaches EWM and which data EWM adds before anyone picks a single alternator.
The running example: Great Lakes Fleet Services orders 50 alternators CMC-ALT-100 in sales area 1710 / 10 / 00. Sales order 1000457 creates outbound delivery 80001234 from shipping point 1710. Because the picking storage location 171A belongs to EWM warehouse number 1710, the delivery is relevant for EWM.
- Sales order 100045750 CMC-ALT-100 for Great Lakes Fleet Services; availability confirmed from 171A
- Outbound delivery 80001234Created from the order; shipping point 1710; picking storage location 171A
- EWM outbound delivery orderThe warehouse request in warehouse 1710; process type, wave, route, door and staging area determined
- Warehouse tasksPicking, then packing, staging and loading tasks
- Goods issuePosted from EWM; the logistics delivery and inventory are updated
Delivery, delivery order, delivery
The naming is confusing at first, so take it slowly. The outbound delivery in SAP S/4HANA logistics is created from the sales order. In embedded EWM it creates an outbound delivery order, the EWM warehouse request that drives picking. (In decentralized EWM there is an outbound delivery request first; embedded EWM does not use it.) When goods issue is posted, EWM creates a final EWM outbound delivery document that reports the goods issue back to the logistics delivery. Each has its own place in the evidence.
| Document | Where it lives | What it tells you | Typical access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outbound delivery (logistics) | SAP S/4HANA logistics | What sales asked to ship; status of picking and goods issue for sales and billing | Delivery display or the delivery apps |
| Outbound delivery order | EWM | Warehouse request: process type, wave, route, door, staging area, task status | /SCWM/PRDO, Maintain Outbound Delivery Order |
| EWM outbound delivery | EWM | What actually left at goods issue | /SCWM/FD, Maintain Outbound Delivery |
What EWM determines on the delivery order
When the outbound delivery order is created, EWM maps the delivery data and enriches it. It determines the warehouse process type per item, which for picking uses the stock removal process category and an activity such as PICK. Depending on Customizing it can also determine a wave automatically, a route, a door and staging area, and a rough source bin. Each of these decisions shapes the work: the process type decides how tasks are created; the staging area decides where picked goods go.
| Determination | Contoso result for delivery 80001234 | If it goes wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Warehouse process type | Standard customer picking type with activity PICK | Tasks go to the wrong destination or need the wrong confirmation |
| Wave | Afternoon wave for the Great Lakes route | Item waits unassigned or ships on the wrong truck |
| Route | GL-NORTH, departs 16:00 | Wrong cut-off times and wave assignment |
| Door and staging area | Door DR05, staging section in 9020 | Pallets staged at a door with no truck |
| Rough source bin | Fixed bin P-02-05 in 0020 | Replenishment planning misses the demand |
Determinations on the outbound delivery order.
One rule about goods issue to remember now
SAP points out that a goods issue must cover the full quantity of the logistics outbound delivery. If only part can ship, for example because of a stock shortage or a full truck, the logistics delivery is split, and the split is triggered from EWM. That rule comes back in every outbound test with a short pick, so keep it in mind as you go through the next lessons.
| What goes wrong in testing | Cause | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery 80001234 created but no outbound delivery order in EWM | Picking storage location not 171A, or queue error | Delivery item storage location; integration queue monitor |
| Delivery order has no wave | Wave template conditions do not match the route or time | Wave template and condition records |
| Staging at the wrong door | Door determination keyed on an old route | Route GL-NORTH and door determination records |
| Partial goods issue refused | Expected: GI must cover the full delivery quantity | Test the delivery split from EWM instead |
Outbound integration defects, and one expected behavior that testers often log as a defect.
In SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition the outbound flow is the same; supervisors and clerks use the Fiori warehouse apps and workers the RF framework.
- Sales order → outbound delivery (logistics) → outbound delivery order (EWM) → tasks → goods issue → EWM outbound delivery.
- Embedded EWM has no outbound delivery request; the delivery order is created directly.
- EWM determines process type, wave, route, door, staging area and rough bin on the delivery order.
- Goods issue covers the full delivery quantity; partial shipments need a delivery split.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. In embedded EWM, which document is the warehouse request for picking?
2. Which transaction maintains the EWM outbound delivery order?
3. Only 40 of 50 alternators can ship today. What does SAP require for goods issue?
4. Where does the staging area for picked goods come from?