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The Sign-Off Table

Lesson 4 of 5

Sell from Stock as a reference process

9 min

When a project or a test team needs a shared picture of the standard order-to-cash process, the best place to start is SAP's own reference content. SAP Best Practices packages processes into scope items, each with a three-character ID. The standard sale of stocked goods is scope item BD9, Sell from Stock.

Where to find it

Scope items are published in SAP Signavio Process Navigator (the successor to SAP Best Practices Explorer), reachable from SAP for Me. Search for BD9 and choose your product and release, for example SAP S/4HANA in a private cloud or on-premise version. Access needs an SAP user ID; your project lead can grant or share it. SAP Learning also has lessons that walk through the sell-from-stock process in the system.

Process flowA diagram of the steps, the roles that perform them and the documents created
Test scriptStep-by-step instructions with the apps to use and the expected results, written for SAP's demo data
PrerequisitesThe master data and configuration the process expects
DependenciesOther scope items the process relies on or connects to
What a scope item such as BD9 gives you.
The Sign-Off Table · thesignofftable.com/academy/sap-sd-101

Reading the BD9 process flow

The process flow uses swim lanes, one per role, with steps in order. Boxes are steps, often labelled with the Fiori app used; diamonds are decisions or optional paths; arrows that cross lanes are handoffs. For BD9 the main path reads roughly like this, though exact step names vary by release.

  1. Create sales orderInternal sales representative; pricing, availability and credit run on save
  2. Create outbound deliveryShipping specialist; for orders due on the selection date
  3. PickWarehouse; picked quantities recorded on the delivery
  4. Post goods issueShipping specialist; stock reduced and COGS posted
  5. Create billing documentBilling clerk; invoice created from the billing due list and posted to accounting
  6. Post incoming paymentAR accountant; the receivable is cleared (often modelled in a connected scope item)
The main path of Sell from Stock (BD9), simplified.
The Sign-Off Table · thesignofftable.com/academy/sap-sd-101

Optional branches you may see include a preliminary billing document to share with the customer before the final invoice, order confirmation output, and credit checks. Each branch is a candidate variant for testing.

Using BD9 as a test baseline

Contoso's test lead, Priya, uses BD9 in three ways. First, as a fit-to-standard reference: in workshops, Maria compares Contoso's way of selling alternators with the BD9 flow and records each deviation. Second, as the skeleton of the end-to-end test: the steps of the BD9 test script become the steps of Contoso's test case, with Contoso's own data (sales area 1710 / 10 / 00, CMC-ALT-100, Great Lakes Fleet Services) and expected results. Third, as a coverage check: every deviation from BD9 needs its own test, because SAP's standard script does not cover it.

BD9 elementContoso adaptationTest implication
SAP demo customer and productGreat Lakes Fleet Services, CMC-ALT-100Replace all demo data with Contoso test data
Standard order typeSame standard order typeRun as documented
Single plantDetroit 1710 and Chicago 1720Add a variant for plant 1720 and its shipping point
Generic outputContoso invoice layout with fleet contract numberAdd a check of the invoice output
Payment as separate stepLockbox payments for fleet customersConnect to the AR lockbox test

Turning the BD9 baseline into Contoso's test case.

  1. Is the step in BD9 exactly as Contoso runs it?Yes → reuse the BD9 step with Contoso data · No → next question
  2. Is it a configuration change to a standard step?Yes → adapt the step and its expected result · No → next question
  3. Is it an extension or custom logic?Yes → write a dedicated test and include it in regression · No → document the deviation and its owner
Does this Contoso step need its own test beyond the BD9 script?
The Sign-Off Table · thesignofftable.com/academy/sap-sd-101

What would you do?

Priya's team wants to save time by running the BD9 test script exactly as published and attaching its results as Contoso's order-to-cash evidence. What should Priya decide?

Key points
  • BD9 is the SAP Best Practices scope item for Sell from Stock.
  • Find it in SAP Signavio Process Navigator: process flow, test script, prerequisites, dependencies.
  • Read the flow by lanes (roles), boxes (steps), diamonds (decisions) and cross-lane arrows (handoffs).
  • Use BD9 as fit-to-standard reference, test skeleton and coverage check; adapt it to your data and deviations.

Check your understanding · not graded

Lesson check

  1. 1. Which scope item represents the standard sell-from-stock process?

  2. 2. Where are SAP Best Practices scope items published today?

  3. 3. In a scope item process flow, what does each swim lane represent?

  4. 4. Why is running the BD9 test script unchanged weak evidence for Contoso?