Lesson 3 of 6
Availability check
10 min
When Maria saves an order, SAP answers the customer's most important question: when can I have it? The availability check (often called ATP, available-to-promise) compares the requested quantity and date with stock and planned receipts, and writes the answer into schedule lines. Reading schedule lines correctly is a core skill for anyone in order-to-cash.
Scheduling backward from the customer's date
The customer asks for delivery on a date. SAP first works backward to find when the goods must be available in the plant, using lead times from shipping and route configuration. Then it checks availability on that date. If stock is there, the requested date is confirmed. If not, SAP finds the earliest date it can confirm and schedules forward again to a new delivery date.
- 10thMaterial availability dateGoods must be available and picking starts; this is the date ATP checks
- 11thTransportation planning dateCarrier booked
- 12thLoading datePicking and packing complete; loading starts
- 12thGoods issue dateTruck leaves Detroit; goods issue posted
- 14thDelivery dateAlternators arrive at the Toledo depot
Reading schedule lines
Each item has at least one schedule line. The first holds the requested quantity and date. If the full quantity cannot be confirmed for that date, SAP adds lines with the confirmed quantities and their dates. You see them on the item's schedule lines tab in the order.
| Line | Delivery date | Order quantity | Confirmed quantity | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14th | 50 | 30 | Requested line: 30 of 50 can be delivered on the requested date |
| 2 | 24th | 0 | 20 | Additional line: the remaining 20 confirmed for when production arrives |
Only confirmed quantities can be delivered. If Great Lakes Fleet Services accepts a partial shipment, the delivery on the 14th takes 30 and a second delivery takes 20 later. If the customer requires complete delivery, a setting on the customer or the order, SAP confirms all 50 on the 24th instead.
When an item cannot be fully confirmed, the order entry screen usually offers choices: a one-time delivery of what is available on the requested date, a complete delivery on the later date, or the system's delivery proposal with partial quantities. The choice affects the customer, so Maria makes it with the customer in mind, not to clear a popup.
What the check considers
Which stock and which receipts count, and whether replenishment lead time is included, is defined by configuration through the product's availability check group and the checking rule of the transaction. For example, Contoso may count unrestricted stock and planned production orders but not purchase requisitions. Two orders for the same product can therefore get different answers if they use different rules, and a test must use the same setup as production.
What would you do?
Great Lakes Fleet Services orders 50 alternators for the 14th. The order confirms 30 on the 14th and 20 on the 24th. The customer insists on a single shipment. What should Maria do?
- ATP schedules backward from the requested delivery date to the material availability date and checks availability there.
- Schedule lines show requested and confirmed quantities and dates; only confirmed quantities can be delivered.
- Partial confirmations create extra schedule lines; complete delivery confirms everything on one date.
- The availability check group and checking rule decide what stock and receipts count.
- Advanced ATP features such as product allocation and backorder processing are scope decisions to confirm per release.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. What does a confirmed schedule line represent?
2. Which date does the availability check use to check stock?
3. Only 30 of 50 are available on the requested date and the customer requires complete delivery. What happens?
4. Which advanced ATP capability rechecks confirmations when supply changes?