Lesson 2 of 5
From quotation to sales order
10 min
When Great Lakes Fleet Services accepts the offer, Maria creates the sales order with reference to the quotation. This is the moment pre-sales pays off: the order inherits the agreed prices and terms, and the quotation records that it has been converted. It is also where most pre-sales defects show up.
- Start the orderVA01 with Create with Reference, or the create function in the Fiori sales order apps
- Select the quotationChoose quotation 20000315 and, if needed, only some items or quantities
- Copy control runsRules for quotation → order decide which data is copied and whether prices are kept or re-determined
- Order savedSales order 1000512 created; document flow links it to the quotation
- Quotation updatedReferenced quantity recorded; status moves to partially or fully completed
What copy control decides
Copy control for sales document to sales document (maintained by consultants with VTAA) is configured per pair of document types, here quotation to standard order, and then per item category. For each pair it decides whether the step is allowed, which data is copied, whether the system checks the quotation's validity, and how pricing is handled. The pricing type on the item copy rule is the most important setting for business users: it decides whether the order keeps the quoted prices unchanged or recalculates some or all of them.
| Copy control decision | Typical setting quotation → order | What to test |
|---|---|---|
| Is the step allowed? | Yes, quotation type to standard order type | Order can be created from the quotation; other types cannot |
| Header data copied | Customer, sales area, partners, payment terms | Order matches the quotation's partners and terms |
| Item data copied | Product, quantity, item category mapped to the order item category | Correct item category in the order |
| Pricing type | Keep agreed prices; re-determine taxes | $200 quoted price survives into the order |
| Quantity update | Referenced quantity written back to the quotation | Quotation status reflects what was ordered |
Partial conversion and completion
Customers often accept part of an offer. If the order references 120 of the 200 quoted alternators, the quotation item is partially referenced and stays open for the remaining 80, unless its completion rule says otherwise. The completion rule is set on the item category and decides when a quotation item counts as completed: for example, after the first reference regardless of quantity, or only when the full quantity has been ordered. That one setting changes what "open quotations" means in every report, so the process owner should know which rule applies.
Validity at conversion
What happens if the customer accepts on July 3 a quotation valid until June 30? Depending on configuration, the system issues a message about the expired validity when the order is created with reference. Whether that message is a warning the user can override or an error that stops the conversion is a business decision built into the system. Contoso wants a warning, so sales can honor a late acceptance with approval; other companies want a hard stop.
- Is the quotation still within its validity period?Yes → create the order with reference · No → follow the expired-quotation rule
- Does the system stop or warn on expired quotations?Stop → re-quote or extend validity with approval · Warn → proceed only with documented approval
- Should the original prices still apply?Yes → check the pricing type keeps them · No → re-quote rather than editing prices by hand
- Is the whole quantity accepted?Yes → quotation should complete · No → remaining quantity stays open per the completion rule
One quotation can feed several orders, and one order can reference several quotations for the same customer. The document flow of the quotation shows every order created from it, with the referenced quantity per item, so it is the quickest way to answer "how much of this offer has the customer taken up?" In Public Edition the same logic applies, but copy control is largely delivered by SAP and changed through the limited configuration options available there, so behavior is more uniform across customers.
What would you do?
Priya's tester creates sales order 1000512 from quotation 20000315. The order shows $210 per alternator instead of the quoted $200. The document flow links the two documents correctly. Where should the investigation start?
- Create orders with reference to the quotation so prices, partners and document flow carry over.
- Copy control (VTAA) decides what is copied, whether validity is checked and how pricing is handled.
- The pricing type decides whether quoted prices are kept or re-determined.
- Completion rules decide when a partially ordered quotation counts as complete.
- Expired quotations trigger a configured warning or error at conversion.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. What decides whether quoted prices survive into the order unchanged?
2. An order references 120 of 200 quoted units. What decides whether the quotation item is now complete?
3. Why is typing an order from scratch at the quoted price a problem?
4. What may happen when an order references an expired quotation?