Reading_Sample_sappress_1054_Sales_and_Distributio

ReadingSampleThisbookguidesyouthroughdifferentprocessesinSalesandDis-tribution.Inthissample,you’llbeintroducedtothecoreactivityinSalesandDistribution:Sales.Then,walkthroughtheentiresalesprocess,frominquirytoordercreationorcustomerreturns.MattChudy,LuisCastedo,RicardoLopezSalesandDistributioninSAPERP—PracticalGuide520Pages,2015,$69.95/€69.95ISBN978-1-4932-1054-1www.sap-press.com/3672PrefaceIntroduction“Sales”ContentsIndexTheAuthorsFirst-handknowledge.©2015byGalileoPress,Inc.Thisreadingsamplemaybedistributedfreeofcharge.Innowaymustthefilebealtered,orindividualpagesberemoved.Theuseforanycommercialpurposeotherthanpromotingthebookisstrictlyprohibited.15PrefaceIntoday’scompetitiveenvironment,theabilitytohandlebusinessprocessescost-effectivelyiscritical.SalesandDistributioninSAPERP(which,inthisbook,we’llrefertoasSD)offerssuchasetoftools.AsoneofthemostimportantandmostoftenimplementedSAPlogisticsfunctionalities,SDmakesinformationmoremanageableandaccessible.WithseveralbooksonthemarketcoveringdetailsofSAPimplementationfromblueprintingtogo-liveandfocusingmostlyonmembersoftheimplementationteams,wecametotheconclusionthattheendusercommunitydoesn’treallyhaveanythingreadilyavailabletohelpoutinday-to-dayoperations.So,thetargetgroupforthisbookincludesmembersoftheend-userSDcommunitywhoareexecutingsalesanddistributiontransactionsaspartoftheirprimaryjobfunction,“super-users”andsystemsupportmembershelpingotherssolveissues,andallpeopletryingtopolishandmasternewfunctionalitytobetterfitinthecorporatepositions,suchasthefollowing:SalesanalystsSalesmanagersShippingandtransportationplanners/managersCustomerservicerepresentativesWhatThisBookCoversThisbookprovidesyouwithadetailed,comprehensiveguidetotheday-to-dayuseofthekeySDfunctions.Itsobjectiveistogiveyouaneasy-to-useresourceforlearninghowtoperformallofthekeyfunctionsofthesystem,howtotrouble-shootminorproblemsandsystemissues,howtoexploreadvancedfunctionsandreports,andhowtogetthemostoutofthesystem.Thispublicationservesbothasatutorialandreferenceforallkeyprocessesinsalesanddistribution.Preface16ThebookstartsoutwithageneralintroductiontoSAPlogisticsprocessesandSalesandDistribution,andquicklymovesontothemainprocesses:pre-sales,salesorderprocessing,availabilitycheck,pricing,delivery,picking,transporta-tion,andbilling.Chapter1willwalkyouthroughthebasicsofSAPERPandwillshedsomelightonenterprisestructurebuildingblocksmandatoryforSalesandDistribution(SD)inSAPERPtofunction.Chapter2introducesyoutosomeofthemostimportantmasterdataobjectsinfluencingyourSDprocesses,andChap-ter3willdescribesomeofthemostimportantSDfunctionsandtransactionsstartingwithinquiries,quotations,andcontractsfinishingwithreturnspro-cesses.Chapter4willfocusonthelogisticsaspects,includingdeliveryprocess-ing,pickingandpacking,andtransportationplanning.Chapter5willdescribethebillingprocessforyouandintegrationpointswithFinancialAccounting.Chapter6willintroducesomeofthecommonlyusedSDreportsusedtosimplyaccessandanalyzedata.Inthissecondedition,we’veaddedafewmorechapterstocoverupdatestotheSAPsoftware,andprovideinsightonnewskillsthatyoucanaddtoyourarsenal.Chapter7introducesyoutosomeofthefunctionsyoucanfindifyourbusinessalsorunsSAPCustomerRelationshipManagement;thesefunctionswillgiveyouadditionaltoolsandalsoenhanceexistingSDfunc-tionality.We’llfinishthisbookwithChapter8,whichexplainssomeofthestepsyou’llneedtoknowtoworkwithFinancialSupplyChainManagement.You’llalsocomeacrossafewappendicesinthebackofthebook.ThesewillhelpyouunderstandthebasicnavigationinanSAPsystem,andprovidefurtherinsightintoafewnichetopics.NoteBonusdownloadsonSAPHANAandenhancementpackagesareavailableatwww.sap-press.com/3672.Ourgoalistopresentdetailedinformationinacompactformatthatincludesenoughmaterialtofulfillthe“80/20”principle—mostofthefocuswillbeonthetop20%offunctionsusedby80%ofendusers.Wehopeyou’llusethebookasareferencetoquicklysearchforandusepracticalinformationbytopicandfunction.17Therewasatimeinenterprisesoftwarewheneachareainacompanyusedadifferenttechnology,adifferentvendor,andadifferentsystem,creatingacorporateBabelTower.SAPchangedallthat.1IntroductionItwas1972whenagroupoffiveIBMengineersfromManheim,Germany—DietmarHopp,Hans-WernerHector,HassoPlattner,KlausTschira,andClausWellenreuther—decidedtocreatethenextbigthinginsystemshistory:thefirstenterpriseresourceplanning(ERP)system.Atthattime,thesoftwareindustrywasformedbyamultitudeofvendors;eachhaddevelopeditsowntechnologies,developedsystemsforfunctionalbusinessareas,andcreatedsoftwaresystemsforaccounting,inventorycontrol,purchas-ing,orderprocessing,andmore.Eachofthesecomputersystemswasdesigneddifferentlyanduseddifferentfilesystems,differentprogramminglanguages,andoftenevendifferenthardwareplatforms.Toexchangeinformation,differentareashadtoprintoutreports,and,manytimes,theinformationcontainedinthereportshadtobecapturedintheothersystem.Softwarehascomealongwaysince1972.Inthischapter,we’llquicklyoverviewtoday’sSAPBusinessSuite,howanenterprisestructureissetupinSAPsoftware,andthenfocusourattentionmorespecificallyonexecuti