WMS mobile device functions vs

WSH form functions

An Oracle Topical Essay
Updated March 2003




Product Design and Architecture

CONTENTS
Overview...................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................ 4
WMS Extends the Supply Chain Functionality....................................................................................................................... 5
Warehousing in WMS................................................................................................................................................................ 6
Pack .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Unpack...................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Consolidate ............................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Split........................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Bulk Pack.................................................................................................................................................................................. 7
Update....................................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Material Workbench ................................................................................................................................................................. 8
Shipping With Pick Release in WMS........................................................................................................................................ 9
Picking...................................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Shipping.................................................................................................................................................................................. 10
Shipping Without Pick Release in WMS................................................................................................................................ 12
Direct Ship.............................................................................................................................................................................. 12
WSH Features Disabled in WMS Environment .................................................................................................................... 13
Packing ................................................................................................................................................................................... 13
Shipped Quantity Field Closed............................................................................................................................................... 14
Packed Quantity Becomes Shipped Quantity ......................................................................................................................... 14
Substitution of Container Items Allowed ............................................................................................................................... 14
No Planning of LPNs.............................................................................................................................................................. 15
All Delivery Lines Assigned to LPN...................................................................................................................................... 15
Serial Number Entry in STF Disabled.................................................................................................................................... 15
Load Planning Disallowed...................................................................................................................................................... 16
Transact Move Orders ............................................................................................................................................................ 16
Container Management Conditions ........................................................................................................................................ 16
WSH Features that Impact WMS Environment.................................................................................................................... 17
Delivery Grouping Rule ......................................................................................................................................................... 17
Auto Allocate.......................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Pick Slip Grouping Rule......................................................................................................................................................... 17
Maximum Lines per Pick Slip ................................................................................................................................................ 17
WMS vs WSH functionalities Table........................................................................................................................................ 18

Overview
This document highlights features in Oracle Warehouse Management System (WMS), available
through mobile device outbound, that are not supported by Oracle Shipping Executions (WSH)
Shipping Transactions form in Oracle e-Business Suite.
This analysis document is based upon the Oracle Warehouse Management System Users Guide
and Oracle Shipping Execution Users Guide.
The purpose of this document is to:
- Provide a comprehensive list of the Oracle Warehouse Management System shipping
functionalities through mobile device.
- Describe features in Oracle Shipping Execution that are disabled or changed in a WMS-
enabled environment to prevent conflicting functionality.


Introduction
Oracles Shipping Execution (WSH) application operates in conjunction with Oracle Order
Management (OM) to process orders from order capture through ship confirm. Oracle
Warehouse Management System application extends the supply chain functionality to encompass
warehouse storage and inventory control operations. It is possible to run Shipping Execution
without WMS, but it is not possible to run WMS without Shipping Execution.
In a WMS-enabled environment certain functions and features are disabled in Shipping Execution.
This disabling of the Shipping Execution application is necessary because some features exist in
both applications. For example, each application allows the user to perform data entry for
tracking numbers, quantities, and container names. Likewise, each application allows the user to
perform functions related to packing containers and planning. However, when a user chooses a
WMS-enabled instance, it is necessary to disable like operations within Shipping Execution and
allow the information (data captured) to flow from WMS to Shipping Execution. In the
warehouse operation, mobile devices and their capabilities replace desktop computers and the
functions usually entered through the Shipping Transactions form in Oracle Shipping Execution.


WMS Extends the Supply Chain Functionality
Oracle Warehouse Management System provides additional shipping management capabilities
that automate picking tasks, including:
o WMS Rules Engine allocates inventory for sales orders based on advanced rules and
strategies that model customer inventory preferences, warehouse stock rotation policies
or other factors driving the selection of subinventories, locators, lots and serials used to
fulfill the sales order request. The rules engine can also be used to select the appropriate
staging locator based on the carrier, ship method or other shipping attributes.
o WMS manages the work required to pick material for sales orders by dispatching the
work as tasks to appropriate warehouse users based on their skill set and the equipment
available for material picking. These sales order pick tasks can be interleaved with other
warehouse tasks such as replenishments and inventory accuracy counts.
o WMS helps container and License Plate Number (LPN) management by packing and
consolidating materials into LPNs, tracking the contents of containers in receiving,
inventory, shipping, and in-transit inventories.
o WMS generates labels according to customer or carrier preferred format through an
interface with compliance labeling systems.
o WMS can create dock appointments for outbound trips and direct pickers to the
appropriate corresponding staging lanes for those appointments.
By contrast, Oracle Shipping Execution does not support these functions: suggestion and task
management which are supported in WMS. As a side note, suggestions do occur as part of core
Inventory but it is not advanced rules based. Inventory picking rules only support ordering
material for allocation by stock rotation policies such as FIFO, FEFO, or ordering by a preferred
subinventory/locator.


Warehousing in WMS
The Warehousing menu is used to perform tasks inside of the warehouse. Warehousing
transactions, such as cycle and physical counting, miscellaneous issuing and receiving material,
moving inventory from one location to another (move orders), moving within your organization,
kanban replenishment.
The Oracle WMS LPN features enable you to:
o Pack
o Unpack
o Consolidate
o Split
o Update LPNs
In general, these functions are more closely linked to Oracle Inventory function than Shipping
Execution function. Since Shipping Execution only packs delivery lines and WMS packs on hand
inventory, packed configurations will not be reflected in the Shipping Transactions form until
after pick confirmation (task completion).
Both WMS and Shipping Execution allow infinite levels of nesting of LPNs (packing LPNs
within LPNs), however, WMS only passes to Shipping Execution the innermost LPN pack
information. Thus, if material for a delivery line is packed into an LPN during picking, then that
LPN will be visible in the Shipping Transaction form. However, if that LPN is further packed
into another LPN, the outermost LPN will not be visible.


Pack
WMS allows you to pack items into a newly generated LPN or into an existing LPN that resides in
inventory.
The Shipping Execution application allows you to perform this type of warehousing process from
the Shipping Transactions form Action menu, however, this feature is disabled in a WMS-enabled
organization.


Unpack
WMS allows you to unpack items from an existing LPN or you can unpack an LPN within
another LPN.
The Shipping Execution application allows you to manually unpack delivery line items if you
want to modify the delivery lines assigned to a packed delivery. Unpacking returns the delivery to
the status it held prior to packing, and allows for changes. The unpacking Action in the Shipping
Transactions form is disabled in a WMS-enabled organization.



Consolidate
WMS allows you to consolidate an existing LPN (residing within inventory) with another
existing LPN (residing within inventory) or you can consolidate an existing LPN (residing
within inventory) with a newly generated LPN.

The Shipping Execution application allows you to perform packing of a container into a
container through multiple levels. This type of warehousing process is performed in the
Shipping Transactions form Action menu by using Pack, Auto Pack, and/or Auto Pack
Master. However, this feature is disabled in a WMS-enabled organization.

Split
WMS allows you to split the contents of an existing LPN into multiple LPNs.

The Shipping Execution application requires that you first unpack the container, split the
delivery line, create the containers, and then pack the items again. However, the unpack and
pack Actions are disabled in a WMS-enabled organization.



Bulk Pack
In WMS, mobile bulk packing is used to suggest containers into which you can pack material in a
particular locator in the warehouse. Mobile bulk packing also automatically generates the

appropriate LPN labels. With bulk packing, you enter an item and quantity to be packed. You can
enter a container item if you want the system to suggest the appropriate quantity of that container
only, or you can let the system suggest both the type and quantity of containers. This system
directed packing option is available both for on hand inventory and for material allocations so that
the system can direct the picker to consolidate delivery lines into the same container based on
packing constraints and delivery grouping rules.
Any material for which there is a positive on-hand balance can be packed using this method.
It is equivalent to WSH Pack function for a delivery, however, the pack Action is disabled
in a WMS-enabled organization.


Update
WMS allows you to update the attributes of an LPN including:
o Weight UOM
o Volume UOM
o Volume content
o Container item

The Shipping Execution application does not allow performing this type of warehousing process.


Material Workbench
The Material Workbench in WMS allows you to view the contents of an LPN, the attributes of a
particular LPN, and/or the details of your warehouse, by any of the following criteria: Location,
Item, Cost Group, Status, LPN, Serial, Lot.

Shipping With Pick Release in WMS
The current shipping process consists of several steps, including: Trip Plan, Stop Plan, Delivery
Creation, Delivery Plan, Pick Release, Pick Confirm, Pack, and Ship Confirm. Some steps are
mandatory and some are optional.
Order
Management
Enter Sales
Order
WMS User
Processes
System Directed
Shipping w/Dock
Door
Appointments
OR
User Driven
Shipping
WMS System
Processes
WMS Outbound Logistic Processes Picking and Shipping
Pick Release
Create
Allocations
Assign Task
Type
Cartonization
Split/Merge
Tasks
Dispatch Task
Accept Next
Task
Load Material
Drop Material
in Staging Area
User Reports
Task Error
Corrective
Action
Workflow
Started
Yes
Task Error
Corrected
No
Scan Dock
Door to Load
System directs
User to LPNs
Scan Dock to
Close
Missing LPNs
on Trip
Ship Confirm No
Yes
Scan Dock
Door to Load
Scan LPNs to
Load
Missing LPNs
on Delivery
System directs
User to LPNs
Yes Ship Confirm
No
Missing items
on Trip
No
Yes


Picking
WMS: Pick Release Process
Warehouse Management System (WMS) uses the pick release process to select orders for release
to the warehouse for picking and shipping. After the orders are released, Oracle WMS uses the
Rules Engine to determine the appropriate material allocations. When the system completes the
allocations, the Task Type Assignment engine assigns the appropriate task types, and the system
then suggests packing configurations. At this time, order lines are also split or merged, based on
equipment capacity and pick methodology.
In non-WMS environments, the WMS Rules Engine is not used to determine appropriate material
allocations. However, shipping by License Plates Numbers (LPN) is supported.
In pre-Patchset H environments, if WMS is enabled for an existing inventory organization, users
need to set up picking and put away rules and strategies before running pick release or the orders
will backorder.

This changed in Patchset H. The user should run the compile all rules concurrent request after
installing the patchset so that the users do not need to set up picking and put away rules and
strategies.
In a WMS-enabled environment, you will not be able to use the Transact Move Order form to
transact pick wave move orders. Picks must be performed through the mobile task dispatching
infrastructure.

WMS: Picking Process
The WMS system dispatches tasks through the mobile device user interface. Through this user
interface, the picker can view the item, quantity, subinventory, and locator from which the load
can be picked. If the items are revision or lot controlled, the system also displays those details.
The picking tasks assigned by the system to a user may include any of the following:
o Pick loose items into an LPN
o Pick whole LPNs
o Pick multiple LPNs, for example, pick 5 boxes of 10 each to fulfill a task to pick 50
o Pick from LPNs, for example, pick 5 items out of a box of 10
o Pick multiple partial LPNs, full LPNs, and loose picks for a single task
o Build larger LPNs
o View cartonization suggestion
The user can confirm a pick by scanning one or more LPNs to load. If the material in the storage
locator is not identified with an LPN, then the user must confirm the item, quantity, storage
subinventory, and locator to confirm the pick.
The user can also unpack an LPN to fulfill the pick, however, if the pick units of measure are
appropriately established during system setup, then unpacking an LPN to fulfill a pick should not
be necessary. The user can also pick the items or the whole LPN into another larger LPN (like a
pallet or carton), thus building a package that can be shipped. If Cartonization is enabled, the user
will also see the container suggestion in his or her task queue.
In a non-WMS enabled environment, Oracle Inventory allows performing this type of picking
process through Transact Move Order transactions.


Shipping
Oracle WMS allows the user to perform the following three types of shipment confirmation using
Mobile User Interface:
o Quick Ship
o LPN Ship
o Dock Door Ship
Alternatively, users can ship confirm using the Shipping Transactions form on their desktop.


Quick Ship
In WMS, Quick Ship is used to ship an entire delivery without confirming individual LPNs
associated with the delivery. Because the deliver number triggers it, quick ship requires that
deliveries be manually or auto created. Furthermore, prior to performing a Quick Ship, all of the
order lines on the delivery must be staged. The material status of the staging subinventory, as well
as inventory controls is included in the Delivery Details at the time of shipment confirmation.
Also, the delivery cannot include items that are serial controlled at sales order issue. Ship sets
must be completely contained within the single delivery to ship using the Quick Ship method.
The Shipping Execution application allows you to perform this type of shipment confirmation
process through the Shipping Transaction form on the desktop; with or without WMS installed.
You can enter weight, waybill, and ship method for the delivery prior to ship confirmation.

LPN Ship
In WMS, LPN Ship is used to confirm the shipment of individual LPNs on a delivery, or to create
new deliveries and confirm the shipment of LPNs that do not yet have a delivery. You begin the
LPN Ship transaction by scanning the dock door from which the LPNs will be shipped. Next, you
scan each LPN. If the LPN cannot be ship confirmed because of a material status assigned to a lot
or serialized item contained in the LPN, or the staging subinventory and locator, then the system
displays a message with this information on the mobile device.
After all validation is successfully performed, the system uses delivery grouping rules to create the
deliveries and trips for LPNs that do not already have deliveries created. For each delivery that is
at the dock, you can optionally enter the shipment weight, shipment method, waybill number, and
other delivery-specific information.
The Shipping Execution application does not allow you to perform this type of shipping process.
A delivery is the only entity that may be ship confirmed in the WSH Shipping Transaction form.
You can pick release trips, stops, deliveries, containers (LPNs), and lines. You can associate
desired LPNs to delivery and enter details. But to complete the process, you must ship confirm
the delivery.

Dock Door Ship
Dock Door Ship is used to load and ship entire trips based on previously created dock door
appointments for the trip. Dock Door Ship uses a dock schedule and dock door appointments to
intelligently suggest the best staging lane for the material. In order to take advantage of these
features, the trip and a dock door appointment must be set up prior to pick release. The mobile
user interface form for Dock Door Ship is similar to the LPN Ship form with the exception that
since a dock appointment has been created for the trip, the system can direct the user to the
appropriate staging lane where the LPNs for the trip have been dropped.
The Shipping Execution application does not perform this type of shipping process. In WSH, you
can ship confirm Deliveries that may include LPNs. Trip and dock appointments are not
supported in WSH, however, planned pick up at origin and drop off at destination can be entered
as attributes of a Stop.


Shipping Without Pick Release in WMS
The current shipping process consists of several steps including Trip Plan, Stop Plan, Delivery
Creation, Delivery Plan, Pick Release, Pick Confirmation, Packing, and Ship Confirm. At a
minimum, users are required to create deliveries, pick release, pick confirm, and ship confirm.
Some of these steps can be automated to minimize user intervention but there must be a point at
which pick release is initiated where the system can allocate inventory that must already be on
hand in order to proceed to the ship confirm step. In just-in-time assemble to order environments
where material moves directly from the end of the manufacturing line to the delivery truck, the
function of pick release may be an unnecessary overhead.
Direct Ship
The WMS feature Direct Ship allows shipping of material directly after sales order is booked,
bypassing the pick-release/ pick-confirm process. This functionality was added to WMS to allow
users to perform ship confirmation through mobile user interface without requiring the picking
processes.
All shipped product must be packed in LPNs. Loose material cannot be shipped.
Order
Management
Enter Sales
Order
User Driven
Shipping
WMS System
Processes
(OPTIONAL)
WMS Outbound Logistic Processes Direct Ship
Scheduled
Shipment
Report
Scan Dock
Door to Load
Scan Sales
Order & Order
Line
Missing LPNs
on Delivery
System directs
User to LPNs
Yes Ship Confirm
No
Scan LPNs to
Load


.



WSH Features Disabled in WMS Environment

Several Shipping Execution features are disabled in a WMS-enabled environment. This means
that the Shipping Transaction form cannot be used to complete specific Actions.

Packing
In a WMS-enabled environment, packing operations in Shipping Transactions form are
disallowed or disabled completely for delivery details and containers. The disabled Actions
associated with packing operations, include:
Pack
Unpack
Auto-pack
Auto-pack Master
Packing Workbench
The screen shot below shows in bold the Actions related to packing that are disabled.
Additionally, when the packing operations are disabled, load planning in WSH is not possible.
Instead, these transactions are performed through the WMS mobile user interface.


Actions:
Auto-pack
Auto-pack Master
Pack
Unpack
Packing Workbench



Shipped Quantity Field Closed
In a WMS-enabled environment, Shipped Quantity is set at packing time. Since the shipped
quantity is entered at pick confirm by a RF device within a WMS-enabled organization, it is no
longer possible to enter the Shipped Quantity within the Shipping Transactions form. The
Shipped Quantity field (shown as an open field in this example) is closed, or grayed out when
this form is accessed in a WMS-enabled organization.



Packed Quantity Becomes Shipped Quantity
In a WMS-enabled environment, you cannot ship less than nor more than the packed quantity
per LPN/container (Requested Qty = Shipped Qty). When a container is packed, then that
packed quantity becomes the shipped quantity.



Substitution of Container Items Allowed
In a WMS-enabled environment, the container item (pallet, box, etc) can be changed when
confirming a picking operation. For example, if a shipper runs out of a box type, and needs to
substitute a different box type prior to pick confirming.



No Planning of LPNs
In a WMS-enabled environment, no LPNs or LPN contents will be created until pick confirm.
Because this functionality exists in a WMS-enabled organization, it is not possible to create LPNs
in the Shipping Transactions form and the Action Create LPN is disabled in the Lines/LPN
tab. The following window shows the Create LPN Action that is disabled.



All Delivery Lines Assigned to LPN
In a WMS-enabled environment, all picks need to pass to a pack container/LPN at pick confirm.
Every staged delivery must be assigned to an LPN. When you pick confirm the delivery line, you
must provide the LPN in which it is packed. The WMS mobile users do the packing and pick
confirm.
Only the innermost picked LPN is visible on the Shipping Transaction form (STF). Subsequent
packs that further nest that LPN, however, will not be visible on the STF. If the user needs to
see the levels of nesting, they must use the Material Workbench form in Inventory.


Serial Number Entry in STF Disabled
In a WMS-enabled environment, details and LPNs under serial control will always have serial
numbers entered at pick confirm through a mobile device. It is not possible to enter the serial
number(s) within the Shipping Transactions form.



Load Planning Disallowed
In a WMS-enabled environment, load planning is not possible because the packing functionality
is disabled within the Shipping Transactions form.


Transact Move Orders
In a WMS-enabled environment, the Transact button is disabled in the Transact Move Order form
because this function is carried out through the mobile user interface.


Container Management Conditions
The following container management conditions apply only in a WMS-enabled environment.
Packing Required Before or During Pick Confirm
The user must be in WMS to pack the contents before or during pick confirming or staging
them. WMS does the packing and passes the updated shipping information to Shipping
Execution.

Assigning/Unassigning Lines and Containers
In a WMS-enabled environment, if you are removing (unassigning) a delivery line from a delivery,
you must first remove (unassign) it from its container and vice versa when assigning. The
material and the LPN physically reside together on the warehouse floor. You cannot manipulate
only the LPN delivery line or only the content/material delivery line. For example, if you have
detail LPNs packed into a master container, you can only assign/unassign the master container
not the detail container.

WSH Features that Impact WMS Environment
All Shipping setup is honored in a WMS enabled organizations, including: Shipping Parameters,
container item relationships, release sequence rules, and release rules. However, in WMS enabled
organizations, the functionality is extended to coordinate tasks.


Delivery Grouping Rule
In WMS-enabled organizations, the Delivery Grouping rule impacts cartonization. Picking tasks
are grouped by the Delivery Grouping rule criteria for cartonization suggestions, regardless of
whether deliveries are auto created at or before pick release. This functionality is used to ensure
that the system never allows a user to pack material for different shipments into the same
container.


Auto Allocate
In WMS-enabled organizations, if the Auto Allocate box is unchecked in the following three
areas: Shipping Parameters form, Release Rules form, Release Sales Order form, then the pick
wave move order created at Pick Release is not allocated and picking tasks are not released to
warehouse users. This feature is useful if you wish to use the pick wave move order in the WMS
rules simulation form to diagnose problems in the picking rules setup that might ordinarily cause
the delivery line to automatically backorder at allocation time.


Pick Slip Grouping Rule
WMS uses the pick slip grouping rule that is set up in WSH to determine the pick methodology in
the warehouse. Tasks are dispatched to users in groups divided by the grouping rule.


Maximum Lines per Pick Slip
In WMS-enabled organizations, the Shipping Parameter for Number of Pick Slip Lines is used by
WMS to determine the maximum number of tasks that can be dispatched to a user at a time,
regardless of the pick methodology.



WMS vs WSH functionalities Table
The following table summarizes the WMS mobile device functions vs. Shipping Transactions form functions.


WMS: Function WSH: Equivalent Action on Shipping Transactions form
1. Outbound > Picking Release Sales Orders > Release Sales Orders for Picking > select Auto
Allocate Yes and Move Orders > Transact Move Orders
1.1 Next or Current Task Task is a WMS notion only. No equivalent function.
1.2 Manual Pick
1.3 Pick by LPN
1.4 Express Pick Task is a WMS notion only. No equivalent function.
2. Outbound > Shipping
2.1 Quick Ship Transactions > on query manager window, select search for
deliveries > enter criteria > find button
2.2 LPN ship Transactions > on query manager window, select search for
deliveries or trips > enter criteria > find button
2.3 Dock Door Ship (Load Dock) Task is a WMS notion only. No equivalent function.
2.4 Direct ship In R11i.8, it is not possible to ship through WSH without pick release.
3. Warehousing > LPN
transactions
or Outbound > Packing
Transactions > on query manager window, select search for lines >
enter criteria > find button
3.1 Pack On shipping transactions > select pack action > select Go button
3.2 Unpack On shipping transactions > select unpack action > select Go button
3.3 Consolidate Transactions > on query manager window, select search for LPNs >
enter criteria > find button > select pack action > select Go button
3.4 Split On shipping transactions > select unpack action > select Go button
> select split line & Go > select create LPNs & Go > select pack &
Go
3.5 Bulk Pack Equivalent to Pack function for a delivery. On shipping transactions >
select pack action > select Go button
3.6 LPN update
weight, volume, container
It is impossible to do that through Shipping Execution function.




WMS mobile device functions vs WSH form functions
Created: October 2002
Author: Timothy Conroy
Copyright Oracle Corporation 2001
All Rights Reserved Printed in the U.S.A.

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only and the information herein is subject to change
without notice. Please report any errors herein to
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