4/7/2021 SAP e-book

Unit 4: Optimized Purchasing

Order Confirmation Monitoring

Figure 56: Confirmations in the Purchasing Process

When working with confirmations, the following options are available:

● You work only with order confirmations.
In this case, the confirmation has only general character. You cannot separately record the
confirmed dates and quantities. In MRP, it is not obvious in the Stock/Requirements List,
whether or not the vendor has confirmed the purchase order.
● You work with several confirmation types, such as order confirmation, loading
confirmation, or shipping notification.
In this case, you can record the confirmed dates and quantities in the system. In MRP, you
can see in the Stock/Requirements List which quantities were confirmed for which dates.

Working Only with Order Confirmation

When you are creating the purchasing document, select the Acknowl.Reqd (Order
Acknowledgment Required ) checkbox if you are working only with an order confirmation. This
enables order confirmation monitoring and allows reminders to be sent.
You can preset the order acknowledgment indicator as follows, if you want it to be generally
proposed as a default:

● In the purchasing data of the business partner

● In the purchasing info record
● In the material master as part of the purchasing value key

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4/7/2021 SAP e-book

Lesson: Monitoring Purchase Orders

● Using the EVO user parameter

● In the personal settings for the Enjoy transaction ME21N

If you have received the order confirmation from your vendor, you enter the confirmation
number on the item screen. The system checks as a part of monitoring whether or not an
entry exists in the order confirmation field. If there is no entry, you can generate an order
acknowledgment expediter.
Using the fast change, you can enter the same confirmation number for all items of a
purchase order. The Fast Change icon is located in the purchase order below the item
overview.

Working with Different Confirmation Types

When creating the purchasing document, you have to enter a confirmation control key in the
item detail. The key determines the confirmations that you expect from vendors and the
sequence. The key also controls, which confirmation types are relevant for MRP and goods
receipt. If a confirmation control key is present in a purchasing info record, this is defaulted in
the purchasing document. You can also define the default value for the confirmation control
key in the purchasing data of the business partner.
Options for Entering the Confirmation

● You enter the confirmation in the purchasing document.

● You generate an independent document – an inbound delivery.
● You have the confirmation transmitted electronically by the vendor. If the vendor rejects
the purchase order, the rejection indicator and the deletion indicator are set in the
purchase order item.

Generating an independent document requires that you have used a confirmation category
that allows an inbound delivery. The data for the inbound delivery is transferred to the
corresponding confirmation fields in the purchasing document. You can then enter the goods
receipt with reference to a purchasing document or inbound delivery. As part of monitoring,
the system checks whether you have confirmed the entire ordered quantity. If you have not
yet confirmed or only partially confirmed the quantity, you can generate an order
acknowledgment expediter.
For scheduling agreement schedule lines, you can only work with confirmation control keys.
The key must be contained in the scheduling agreement. You enter the confirmations when
maintaining the scheduling agreement schedule lines (ME38 transaction) using the menu path
Item→ Confirmations→ Overview.

Order Acknowledgment Reminders Generation

To generate order acknowledgment reminders, you must satisfy the following preconditions:
● You have selected the Acknow.Reqd checkbox.
● You have not yet entered an acknowledgment number for items without a confirmation
control key.
● For items with a confirmation control key, you have only partially confirmed or not yet
confirmed the ordered quantity. The system considers only confirmations that are
assigned to the 1 (order confirmation) internal confirmation type.

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