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Extended Warehouse Management (EWM)

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Migration from LE-WM

This section contains information on the functions available to migrate data from an LE-WM system to Extended Warehouse
Management (EWM). The following features are available:

Warehouse Product Migration

Storage Bin Migration

Stock Migration

Physical Inventory Completeness Migration

Map Storage Unit Type to Packaging Material

Map Warehouse Management Unit of Measure to Packaging Material

Warehouse Structure
Before you implement Extended Warehouse Management (EWM), you must define the structure, meaning the physical structure,
of your warehouse or warehouse complex and map this in the system.

When you implement EWM, you define the individual warehouses (high-rack storage area, bulk storage area, picking storage area,
and so on) as storage types within a warehouse complex, and join them together under one warehouse number.

If other warehouses (storage types) exist that you do not manage using EWM, then you should define other storage locations.

In EWM, you define storage bins for each storage type. EWM uses these to manage stock information about all products in the
warehouse, at storage bin level.

Mapping the Physical Warehouse in EWM

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The warehouse structure in warehouse management is divided hierarchically and consists of the following elements:

Warehouse number

In EWM, you can manage an entire physical warehouse complex using a single warehouse number.

Storage type

You can define the individual warehouse facilities or warehouses that make up the warehouse complex, using their
technical, spatial, and organizational characteristics as storage types.

Storage section

Each storage type is divided into storage sections. All storage bins with specific common attributes belong to one storage
section, for example, storage bins for fast-moving items that are close to the goods issue zone.

Storage bin

Each storage type and storage section consists of a selection of storage compartments that are called storage bins in EWM.
The coordinates of the storage bin tell you the exact position in the warehouse, where you can store products.

Quant

The quant is used for inventory management of a product in a storage bin.

Activity area

The activity area is a logical grouping of storage bins. It can refer to a storage bin, or can concatenate bins from several
storage types.

You can either assign storage bins manually to the activity areas, or if there is a 1:1 relationship between storage type and
activity area, you can have the system generate the assignment.

To map the structure of your physical warehouse in the system, you define the warehouse structures in EWM in Customizing. We
recommend that you use the following sequence when configuring the warehouse structure in the system.

In the Implementation Guide (IMG) for EWM, choose Extended Warehouse Management Master Data

1. Define Warehouse Numbers

2. Define Storage Type

3. Define Storage Section

4. Storage Bins Define Storage Bin Types

5. Activity Areas Define Activity Area

6. Activity Areas Assign Storage Bins to Activity Areas

Warehouse Number

Definition
In Extended Warehouse Management (EWM), you combine an entire physical warehouse under one warehouse number. You can
use the warehouse number to manage several storage facilities, which together form the complete warehouse complex.

Use

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The organizational and physical attributes of a warehouse complex are collected together under the warehouse number.

For example, the weight unit, volume unit, and time unit are defined at warehouse number level. You can also define determination
procedures for palletization data and packaging specifications here. You should not change these settings at a later time.

 Note
We recommend using one warehouse number for each group of storage areas or buildings (warehousing complex) in the same
geographical area. If your warehousing facilities are located in different cities or are physically separated by a longer distance, it
is appropriate to assign a separate warehouse number to each warehouse complex.

For more information about defining a warehouse number, see Customizing for Extended Warehouse Management under
Master Data Define Warehouse Number Control .

You must make a one-time assignment between the warehouse number and a supply chain unit with the business character
Warehouse as a continuous setting. For more information, see Customizing for Extended Warehouse Management under
Master Data Assign Warehouse Numbers . Note, however, that you must make this assignment in the production system. For
this reason, you should make this setting from the SAP menu under Extended Warehouse Management Settings Assign
Business Partners - Warehouse .

The supply chain unit contains essential information, such as country or region, and time zone. The system uses the time zone for
the warehouse number when displaying all date and time fields. You can create a supply chain unit in the SAP menu under
Extended Warehouse Management Master Data Supply Chain Unit Maintenance .

 Caution
As soon as you actively use a warehouse number, for example because you have already created a warehouse number product,
you should no longer change the assignment of the supply chain unit to the warehouse number. Doing so can result in follow-on
errors.

Example

The warehouse for company XYZ includes the following facilities:

Goods receipt area

Goods issue area

Hall with high rack shelves

Bulk storage area

Activity areas of category Picking with Fixed Bins

Storage space outdoors for special substances

Each of the storage facilities listed above is called a storage type in EWM. EWM groups these facilities together under a warehouse
number.

Storage Type

Definition

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A storage type is a storage space, storage facility, or storage zone, which you define for a warehouse number in Extended
Warehouse Management (EWM). The storage type is a physical or logical subdivision of a warehouse complex, which is
characterized by its warehouse technologies, space required, organizational form, or function. A storage type consists of one or
more storage bins.

You can define the following commonly used physical storage types in EWM:

Bulk storage area

General storage area

High rack storage area

Fixed bin storage area

Rack storage area

Use

The storage types form the warehouse complex and can be located in one or more buildings. You manage all storage types under a
single warehouse number.

The standard system for EWM comes configured with several complete storage types that you can use straightaway. These
storage types include:

High rack storage area

Bulk storage area

Fixed bin storage area

General storage area

Pallet storage area

These storage types have all been defined with different control indicators for putaway and picking.

 Note
You can use the standard storage types as the basis for your individual settings, or you can create your own storage types to
meet the special requirements of your company.

Defining Control Indicators in the Storage Type

At storage type level, you must specify the control indicators that control the material flow (putaway and picking) in each storage
type. These include the control indicators for:

Putaway

Stock removal (picking)

 Note
Some control indicators for storage types are mutually exclusive, and certain combinations of indicators cannot be
permitted for legal reasons or due to internal guidelines. In these cases, the system generates an error message. We
recommend that you check and test all new combinations carefully, before you release them in the production system.

You can only activate or deactivate the level of the available quantities and handling unit management requirement, if
there is no stock present within a storage type.
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We recommend that you only change the capacity check for a storage type if no more stock is present within the storage
type.

Particular care should be taken if you later change the putaway behavior for putaway.

In the storage type, there are indicators that you can override in the warehouse process category. This means that specific
functions, such as the confirmation requirements for putaway and picking or the option for posting changes to the same storage
bin, are valid for specific storage types, but are not valid for a specific posting.

For more information about changing the predefined storage types or creating new storage types, see Customizing for EWM under
Extended Warehouse Management Master Data Define Storage Type .

Example

You can define several storage types for each warehouse number. The following figure shows five storage types that are assigned
to a warehouse number:

Activity Area

Definition
Logical section of the warehouse that groups storage bins based on defined warehouse activities.

Examples of activity areas include:

Putaway

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Picking

Inventory

Use
You use activity areas to provide logical subdivisions in your warehouse. In these activity areas, different warehouse workers
execute certain warehouse activities, such as putaway or picking.

You create activity-dependent bin sortings within an activity area. Extended Warehouse Management (EWM) uses these bin
sortings to optimize the execution of warehouse tasks.

Structure
An activity area consists of one or more assigned storage bins.

You can define the assigned storage bins using the following attributes:

Aisle

Stack

Level

Bin subdivision

Depth

Information about the storage type

Any assigned deconsolidation groups

You can sort these storage bins into any sequence you want, and assign as many activities to them as you require.

For more information, see Customizing for Extended Warehouse Management under Master Data Activity Areas Assign
Storage Bins to Activity Areas and Define Sort Sequence for Activity Area.

 Note
To be able to work with activity areas, you have to generate the bin sorting.

On the launchpad, choose Extended Warehouse Management Master Data Storage Bin Sort Storage Bins.

You can generate activity areas from storage types in Customizing. For more information, see Customizing for EWM under
Master Data Activity Area Generate Activity Area from Storage Type. In this case, the activity area has the same storage
bins as the storage type.

Integration

EWM generates warehouse orders for each activity area.

When EWM generates warehouse tasks, it considers the activity area and copies attributes from this activity area, such as the
deconsolidation group.

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Storage Section

Definition
In Extended Warehouse Management (EWM), a storage section is an organizational subdivision of a storage type, which groups
together storage bins with similar attributes for the purpose of putaway. The criteria for grouping bins together are freely
definable: for example, heavy parts, bulky parts, fast-moving items, slow-moving items.

Use

You can use the storage section as an organizational aid for putting away goods in the warehouse. If you use storage types and
storage sections, you must define the organizational aims clearly. The physical location is the principal organizational factor. The
use of storage sections in a storage type is only mandatory if you use storage section control or storage section search in the
storage type.

 Note
You can define control parameters and control values only in the storage type.

For information on how to define a storage section for a storage type, see Customizing for Extended Warehouse Management
under Master Data Define Storage Sections .

Example

High rack storage areas frequently consist of numerous storage bins of varying size. In many high-rack storage areas, low-level
bins are larger because they are reserved for particularly bulky and heavy parts. The bins located at higher levels are smaller.

The following figure shows a high-rack storage area divided into two storage sections. You use the front storage section for fast-
moving items and the rear one for slow-movers.

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High-Rack Storage Area Divided into Two Storage Sections

Storage Bin

Definition
A storage type consists of a selection of storage spaces, which are called storage bins in Extended Warehouse Management
(EWM). The storage bin is the smallest spatial unit in a warehouse. Therefore, the storage bin represents the exact position in the
warehouse where products are and/or can be stored.

Since the address of a storage bin is frequently derived from a coordinate system, a storage bin is often referred to as a coordinate.
For example, the coordinate 01-02-03 could be a storage bin in aisle 1, stack 2, and level 3.

Use
To each storage bin, you assign the warehouse number in which the storage bin is located. You just also assign a storage type and
storage section to each storage bin.

You can also define the following additional attributes for a storage bin:

Maximum weight

Total capacity

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Fire-containment section

Storage bin type (for example, for large or small pallets)

In some putaway strategies, the storage bin type plays an important role during optimization of the automatic search for a
storage bin, in connection with the pallet type. For example, you can define the putaway strategy in such a way that you put
away large industrial pallets into special large bins, and smaller pallets into small bins.

For information about defining storage bins, see the Implementation Guide (IMG) for Extended Warehouse Management under
Master Data Storage Bins .

Structure
You can use any combination of letters and numbers for storage bin coordinates. However, you should ensure that you orient the
parts of the structure to the indicators defined for the warehouse for aisle, stack, level, and so on.

Flexible Bin
The flexible bin is a new storage solution and the opposite of a non-flexible bin. It is a storage bin within a flexible bin area in a
warehouse and is defined on the basis of cell size. A flexible bin is created on an as-needed basis and deleted when empty.

Use
This function supports the handling of stock in the EWM in SAP S/4HANA (EWM) application component with the new storage
behavior flexible storage and enables automatic bin management. Flexible bins are useful in storage facilities where it does not
make sense to create bins of fixed sizes in advance, as the facilities are normally empty buildings without shelves that hold items
of very different sizes.

It automates the creation of storage bins during put-away activities, automates the deletion of empty storage bins, and includes
bin ID syntax checks and consistency checks of its bin coordinates.

If you want to use this function, you must customize your storage type, storage behavior, flexible bin pattern, flexible bin area, and
blocked cells.

Customizing
To change the storage type, you can set the storage behavior to flexible bin in Customizing for Extended Warehouse
Management under Master Data Define Storage Type . Your storage type can contain either flexible bins or static
bins, but never both.

To manage the storage behavior flexible storage, a flexible bin pattern must be created and assigned to a flexible bin area in
Customizing for Extended Warehouse Management under Goods Receipt Process Strategies Putaway Rules
Storage Behavior: Flexible Storage Flexible Bin Pattern .

The flexible bin area that positions the area regarding the Warehouse to enable the calculation of absolute bin coordinates
can be defined from the launchpad under Master Data Storage Bin Maintain Flexible Bin Area
(/SCWM/FLEXBINAREA) .

The flexible bin area is defined by a warehouse number and storage type and is always linked to a pattern via a pattern ID. It
positions the area regarding the warehouse so you are able to calculate the absolute bin coordinates:

Coordinates of origin and axis

Absolute Warehouse coordinates

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You can define cell details to be able to check the bin ID consistency and to generate bin master data:

Start and end of X-axis and Y-axis

Cell size

Cell capacities (bin capacities = cell capacities * number of cells)

You can also define your check policy regarding storage bin overlapping.

On the launchpad, choose Extended Warehouse Management Master Data Storage Bin Maintain Flexible Bin Area
(/SCWM/FLEXBINAREA) .

In the blocked cells feature, you can define whether cells should be blocked for storage to avoid dangerous situations in the
warehouse. In Customizing for Extended Warehouse Management, choose Goods Receipt Process Strategies
Putaway Rules Storage Behavior: Flexible Bin Flexible Bin Area Settings .

Physical Inventory

Physical inventory can be done for flexible bins. All given inventory procedures are supported. Because empty flexible bins are
deleted when no stock is available (confirmation of the last warehouse task), a bin can be deleted after the inventory document
was created, counted, and posted. The link between the last physical inventory and results for counting and the deleted flexible
storage bin is also removed. When the bin is created later with the same name (coordinates), the link to the last counting is not
recreated. A new physical inventory is required.

As long as a physical inventory is created or executed, the flexible bin will not be deleted.

Analyzing Empty Flexible Bins

By default, empty flexible storage bins should be deleted when the last warehouse task was confirmed and the bin is empty. In
some cases this did not happen (for example, because of open physical inventory document, etc.). For that there are two options
to analyze the empty flexible bins:

Warehouse Monitor

Call the warehouse monitor via transaction /SCWM/MON (Warehouse Monitor). Select the node Stock and Bin Storage Bin .
Enter the storage type you would like to analyze or the prefix of the flexible bin area with a wildcard (*) and set the Empty Storage
Bin to value X. All empty bins will be shown. You can now mark a row and go via More Methods to the action Change Storage Bin.
A new session is opened and you can delete the bin.

Report for empty bin deletion

You can also execute the report /SCWM/R_DELETE_DYNBIN via transaction /SCWM/DELETE_DYNBIN.

The report will select all empty bins with storage behavior 3 (flexible storage). In case no PI document and warehouse task is open,
the bin will be deleted. The report can also be planned as batch job and the log can be stored to the application log.

Related Information
Explosive Storage Location
Compliance Check for Explosives
Planograph

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Quant
Stock of a specific product with the same characteristics in one storage bin, resource, transportation unit (TU), or handling unit
(HU).

The system manages different batches of a product as different quants.

When you put a product away into an empty storage bin in Extended Warehouse Management (EWM), the system creates a quant
in this storage bin. You can increase the quantity of a quant by adding to the existing stock. When you remove the quantity from
storage, the system automatically deletes the quant.

The system manages stock data per quant. Stock data includes the following:

Stock key, such as product number, batch number, and party entitled to dispose

Stock quantities, such as physical quantity and available quantity

Stock attributes, such as weight, volume, goods receipt date, and shelf life expiration date

Serial numbers

Displaying Quants

You can display stock information in the warehouse management monitor under the Stock and Bin node. For more information,
see Warehouse Management Monitor.

The system manages quantity differences posted during physical inventory or warehouse task confirmation at warehouse number
level. To display quantity differences, on the launchpad, choose Extended Warehouse Management Physical Inventory
Analyze Differences . For more information, see Difference Analysis.

Rounding residuals are a special case of quantity differences. For more information, see Rounding Residuals.

Changing Quants
The following documents can change quants:

A warehouse task changes the location of a quant or a partial quantity of a quant. It does not change the total quantity of a
product in the warehouse. A warehouse task also changes quants in a packaging process when you move an unpacked
quantity to an HU or you change the content of an HU.

A goods receipt or a goods issue changes the quantity of a quant. If the quant does not exist yet, the system creates it with
the goods receipt posting. If a goods issue is posted for the total quantity of a quant, the quant is deleted.

A posting change changes the stock key of a quant. It reduces the quantity of the source quant and increases the quantity
of the destination quant. It does not change the location of a quant.

You can change the attributes of a physical stock in the warehouse management monitor under the Stock and Bin node. You can
also change the quantity and alternative UoM of a quant manually in the monitor under Stock Physical Stock .

Integration with Inventory Management

The total physical stock of the warehouse number equals the total stock of all plants and storage locations in Inventory
Management integrated with the warehouse number. This stock also includes the quantity differences at warehouse level
displayed in the Difference Analyzer.

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In integration with Inventory Management, EWM communicates all goods movements (that is, goods issues, goods receipts, or
posting changes) posted in EWM to Inventory Management if they are relevant for the Inventory Management stock.

 Example
A posting change from one stock type (for example, F1) to another (for example, F2) is communicated to Inventory
Management.

 Note
A posting change from a normal stock to a delivery-related stock in the picking process is not communicated to Inventory
Management. Warehouse tasks are EWM-internal processes and are not communicated to Inventory Management.

To keep the stock in EWM and Inventory Management consistent for stock managed by EWM, whenever a goods movement is
posted in Inventory Management, the corresponding goods movement must also happen in EWM. Some processes and apps allow
you to use synchronous goods movements to post the movement in both components at the same time. For more information
about synchronous goods movements, see Communication of Goods Movements from Inventory Management to EWM.

If synchronous goods movements are not active in your system, the system creates a delivery, which is transferred to EWM and
has to be processed in EWM in order to ensure the stock consistency.

You can compare the total stock of EWM and Inventory Management for each warehouse number and party entitled to dispose on
the launchpad by choosing Extended Warehouse Management Physical Inventory Periodic Processing Compare Stock -
Inventory Management . For more information, see the documentation of the transaction in the system.

The following table shows how the system maps EWM stock to Inventory Management stock:

Stock Key in EWM Stock Key in Inventory Management

Product number Material number

Batch number Batch number (or valuation type in case of split-valuated product
without batch)

Party entitled to dispose Plant

Owner Plant for company-owned stock

Vendor for vendor consignment stock or returnable packaging

Customer for customer stock

Stock type Stock type and storage location

Stock usage C, E, and B Special stock indicator K, M, and B

Special reference stock type SOS, PJS, WIP, S2P and S2C Special stock indicator E and Q

Stock types WIP, S2P and S2C aren’t managed in Inventory

Management.

Document number and item number for special reference stock: Sales order number and item (special stock E) or work breakdown
sales order stock (SOS), project stock (PJS), work-in-process stock structure element (WBS element) (special stock Q)
(WIP), supply-to-production stock (S2P), and supply-to-customer
Document and item numbers for WIP stock, S2P stock and S2C
stock (S2C)
stock aren’t managed in Inventory Management.

Document category for stock related to an EWM document Not managed in Inventory Management

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To change the mapping between the EWM stock key and the stock key in Inventory Management, you can use the Business Add-In
(BAdI) BAdI: Enhancement of the ERP Stock ID Mapping. You can, for example, map the party entitled to dispose to a storage
location or storage location group in Inventory Management instead of an Inventory Management plant. For more information, see
Customizing for Extended Warehouse Management under Business Add-Ins (BAdIs) for Extended Warehouse Management
Interfaces ERP Integration Goods Movements ERP Goods Movement Interface BAdI: Enhancement of the ERP Stock ID
Mapping .

You can define your own stock types in EWM and map them to a storage location in Inventory Management as follows:

1. Create a new availability group for the Inventory Management storage location. For more information, see Customizing for
Extended Warehouse Management under Goods Receipt Process Configure Availability Group for Putaway .

2. Create a new entry for the Inventory Management storage location and assign it to the new availability group. For more
information, see Customizing for Extended Warehouse Management under Interfaces ERP Integration Goods
Movement Map Storage Locations from ERP System to EWM .

3. Create new EWM stock types (for example, for unrestricted-use stock, quality-inspection stock, blocked stock, and returns
stock) and assign them to the new availability group. For more information, see Customizing for Extended Warehouse
Management under Master Data Product Define Stock Types .

Structure
Quant Identification

A quant identification consists of the following:

Location key

A quant exists in a storage bin, a resource, a TU, or a warehouse number. A quant in a storage bin is identified by the
warehouse number, storage type, and storage bin. If the storage type is used for production supply, the system determines
the production supply area (PSA) from the storage bin in which the product is stored.

HU identification

You can manage quants with or without HUs. If you manage quants with HUs, the system uses the HU number to identify a
quant.

Stock key:

Product number

Batch number if the product is managed by batches or if it is split-valuated without batches

Party entitled to dispose (for example, plant in Inventory Management)

Owner (for example, plant or vendor in Inventory Management)

Stock type such as unrestricted-use stock or quality-inspection stock. The stock type represents the Inventory
Management stock type combined with the Inventory Management storage location.

Stock usage such as vendor consignment or customer stock

For more information about the business context of customer stock, see Customer Stock. For more information
about the restrictions to customer stock, see SAP Note 3223895 .

Special reference stock type, document number, and item number for sales order stock (special reference stock
type SOS), project stock (special reference stock type PJS), work-in-process stock ( special reference stock type
WIP), supply-to-production stock (special reference stock type S2P), and supply-to-customer stock (special
reference stock type S2C).

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Document category for stock related to an EWM document such as an outbound delivery, a quality inspection, a
warehouse task, or a physical inventory. Stock related to a warehouse task or a physical inventory document are
quantity differences managed at warehouse number level.

Stock Quantities

The system manages the following quantities of a quant.

Physical quantity

The system checks and updates the physical quantity of a quant during the confirmation of a warehouse task or during
goods movements. The physical quantity is managed in base unit of measure. In the case of catch-weight products, it is
managed in parallel in logistics unit of measure and in valuation unit of measure.

In addition to the base unit of measure (or the logistics unit of measure for catch-weight products), you can use an
alternative unit of measure to display or move the stock. To use different packing levels for a product, you must define
packaging specifications.

Available quantity

The system checks the available quantity of a quant during the creation of warehouse tasks. When a warehouse task is
created to pick a quantity from a storage bin, the available quantity of the quant is reduced.

The available quantity can be managed together for several quants of a storage bin. Depending on the storage type
settings, the available quantity is managed at the following levels:

At bin level (for all HUs containing a quant with the same stock key) or at highest-level-HU level (for all lower-level
HUs containing a quant with the same stock key)

At product level (for all batches of the product in the storage bin or HU) or at batch level

If an available quantity is managed at a different level than the physical quantity (for example, at storage bin level or at
product level), but a warehouse task is created at a more specific level (for example, for a specific HU or a batch), the
system also manages a reserved quantity at the more specific level. When you create a warehouse task, the system checks
the available quantity and the reserved quantity.

Stock Attributes

The system manages several attributes for a quant:

Shelf life expiration date (which is the date up to which a product can be retained in storage and be acceptable for use)

Goods receipt date and time

Country or region of origin

Certificate number

Inspection type and documents for a quality inspection

Stock ID (see Stock Identification)

Weight, volume, and capacity usage

Consolidation group (see Consolidation Group)

Document and item number for stock related to an EWM document

Blocking indicator for physical inventory

Indicator for batch in restricted-use stock

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 Note
The stock key is the list of all fields used to identify a quant, for example, product number, batch number, and party entitled to
dispose.

The stock identification is a 20-digit number used to identify a quant in the warehouse.

The system automatically creates a new quant if the quantity posted to a storage bin, resource, TU, or HU has a different stock key,
document reference (in case of stock related to an EWM document), stock ID, or quality inspection reference than the existing
quant in the storage bin, resource, TU, or HU.

In the storage type settings, you can forbid addition to existing stock. This prevents the melding of quants with different stock
attributes. You can define special rules for addition to existing stock based on the goods receipt date, the shelf life expiration date,
and the certificate number. For more information, see Customizing for Extended Warehouse Management under Master Data
Define Storage Type .

In addition to the stock attributes, you can manage batch attributes, such as the best-before date, in the batch data. For more
information, see Batch Management.

Serial Numbers

EWM can manage serial numbers for document items, at warehouse number level, or in Inventory Management. For serial
numbers managed in Inventory Management, the system stores exact storage bin information for a serial number. You know in
which bin, resource, TU, or HU a serial number is stored in the warehouse. For serial numbers managed for document items or at
warehouse level, the system does not store the exact location of a serial number in the warehouse. For more information, see Using
the Serial Number Requirement.

Example

The following figure shows quants of two different products in a storage bin. There is an unpacked quantity (3 eaches), a simple HU
(HU 3000), a nested HU (higher-level HU 4000 and lower-level HUs HU 1000 and HU 2000), and an HU with mixed storage (HU
1000).

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Related Information
Handling Unit (HU)
Transportation Unit
Resource
Storage Bin

Door

Definition

Location in the warehouse where the goods arrive at or leave the warehouse. The door is an organizational unit that you assign to
the warehouse number.

Vehicles and their transportation units (TUs) drive up to the doors of a warehouse to load or unload goods there. The doors are in
close proximity to the relevant staging areas .

Use

To control putaway and stock removal processes in your warehouse, you can define doors and staging areas within a warehouse
number.

You can assign various functions to a door:

Inbound

Outbound

Inbound and outbound

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In delivery processing, the system uses determination rules to determine the following for each delivery item:

Staging area groups

Staging areas

Staging bays

Doors

The determination rules are influenced by the possible assignments that you have defined in Customizing between doors and
staging areas as well as between doors and staging area/door determination groups. The system updates the delivery at item level
with the values that it finds.

You define doors in Customizing for Extended Warehouse Management (EWM) under Master Data Warehouse Door Define
Warehouse Door. You assign staging areas and staging area/door determination groups to your doors under Master Data
Warehouse Door.

Structure

You assign each door to a storage bin that you can use to post goods receipts or goods issues. You assign this storage bin to a
storage type with the storage type role F .

You can also assign doors to supply chain units to control authorization checks. You can also assign doors to yard bins (see Yard
Management ).

See also:

Staging Area and Door Determination

Staging Area

Definition
Organizational unit that is assigned hierarchically to the warehouse number and that is used to organize the flow of goods in the
warehouse.

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Use

Staging areas are used for the interim storage of goods in the warehouse. They are located in close proximity to the doors assigned
to them. You can define staging areas for different purposes and even simultaneously for multiple purposes:

Goods receipt

Interim storage of unloaded goods until they are put away

Goods issue

Interim storage of picked goods until they are loaded

In Customizing, you define staging areas and assign the staging areas to the relevant doors. For more information, see the
Implementation Guide (IMG) for Extended Warehouse Management (EWM)underMaster Data Staging Areas Define
Staging AreasandMaster Data Warehouse Door Assign Staging Area to Warehouse Door .

Structure

You can group multiple staging areas into staging area groups. The staging area group corresponds to a storage type (storage type
role "D"), while the staging area corresponds to a storage section. You can divide each staging area into one or more storage bins.
You need multiple storage bins, for example, if you want to define a loading sequence.

See also:

Staging Area and Door Determination

Work Center

Definition

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The work center is a physical unit in the warehouse, in which you can perform warehouse activities such as packing, distribution, or
weighing.

Use

You can use the work center in the following processes:

Packing

Deconsolidation

Quality Inspection

Extended Warehouse Management (EWM) contains the following transaction types for the work center:

Packing - General

This transaction type is for all general repacking transactions.

Deconsolidation

This transaction type is for distributing mixed handling units (HUs) into HUs for non-mixed deconsolidation groups.

Packing in the Staging Area

This transaction type is for packing together HUs according to the criterion Stop on Route .

You must assign each work center to a warehouse number, storage type, and storage bin. Note that you can only use storage types
that have one of the following storage type roles:

Work Center (E)

Pick Point (B)

Work Center in Staging Area Group (I)

Identification and Pick Point (C)

You can configure more than once work center for each storage type in the system.

You can assign an inbound and outbound section to each work section. For more information about setting up work centers, see
Customizing for Extended Warehouse Management under Master Data Work Center .

Example

The following example shows you various options, for example, on how a work center for deconsolidation can be structured:

Work center 1 represents the deconsolidation work center, which has no inbound section and no outbound section.

Work center 2 represents the deconsolidation work center, which has an outbound section but no inbound section.

Work center 3 represents the deconsolidation work center, which has both an inbound section and an outbound section.

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You can also join work centers together into work center groups. This means that you can send individual products or HUs to a
work center group, which corresponds to a storage section. In the above example, this would be a warehouse task to storage
section 0001.

The system only determines the final storage bin, and thus the work center, when you confirm the warehouse task.

Resource

Definition

A resource is an entity representing a user or equipment, which can execute work in the warehouse.

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Use
A resource can log on to a radio frequency (RF) or non-RF environment.

Once the resource is logged on to the system, it can receive work for execution, and can be tracked and displayed in the warehouse
management monitor .

 Note
For more information about logging on to an RF environment, see Logon .

For more information about how resources receive work, see Assignment of Warehouse Order to Resource .

Structure
A resource belongs to a resource type and resource group .

 Note
You define a resource in the transaction for resource maintenance. To do so on the launchpad, choose Extended Warehouse
Management Master Data Resource Management /SCWM/RSRC - Maintain Resource . Alternatively you can define a
resource by using the warehouse management monitor ( method Maint. Resource ).

Resource Type

Definition

A resource type is a grouping of resources with similar technical or physical qualifications.

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Use
The resource type determines the following for its corresponding resources :

Horizontal velocity

The velocity of a resource can influence the LSD of a warehouse order (WO).

For more information, see Latest Starting Date (LSD) .

Applicability of position management

For more information, see Position Management .

Qualifications and preferences (reflected by priority values) regarding bin access typesand HU type groups

The qualifications and priority values influence which WOs are selected for a resource requesting work.

For more information, see Warehouse Order Selection .

 Note
You define resource types, and assign to them qualifications, in Customizing for Extended Warehouse Management
Cross-Process Settings Resource Management Define Resource Types.

You maintain the qualification priority values using the execution priority maintenance transaction, accessed on the
launchpad ( Extended Warehouse Management Master Data Resource Management /SCWM/EXECPR -
Maintain Execution Priorities ).

Resource Group

Definition
A resource group is a grouping of resources for queue assignment purposes.

Use

The resource group determines the sequence of allowed queues for its corresponding resources, which can influence which WOs
are selected for a resource. For more information, see Warehouse Order Selection.

You assign/unassign a resource group to/from a queue using the Define Queue Sequence - Resource Group app, accessed on the
launchpad ( Extended Warehouse Management Master Data Resource Management ), or from the warehouse
management monitor (Assign Queue/Unassign Queue methods).

Warehouse Product
In Extended Warehouse Management (EWM), materials are used as products (see Material Master (LO-MD-MM)). The warehouse
product is a warehouse-number-dependent view of the product master data. The warehouse product comprises all the properties
of a product that relate to its storage in a certain warehouse within the framework of EWM, such as the putaway control indicator.

You need the warehouse product if you wish to use a product whose global data you have already maintained in the material
master.

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You can enhance a material with warehouse product data on the launchpad under Extended Warehouse Management Master
Data Product Maintain Products - Warehouse Data (transaction /SCWM/MAT1). Entry of the warehouse number (see
Warehouse Number) and the party entitled to dispose is mandatory, because the warehouse-number-dependent data pertaining
to the warehouse product applies only to this warehouse number and this party.

Alternatively, you can create and edit product master data, including warehouse-related data, using the Manage Product Master
app. The Warehouse Management Warehouse section of this app contains all the fields that are available on the Warehouse
Data and Storage Type Data tabs of the EWM product master. Note that you cannot use the app to specify slotting attributes. For
more information, see http://help.sap.com/s4hana under Product Assistance Cross Components Master Data
Maintenance Product Master Manage Product Master .

Structure
The warehouse-number-dependent data on the warehouse product can be found on the following tab pages in the maintenance
function for warehouse products:

Warehouse data

Here you maintain data on the warehouse in which the product is stored.

Slotting

For more information, see Slotting.

Storage type data

Here you maintain data on the type of facility in which the product is stored. For more information, see Storage Type.

Integration

Global, warehouse-number-independent data pertaining to the storage of the product can be found on the Storage tab page. This
tab page is also displayed in product master maintenance.

The following warehouse-number-independent data on the storage of a product from the material master is used in EWM:

Handling unit types

Warehouse product group

Warehouse storage condition

Warehouse handling indicator

Serial number profiles

Quality inspection groups

Preferred unit of measure for warehouse operations

These attributes are read-only in the product maintenance. You can maintain them in the material maintenance.

Field Enhancements
You can add custom fields for storage type data and warehouse data to the master data of your warehouse products, starting with
the Custom Fields app. For more information about creating custom fields, see Custom Fields.

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When you're creating custom fields, you can choose these business contexts: Warehouse Product: Storage Type Data
(/SCWM/PRODUCT_STORAGETYPE_DATA) and Warehouse Product: Warehouse Data (/SCWM/PRODUCT_WAREHOUSE_DATA).

After you publish these custom fields, you can find them under the Warehouse Data tab and the Storage Type Data tab on the
launchpad under Extended Warehouse Management Master Data Product Maintain Products - Warehouse Data
(transaction /SCWM/MAT1). You can also find them in the warehouse management monitor under Product Master Data
Warehouse Attribute and Product Master Data Warehouse Attribute Storage Type Attribute .

Mass Processing
You can create and maintain warehouse attributes and storage type attributes of multiple warehouse products in the warehouse
management monitor (transaction /SCWM/MON) under the Product Master Data monitor node. If the products have no warehouse
data or storage type attributes, the system creates it automatically.

You can also create and update multiple warehouse products using the Mass Processing and Mass Maintenance apps. For more
information, see Working with MDG, Consolidation and Mass Processing and Mass Maintenance.

Hazardous Substance
Definition

Substance that can pose a danger to humans, animals, or the environment when being handled or stored. The handling and
storage of hazardous substances is governed by law.

For more information, see the SAP Help Portal under SAP S/4HANA Enterprise Business Applications R&D / Engineering
Product Safety (EHS-SAF) Hazardous Substance Master Hazardous Substance .

Packaging Specification
A packaging specification is master data. The packaging specification defines all the necessary packing levels for a product in
order, for example, to put away or transport the product. For a product, a packaging specification mainly describes in which
quantities you can pack the product into which packaging materials in which sequence.

You can use the packaging specification by itself to build packages or as a unified package building engine in the unified package
building process.

Use

In printed form, a packaging specification is a set of instructions for the employee in the warehouse. More specifically, the
work steps that you enter in a packaging specification are intended as information for the employee. In this way you can, for
example, give the employee exact instructions as to where to place the label on a box, or how a product should be stacked
onto a pallet.

The system can determine packaging specifications during various processes (see below). Processes that determine
packaging specifications use only parts or specific attributes from the packaging specification.

Structure

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Header

Attributes such as the name of the packaging specification, user name of the creation user, status, and so on.

Contents

A packaging specification contains a product. However, some packaging specifications contain more than one product, or
refer to other packaging specifications.

Level

You can map various packing levels in a packaging specification. Each level contains a target quantity, which defines how
many times you can pack the previous level into this level.

Element group

For each level there is exactly one element group. However, you can reuse element groups in several packaging
specifications.

Elements

Elements consist of a packaging material and/or a work step.

Step

A text with an identification, which you can use in one or more packaging specifications.

Packaging material

A product that is defined with a packaging material type in the product master.

Example for a Packaging Specification and Its Structure:

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Header: Name: PS1, Status: New

Contents: product A, 1 piece

Level 1: Target quantity one, element group EG1

Element group EG1:

Element E1: packaging material ‘Small box’, work step ‘Place 1 piece upright in each box’

Element E2: additional packaging material ‘Label’, work step ‘Place label on upper left’

Level 2: Target quantity 50, shift quantity 10, element group EG2

Element group EG2:

Element E3: packaging material ‘Pallet’, work step ‘Place boxes layer by layer onto pallet’

Integration
The following figure shows which processes use the packaging specification, and using which components:

In both the Inventory Collaboration Hub (ICH) and in Extended Warehouse Management (EWM), you can use the same
packaging specification for an inbound delivery or an ASN that you then use for the process Automatic Packing .

Example
Palletization data in EWM

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In your warehouse, you put away product A onto pallets for 50 pieces. Create a packaging specification with a level that contains
the main packaging material Pallet and the contents Product A. For this level, enter the target quantity 50.

In the process ‘Putaway’ for the inbound delivery, the system splits the quantity in the inbound delivery across multiple warehouse
tasks, due to this packaging specification For example, if a quantity of 100 pieces is delivered, then the system creates two
warehouse tasks for 50 pieces.

Functions of the Packaging Specification

The following functions are possible for packaging specifications:

Create, copy, and activate (see also: Creation of Packaging Specifications)

Search (see also Packaging Specification Determination)

Distribute into multiple systems.

Mass change packaging specifications (see aslo: Mass Change of Packaging Specifications)

Route

Definition
Sequence of legs that are connected by transshipment locations.

Use
The route represents a framework or corridor that comprises a multitude of trips, in other words, possible concrete itineraries. The
system uses routes to determine trips in route determination (see Route Determination).

You can form cross-docking routes from routes (see Cross-Docking Route).

You can define routes in transaction /SCTM/ROUTE.

Structure

Leg

A leg is assigned uniquely to a route, in other words, it cannot be part of multiple routes. You define legs as a sequence of stops.
Each stop is a supply chain unit (SCU), in other words, a location, or zone (see Zone). The stops that connect two consecutive legs
must be locations.

By specifying whether the stop-offs are optional or mandatory, you define which locations the carrier is to serve in which order.

You assign exactly one means of transport to each leg. In most cases, adjacent legs of a route have different means of transport.
However, it might also be necessary to change legs due to various properties of the legs. Nonetheless, in most cases, the legs of a
route represent its unimodal parts.

Stop

At stop level, you can assign a mode of transport for foreign trade to each location. The system then takes into account this mode
of transport for outbound shipments in the case of exports. The value that represents this mode of transport is dependent on the
country or region in which the location lies. The system does not check if the mode of transport semantically matches the means

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of transport used for the leg of this location. Since, in most cases, the system cannot define a unique country or region for zones, it
does not permit you to define a mode of transport for such stops.

In static route determination, the system determines the mode of transport for foreign trade for outbound shipments (trips) in the
following sequence:

1. Country or region of first location

2. Part of the location sequence of the trip that runs from the first location within this country or region

3. The first location in this part of the location sequence when going backward that is a stop along the leg and for which a
mode of transport for foreign trade was defined, in other words, the location that lies closest to the border.

Carrier Assignment

You can assign as many different carriers as you want to your means of transport or any of its subordinate means of transport for
the leg. You can specify whether dangerous goods can be transported for each such combination of leg, means of transport, and
carrier.

In static route determination, the system defines the carrier for a trip as the carrier for the first leg who can transport dangerous
goods, if required, and for which you have defined the lowest costs for transportation along this leg in the carrier profile.

Departure Calendar Assignment

You can define a departure calendar for the leg. If the departures for a specific request type do not correspond with the departure
calendar for the leg, you can also define a specific departure calendar for this request type.

The system takes into account departure calendars when scheduling a trip for both the start location of the request and for each
transshipment location served. For more information, see Scheduling.

Validity and Restrictions

You can restrict the validity of a route by specifying the following:

A validity period that the system compares with the cutoff time of a single request.

Permitted shipping conditions that the system compares with the shipping conditions of a single request.

Permitted request types that the system compares with the request type of a single request.

You can specify permitted request types at the header level of the route and for each stop within the leg (customer, for
example). The request types at stop level must be part of the request types that you specify at header level. Request types
at stop level have a higher priority than those at header level. Accordingly, the request types at header level are valid for
those stops for which you have not defined separate request types.

Permitted transportation groups that the system compares with the transportation groups of the products in a single
request.

Weight limits for single and collective requests that the system compares with the total weight of the products in the single
request or in multiple combined requests

You can also specify weight limits for single and collective requests for each stop within a leg. These limits overwrite the
relevant limits that you specify for the route at header level.

Volume limits for single and collective requests that the system compares with the total volume of the products in the
single request or in multiple combined requests

You can also specify volume limits for single and collective requests for each stop within a leg. These limits overwrite the
relevant limits that you specify for the route at header level.
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Dimension limits (length, width, and height)

You can specify the maximum dimensions that a product is permitted to have to be valid for a certain route. The system
compares these dimensions with those that you defined in the product master.

You can also define various lead times for the different request types. These influence the start time of a trip in scheduling.

Example
The following figure shows a route with three legs that are connected by the transshipment locations P and M. It also shows a (red)
trip for the case where all stop-offs in the middle leg are optional and a (blue) trip for the case where these stop-offs are
mandatory.

Route

Cross-Docking Route

Definition
One or more inbound routes or one or more outbound routes that are connected by exactly one cross-docking location
(warehouse or distribution center relevant to cross-docking).

Use
You use cross-docking routes (CD routes) to link routes to route networks. The system takes into account CD routes when you use
route determination as part of cross-docking.

Here you can define per route pair (inbound route and outbound route) whether goods at the cross-docking location (CD location)
are to remain on the same vehicle or whether they are be loaded onto a different vehicle.

For more information, see Route Determination as Part of Cross-Docking and SAP Library for Extended Warehouse Management
(EWM) on SAP Help Portal at http://help.sap.com SAP Business Suite Extended Warehouse Management Cross-Docking
(CD) .

Structure

To define a CD route, you must make the following settings:

You specify a CD location for the route at header level.

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You specify one or more inbound routes on the CD Routes tab page. Here the destination location of all these routes must
be identical with the CD location.

You specify one or more outbound routes on the CD Routes tab page. Here the start location of all these routes must be
identical with the CD location. By specifying a different CD route as the inbound or outbound route, you can create a route
network with multiple CD locations. Here an outbound CD route from CD location 1 must have at least one inbound route
with the start location CD location 1. An inbound CD route to CD location 2 must have at least one outbound route with the
destination location CD location 2.

On the CD Attributes tab page, you define the required attributes, for example, whether transshipment is not required
(goods remain on the same vehicle), for the route pairs that consist of inbound and outbound routes.

 Note
You define CD routes in the Maintain Route (/SCTM/ROUTE) transaction.

Example
The following figure shows a route network consisting of two CD routes:

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Cross-Docking Routes

Vehicle

Definition
A specialization of a particular means of transport. A vehicle can comprise one or more transportation units (TUs). For more
information about transportation units, see Transportation Unit.

Use

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You define vehicles in the master data for transportation. You use vehicles to group TUs and to communicate with invoicing and
freight order management.

It is not mandatory to use vehicles in shipping and receiving if the features available at TU level are sufficient for your
transportation processes.

If you assign TUs to a vehicle in a fixed way, you cannot assign these TUs to another vehicle. In this case, data that you define for
the vehicle is also valid for the assigned TUs.

The dimensions of the vehicle come from the means of transport that you assign to the vehicle, and are used as the planned size.

You can print waybills for vehicles. For more information, see Print Forms in Shipping and Receiving.

Integration
If you use the Shipping Cockpit in your outbound processes, a vehicle is just displayed as an attribute of the TU and not as
its own hierarchy level. However, it is still possible to perform process steps on vehicles with assigned TUs, even if they are
executed on TU level.

For processes with transportation planning in SAP SAP S/4HANA , you can create a vehicle from an SAP SAP S/4HANA
shipment. You can use the SAP SAP S/4HANA shipment number as the external vehicle number.

For processes with transportation planning in Extended Warehouse Management and communication to SAP SAP
S/4HANA , you can create an SAP SAP S/4HANA shipment from a vehicle. You can use the external vehicle number as SAP
SAP S/4HANA shipment number.

For processes with transportation planning in SAP Transportation Management (SAP TM), you can create a vehicle from
an SAP TM freight order. You can use the SAP TM freight order as the external vehicle number.

Before goods issue posting, you can create the current invoice via an invoice request to SAP CRM Billing or to SAP ERP. For
more information, see Invoice Creation Before Goods Issue.

Example
The truck with the license plate number HSK-116 has a trailer. This means that it consists of two TUs: The cargo area and the
trailer.

More Information

Shipping and Receiving in Inbound and Outbound Processes.

Transportation Unit

Definition

The smallest loadable unit of a vehicle that is used to transport goods. The transportation unit (TU) can be, but does not need to
be, part of a vehicle. For more information about vehicles, see Vehicle.

The following figure shows different TUs:

Vehicle 1: Semitrailer truck with one TU

Vehicle 2: Truck with cargo area and trailer, in other words, two TUs

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Vehicle 3: Train with four wagons, in other words, four TUs

Transportation Unit Definition

In addition to the means of transport, you need a packaging material to create a TU. By linking this packaging material to a means
of transport, you define construction rules for your vehicles or TUs. In this way, you define, for example, how many TUs a vehicle is
supposed to have and the order in which they are to be arranged. You also specify whether a TU is to be optional or obligatory:

Obligatory TUs are a fixed part of a vehicle (fixed assignment). You cannot assign them to another vehicle, for example,
truck cargo area.

You can assign optional TUs to other vehicles, for example, trailer for a truck.

Use
You define TUs in the master data for your transportation planning and execution in Extended Warehouse Management (EWM).

You can print waybills for TUs.

If you use yard management, you use TUs for inventory management in the yard.

Integration
Before you assign deliveries to a TU, you create a shipping and receiving activity for the TU.

In your outbound processes with TUs, you can use the Shipping Cockpit to perform all TU-related steps within your
warehouse.

In processes with transportation planning in SAP ERP, you can create a TU from an SAP ERP shipment. You can use the SAP
ERP shipment number as external TU number.

In processes with transportation planning in EWM and communication to SAP ERP, you can create an SAP ERP shipment
from a TU. You can use the external TU number as SAP ERP shipment number.

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In processes with transportation planning in SAP Transportation Management (SAP TM), you can create a TU from an SAP
TM freight order. You can use the SAP TM freight order as the external TU number.

Before goods issue posting, you can create the current invoice via an invoice request to SAP CRM Billing or to SAP ERP
(see Invoice Creation Before Goods Issue).

Supply Chain Unit (SCU)

Definition
Physical or organizational unit that is used with one or more business characters within a logistical process. An organizational unit
may be a goods receiving office or a shipping office, for example.

The business characters are predefined by SAP.

Use
With the SCU, you can replicate certain business characters of locations, such as door or warehouse, which you need in the
processes of Extended Warehouse Management (EWM). You can use an SCU with different business characters. An SCU can
simultaneously be used as a planning location and a shipping office, for example.

You can create hierarchies of SCUs to represent the organization of a supply chain.

You can create, change, and delete SCUs via the SAP menu, under Extended Warehouse Management Master Data Maintain
Supply Chain Unit.

 Note
If you change the time zone of a supply chain unit, you must update the date and time of historical redundant data using the
Update Redundant Data for Historical WOs, Warehouse Tasks and Waves (/SCWM/R_WO_WT_CDS_RED) report and
Redundant Header and Item Data for Outbound Delivery Order (/SCDL/ODO_CDS_RED_UPD) report. To do this, while
running these reports, select the Overwrite Redundant Data checkbox.

Structure

The SCU contains general data and address data of the corresponding location. In contrast to the latter, however, it does not
contain any further global or application-specific data. The SCU also has one or more business characters.

You find this SCU data on the following tab pages:

General

General header data of the SCU/location, such as the global location number (GLN) and geographical data.

The technical name of an SCU must be unique in the system. That is to say, it must not conflict with the technical name of a
location.

Address Data

Address data of the location/SCU

Business Character

One or more business characters of the SCU.

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Integration

When a location is created in SAP SCM either manually or by transfer via the core interface (CIF), the system automatically creates
an SCU with identical general and address data and the business character planning location .

Conversely, if you create an SCU with the business character planning location , the system automatically creates a location with
identical general and address data.

 Caution
This relationship is of significance when a location is deleted. When you delete a location, the system only deletes the business
character planning location of the corresponding SCU. If the SCU has further business characters, it remains in the system
with the same name. To delete the SCU from the system, you must first delete all other existing business characters.

If you create an SCU with the business character Warehouse , the system does not create a corresponding location.

Warehouse Task

Definition

Document that uses Extended Warehouse Management (EWM) to execute goods movements. Logical or physical goods
movements or even stock changes can be the basis for a warehouse task. These include:

Picks

Putaways

Internal goods movements

Posting changes

Goods receipt postings

Goods issue postings

Use
You create the warehouse task either with reference to a warehouse request or without a reference document, for example for
internal goods movements.

The following figure shows the different warehouse tasks for products and handling units (HUs):

Product warehouse tasks

Handling unit warehouse tasks

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You or the system use product warehouse tasks, for example, for deconsolidation and handling unit warehouse tasks, for example,
for unloading.

You can identify the type of the warehouse task from the warehouse process type in the warehouse task. For more information
about the simultaneous use of product warehouse tasks and handling unit warehouse tasks, see Pick Point.

EWM also submits hazardous substance texts in the warehouse task.

When you confirm a warehouse task, you can also perform a physical inventory at the same time. Here, EWM can work with the
low-stock physical inventory.

Warehouse Order

Definition

Document that represents an executable work package that a warehouse employee should perform at a specific time. The
warehouse order consists of warehouse tasks or physical inventory items.

Use
When you move products, in other words you or Extended Warehouse Management (EWM) create warehouse tasks, then EWM
groups these warehouse tasks together into warehouse orders, and makes them available for processing.

When you perform a physical inventory, in other words you create physical inventory items, EWM also groups these physical
inventory items together into warehouse orders.

You can adjust the scope and type of a warehouse order using the warehouse order creation rules that you have defined in
Customizing.

 Note
For more information about warehouse order creation rules, see the Implementation Guide (IMG) for EWM under Cross-
Process Settings Warehouse Order Define Creation Rule for Warehouse Orders.

Integration

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The warehouse groups together warehouse tasks or physical inventory items.

Example
EWM creates warehouse tasks for an outbound delivery with four delivery items. EWM uses warehouse order creation to assign the
resulting four warehouse tasks to a new warehouse order. A warehouse employee receives this warehouse order as a work package
to pick the items listed in the delivery.

Handling Unit (HU)

Definition

A handling unit is a physical unit consisting of packaging materials (load carriers/packing material) and the goods contained on/in
it. A handling unit is always a combination of products and packaging materials. All the information contained in the product items,
for example, about batches, is retained in the handling units and is always available.

For more information, see Packaging Materials.

Handling units can be nested, and you can create a new handling unit from several other handling units.

A handling unit has a unique, scannable identification number that you can construct according to industry standards such as
GS1-128 or SSCC.

In Extended Warehouse Management (EWM), you can use the GS1-128 standard to decode bar codes according to an international
numbering standard, defined by GS1. This means that within the supply chain, GS1-128 can be used to transmit data from instance
to instance.

Fig. 1: Example of a Handling Unit

Structure
The object “Handling Unit” contains the following attributes:

Identification number

Dimension

Weight

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Volume

Status

Products and quantities

Packaging material

Packaging specification

A handling unit consists of a handling unit header and handling unit items. It receives a unique number that is used for
identification purposes.

Handling Unit Header

The header data of a handling unit is divided up as follows:

Weight/volume/dimension

General data

Storage-specific data

For more information about the different detailed information, see Packing at the Work Center.

Status

The handling unit is connected to general status management. This enables you to document the various physical statuses (such
as planned or realized) and other attributes (such as, weighed, loaded, blocked, or posted for GI) for a handling unit.

If you want to use your own status, you can store a user schema for the packaging material type.

Handling Unit Item

The items of a handling unit can consist of products, auxiliary packaging materials, or other handling units, which are displayed in
an overview. For more information about this overview, see Packing at the Work Center.

EWM-Specific Master Data Settings

You can make master data settings specific to Extended Warehouse Management (EWM).

Additional GTINs (EANs/UPCs) for Product

Use
You can use additional Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) (including International Article Numbers (EANs) and Universal Product
Codes (UPCs)) for a unit of measure of a product in Extended Warehouse Management (EWM). You can use additional GTINs, for
example, to identify the same unit of measure of the same product by different vendors.

You can maintain additional GTINs in the material master. If additional GTINs exist in EWM, you can use them to identify products
in the functions where the entry of a GTIN (EAN/UPC) is possible, for example, in product validation using radio frequency (RF).

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