Output Determination in SD

The output determination component is used for output control. Output control is used to exchange information with internal and external partners.

Output determination in sales and distribution allows you to control proposal using assignments and groupings in such a way that the system selects the output allowed in each sales transaction and carries out output processing according to predefined criteria.

In the SAP System there are two possible ways of controlling output determination for each output:

Proposal of output from the customer master record.

Proposal of output using the condition technique.

SAP recommends the output proposal using the condition technique. This is because it is much more flexible than taking the proposal via the customer master. For example, the condition technique makes it possible to determine the most suitable output from several different types of output.

The output determination also involves

Condition Table

Access Sequence

Condition Types
Output Determination Procedure

Output Determination Procedure Assignment


1) Condition Table-TCode V/57

SPRO Path -IMG - SD - Basic Function - Output Control - Output Determination using Condition Technique - Output Determination for Sales Documents - Maintain Condition Table

You have to define combination of fields for which you want condition records in condition tables of output. Provided existing standard condition tables does not meet your requirement. In case of new condition table enter name of condition table, the number of table must be starting from 900. Select the fields for table from allowed fields and generate new condition table.

2) Access Sequence

SPRO Path IMG - SD - Basic Function - Output Control - Output Determination using Condition Technique - Output Determination for Sales Documents - Maintain Access Sequence

You have to define new access sequence by copying existing one and change to your requirement, provided standard access sequence does not meet you requirement. It is search strategy which system uses to find out condition records stored in condition tables for condition types. Unlike pricing, all output type has access sequence. Therefore, you maintain output condition record for all output types.

3) Output Types TCode V/30

SPRO Path IMG - SD - Basic function - Output control - Output determination using condition technique - Output determination for sales documents - Maintain Output Types

You have to define new Output types by copying existing one and change to your requirement, provided standard output type does not meet you requirement- 

Languages of Output
Print Program: print specification
SAP Script: layout
Partners (to whom you need to send output)
You need to mention Partner function wise Output type. 

Assign Output types of Partner Function
SPRO Path IMG - SD - Basic Function - Output Control - Output determination using condition technique - Output determination for Sales documents - Assign Output type to Partner Function

Here you assign Output types to desired Partner function like SP/SH/PY etc.. Generally that would be the intent recipient of that output type.


4) Maintain Output Determination Procedure

SPRO Path IMG - SD - Basic function - Output control - Output determination using condition technique - Output determination for sales documents - Maintain Output determination procedures

You have to define new Output determination procedure by copying existing one and change to your requirement, provided standard output determination procedure does not meet you requirement.


5) Assign Output Determination Procedure

TCode V/43 

Assign Output determination procedure to Sales document header level

TCode V/69 

Assign Output determination procedure to Sales document item category


SPRO Path IMG - SD - Basic Function - Output control - Output determination using condition technique - Output determination for sales documents - Assign Output determination procedures

You need to assign output determination procedure to Sales document. You may assign as per your requirement Header level and item level.

Similar steps could be followed for output determination for Sales activities and Billing documents.

Define Communication Strategy
SPRO Path IMG - SD - Basic Function - Output Control - Determine Communication Strategy

You need to create communication strategy, system should search for communication methods in case of transmission medium 5.

Output Determination Level & Assignment in Sales

Output Determination - Level

Assign to Output Determination - Sales Document:Header assigned to Sales Document Type 

Output Determination - Sales Document: Item assigned to Sales Document Item Category 

Output Determination - Delivery Document: Header assigned to Delivery Type 

Output Determination - Delivery Document: Item assigned to Delivery Item Category

Output Determination - Billing Document: Header assigned to Billing Type

Output Determination - Billing Document: Item assigned to Billing Type


Some Standard Output Types

Output Type relevant Sales Document


Standard Output Type

Transfer Order -WMTA 

Packing -PL00

Sales Orders -BA00 

Cash Sales -RD03 

Sales Invoice -RD00 

Delivery Note -LD00 

Condition Record


Without or in absence proper condition record maintenance, the desired output type will not determine in relevant sales document type. Therefore condition record is crucial in Automatic determination of output type.

Condition Record Maintenance for

VV11 / VV12 / VV13
Sales Document relevant Output Type


VV21 / VV22 / VV23
Delivery Document relevant Output Type


VV31 / VV32 / VV33
Billing Document relevant Output Type

Output types are used to represent various format of output in the SAP system, Eg of output types in Sales and Distribution processing are order confirmations, freight lists, and invoices. You use the output type to control how the output should be transmitted, Eg, whether an order confirmation should be send via EDI, or printed.

Text determination in SD

Text determination is a basic but often essential function of document processing.  Using text determination, text lines can be copied from one document to another such as from a customer master to a sales order. Once the organizational structure is in place, additional configuration related to texts and output may be completed in order to help manage sales transactions with customers and within a company, and to generate output for sales and sales support activities.  The usage of text is optional.

Texts: Texts are descriptions of additional information to help clarify data within SAP R/3.  Any relevant information can be freely defined, stored and maintained as the text both in the Customer Master record and in Sales & Distribution Documents. Texts are categorized by the Text Type. The text can be defined at the following levels:

           

·         Customer

o    Central Texts: defined at the Customer level

o    Contact Person: defined at the Customer level

o    Sales & Distribution: defined at the Customer/Sales Area level

·         Material

o    Info record: defined at the customer/material level

o    Pricing conditions

o    Agreements

o    Conditions

·         Document

o    Sales Document :defined at both the Header and Item level

o    Delivery :defined at both the Header and Item level

o    Billing :defined at both the Header and Item level

o    Shipment: defined at the Header level

o    Contact/Sales Activity :defined at the Header level

When creating a Sales Order, the text in the Sales Order refers to the Material, Customer or referenced Sales Order.  The referred text can be manually changed.

Define Output Configuration (V/44)

Output: Output control which is dependent on various criteria allows output to be processed and sent subject to certain conditions and restrictions.

For Output Control following needs to be defined:

·         Rules of output determination

·         Print parameters

·         When the sending of output is to be initiated

In the SAP R/3, outputs such as Order Confirmations, Delivery Notes, or Sales Invoices are controlled by the Customer Master, the Output Condition Record, and the Print Parameter.

When creating output, valid Output Condition Records are found utilizing the Output Determination Procedure. This procedure uses the Condition Technique like text determination and pricing. Output determination in sales and distribution allows user to control proposal using assignments and groupings in such a way that the system selects the output allowed in each sales transaction and carries out output processing according to predefined criteria. Output control occurs at the header and item levels.

In the SAP System there are two possible ways of controlling output determination for each output:

·         proposal of output from the customer master record

·         proposal of output using the condition technique

SAP recommends the output proposal using the condition technique. This is because it is much more flexible than taking the proposal via the customer master. For example, the condition technique makes it possible to determine the most suitable output from several different types of output.

In this step, define the print parameters are defined for sales, shipping, billing, transportation and sales activity output, for example. This is dependent on a predefined key. In the standard version of the SAP R/3 system, print parameters can, for example, be dependent on:

·         sales organization

·         sales organization/ distribution channel / division

·         sales office

·         shipping point

For example, it is possible to print out picking lists on a printer which is assigned to a particular shipping point, and sales order confirmations on another printer which is assigned to a particular sales office.

Define Output Layout (V/46)

In forms , definition of the layout of output documents is done. It is also defined which texts and data appear at which position of the output document. Forms are pre defined and allocated to the outputs which have been defined beforehand.  Forms define the text format and page layout of documents, which can be formatted (in accordance with the definitions) for display on the screen or for output to a printer.

Furthermore, user can allocate form texts (e.g. for address or letterhead) which appear in the output documents according to certain criteria (for example, sales organization or sales office).

Variant Pricing

What is variant Pricing 

Pricing configurable materials is a unique process because all items that make up the superior material must be taken into account. SAP uses a method called variant pricing to derive a final price for a configurable material. This method utilizes variant configuration and condition records to arrive at a price for the material. The objective of this activity is to explain how SAP locates the appropriate condition records to calculate a price for each variant configuration

Steps needs to perform 

Create condition records for material variants:

Variant pricing requires the creation of condition records to calculate discounts, taxes, or surcharges for the variant material. A variant material is one that possesses a number of different configurations. A car, for example, could be a variant material because one configuration may include a different type of tires than another. Two different configurations of the same car, therefore, one with wide tires and another with narrow tires, are variants of the superior material. Condition records are created to account for each variant of the header material. Using a condition record, for example, a discount would be calculated for a particular variant. This discount is then added to the header material. All possible configurations of the superior material, therefore, are covered either by creating one condition record which includes separate discounts, surcharges, or taxes for each variant or by creating a unique condition record for each variant. 

The following are two types of condition records specifically created for variant pricing:

· VA00: Discounts and surcharges applied to the item are based on the quantity ordered.

· VA01: Discounts and surcharges based on a percentage.

Create dependencies for each variant:

For the appropriate condition records to be located for each variant, object dependencies must be created. Dependencies are created so the correct condition record is applied to its corresponding variant. The use of a particular condition record, therefore, is dependent upon the variant configuration selected. For the header material car, for example, a dependency would tell the system to use condition record "XXXX" if the variant is a red, two-door, with a V6 engine. Condition record "XXXX" specifies a discount, surcharge, or tax which is then added to this variant of the header material car. The dependency says that choosing this particular condition record is dependent upon finding the values red, two-door, and V6 engine 

for the header material car. Pricing, in this case, is dependent upon choosing these three values.

Pricing may also be independent of certain selected values. After the three values, red, two-door, and V6 engine are chosen a price is applied to the material car. Price is therefore, independent of the other values selected. Anti-lock brakes and bucket seats may be selected and have no effect on the price of the car.

Calculate a price for the variant material:

Once the correct condition record is selected for the variant, a discount, surcharge, or tax is added to the price of the material. For the red, two-door car with a V6 engine, for example, a discount condition record is selected. This record dictates that for this variant, a 10% discount is applied to the regular price of the car. At this point, 10% is deducted from the total price of the car and the final price is calculated.