Sales in SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2208

[Chr_Vogler]

There are different ways you can process sales documents in the system, depending on your specific needs. In the simplest case, you can enter a sales document with several items on a single screen.

In SAP S/4HANA Cloud, we continue to automate the creation of sales documents and support the optimization of these order fulfillment processes, not only to speed up the order fulfillment but also to provide more accurate data for future orders.

With this new release, we continue our journey to increase these key differentiators, and this blog provides an overview of the key innovations delivered with the SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2208 for Sales.

To name just a few highlights:

• Automatic sales-order creation from unstructured data – side-by-side view of uploaded documents


• Manage Sales Contracts – Version 2


• Manage Sales Quotations – Version 2


• Manage Sales Orders – Version 2


• New SAP Fiori app to create a customer returns order without reference to a sales document


• Pricing procedure configuration to handle international sales transactions and tax requirements


• Introduction of a new variant of sales kits – logistics on header and pricing on an item


• Microsoft Teams integration with SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2208


• … and more.

In case you do not need all the information below and just briefly want to get an overview of the release highlights, please watch this video with the top key innovations:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Xa0L2qgRMw

Release video: SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2208 for Sales: Top 2 key innovations

Automatic sales-order creation from unstructured data – side-by-side view of uploaded documents

Many businesses still use manual processing of sales orders that are sent and received on paper or via email or fax. Manual processing has a significant effect on the efficiency and performance of order processing.

The automatic creation of sales orders from unstructured data automates these routine tasks and identifies opportunities for innovation and creates synergy. This has been a popular feature since its shipment in the SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2011 release.

With this new release, we continue our roadmap to bring Intelligence for Sales to automate routine tasks, and you can now open the purchase order file of a sales order request in an embedded pane and check file contents alongside the sales order request data. The embedded file view highlights extracted data by default, and you can hover over a highlighted area to show an extracted field or click on the eye icon to show all extracted fields.

Previously, it was only possible to open the file in a new window.

https://sapvideoa35699dc5.hana.ondemand.com/?entry_id=1_kasq8bql

Demo 1: Increase salesforce efficiency and accuracy using the SAP Fiori app "Create Sales Orders - Automatic Extraction (including audio).

Enhancements since SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2011

Since the first version of this innovation, we have brought new features for almost every release. Below you will find a summary:

What’s New in SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2105:

• You can upload image files in JPG, JPEG, TIF, TIFF, or PNG format.


• You can search for sales order requests using the order simulation filter.


• You can view the change log of a sales order request. The log shows changes that have been made to sales order request fields.


• You can view the application log of a sales order request. The log shows system processing details regarding data extraction, data proposal, and BAdI call.


• More fields are available in simulated item data, such as the item category, confirmed quantity, and confirmed delivery date.


• The product can be determined with reference to order creation history

What’s New in SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2108:

• View and change the requested delivery date in sales order request items.


• Control whether the ship-to-party is required for creating sales orders in the configuration activity Adapt Settings by Company Code.


• Use a bot from the SAP Intelligent Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Factory to automate the creation of sales order requests from email attachments (PDF, JPG, JPEG, TIF, TIFF, and PNG file formats supported). For more information, see scope item 5LT and SAP Intelligent Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Factory.

What’s New in SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2111:

• Simplified setup for scope item 4X9, which no longer requires an enterprise account on SAP Business Technology Platform (a separate license) to use this app.


• Activation of duplicate check on uploaded files in the configuration activity Adapt Settings by Company Code


• Two new situation templates, allow you to activate automatic notifications about sales order requests that require manual processing

For additional information about the automatic sales-order creation from unstructured data, see SAP Help here.

 

Manage Sales Contracts – Version 2

Sales contracts represent long-term agreements with customers about goods or services. They define when specific goods are to be sold or specific services are to be provided, and under which conditions. Sales contracts are valid for a certain time period. When the validity ends, they can be renewed.

Remark: Sales scheduling agreements represent long-term agreements with customers about goods only. They outline the expected target quantity of goods that is to be delivered over a defined period of time.

With SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2208, a new SAP Fiori app is delivered (App ID: F5987) with which you can create, display, and edit sales contracts. You can also track sales contract progress by monitoring various statuses and blocks.

https://sapvideoa35699dc5.hana.ondemand.com/?entry_id=1_io5z6mle

Demo 2: Increase sales force speed and efficiency with the new app" Manage Sales Contracts – Version 2” (including audio).

Key Features

Creating Sales Contracts:

You can create sales contracts containing basic information in a fast and easy way within this app. Note that you can only create a limited number of sales contract types (currently quantity contracts).

Alternatively, you can create sales contracts by navigating to the Create Sales Contract - VA41 app

Approval Process for Sales Contracts

If a sales contract is relevant for approval, the system triggers the approval workflow when you release the sales contract. You can track the approval process by monitoring the approval status.

If your sales contract is relevant for approvals and the approver hasn’t yet released or rejected the approval request or sent the sales contract back for rework, you can withdraw the approval request. Note that in order to make any desired changes, you must first withdraw the approval request.

For more information about the approval process and how to set it up, see Approval Workflows for Sales Documents.

Multiple Customer Addresses and Address-Dependent Data

• If multiple addresses are maintained in the customer's business partner master data, you can change the customer address that is to be used for specific partner functions (for example, the ship-to-party address) by using the address selection button on the partner tabs in the document header and item level. For more information about how the system offers addresses for selection, see Understanding Address Selection in SD Documents.


• If address-dependent data is maintained (in the master data) for a customer address, and you select this address for one of the document's partner functions, the system automatically propagates the associated address-dependent data to the relevant fields of the document. For more information about maintaining address-dependent data, see Address-Dependent Data.

For additional information about Manage Sales Contracts – Version2 app, see SAP Help here.

 

Manage Sales Quotations – Version 2

Sales quotation management allows seamless integration into the sales process chain, which spans from quote to shipment and from billing to booking revenue.

The presales business processes are represented via sales inquiries and sales quotations.

• Sales inquiries are requests from customers for information about the purchasing conditions (such as price and availability) for certain goods or services.


• Sales quotations, in turn, are the responses to sales inquiries and represent legally binding offers to customers for the supply of goods or the provision of services under specific conditions.

And to close the loop, customers can respond to a sales quotation with a purchase order, which in turn triggers a sales order.

With SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2208, a new SAP Fiori app is delivered (App ID: F5630) with which you can create, display, and change sales quotations. You can also navigate to other apps, for example, to complete missing quotation data.

Compared with the Manage Sales Quotations app, the Manage Sales Quotations - Version 2 app allows you to manage sales quotations in a more efficient manner. You can create sales quotations, change sales quotations, and display sales quotation details within the Manage Sales Quotations - Version 2 app, whereas you need to navigate across apps to perform the preceding tasks in the Manage Sales Quotations app.

https://sapvideoa35699dc5.hana.ondemand.com/?entry_id=1_z97dyq4b

Demo 3: Increase sales force speed and efficiency with the new app “Manage Sales Quotation – Version 2” (including audio).

Key features:

• Efficient creation of sales contracts, with the immediate determination of pricing: You can add, change, and remove pricing elements. A pricing element shows information such as the condition type, base amount, and calculated amount. You can also update prices. After that, the net value is refreshed for related sales quotations or sales quotation items.


• Ability to adapt the UI to company best practices using key-user adaptation; for instance, show, hide or rearrange standard and extension fields


• Embedded analytics with context-based navigation:


• Quick actions accelerating users' work: Update Prices, show Incompleteness Info and manage Attachments can be performed from the object detail.


• Navigate to related apps: You can navigate to related apps from a document number, such as sales quotation or sales order in the process flow. You can choose a customer or product number to open related apps. You can also navigate to the Sales Volume - Check Open Sales app from the net sales volume on the object page of a sales quotation


• Mass data entry through XLS cut and paste capabilities

Multiple Customer Addresses and Address-Dependent Data

• If multiple addresses are maintained in the customer's business partner master data, you can change the customer address that is to be used for specific partner functions (for example, the ship-to-party address) by using the address selection button on the partner tabs in the document header and item level. For more information about how the system offers addresses for selection, see Understanding Address Selection in SD Documents.


• If address-dependent data is maintained (in the master data) for a customer address, and you select this address for one of the document's partner functions, the system automatically propagates the associated address-dependent data to the relevant fields of the document. For more information about maintaining address-dependent data, see Address-Dependent Data.

For additional information about Manage Sales Quotations – Version2 app, see SAP Help here.

 

Manage Sales Orders – Version 2

The Process Sales Orders app was renamed to Manage Sales Orders - Version 2 and enhanced. This app now offers a list of sales orders with filter options and actions as an entry point, similar to the Manage Sales Orders app. You can also create and change sales orders. The Create Sales Orders tile is part of this app. In addition, the functionality for creating, changing, and displaying sales orders was enhanced on the header and item level.

Picture 1: Increase salesforce efficiency, accuracy, and output using the Manage Sales Orders (Version 2) app.

Key features

The app has been enhanced as follows:

• When you create a sales order and enter a sold-to party, the system only proposes business partners with at least one sales area in master data.


• When you enter a one-time customer and do not change the generic address data, the system throws an error to make you aware that you need to enter an individual address.


• You can display address details for business partners on the header and in the item.


• You can change specific address fields for business partners on the header and in the item to use document-specific addresses.


• You can use billing plans on the header and in the items.


• When you create a sales order, you can update the output items to display an output preview before saving.


• In the item table, color-coded information helps you to see at a glance whether the availability of a product is confirmed, unconfirmed, partially confirmed, or will be confirmed later. You can also choose the link to display additional information.


• In addition to price elements, you can see basic pricing data at a glance. Your key user can add additional fields to this section using key user adaptation.


• You can display additional fields in the price elements table.


• You can see the order-related billing status and the down payment status on the header and in the item, if relevant.


• Your key user can add approval status details to the header and the item area using key user adaptation.

Remark 1: Note that you can only create a limited number of sales order types. This app is not meant to replace the Create Sales Orders - VA01 app.

Remark 2: If multiple sales areas are assigned to your customer, enter the sales organization, the distribution channel, and the division in the popup window when you start creating the sales order. If a single sales area is assigned to your customer, you can enter only the sales order type and the system automatically determines the correct sales area information for this customer.

For additional information about Manage Sales Orders – Version 2 app, see SAP Help here.

 

Manage Customer Returns – Version 2

You create a returns order to trigger the customer returns process. In a returns order, you enter information that is the basis for the subsequent logistical and financial processing of the return.

A returns order is usually created with reference to a sales order or an invoice. Now with the SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2208 release, you can also create a returns order without any reference.

With the Manage Customer Returns – Version 2 app, you can create returns orders without referencing a preceding document. Also, you can manage customer returns by displaying, editing, and determining refunds for returns orders. Furthermore, you can monitor various statuses to track the progress of customer returns.

Business Background

The business Scenario here could be that you have not migrated sales orders from your legacy system and a customer returns goods that are referenced to a sales order in your legacy system.

Additional Details

You can create returns orders with reference by navigating to the Manage Customer Returns app, which additionally supports approval request withdrawal, document rejection, as well as the processing of serial numbers, bills of material (BOM), and attachments

https://sapvideoa35699dc5.hana.ondemand.com/?entry_id=1_0r4v1cii

Demo 4: Increase process flexibility by supporting the creation of customer returns without reference to a preceding sales document (including audio).

Key Features

You can use this app to do the following:

• Display, sort, and filter a list of all types of returns orders in the system


• The display returns order details on customer return object page or by choosing a row from the list


• Display customer details by navigating to customer-related apps


• Create returns orders without a reference document


• Create returns orders with a reference document by navigating to the Manage Customer Returns app


• Check document completeness


• Edit returns orders


• Display, add, update, or remove price elements and business partners


• View the approval status of returns orders.


• Select logistical follow-up activities for returns order items


• Determine the refund for returns order items


• Monitor customer returns


• Adjust view settings as well as save and load custom views


• Export data to spreadsheets


• Navigate to related apps

For additional information about Returns Order, see SAP Help here.

 

Automatic Inclusion of Price Conditions with Modular Pricing Procedures

With this feature, you can configure the system so that during the pricing process in a business document, the system dynamically includes additional price conditions into this business document. For this purpose, you set up inclusion points, main procedures, subprocedures, and formulas for subprocedure determination. During the pricing process, the additional price conditions are derived from subprocedures.

Business Background

To make the pricing process more flexible, we introduce a new Pricing procedure configuration to handle international sales transactions and tax requirements.

You can now configure the system so that during the pricing process in a business document, the system automatically includes additional price conditions in this business document.

You can use this function if you plan to set up pricing procedures that can be divided into a common part, that is valid across different business processes, and a specific part, that is valid for specific business transactions.

Additional Details

You use this feature if your pricing procedures can be divided into a common part that is valid across different business processes or areas and a specific part that is valid for specific business transactions.

You as a configuration expert must set up the following elements in the system:

• Inclusion point: You define an inclusion point as a special kind of condition type.


• Main procedure: You define the places where additional condition types are to be included during document processing by adding inclusion points at a specific step number in a pricing procedure. With this configuration, the pricing procedure becomes the main procedure.


• Subprocedure: You set up pricing procedures that each contain a set of additional condition types you want to be included automatically in the main procedure during document processing. To use a pricing procedure as a subprocedure you assign the relevant inclusion point to each procedure.


• Formulas for subprocedure determination: To control which sets of additional condition types are included during the pricing process, you define a formula for subprocedure determination and use its formula ID in the inclusion point. The formula contains business logic that tells the system when to determine which subprocedure.

Demo 5: Simplify pricing configuration to handle international sales transactions and corresponding tax requirements (coming soon).

For additional information on the Automatic Inclusion of Price Conditions Using Modular Pricing Procedures, see SAP Help Portal here.

For additional information on Modular Pricing Procedures for Automatic Inclusion of Price Conditions, see SAP Help Portal here.

 

Customer Hierarchies in Sales

With this feature, you can set up the system to use customer hierarchies for sales documents and billing documents. In the sales process, customer hierarchies are often necessary and helpful to organize customers along multiple levels, for uses such as pricing. If you set up pricing to be dependent on customer hierarchy data, you can also use this feature to determine prices for the hierarchy nodes associated with a customer hierarchy in sales documents.

Business Background

In the sales process, customer hierarchies are often necessary and helpful to organize customers along multiple levels for uses such as pricing. You can use customer hierarchies for price determination in sales documents and billing documents if price calculations are set up to be dependent on customer hierarchy data.

With customer hierarchies, you can reflect the structure of your customer organizations. If you use customer hierarchies in sales, you can use them to determine prices for the hierarchy node configured in the Manage Prices - Sales app during the processing of sales documents. For the use in pricing, you can define condition records for each node of the customer hierarchy. For example, discounts given for a hierarchy node on a higher level are valid for all customers or business partners on a lower level.

Key Features

• Availability of a customer hierarchy functionality in SAP S/4HANA Cloud based on the universal hierarchy framework (UHF)


• Leveraging the new SAP Fiori user experience through the universal hierarchy


• Increased sales force efficiency by using the customer hierarchy in price determination for sales documents and billing documents


• Configuration of a hierarchy up to multiple levels


• Mass maintenance of customers to a particular hierarchy level


• Download functionality into Excel


• Ability to configure time dependency for a hierarchy


• Ability to drag and drop nodes during the creation of a hierarchy


• Availability of change-log functionality

Picture 2: Use customer hierarchies to flexibly structure customers along different characteristics.

Related Enhancements

With this innovation, we also made the following enhancements:

• Display Customer Hierarchy Data in Sales Documents: With this feature, you can view the customer hierarchy data for a sales document on the header level, including hierarchy node, hierarchy node type, and pricing relevant, by selecting the customer hierarchy tab on the sales documents.


• Display Customer Hierarchy Data in Billing Documents and Preliminary Billing Documents: With this feature, the header details of five billing apps have been enhanced with a tab that, when the sold-to party of the viewed document is assigned to a customer hierarchy, displays details about these customer hierarchy assignments. Note that the new tab is only visible for documents in which the sold-to party is assigned to a customer hierarchy.


• Determine Prices Using Customer Hierarchies: This new feature enables you to use customer hierarchies to determine prices for the hierarchy nodes associated with a customer hierarchy in sales documents. As a prerequisite, you must set up pricing to be dependent on customer hierarchy data.


• Customer Hierarchy in Flexible Analysis apps: The following apps now support customer hierarchies for sales purposes (Previously, only customer hierarchies for analytics purposes were available in these apps):
  
  
  
  • Incoming Sales Orders - Flexible Analysis
  
  
  • Sales Volume - Flexible Analysis
  
  
  • Sales Quotations - Flexible Analysis
  
  
  • Customer Returns - Flexible Analysis
  
  
  
  

For more information about customer hierarchies in sales, see SAP Help Portal here.

 

Additional Way of Processing Bills of Material (BOMs) for Sales Documents

You can now use the fourth way of processing BOMs (also known as sales kits) for sales documents. With item category group DISH, inventory control and delivery processing are then carried out at the main item level, whereas pricing is carried out at the subitem level. You would usually use this way of processing for products whose components can be sold both in a bundle and separately. In customer returns, the compensation is controlled at the subitem level and only monetary compensation is applicable.

Additional Details

Previously, you could choose from the following ways of processing BOMs:

• Processing on main item level (item category group ERLA)


• Processing on subitem level (item category group LUMF)


• Processing on both levels: pricing on the main item level and inventory control and delivery processing on the subitem level (item category CPFH)

Overview of the Differences

The following table gives you an overview of the most important differences between the available ways of processing standard products (for subitems, you can also use non-stock products):

For more information about Bills of Material in Sales Documents, see SAP Help Portal here.

 

Microsoft Teams integration with SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2208

We have reached another significant milestone for SAP Fiori with the new Horizon theme now released for customers of SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2208, SAP Launchpad service, and SAP Work Zone. On top of that, SAP S/4HANA Cloud introduces a completely new My Home application as a powerful and flexible product-specific entry point for users – along with numerous other larger and smaller UX innovations.

https://sapvideoa35699dc5.hana.ondemand.com/?entry_id=1_f6en1jez

Demo 6: Take Collaboration to the Next Level Through Microsoft Teams.

 

Learn about these, as well as further innovations from CX and BTP in this blog post:

SAP Fiori Update: Major Horizon Next Steps Available Now – SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2208 and More

For an overview plus demo videos of the major innovations with SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2208, have a look at Maria’s blog post:

SAP User Experience in SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2208

 

Watch the Replays of Our SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2208 Early Release Series!

We’ve hosted a series of compelling live sessions from the heart of the SAP S/4HANA Engineering organization. Missed the live sessions? Watch our replays on demand!

Among the replays, you can find a 30-minute replay, a presentation, and demos for Enterprise Portfolio and Project Management as part of the SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2208 release as well as 20 other sessions on diverse topics like Manufacturing, Finance, Professional Services, SAP User Experience, Developer Extensibility and much more. For more information on the SAP S/4HANA Cloud Early Release Series and how to sign up for it, see this link.

 

Thanks for reading this blog post. Stay tuned!

 

More Information on SAP S/4HANA Cloud

• SAP S/4HANA Cloud release info here


• Sven Denecken’s SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2208 Release Blog


• The Link Collection for Sales here


• The Link Collection for Product Compliance here


• Latest SAP S/4HANA Cloud Release Blogs here and previous intelligent ERP updates here


• Product videos on our SAP S/4HANA Cloud and SAP S/4HANA YouTube playlist


• SAP S/4HANA PSCC Digital Enablement Wheel here


• Early Release Webinar Series here


• Inside SAP S/4HANA Podcast here


• openSAP Microlearning for SAP S/4HANA here


• Best practices for SAP S/4HANA Cloud here


• SAP S/4HANA Cloud Community here


• Feature Scope Description here


• What’s New here


• Help Portal Product Page here


• Implementation Portal here

Follow us via @Sisn and #S4HANA, or myself via @VoglerChrist and LinkedIn