Over the recent months and years, the SAP TM Product Management team has shared and consolidated as many informational and learning resources as possible. To that end, we have revamped our SAP Community page with many useful links, related pages, blog posts, product release reports, and much more.
However, as the list of such resources grows constantly, it can become a bit cumbersome to search and navigate to the most essential documentation. For example, you may be looking for a page that has the most recent product updates, or you need to learn where you can get some further learning and knowledge to better prepare yourself for potential customer implementation projects. There are also How-to guides available – but yet to find solely as attachments of Notes and Knowledge Based Articles (KBA).
To simplify matters, we decided to take things a step further, and prepare this blog post in order to compile (according to our estimates) the most essential informational and learning content that a new reader could use to get up to date on our product. This blog post will be continuously updated, as well will take in feedback for further additions and improvements on a regular base, as they become available. For example, within the next months the page will be enhanced in such a way that it will also offer a Learning section – a new Open SAP Course targeting Advanced Shipping & Receiving will be offered in the Essential Knowledge base.
Furthermore, please note that this is the page for Transportation Management in SAP S/4HANA, Private Cloud Edition. There is also an Essential Knowledge Base for Extended Warehouse Management in SAP S/4HANA, which has a similar content structure as here, and where you can find many important resources for that product.
What’s New in our Latest Releases
In this section, we want to focus on the latest information and documentation for the previous three product releases which will cover all the new features and enhancements that have been added with each release or feature pack. Please note that this list will be updated as soon as we publish a new release. This serves as a good starting point for exploring the latest status of our product.
Supply Chain Management in SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Private Edition 2023
Deployment Options and Release Information Notes
There are multiple options available to deploy your Transportation Management in SAP S/4HANA. While the decision to choose a deployment option must always be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and is based on several factors, there are some foundational Knowledge Based Articles that can give you a head start. First off, be sure to check out the SAP Note on SAP TM deployment options. Aside from general recommendations, it also offers guides and links to other helpful notes worth considering. Secondly, I would suggest you also read our SAP Notes on release differences and restrictions – Release Information:
General Documentation
Here I want to point readers to some essential documentation that provides a more detailed look into the product itself. The SAP Transportation Management Help Portal – this Help Portal page contains an overview of all the features and processes available in SAP Transportation Management. See also this blog post: Finding Documentation for Transportation Management | SAP Blogs.
General Documentation - Integration
Integration with other components in your logistics setup such as Extended Warehouse Management or SAP Global Trade Services is considered a key aspect.
General Documentation - SOA
The SOA Architecture supports your business in a reliable and smooth manner.
Looking for SOA documentation? Here we go: Enterprise Services and ESR-Content
I have collected the 'Additional SOA Documentation for Enterprise Services' (SAP notes) according to your needs.
Running SAP S/4HANA and heading for Operation Guidance? Have a look at the Operations and Upgrade Guides.
Now let us have a look at some business topics which are - according to the feedback I received - in the focus of many readers.
(Logistics) Integration
Integration is always key. Transportation Management in SAP S/4HANA puts a special focus on it.
Although we are already pretty good integrated with SD, MM and LE we have applied some improvements in the area of Logistics Integration. Let me start with a topic discussing the relevance of Transportation - it is discussed in the Definition of Transport Relevance.
MM Documents such as purchase orders and also SD Sales Orders are already supported for a while. Thats not new to the experts. But now we also deal with sales scheduling agreements.
Soon I will list more content in that section. But for now I do not want to miss the opportunity to point your attention to an enhancement we have been waiting for a while, but now it's there - the Improved Incoterm Handling will support your business in several aspects, not only in avoiding typos. The Integration starts in MM or SD, touches LE and even Global Trade Services if used.
Useful information about integration scenarios can be found in Integration scenarios with SAP S/4 HANA Transportation Management.
Logistics Integration – Integration Guides
Advanced Shipping & Receiving
In the SAP S/4HANA 2020 FPS01 release we delivered a new SAP TM-EWM integration option which we refer to as Advanced Shipping & Receiving (ASR). This direct integration method does not use the Transportation Unit (TU) anymore, instead using one object for logistics processes, the Freight Order of SAP TM.
Since that release, we continuously delivered ASR updates (you can find out more about them in the “What’s New” blogs and presentations linked above), and published several Knowledge Based Articles, Guides and support notes. Here are some of the highlights: ·
SAP Advanced Shipping & Receiving: The New Simplified Integration Between SAP Transportation Managem... – the first blog article dedicated to ASR, this covers the foundational scope and benefits of this integration.
Essential information referring to the central object – the Consignment – and how it combines with the shipping notification is introduced in Consignment Order in SAP S/4HANA TM based upon Advanced Shipping Notifications and in SAP Advanced Shipping & Receiving – Advanced Shipping Notification on Consignment Level.
Valuable information discussing the Supplier Return process based on Quality Management is given in Supplier Returns handling in SAP TM, triggered by a QM notification.
Will Stock Transport Orders also work within ASR? Yes, they will - find some details in the great Blog Improved location determination in SAP TM for STO enablement in ASR scenario.
There are already a lot of more Blogs available – yet more than I can list - and in the future, there will be some more to be published here. Finally, I don’t want to miss to provide the Integration Guides.
Advanced Shipping & Receiving - Integration Guides
Advanced Shipping & Receiving - Some Essential KBAs
Please have a look at some KBAs which we think that are worth to put your focus on:
Comparison – Advanced Scope vs Basic Scope
Some introducing information highlighting that topic can already be found in SAP’s strategy for Transportation Solutions in SAP S/4HANA.
The Blog Basic Transportation Management vs Advanced Transportation Management | SAP Blogs discusses the topic in a broader manner.
Further details regarding the content of the different versions are listed in the Blog SAP TM Auditing TM vs. Advanced TM and in the KBA
Definition: Basic Shipping vs basic Transportation Management vs advanced Transportation Management. This KBA will be kept up to date and is considered a central place providing valuable information.
The advanced license offers even more Transportation logistics. So, the new Consignment object which is used in ASR is introduced as part of it. Interested in upgrading from basic to advanced scope? You don't upgrade from TM basic to advanced. The entire TM functionality is embedded in S4CORE component (S4HANA ON PREMISE). There is no need to install any additional component.
Migration & Transformation
System Transformation: SAP TM --> TM in SAP S/4HANA
Still happy with SAP TM?
Well, that is not really astonishing and good news. But times are changing and S/4HANA with its plenty of new functions and features offers its services to support you on your way ahead. And we support you on your upgrade path. I have collected some KBAs sharing all the details you should be aware of.
For the migration tool and migration strategy you find slides, docu and an FAQ at System Transformation SAP TM to TM in SAP S/4HANA.
Related is the topic of master data synchronization/transfer between S/4HANA system which is discussed in Transfer Transportation Management Master Data.
Do you want to get some support on your transformation journey? Someone to talk to about your specific situation but also asking questions about the best fitting target solution architecture deployment? Well, here it is. The mission of Premium Engagement service delivery is to help our customers and partners answering these questions in the context of their project and program planning. More details can be found in Transformation to SAP S/4HANA for Warehouse and Transportation Management solutions.
Free Training
Don't forget to book your free Online Training Course.
Enroll now here!
SAP Logistics – Transformation from SAP ERP to SAP S/4HANA
LE-TRA-TM Transition
You might already be aware of the fact that Logistics Execution Transportation (LE-TRA) is not the target architecture anymore within SAP S/4HANA.
The alternative functionality is the basic variant of Transportation Management within SAP S/4HANA, which is already available.
The main functions of LE-TRA have already been replaced with those selected functions of SAP S/4HANA Supply Chain for Transportation Management.
The KBA LE-TRA-TM-Transition Work List S4TWL provides further details.
Developer's Corner
Searching for unfiltered and direct technical stuff? Here we go.
Join the TM Development Community.
Refer to series, Monday Series or Tuesday Series, tobias.berger#content or other bernd.dittrich#content published by Developers being part of the Transportation Management Community.
Widen your portfolio - get known to handy Tools for development used by TM Developers.
Let me collect some technical topics we learned from our customers that there is a special demand in getting information. This section will be filled continuously.
bgRFC
Essential Guidance to background RFC technology in SAP Transportation Management, treating the
Concept and High Level Process, Configuration of the bgRFC Trigger Concept, Monitoring bgRFC Units and Enhancement of the bgRFC Trigger Concept is given in the central KBA:
bgRFC - Concept and High Level Process in SAP Transportation Management
Further information that proved very helpful in the bgRFC area:
Further Information channels
As I mentioned above, this blog is considered a central landing page acting as essential knowledge base. If you want to get more and additional information, please also turn your attention to other channels:
