Definition
Document used for executing goods movements with the help of Warehouse Management
(WM). Logical, physical goods movements or stock changes can be the basis for a transfer
order. These include:
Picks
Putaways
Posting changes
Repacking
Inventory
Use
As a rule, you create the transfer order with reference to a source document from WMS or
other SAP application components. A source document can be a:
Delivery document
Transfer requirement
Material document
The transfer order contains all the information required to execute the physical transfer of
materials into the warehouse, out of the warehouse, or from one storage bin to another
storage bin within the warehouse. In addition, it is also used for executing logical stock
transfers. Logical transfers of stock occur, for example, when goods are released from
inspection and made available for general use. These logical transfers are called posting
changes in WM.
When you confirm a transfer order, you inform the system that it has been processed and that
the goods have arrived at the intended destination (see the section on confirming transfer
orders). If the planned quantity (target quantity) differs from the actual quantity of stock that
is moved, a difference quantity exists. If you confirm a transfer order with a difference, the
difference quantity is automatically posted to an interim storage type for differences (see the
section on stock differences).
Once they have been carried out, transfer orders also have a control and monitoring function
since they document movements in the warehouse (see Warehouse Controlling ).
For certain inventory methods (for example, zero stock check, inventory based on putaway),
transfer orders serve as inventory documents. In this case, when the actual quantity is
confirmed (after the first putaway into a storage bin), it is updated in the system as the
inventory quantity.
Structure
A transfer order contains all the necessary information on a planned goods movement.
Where should the bin be moved from (source storage bin), and where to (destination
storage bin)?
The transfer order consists of a transfer order header with general information and one or
several transfer order items with material information (see the section on creating transfer
orders).
Transfer Order Header
The transfer order header contains the transfer order number and the date that it was created
and confirmed. It also identifies the transfer requirement or delivery on which it is based as
well as the movement type.
Transfer Order Item
A transfer order can have one or several items. The number of items contained in a transfer
order depends on how many storage bins the system accesses in order to reach the total
quantity of goods needed for the picking requirement or how many bins are needed to store
the goods (putaway).
A transfer order item contains subsections that specify the direction of the goods movement
for each item.
This subsection contains the source storage bin and the quantity of material that is being
transferred. It indicates the storage bin from which goods are to be picked (goods issue) or an
interim storage type (such as the goods receipt area) from which goods are taken to be put
away in the warehouse.
This subsection contains the quantity of material that is being transferred and the storage bin
into which the goods are to be put away. For example, it may contain a storage bin in a highrack storage area that has been selected for a stock putaway, or an interim storage type (the
goods issue area) for a stock pick.
If, for example, you have the complete stock requirement set and you pick more stock than
required from a storage bin, the system creates a subsection for the return storage bin. This
can be the case, for example, when a complete pallet is removed from the shelf, but only a
portion of the materials on the pallet is picked. In this case, the remaining quantity can either
be returned to its original storage bin or transferred to another one.