Stock Transport Orders (STOs) are part of the SAP ERP Central Component system. However, several issues crop up with STOs that most SAP users don’t really know how to diagnose and solve. Hopefully, this article will cover some of the most significant problems that users meet when they’re processing STOs.
Unable to Create Outbound Delivery
Typically, this problem might happen because of security issues, configuration, training, or data issues. Among the most common causes of this problem are:
The STO Forms Part of a Release Strategy
If the system has verified the user as authorized to create and edit STOs, and they run transaction code VL10G (Documents Due for Delivery) or VL10B (Purchase Orders Due for Delivery), they may get this error. To check, the user should run transaction code ME23N. If the checkbox “Blocked” is marked, we’ve found the culprit. Usually, to get this sorted out, the requisite personnel needs to approve the STO release strategy.
Shipping Tab Problems
Occasionally, the shipping tab isn’t present or populated. In this case, either the STO configuration is incomplete or the master data for the system is corrupted. Resolving this issue is a bit complicated since the tech team will need to get involved. From the user perspective, they can check to see if the master data table was created and extended for use with the supplying and receiving plants. Running transaction code MM03 gives you a window that allows you to check the views there. If you can view the data, all is well. If you can’t, you will need to contact the technical team to help repopulate the master data among the sending and receiving terminals.
Stock Data
If the STO is still problematic at this point, then the problem may exist at the stock data level. Among the most common ways that this happens is:
Insufficient Stock on Hand
Running transaction code MMBE will allow you to spot if there’s enough stock on hand to complete a delivery, automating the process similar to a self-serving ad network. If there’s no stock on hand to create the delivery, the only thing that the user can do is wait for an update from inventory that tells them they now have stock to use. Occasionally, issues may arise with poor reporting within the inventory, so the user can verify that the stock is really not there or just not entered into the system.
Sufficient stock on Hand, But An Error Message Appears
Occasionally, the system may throw an error even though there’s stock on hand to create the STO. By running transaction code ME23N, we get a readout of the current STO and can inspect details in the following table. If there’s a Committed Quantity present, then the issue may be with the scheduling system. Check to see if you’re allowed to create a schedule that far ahead in the future for your receiving plant. Otherwise, expand the VL10 date selection and rerun the STO. It should propagate correctly the second time around.
If you don’t have a Committed Quantity present, you may be having issues with your availability check. You may need to trace the problem and arrange a committed schedule line from the requisite manager. Transaction Code MD04 opens up a list of the stock requirements so that managers can spot where stock is being allocated unnecessarily.
