SAP ATP · Advanced Available-to-Promise (aATP) · SAP S/4HANA
Secure material availability. Make delivery commitments more reliable.
A reliable availability check is essential for realistic delivery commitments and aligned processes between sales, materials management, production planning and logistics.
SAP offers different functions for this – from the classic available-to-promise check (ATP) to the extended capabilities of Advanced Available-to-Promise (aATP) in SAP S/4HANA.
E&S Swiss Consulting helps companies analyse their availability processes, structure functional requirements and integrate suitable SAP functions into their existing process landscape.
When availability and delivery commitments don’t match
Many companies run into difficulties because the availability check, material planning and operational processes are not sufficiently aligned. Typical challenges include:
! Confirmed delivery dates cannot be met reliably.
! Availability checks do not take relevant stock and receipt elements into account as expected.
! Material shortages are detected too late.
! Different priorities of sales orders are not adequately reflected.
! Changes in the supply situation lead to time-consuming manual corrections.
! Sales, purchasing, production and logistics work with different information.
An effective availability check needs clear rules, suitable data and end-to-end alignment of the processes involved.
SAP ATP and aATP – different options for checking availability
Classic
Classic SAP ATP
The classic available-to-promise check helps companies verify the availability of materials and products based on relevant stock and planned receipts and issues.
Depending on the process and system configuration, availability checks can be used in sales, production and materials management, among others.
Typical topics:
- Checking groups and checking rules
- Scope of check
- Consideration of stock, receipts and issues
- Date and quantity confirmation
- Integration with sales and production processes
SAP S/4HANA
SAP Advanced Available-to-Promise (aATP)
SAP aATP extends the availability check in SAP S/4HANA with additional functions for demanding confirmation and prioritisation processes.
Depending on the SAP S/4HANA release, the functional scope and the licensing requirements, the following functions may be relevant, for example:
- Product Availability Check (PAC)
- Backorder Processing (BOP)
- Product Allocation (PAL)
- Alternative-Based Confirmation (ABC)
Important: Not every function is available in every system release or configuration. Whether a function can actually be used must be checked in the specific SAP system.
Comparison
| Topic | Classic ATP | SAP aATP |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Basic availability check | Extended confirmation and prioritisation processes |
| Material availability | Check of relevant stock and receipts | Extended options for checking availability |
| Order prioritisation | Depends on the process and functions used | For example with Backorder Processing |
| Product allocation | Depends on the existing solution | For example with Product Allocation |
| Alternative confirmation | Depends on the existing solution | For example with Alternative-Based Confirmation |
Availability check in combination with planning and logistics
The availability check is not an isolated SAP process. Its significance depends on how well the relevant data and processes are connected.
⇄
Sales and order processing
Availability checks help determine confirmable quantities and dates in the sales order process.
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Materials management and procurement
Stock, procurement processes and planned receipts are key inputs for assessing material availability.
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Production planning
Production requirements, production orders and planning results determine when materials and products are expected to be available.
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Logistics and delivery
Availability confirmations must be aligned with downstream logistics processes.
How E&S Swiss Consulting supports you
01
Analysis of the current situation
We examine existing availability checks, relevant business processes, SAP settings and typical problem areas.
02
Functional target picture
Together we define requirements for confirmation, prioritisation, material availability and collaboration between the departments involved.
03
SAP design and implementation
We support the selection, design, configuration and integration of suitable ATP or aATP functions.
04
Testing and roll-out
We accompany functional tests, the evaluation of planning results and the roll-out of the agreed processes.
Our goal is traceable availability decisions and processes that work reliably in day-to-day operations.
What an aligned availability check makes possible
✓ Greater transparency on material and product availability
✓ Traceable rules for date and quantity confirmations
✓ Better alignment between sales, purchasing, production and logistics
✓ A structured approach to material shortages
✓ Fewer avoidable manual corrections
✓ A better basis for realistic delivery commitments
Looking at the availability check as a whole
SAP production planning (PP/DS, PP)
Production planning and availability checks must be aligned in a meaningful way.
SAP Materials Management (MM)
Material master data, procurement and inventory management are key foundations for availability.
Inventory optimisation
An aligned inventory strategy supports the balance between security of supply and capital tied up in stock.
Frequently asked questions about SAP ATP and aATP
What is the difference between SAP ATP and aATP?
Classic ATP is used to check material and product availability. In SAP S/4HANA, SAP aATP offers additional functions for extended confirmation, prioritisation and allocation processes. The functional scope actually available depends on the system in use.
Is SAP aATP available in every SAP S/4HANA system?
Not all aATP functions are available in every release, deployment option or licensing set-up. The technical and functional prerequisites should be checked before an implementation.
Can SAP aATP prevent material shortages?
SAP aATP can help make better use of availability information and control confirmations more precisely. However, it does not automatically create missing materials or capacity.
How does ATP relate to SAP PP/DS?
Production planning and availability checks serve different purposes. SAP PP/DS supports the planning of material requirements and production capacity; ATP or aATP supports availability and confirmation processes. What matters is the functional alignment of processes and data.
When is it worth reviewing the ATP settings?
In particular when delivery confirmations are frequently corrected, material shortages become visible too late or existing checking rules no longer fit the business processes.
Improve your SAP availability check
Would you like to review your ATP processes, evaluate SAP aATP or improve the alignment between material planning and delivery confirmation?
E&S Swiss Consulting supports you from analysis to functional implementation.