Manage the Slotting Process in SAP EWM

by Alok Jaiswal, Consultant, Infosys Limited

May 23, 2018

Learn the process flow for carrying out slotting in SAP Extended Warehouse Management (SAP
EWM) to automatically determine a storage concept for a product. Follow a step-by-step procedure
to configure and run the slotting process and interpret the results.

Slotting in SAP Extended Warehouse Management (SAP EWM) is the process of putting goods in a
warehouse in a way that ensures the most appropriate storage and picking of goods. Slotting uses a
variety of data to determine suitable optimal putaway control parameters. These parameters
describe the storage section in which the product is to be stored, the properties that the storage bin
is to have, and the putaway strategy that is to be used. These parameters are listed below:

1. Product master

2. Storage requirement data

3. Packaging data

4. Demand forecast data

Slotting helps in determining the most optimal putaway parameters that ensure placement of goods
in suitable bins in the warehouse. It determines suitable putaway parameters such as storage type,
storage section, and bin type for placement of goods.

Configuration Steps for Slotting

To use slotting in SAP EWM, you first need to configure related objects. This process requires you to
complete seven steps as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1

Configuration steps in SAP Extended Warehouse Management (EWM)

Step 1. Create a Condition Table

Condition tables are used for different applications, for example, packaging specification
determination, printing warehouse orders, and slotting. In this article I explain how to create a
condition table for slotting.

In a condition table you specify the combination of fields that should form the individual condition
record. The number of fields used for a condition table is limited to 10. In the example discussed in
this article, I have selected two fields, Warehouse Number and Warehouse Product Group, to form
condition records. These fields are used later in the article for Condition Record Maintenance.

To create a new condition table in SAP EWM execute transaction code SPRO and follow menu path
Extended Warehouse Management > Good Receipt Process > Slotting > Condition Technique >
Condition Table > Edit Condition Table for Putaway Control Indicator.

In the screen that appears, enter the name of the Condition Table (ZCON_TAB) and a Description
(Condition Table for Putaway Control). Select the CONLG_NUM and CON_MATGNR fields from the
list of available fields and move them to the right by clicking the arrow button highlighted in yellow
as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2

The main screen of the condition table

(Note: The condition table can contain as many fields as needed. For my example, select fields for
Warehouse Number and Warehouse Product Group.)

In the same screen, you can see both the fields are now available on the right side (Figure 3). Save
and activate the table by clicking the activate icon and then clicking the save icon.

Figure 3

Activate the condition table

After activation, at the bottom of the same screen you can see that green logs are generated and the
status of table changes to Active as shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4

Condition table activated

Step 2. Create an Access Sequence

An access sequence is used to specify the sequence in which the system processes the condition
tables when searching for specific condition records. This setting is made specific to the condition
type using an access sequence. Each condition table contains a specific combination of fields that the
system should look for in the condition records. In the above step, the condition table contains two
fields, Warehouse Number and Warehouse Product Group. When the slotting process is executed,
the access sequence is used to read the linked condition table (ZCON_TAB). The match is successful if
the condition table fields match the input parameters.

To create a new access sequence in SAP EWM execute transaction code SPRO and follow menu path
Extended Warehouse Management > Good Receipt Process > Slotting > Condition Technique >
Access Sequence > Edit Access Sequence for Putaway Control Indicator.

In the next screen (not shown), click the New Entries button, which takes you to Figure 5. Enter the
name of the Access Sequence (ZAS) and a Description (Access Sequence). Click the Accesses folder.
Figure 5

The access sequence header

In the same screen, enter 1 in the Access field. The value in the Access field is a sequence number. If
you define more than one condition table you could enter it as sequence 2. In my example, you
define only one condition table, so enter 1 here. Enter the name of the table created in step 1
(ZCON_TAB) and then select the E check box. Click the save icon to save your entries as shown
in Figure 6.

Figure 6

Access sequence details

(Note: The E indicator stands for exclusive indicator. That means that the system does not search for
a further record after the first access from a record to a condition type in an access sequence has
been successful.)

Step 3. Create a Condition Type

A condition type is used to specify the attributes, field combinations, and business meaning of
condition records. For example, it can be used to create various condition types for packaging
specification determination in warehouse order creation.

To create a new access condition type in SAP EWM execute transaction code SPRO and follow menu
path Extended Warehouse Management > Good Receipt Process > Slotting > Condition Technique >
Condition Type > Edit Condition Types for Putaway Control Indicator.
In the screen that appears, click the New Entries button, which takes you to Figure 7. Enter the name
of the condition type (e.g., ZPC#) and the Access Seq. (access sequence) that you created in step 2
(ZAS). Other details are proposed by default and are not changed. Click the save icon to save your
data.

Figure 7

Condition type details

Step 4. Create the Slotting Procedure

A slotting procedure is used to define which condition types are to be considered and in which order.
The system automatically determines which procedure is valid for a business transaction and takes
into account the condition types contained within it, one after another.

To create a new slotting procedure in SAP EWM execute transaction code SPRO and follow menu
path Extended Warehouse Management > Good Receipt Process > Slotting > Condition Technique >
Determination Procedure > Edit Determination Procedure for Putaway Control Indicator. In the
screen the system displays, click the New Entries button, which takes you to Figure 8.

Figure 8
The slotting procedure header

Enter the name of the Procedure as ZSP and the Short text as Slotting procedure. Click the Elements
of Determination Procedure folder.

In the field under the LvNo (level number column) enter the 1. In the field under the Ctr (counter)
column, enter 1, and in the field under the Condition Type column, enter ZPC# (Figure 9). You
created the ZPC# condition type in step 3. Click the save icon.The level and counter denote the
sequence for the determination procedure. For example, there can be several counters within one
level.

Figure 9

Slotting procedure details

Step 5. Assign the Slotting Procedure to a Warehouse Number

Before assigning the slotting procedure created in step 4 to a warehouse number, you need to create
a warehouse. To create a new warehouse number, execute transaction SPRO and follow menu path
Extended Warehouse Management > Master Data > Define Warehouse Number. In the screen the
system displays, click the New Entries button, which takes you to Figure 10.

Figure 10

Warehouse created and saved

Enter the number of the warehouse (ZEW2) in the Warehouse No. field and a Description (Enterprise
Warehouse 2). Click the save icon.

Now to assign the slotting procedure to the new warehouse you just created, follow menu path
Extended Warehouse Management > Good Receipt Process > Slotting > Condition Technique >
Determination Procedure > Assign Determination Procedure. In the new screen, click the New Entries
button, which takes you to Figure 11.

Figure 11

Assignment step complete

Enter the usage as PU (Warehouse Parameter Determination), the warehouse number ZEW2 you
created, and the slotting procedure as ZSP, which was created in step 4. Click the save icon.

Step 6. Create a Condition Maintenance Group

A condition maintenance group is used to bundle condition tables and types for condition
maintenance together. To create a new condition maintenance group in SAP EWM execute
transaction code SPRO and follow menu path Extended Warehouse Management > Good Receipt
Process > Slotting > Condition Technique > Settings for User Interface > Create Condition
Maintenance Group. In the screen that appears, click the New Entries button, which takes you
to Figure 12.

Figure 12

The condition maintenance header

Enter the name of the maintenance group (Z_SLOT) and a description (Slot Condition). Click the
Condition Maintenance Group: Detail folder. This action displays the screen shown in Figure 13.
Figure 13

Condition maintenance details

In Figure 13, enter the Counter (1), Usages (PU), Condition Table (ZCON_TAB), Condition Type (ZPC#),
and Description (Condition Maint. Group). Click the save icon to save your data.

After you click the save icon, the system generates the logs showing that all the configuration steps
are successfully completed, as shown in Figure 14. Click the enter icon (the green checkmark).

Figure 14

Condition maintenance success logs

Step 7. Assign the Condition Maintenance Group to the Maintenance Context

After defining the condition maintenance group, you need to specify condition maintenance groups
for a context. Context defines the situation or circumstance under which the condition maintenance
group is used. For my example, assign a general condition maintenance (GCM) context to the
condition maintenance group (Z_SLOT).

(Note: SAP provides other contexts, such as TAX_ENGINE, that are used under business scenarios
related to finance. For basic condition records and condition maintenance group, the context GCM is
used.)
To register the condition maintenance group in SAP EWM, execute transaction code SPRO and follow
menu path Extended Warehouse Management > Good Receipt Process > Slotting > Condition
Technique > Settings for User Interface > Register Condition Maintenance Group.

In the screen that appears, enter the maintenance context GCM and click the enter icon as shown
in Figure 15.

Figure 15

The maintenance context header

In the next screen (not shown), click the New Entries button to go to Figure 16. Enter the name of the
Group (Z_SLOT) and a Description (Slot Condition). Click the save icon to save your entries.

Figure 16

Condition maintenance context details

Condition Record Maintenance

After the configuration shown in the above section is complete, you need to maintain the condition
records. Condition records are where specific values for the condition table are maintained. In step 1
in the “Configuration Steps for Slotting” section, the condition table contained two fields, Warehouse
Product Number and Warehouse Product Group. You need to maintain the values for these two
condition records. The condition record is the place in which you maintain the values for materials or
services to calculate in the business process or whose values are involved in the data process of the
business. Execute transaction code /SCWM/GCMC to display the screen shown in Figure 17. Enter
the name of the maintenance group (Z_SLOT) and then click the execute icon. This action displays the
screen shown in Figure 18.
Figure 17

The condition record entry screen

In Figure 18, enter the condition type (ZPC#) and then press the Enter key.

Figure 18

The condition record header

After you press Enter, additional columns are populated as shown in Figure 19.

Figure 19

Condition record with additional columns

Fill in the details for other columns as shown in Figure 20 and then click the check icon highlighted in
yellow. For my example, enter values in the fields under the WhN (warehouse number) column
(ZEW2) and WhsProdGroup (warehouse product group) column (001, ZBIG, and 002). Note these two
fields are the condition records that you maintained in the condition table (ZCON_TAB) in the screen
shown in Figure 3.

Figure 20

Condition record data entry check

For my example, you also populate the fields under the PACI (putaway control indicator) column for
three warehouse product groups as 0010, 0050, and P150. Note that the Status column displays red
symbols for the rows in which you have entered data as the system has not yet checked these values.
After clicking the check icon (highlighted in yellow), this status changes to green.

In the refreshed screen (Figure 21), all rows are now active and are showing as green. So basically,
the rows in Figure 21indicate that if the warehouse product group is 0001, the system should get the
PACI as 0010, if it is ZBIG, it should be 0050, and if it is 0002 then it should be P150. (In Figure 21,
PACtrInd stands for putaway control indicator. In other screens in the SAP system, the abbreviation
PACI is used for putaway control indicator.)

Figure 21

Active condition records

Master Data Update

In the above section, I defined three warehouse product groups (0001, ZBIG, and 0002) to be used
during assignment of the PACI. These three warehouse product groups have three different PACIs
defined, so when the slotting process is executed, each PACI is assigned to the correct warehouse
product group. Now I assign these three warehouse product groups to three product masters. This
helps in ensuring that when the slotting process is executed, the system should determine the
suitable PACI to get the correct bin proposal.

Note that in Figure 21, you created three rows and all three warehouse product groups are assigned
to the same warehouse (ZEW2). Under warehouse ZEW2, you define three warehouse products, and
each of these three warehouse product has one warehouse product group assigned to it. Therefore,
when slotting is executed, the system assigns the PACI assigned to each warehouse product group as
per the settings in Figure 21 to the corresponding warehouse product to which these warehouse
product groups are assigned.

To maintain the warehouse product, execute transaction /SCWM/MAT1. In the screen that appears
(Figure 22), enter the product number (T-EW10), the Warehouse No. (ZEW2), and Party Entitled to
Dispose (ZEWM). Click the Change button.

Figure 22

The warehouse product header

This action displays the screen shown in Figure 23. Under the Storage Tab, enter the Warehouse
Product Group (0001) and then click the save icon. For my example, you have assigned Product
Group 0001 to product T-EW10.

Figure 23

Assign Warehouse Product Group 001 to product T-EW10

Follow similar steps to assign the Warehouse Product Group 0002 to product T-EW11 and
Warehouse product Group ZBIG to product T-EW12 as shown in Figures 24 and 25, respectively.

Figure 24

Assign Warehouse Product Group 002 to product T-EW11

Figure 25

Assign Warehouse Product Group ZBIG to product T-EW12

Slotting Execution and Results Interpretation

Next, I show you how to run the slotting process. To execute slotting, execute transaction
/SCWM/SLOT. In the screen the system displays, click the right arrow (highlighted in Figure 26) to
enter all the product names.
Figure 26

The initial Slotting screen

In the Select Single Values tab of the pop-up screen (Figure 27), enter the name of the assigned
products (e.g., T-EW10, T-EW11, and T-EW12).

Figure 27

Product entry for slotting

Click the execute icon to display the Slotting screen (Figure 28).

Figure 28

Slotting parameters

In the Slotting screen, enter the warehouse number (ZEW2) and click the execute icon to display the
screen shown in Figure 29. Figure 29 lists all three products and the corresponding warehouse
numbers. Select all three rows and then click the execute icon to perform the slotting process.
Figure 29

Products and warehouse numbers listed

At the bottom of the same screen (Figure 30), logs are generated for all three rows.

Figure 30

Slotting results logs

Click any of the rows to display the corresponding log details (Figure 31).

Figure 31

Slotting logs details

In Figure 31, the screen lists logs with green blocks, indicating that slotting was successful.
Note that this is just simulation of the slotting process. To update the results, click the Mode button
on top of the screen as shown in Figure 32.

Figure 32

Slotting update

In the pop-up screen (Figure 33) select the radio button option Status Grn/Yellw. Selecting Status
Grn/Yellw instructs the system to select and process all rows that have an exception status color of
green or yellow. Click the OK button.

Figure 33

Slotting results rows selection

After you click the OK button in Figure 33, the system displays the screen shown in Figure 34. Note
that in the fields under the Status column, the save icon appears in each of the three product rows of
the product. Click the save icon at the top of the screen and then close the screen.

Figure 34

Slotting results saved

Results Interpretation

After executing the slotting process, you can view the results by executing transaction code
/SCWM/MAT1. In the screen the system displays (Figure 35), enter data in the Product Number (T-
EW10), Warehouse No. (ZEW2), and the Party Entitled to Dispose (ZEWM) fields. Click the Display
button.
Figure 35

The warehouse product master initial screen for product T-EW10

In the next screen, under the Whse Data tab, you can see that Planned Putaway Ctrl Ind. has been
updated to 0010. This is because product T-EW10 had the Warehouse Product Group assigned as
0001 and the sequence was maintained in the condition record. If the Warehouse Product Group is
0001, the system should get the PACI as 0010, which is what is present in Figure 36.

Figure 36

Planned PACI updated for product T-EW10

Similarly, the PACI is updated as P150 for product T-EW11 and 0050 for product T-EW12 as shown
in Figures 37 and 38,respectively.
Figure 37

Planned PACI updated for product T-EW11

Figure 38

Planned PACI updated for product T-EW12

Note that in Figures 36 to 38, the PACI is updated in the Planned Putaway Ctrl Ind. field in the
product master. This is because slotting was not yet activated for any of the product masters. To
activate the slotting, execute transaction /SCWM/SLOT and select any one of the rows. For example,
select the third row and click the activate icon as shown in Figure 39.
Figure 39

Slotting activated for one product

This action displays the screen shown in Figure 40.

Figure 40

Slotting is active

In Figure 40, you can see that the activate icon is present against the third row, meaning that slotting
is active for product T-EW12.

To see the results of this activation, execute transaction /SCWM/MAT1. In the screen the system
displays (Figure 41), populate the Product Number (T-EW12), Warehouse No. (ZEW2), and the Party
Entitled to Dispose (ZEWM) fields.

Figure 41

The warehouse product master initial screen for product T-EW12

Click the Display button to display the screen shown in Figure 42.
Figure 42

PACI updated for the product master

Select the Whse Data tab in the screen shown in Figure 42. Note that the Putaway Control Ind. field
has been updated to 0050.

Common Issues in Use of Slotting in SAP EWM and Resolution

Slotting is one of the key concepts in SAP EWM for optimal storage bin determination. Here is a list of
frequent issues encountered during its configuration and use:

 Deletion of product storage types. Sometimes when slotting is used for mass processing of
products, the storage types of the product are deleted, which is incorrect behavior. For
example, slotting is executed collectively for two product master PROD-A and PROD-B – and
activation of slotting is done initially for product PROD-A followed by PROD-B. In the Product
Master, the storage type of the first product (PROD-A) may be deleted.

Reason and solution. The reason for this is a bug in standard program behavior. Global variables are
not refreshed, which results in this erratic behavior. To correct this activate Business Add-In (BAdI)
/SCWM/EX_SLOT_UPD_STORGE_TY.

 Values in the product master are erased on slotting activation. When slotting is run via
transaction /SCWM/SLOT and activation is done via transaction /SCWM/SLOTACT, the values
in the product master are erased. This error occurs when system logging for slotting is
enabled.

Reason and solution. The reason for this is that the slotting log and the slotting user selection
parameters were not considered during activation. To correct this, you need to modify the standard
ABAP object /SCWM/CL_CONCEPTING_CORE ACTIVATE_MATERIAL. SAP has also provided a solution
for this issue via SAP Note 1545916.

 Performance issues in the slotting run. When slotting is executed for a large number of
products via transaction /SCWM/SLOT, the system takes a lot of time to execute and update
the results.
Reason and solution. SAP has provided multiple improvements in the system in general and for
slotting in particular. Ensure that SAP EWM is upgraded to the latest enhancement pack and also that
SAP Note 1459635 is implemented in the system.

Another point to remember when using slotting in SAP EWM is that when you use transaction code
/SCWM/MON, the Warehouse Management Monitor is a good central place to give a high-level
overview of the warehouse situation (Figure 43). It also contains alert monitoring capabilities. It
helps in resolving many consistency check issues. For example, before starting SAP ERP Central
Component (SAP ECC) and SAP EWM processing, you can use this transaction to check the stock of
the material in the required batch and storage bin.

Figure 43

The Warehouse Management Monitor