Learn Oracle

December 15, 2015

Are locators mandatory for WMS ?

Ans.
Yes, Locators are mandatory in WMS
What setup you do to enable WMS for an inventory organization ?
Ans.
Organization should be WMS enabled in Organization Parameter form.
What is LPN ?
Ans.
LPN is License Plate Number. This is an identification of an object/container(logical or physical) which holds Item/Items.
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What is cost group ?
Ans:
Cost group is a combination of accounts(material and overhead accounts) which are setup at subinventory/organization level. When any transaction will happen, it will hit those accounts. As part of WMS, cost group can be assigned at material level. You can have multiple cost groups with in a subinventory based on different attributes as per your need.
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What are the different rules you can setup in WMS ?
Ans:
Pick, Put away, Task Type Assignment, Cost Group Assignment, Label Format, Operational Plan selection
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What is pick wave ?
Ans:
Pick Wave is the process of Picking a Group of orders which can be released to different warehouse operator with the use of Pick Release rule WMS Pick rule and WMS Task assignment rule.
Wave picking is a term for a process used in a warehouse management system to describe a process to support managing the work of a warehouse or distribution center. Wave picking is an application of short interval scheduling, to assign orders into groupings (waves) and release them together so as to allow management to coordinate the several parallel and sequential activities required to complete the work.
The individual orders in the wave are dependent on the criteria used to make the selection.[2] The wave data includes the workload by order or function (case picking, repack picking, pallet movement, pick position replenishment, packing, etc.), providing management the information to calculate staff requirements and assign staff by function, with the expectation that the work in each function, within each wave, can be started and be completed at about the same time. There are two basic planning elements and benefits of wave picking.
To organize the sequence of orders and assignment to waves, consistent with routing, loading and planned departure times of shipping vehicles or production requirements, etc., to reduce the space required for shipping dock handling to assemble orders and load; and
To assign staff to each wave and function within a wave, with the expectation that all the work assigned to each wave will be completed within the wave period, providing management with the ability to monitor and manage performance throughout the day, and respond in a timely way to problems that occur, and more effectively utilize the staffing throughout the shift.
Material handling methods and equipment are independent of waving. Each set of method (e.g., order pick, batch pick, bulk pick) and equipment (e.g., conveyor and sorter, ASRS, order picker, pallet jack, fork lift) will yield a different expected productivity rate for management to use in determining the number of staff-hours to assign to each function by wave.

Additional benefits of wave picking include the improved ability to

measure productivity within a function
budget labor
estimate the throughput capacity based on staffing levels
evaluate the impact of changes in methods and equipment by function
provide feedback regarding performance
Better understand the nature of the workload as it changes seasonally, as a consequence of demand, and as a consequence of sales efforts and marketing campaigns

Where do you use multi-level LPN ?
Ans:
Multi level LPNs are used when business needs to pack LPN controlled items into a container which itself LPN controlled.
For example: During Shipping, EACH items packed in BOX and BOX are packed in PALLET.

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Explain put away rules ?
Ans:
Put away rules are defined to direct the picked items to business required staging areas in outbound orders and direct the destination locations for inbound purchase order or RMAs.
Put away rules can be defined with many business restrictions as per the need
What are task management activities you can do in MWS ?
Ans:
Task Management is the activity where warehouse controller will manage different tasks dispatched to warehouse like pick, put away. Controller can assign, unassign tasks to the warehouse resources either to persons or equipment using Warehouse Control Board.
Explain cross-docking feature ?
Ans:
Cross docking is a process to accommodate the inbound material directly to a staged area for any existing outbound orders.
Supplies are directly tagged to demands and transacted from staging area.
This increases the efficiency of any warehouse operation and order fulfillment process by eliminating the steps of putting supplies into inventory and picking demands from inventory.
Oracle provided cross docking is 2 types

Planned Cross Docking
Opportunistic cross docking

In case of Planned crossdocking the pre-allocation is done during Pick Release. In opportunistic crossdocking dynamic allocation is done during material putaway.
How to achieve Cross Dock for partial quantity or Cross docking for 1 Sales Order and not for other Sales order?

What is bulk picking ?
Can WMS support over picking ?
What is express picking ?
Explain the cartonization features ?
What is warehouse control board ?
Can we use MSCA without WMS ?
What is MSCA ?
What are warehouse management strategies ?
Difference between physical and Cycle Count?
Why can’t we do physical Count as Cycle count?
How we can assign the tasks to employees automatically?
How to query in Warehouse Control Board?
How to Auto Print WMS label for one item and not for other?
How XML label data sent to printer? I.e. its not printing as shown in XML therefore so how printer print labels?
I want to display all 3 thing say item, LPN and Sub inventory in same line. How to achieve that?
What are basic setups to use MSCA or WMS?
How machines assigned to a particular task? is machine is also a resource or only person is a resource? if machine is not a resource how we assign it to a person or task?
Type of Label in WMS?
Type of label formats in WMS?
Can a LPN created in one organization be used in a different organization?
Ans: Yes it can be used using API WMS_CONTAINER_PUB.REUSE_LPNS provided the current LPN context is Issued Out Of Store and there is no pending transaction on that LPN.

Questions will be Answered soon. Meanwhile you can post more questions in the comment also you can answer to above questions in the comment.
Please help me to rectify if any of the answers are not correct.

LPN Context

LPN Context is nothing but the state/status of the LPN. Oracle WMS provided many states for an LPN. As per the current state/context, the usage of the LPN will change.

These context can be used to customize specialized picking and put away rules. Also context will help in querying tasks in warehouse control board.

Below are the different LPN context and their state definition

These context have a numeric value in the back end table.

Definition

Resides in Inventory:

Indicates that material associated with this LPN has been costed and accounted for in inventory. A LPN with this context may not be used when receiving material against a standard or inspection routed receipt, but may be used during a direct delivery routed receipt. Outbound transactions can be performed on LPNs with this context.

Resides in WIP:

Indicates that material associated with this LPN is currently being transacted in WIP (Work in Process). Therefore, the associated material is not yet in inventory and has not been costed to inventory.

Resides in Receiving:

Indicates that material associated with this LPN have been received using a standard routing or inspection routing receipt and have not been delivered/put away yet. Therefore, the associated material is not yet in inventory and has not been costed to inventory.

Issued out of Stores:

These LPNs are no longer tracked by the system, and hence, no longer associated with a locator within the warehouse. The system does however retain history information pertaining to transactions this LPN was involved in and material it was associated with prior to leaving the warehouse. LPNs shipped out of inventory receive this context and may not be re-received.

Pre-generated:

When LPNs are pre-generated by Oracle WMS and have not been used yet, they are not associated with any physical material. They can be printed and used to identify material during any stage of the material management process such as inbound, replenishment, outbound, and so on. Essentially, this context refers to LPNs that are ready to be used.

Resides in In-Transit:

A LPN with this context is an indication that it is currently moving from one location to another. Possible uses for this are when a LPN is moved from one organization to the next, for example while the LPN is on a truck. The LPN is in an intermediary state, but resides within the entire system. This context is used only for inter-org transit or internal sales orders where an indirect shipping network is defined between the organizations.

Resides in Vendor Site:

When a vendor sends an Advanced Shipment Notice (ASN) to Oracle WMS, the system internally generates LPNs and associates them with material information on the ASN. These LPNs receive this context. Material associated with LPNs of this context are not on-hand or costed until it is actually received.

Packing Context:

This context is temporary and used internally by the software as an intermediary. It should not be used or referenced anywhere including the setup of picking or put away rules.

Loaded for Shipments:

An LPN loaded for shipment has just been loaded onto a carrier ready to leave the warehouse. Once the entire carrier leaves the dock, the LPN obtains a context of 6 Resides in Intransit or 4 Issued out of Stores.

Prepack of WIP:

LPNs that reside in WIP and are associated with material that is pre-packed by WIP receive this context. This context adds an extra level of granularity to an LPN's usage within WIP. This is used when the system has associated the LPN with material and printed the labels, but the material has not yet been physically packed.

Picked:

LPNs picked during the picking process receive this context. They are intransit within the warehouse.

Oracle WMS: LPN

LPN is License Plate Number.

This is nothing but an identification of a certain object which holds Item/Items.
So for understanding, you can say LPN is an identification of a box in which you have kept the item/s whether in your warehouse locations or you have consolidated for shipping or identified for picking or receiving. At any point of time, item/s/group of items can be tracked using one single identification that is called LPN.

This can be a physical container or a logical grouping.
A single LPN can contain one or many qty of the same or different items
This is used to store information of items such as LOT, Revision, Serial, Organization, subinventory, locator, etc.
Contents of an LPN can be tracked during inventory stocking, shipping, receiving, in-transit
Receiving, Shipping, Picking, Packing of material can be done using LPN
Onhands can be tracked using LPN
Multiple items and qty can be transacted using LPN
Contents can be packed, unpacked, split or updated in LPN
Labels can be printed based on LPN for the contents inside an LPN
LPNs can be reused if that is empty or not assigned to any content

Nesting LPN

Oracle WMS allows to use LPN in nested also.

For example, you have made a Combo deal sale for Christmas.

If customer buys 2 laptop units, they will get one USB hub free.

And for better and faster shipment, you have already packed the units and kept for ready to ship.

So now the nesting hierarchy is like this

Oracle Order Management Setups

Oracle Order management is one of the most important part of the oracle EBS. The Order Management Application provides many flexible features enabling you to set up your system to begin processing order information. These orders can be created in Oracle Order Management Suite as well as in some other front-desk application. We can integrate these applications with Oracle Order Management for keeping a controlled track of orders and proper business flow. We can create different types of orders using this application can be for inventory stock items or for services.
You must define your business order policies, such as how you classify your orders, as well as various control features prior to processing orders within the application.

Important Setup Steps for Order Management

Click on the links to go to individual setup steps

Step	Optional or Required
1. Define multiple organizations in Oracle Inventory	required
2. Setup Multi-Org (Multiple Organization) Access Control	optional
3. Define key and descriptive flexfields	required under certain conditions
4. Define inventory organizations (warehouses), parameters, subinventories, and picking rules in Oracle Inventory	required
5. Define Profiles	required
6. Setting OM System Parameters	required
7. Define invoicing information, Payment Terms	required under certain conditions
8. Define your sales representatives	optional
9. Define Tax Features	required
10. Define Quickcodes	required under certain conditions
11. Define header and line processing flows	required
12. Define Document Sequences for Order Numbering	required
13. Define Order Import Sources	required under certain conditions
14. Define the units of measure	required
15. Define item information	required
16. Define the items that you sell	required
17. Define the configurations that you sell	required under certain conditions
18. Define price lists	required
19. Define customer profile classes	required under certain conditions
20.Define information on your customers	required
21. Define item cross references	required under certain conditions
22. Define your sourcing rules	optional
23. Define Order Management Transaction Types	required
24. Set up Cost of Goods Sold Accounting flexfield combination	required under certain conditions
25. Define Processing Constraints	optional
26. Define Defaulting Rules	optional
27.Define Credit Checking Rules	required under certain conditions
28. Define Automatic Holds	required under certain conditions
29. Define Attachments	optional
30. Define Freight and Special Charge Types	optional
31. Define shipping parameters	required

Sourcing Rule in Oracle Purchasing

Sourcing rule is used to automatically replenish materials in an organization or business.
Sourcing rules determine the movement of materials between organizations in a global enterprise; these organizations include the suppliers and the materials include those items made at the manufacturing organizations.

Profile Options

MRP:Default Sourcing Assignment Set (set the value of the assignment set where you have added your item)

PO: Automatic Document Sourcing (Yes)

PO: Allow Auto-generate Sourcing Rules (CREATE AND UPDATE)

PO: Allow Autocreation of Oracle Sourcing Documents (Yes)

MSC: ATP Allocation Method (User-Defined Allocation Percentage)

Define an Item

Noted Attributes:

Select any Inventory Planning method
Select the item Make or Buy
Enter a List price
Enter a default Buyer (this will help to assign a buyer during planning and in the requisition)

Define Supplier and Supplier Sites

You can define supplier and supplier sites as required

Purchasing --> Supply Base --> Suppliers

Defining Sourcing Rule

Purchasing -> Supply Base -> Sourcing Rule

Notes:

You can use this rule across all orgs by Selecting All Orgs
If you want to use in specific org, the select the Org

Shipping organization type is 3 types

Buy From: Buying from a supplier
Transfer From: If you want to transfer the item from another organization in your business
Make At: This is for making the item in the selected organization

Allocation percentage: This is to identify how much % of the amount will be sourced from which org. This is helpful when you want to maintain multiple sources and want to split the sourcing amount between different sources, so you can split that by allocation%.
Master Scheduling/MRP uses these allocation percentages when creating planned orders, which Purchasing imports as requisitions through Requisition Import. In a group of requisitions imported from Master Scheduling/MRP, those requisitions show the percentage allocation you define. In other words, at the end of a planning period, orders--as a group--to those suppliers approximately equal the percentage split you defined. However, when you create a requisition in Purchasing, Purchasing sources to the supplier with the highest allocated percentage. The Approved Supplier List (ASL) entry for that supplier is then referenced in order to pick up source document information (from a blanket purchase agreement or catalog quotation), if source documents exist

Allocation Rank: To select the sequence in which sources will be identified during planning

Sourcing Rule Assign set, add the item for the sourcing rule

Once sourcing rules are defined, now time to assign the rule to Item or organization as you need

Purchasing à Supply Base à Assign Sourcing Rules

Here you can assign the sourcing rules at 4 different levels

Item

Item-Organization

Organization

Global

Add the supplier to Approved Supplied List

This is optional, if you have checked ASL in Item attribute

Purchasing à Supply Base à Approved Supplier List

Run Min Max planning for the item

Inventory à Planning à Min-Max Planning

Submit the request for the item and make sure restock parameter selected as Yes

Then run requisition Import

This will create the Purchase Requisition and in turn submit the Create Releases Program which will in turn create the Purchase Order