SAP SD (Sales & Distribution) Interview Questions & Answers
- Q1. What is SAP SD and its scope?
- Q2. SD organizational structure
- Q3. Sales area (Sales Org/Dist Channel/Division)
- Q4. Master data in SD
- Q5. Customer master vs Business Partner (S/4HANA)
- Q6. Material master views relevant to SD
- Q7. Customer-Material Info Record
- Q8. Partner determination
- Q9. Account groups & number ranges
- Q10. Item categories & determination
- Q11. Schedule line categories
- Q12. Copy control in SD
- Q13. Common sales document types
- Q14. Sales document structure (header/item/schedule)
- Q15. Incompletion procedure
- Q16. Availability Check (ATP) concepts
- Q17. Backorder Processing (BOP)/aATP
- Q18. Delivery document processing
- Q19. Picking/packing & Warehouse integration
- Q20. Post Goods Issue (PGI)
- Q21. Shipping point determination
- Q22. Route determination
- Q23. Billing basics & types
- Q24. Billing due list (VF04) & split criteria
- Q25. Intercompany billing
- Q26. Third-party & drop shipment
- Q27. Returns processing
- Q28. Credit management (FSCM)
- Q29. Pricing condition technique
- Q30. Access sequence, condition tables
- Q31. Pricing procedure determination
- Q32. Taxes, freight, surcharges/discounts
- Q33. Free goods & promotions
- Q34. Rebates vs Condition Contract Mgmt (S/4)
- Q35. Account determination (VKOA)
- Q36. Output/Message determination
- Q37. Text determination
- Q38. Listing/Exclusion & product substitutions
- Q39. Incoterms, shipping conditions
- Q40. Revenue recognition & SD-FI integration
- Q41. Common SD tables
- Q42. Reports & analytics in SD
- Q43. Delivery block & billing block usage
- Q44. Credit/debit memo requests
- Q45. Make-to-Order (MTO) vs Make-to-Stock (MTS)
- Q46. Cross-company sales & STO differences
- Q47. EDI/IDoc basics for SD
- Q48. S/4HANA SD key changes
- Q49. Common SD implementation challenges
- Q50. Best practices for SD design
Q1. What is SAP SD and its scope?
SAP SD manages the order-to-cash (OTC) cycle: presales, sales order processing, shipping, billing, pricing, and credit management, integrated with MM, FI/CO, PP, and EWM.
Q2. SD organizational structure
Key elements: Sales Organization, Distribution Channel, Division, Sales Area, Sales Office/Group, Plant, Shipping Point, and Company Code.
Q3. Sales area (Sales Org/Dist Channel/Division)
A unique combo that controls pricing, master data, and document processing for sales. All sales documents belong to a single sales area.
Q4. Master data in SD
Customer master/Business Partner, Material master (sales views), Customer-Material Info Record, Condition records (pricing), Output/Text records.
Q5. Customer master vs Business Partner (S/4HANA)
S/4 unifies customer/vendor using Business Partner with roles (e.g., FLCU01/02). BP is mandatory; legacy XD*/VD* are compatibility UIs.
Q6. Material master views relevant to SD
Sales: Sales Org 1/2, General/Plant, Sales: General/Plant, loading group, transportation group, item category group, MRP/ATP relevance.
Q7. Customer-Material Info Record
Stores customer-specific material data (customer material number, delivery tolerances, shipping details) that override general master data.
Q8. Partner determination
Defines required partner functions (SP, SH, BP, PY). Determination procedure is assigned to account groups and document types.
Q9. Account groups & number ranges
Control field status and number assignment for Business Partner/customer master creation.
Q10. Item categories & determination
Drive behavior at item level (pricing, delivery relevance, schedule lines). Determined by sales doc type + item cat group + usage + higher-level item.
Q11. Schedule line categories
Control delivery relevance, movement type, requirements/ATP check. Determined by item category + MRP type.
Q12. Copy control in SD
Rules to copy data between documents (e.g., inquiry→quotation→order→delivery→billing) with routines that influence pricing, quantities, and references.
Q13. Common sales document types
Inquiry (IN), Quotation (QT), Standard Order (OR), Return (RE), Debit/Credit Memo Request (DR/CR), Scheduling Agreement (LP/LZ), Contracts (CQ).
Q14. Sales document structure (header/item/schedule)
Header holds global data (sold-to, terms). Item holds material/qty/pricing. Schedule lines hold delivery dates/confirmed qty.
Q15. Incompletion procedure
Ensures mandatory data is entered; blocks can prevent delivery/billing until completion.
Q16. Availability Check (ATP) concepts
Checks stock and receipts (planned orders, purchase orders). Scope of check and checking group define elements considered; confirms schedule lines.
Q17. Backorder Processing (BOP)/aATP
BOP reallocates confirmations based on priority. In S/4 aATP adds advanced rules (EDD, supply protection, product allocation).
Q18. Delivery document processing
Creation (VL01N/VA03→delivery), picking/packing, PGI. Controls via delivery type, item category, and shipping point.
Q19. Picking/packing & Warehouse integration
Picking via WM/EWM, packing via handling units. Integration passes requirements to warehouse tasks and confirms back to SD.
Q20. Post Goods Issue (PGI)
Reduces inventory, posts COGS, updates document flow and requirements; triggers FI accounting entries.
Q21. Shipping point determination
Based on Ship Cond + Loading Group + Delivering Plant; configured per Sales Org.
Q22. Route determination
Uses Shipping Conditions, Transportation Group, and Destination Country/Zone to select route for transit times and scheduling.
Q23. Billing basics & types
Invoice from delivery (LF→F2), order-related billing (e.g., services, milestone), pro forma (F8), credit/debit memos, cancellation.
Q24. Billing due list (VF04) & split criteria
Consolidates items for invoicing; split occurs by payer, incoterms, payment terms, exchange rate type, etc., per copy control settings.
Q25. Intercompany billing
Cross-company sales: delivering company bills selling company (IV), then F2 to customer; requires PI sales org, plants, and intercompany pricing.
Q26. Third-party & drop shipment
Item category TAS triggers purchase requisition; vendor ships to customer; billing is order-related using vendor invoice quantities.
Q27. Returns processing
Return order (RE), returns delivery (LR), inspection, credit memo; quality blocks and movement types manage stock disposition.
Q28. Credit management (FSCM)
Scoring, credit limits, checks at order/delivery/PGI; credit blocks with workflows; replaces classic SD credit mgmt in S/4.
Q29. Pricing condition technique
Conditions (PR00, K007, KF00) determined by access sequences and condition records; supports scales, requirements, formula routines.
Q30. Access sequence, condition tables
Defines search strategy (e.g., Customer/Material/Price Group) through condition tables and fields for pricing.
Q31. Pricing procedure determination
Based on Sales Area + Customer Pricing Procedure + Document Pricing Procedure → determines procedure (e.g., RVAA01) with steps and subtotals.
Q32. Taxes, freight, surcharges/discounts
Tax via condition types (MWST), jurisdiction, country rules; freight via KF00; header/item discounts (K004/K007), promotions via VBN1.
Q33. Free goods & promotions
Inclusive/exclusive free goods, bonus buy, product substitution via condition technique and master data.
Q34. Rebates vs Condition Contract Mgmt (S/4)
Classic rebates replaced by Settlement Mgmt with Condition Contracts (agreements, accruals, settlement docs) in S/4HANA.
Q35. Account determination (VKOA)
Maps revenue, deductions, freight to G/L using key fields (chart of accounts, account assignment group customer/material, account key from pricing).
Q36. Output/Message determination
Controls print/EDI/email of order, delivery, invoice via condition records and output types (e.g., BA00, LD00, RD00).
Q37. Text determination
Manages notes across master and transaction documents with determination procedures and copy rules.
Q38. Listing/Exclusion & product substitutions
Restricts or permits sales of materials to customers; substitution with material determination (VB11) and strategy tables.
Q39. Incoterms, shipping conditions
Define delivery terms, risk transfer, and logistics planning; flow from master data to documents and affect route/transport.
Q40. Revenue recognition & SD-FI integration
Integration posts revenue/COGS at PGI/billing; advanced RR uses RAR in S/4 for IFRS 15 (contract identification, allocation, fulfillment).
Q41. Common SD tables
- VBAK / VBAP – Sales order header/items
- LIKP / LIPS – Delivery header/items
- VBRK / VBRP – Billing header/items
- KONV / PRCD_ELEMENTS (S/4) – Pricing
- KNA1 / KNVV – Customer master (BP tables in S/4: BUT*)
Q42. Reports & analytics in SD
VA05, VL06O, VF05, backorder reports, pricing analysis, and embedded analytics (CDS views/Fiori apps) in S/4.
Q43. Delivery block & billing block usage
Blocks control release stages (credit review, QA, missing data). Configured in doc types/item categories or via incompletion.
Q44. Credit/debit memo requests
Reference-based requests create controlled billing adjustments; approval via workflow before VF01 posting.
Q45. Make-to-Order (MTO) vs Make-to-Stock (MTS)
MTO ties costs/revenue to sales order items; MTS delivers from stock with standard valuation and typical delivery-based billing.
Q46. Cross-company sales & STO differences
Cross-company SD involves customer billing + intercompany IV; STO is MM logistics between plants with delivery and optional billing.
Q47. EDI/IDoc basics for SD
Order (ORDERS05), DESADV for ASN, INVOIC02 for billing; partner profiles, ports, and output conditions drive integration.
Q48. S/4HANA SD key changes
Business Partner mandatory, Settlement Mgmt replaces rebates, aATP, simplified data model (ACDOCA/PRCD_ELEMENTS), FSCM credit mgmt, Fiori apps.
Q49. Common SD implementation challenges
- Incorrect pricing/condition maintenance
- Unclear partner roles or master data gaps
- ATP scope causing over/under confirmations
- Delivery split due to inconsistent header data
Q50. Best practices for SD design
- Standardize pricing and account determination early
- Derive partner/CO-PA characteristics at source
- Use aATP and Fiori analytics for transparency
- Document copy control & split criteria; automate tests