Confirmation Control Key in SAP MM

If we decide that we want to receive an confirmation advance from our supplier when the goods arrive.

- In that case, our supplier will send us an Advanced Shipping Notification (ASN) document. This is usually sent using EDI (Electronic Data Interchange). When the ASN arrives, the system generates an inbound delivery document.

When you create the purchase order, you must define whether you expect a shipping notification from your supplier or not. Define this using a confirmation control key (ANLI)which is set at each purchase item level. You can pre-define the control key either in shipping customizing, the information record, or in vendor master data.

If the confirmation control key is set, an “inbound delivery” document must be created. The inbound delivery is based on the purchase order. If the confirmation control key is set but the inbound delivery not yet created, it is not possible to post a goods receipt.

The inbound delivery contains information from the purchase order, including the:

● Material that will arrive

● Quantity of that material that will arrive

● Plant and storage location 

Note: If you do not use EDI, it is possible to create the inbound delivery manually.