Pre-Sales: Inquiry (VA11), Quotation (VA21) and Sales Order with Reference
Before an order exists: the customer's inquiry is recorded, a priced quotation with a validity date is sent, and the accepted quotation is copied into a sales order so the document flow, prices and lost-business analysis all stay connected.
Educational content. SAP behaviour varies by configuration and release. Spotted something off? Report it.
Digital twin
01Record the inquiry
Demo Retail asks about 200 EA of FG-2000. Sales records it as inquiry 10000001.
Business scenario
Demo Retail Pvt. Ltd. asks what 200 EA of FG-2000 would cost for a store opening. Sales quotes the list price less a 5% volume discount, valid for 30 days. The customer accepts two weeks later.
All companies, numbers and documents are fictional demo data.
Step-by-step flow
- 01
Record the inquiry open in twin
Demo Retail asks about 200 EA of FG-2000. Sales records it as inquiry 10000001.
It captures demand early and lets sales measure how many inquiries turn into business.
- 02
Send a priced quotation open in twin
Quotation 20000001 copies the inquiry and prices it: 200 × ₹2,000 less 5% = ₹3,80,000, valid 30 days.
Copying from the inquiry keeps the document flow; pricing runs as in a sales order.
- 03
The customer accepts open in twin
Two weeks later the customer accepts the quotation. How do you create the order?
The reference is what links the order to the offer the customer accepted.
- 04
Order without reference open in twin
The new order prices at today's list price without the 5% discount, and the quotation stays open — it will later show up as lost business.
The customer is quoted one price and invoiced another, and win/loss reporting is wrong.
- 05
Create the order with reference open in twin
Sales order 10000160 copies quantities and the discounted price from the quotation, which is now fully referenced.
From here the flow continues exactly as standard order to cash: availability check, delivery, goods issue, billing.
- 06
Pre-sales complete open in twin
Inquiry → quotation → order, all linked in the document flow.
Open quotations past their validity date that were never referenced are the basis for lost-business analysis (often with a reason for rejection).
SAP documents
Stock impact
This part of the process does not change stock.
Accounting impact
No accounting impact in the steps shown.
Typical conceptual flow. Actual G/L accounts and posting behaviour depend on material valuation, automatic account determination and system configuration.
Movement type
This flow spans several documents rather than a single movement type.
Captures customer demand before it becomes an order and gives the customer a binding, priced offer that the order later honours.
Transactions & Fiori apps
- VA11 — Create Inquiry
- VA21 — Create Quotation
- VA01 — Create Sales Order (with reference)
- VA25 — List of Quotations
- VA05 — List of Sales Orders
- Manage Sales QuotationsAvailability depends on release and scope
- Create Sales Orders
Differences by SAP version
VA11/VA21 with VA25 for quotation lists.
Same transactions plus Fiori quotation apps.
Manage Sales Quotations app; inquiries are less commonly used.
Configuration
Document types IN / QT
TypicalInquiry and quotation types with validity dates and their item categories.
Copy control (VTAA)
Configuration dependentWhich data is copied from quotation to order and whether pricing is re-determined.
Reasons for rejection
Configuration dependentUsed to close quotations that were lost, for analysis.
Prerequisites
- Customer master for the sales area
- Pricing condition records (list price, discounts)
- Copy control from inquiry to quotation to order
Master data
- Customer master
- Sales area data and pricing.
- Condition records
- List price and discounts.
Organizational structure
- Sales organization 1000, distribution channel 10, division 00
Tables
| Table | Description |
|---|---|
| VBAK / VBAP | Inquiries, quotations and orders (different document categories) |
| VBFA | Document flow |
Integration
- MMOnly once the order exists does it create a requirement against stock.
Common errors
“Order price differs from the quotation”
Likely causes: Order not created with reference; Copy control re-determines pricing
Where to look: Document flow · Copy control pricing type
“Quotation cannot be referenced”
Likely causes: Validity date passed; Item rejected
Where to look: Quotation header validity · Reason for rejection
Troubleshooting
Something went wrong? Work through these checks in order. They are diagnostic questions, not configuration instructions — confirm changes with your system owner.
CHECK 1
Reference
- Is the quotation still valid?
- Is copy control maintained from QT to OR?
Interview questions
What are the pre-sales documents in SD?
Inquiry (customer asks, no commitment) and quotation (binding offer with a validity period). Both are sales documents in VBAK/VBAP with their own document categories; they are copied into the sales order through copy control.
Why create the order with reference to the quotation?
To copy agreed prices and quantities, keep the document flow, and mark the quotation as referenced so it is not reported as lost business.
Quiz
References
- SAP SE — SAP Help Portal: Inquiry and Quotation Processing (source)
- SAP SE — SAP Help Portal: Copy Control in SD (source)
Explanations are original. They summarize standard behaviour; always validate against your system's release and configuration.
Version history
| Version | Change |
|---|---|
| 1.0.0 | Initial version. |