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Scheduling Agreement with Delivery Schedules (ME31L, ME38)

For steady, repetitive supply: one scheduling agreement replaces a stream of POs. Delivery schedule lines tell the supplier what to deliver when, and each delivery is received directly against the agreement.

Educational content. SAP behaviour varies by configuration and release. Spotted something off? Report it.

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Docs
SAP DOCUMENTSVisualization of Scheduling Agreement with Delivery Schedules (ME31L, ME38). All information shown in the scene is also available in the caption and the panels next to it.
Demo data

01Set up the scheduling agreement

Scheduling agreement 5500000100: RM-1000 for a year at ₹1,000.

Business scenario

RM-1000 is needed every week. Purchasing sets up a scheduling agreement with Demo Supplier Ltd. for 5,200 EA a year and sends weekly schedule lines of 100 EA.

All companies, numbers and documents are fictional demo data.

Step-by-step flow

  1. 01

    Set up the scheduling agreement open in twin

    Scheduling agreement 5500000100: RM-1000 for a year at ₹1,000.

    Recurring supply without creating and approving a PO every week.

  2. 02

    Send delivery schedule lines (ME38) open in twin

    Weekly schedule lines of 100 EA are released to the supplier (often generated by MRP).

    Forecast (FRC) and just-in-time (JIT) releases can tell the supplier what is firm and what is a forecast — configuration dependent.

  3. 03

    The first delivery arrives open in twin

    Week 41's delivery is at the dock. What is it received against?

    That is what removes the weekly PO workload.

  4. 04

    Duplicate demand open in twin

    A PO on top of the schedule lines would double the open supply in MRP and confuse the supplier.

    Mixing POs and agreements for the same supply creates duplicates.

  5. 05

    Receive week 41 open in twin

    +100 EA against the agreement: 150 → 250.

    The schedule line for week 41 is now delivered.

  6. 06

    Receive week 42 open in twin

    Next week, another 100 EA: 250 → 350.

    Invoices can follow per receipt, or via evaluated receipt settlement (ERS), where SAP creates the invoice from the receipt.

  7. 07

    Weekly supply running open in twin

    One agreement, many schedule lines, a receipt each week.

    Scheduling agreements suit repetitive, high-volume supply such as automotive components.

SAP documents

Drag to pan · Ctrl + scroll to zoom

Stock impact

StepPlant / SLocStock typeMvTChange
Receive week 411000 / 0001Unrestricted use101+100 EA
Receive week 421000 / 0001Unrestricted use101+100 EA

Accounting impact

Goods receipt against a scheduling agreement

Typical

Receive week 41

  • Dr Inventory — raw materials (BSX)₹1,00,000
  • Cr GR/IR clearing (WRX)₹1,00,000

As a PO receipt.

Goods receipt against a scheduling agreement

Typical

Receive week 42

  • Dr Inventory — raw materials (BSX)₹1,00,000
  • Cr GR/IR clearing (WRX)₹1,00,000

As a PO receipt.

Typical conceptual flow. Actual G/L accounts and posting behaviour depend on material valuation, automatic account determination and system configuration.

Movement type

  • 101GR against scheduling agreementReversal: 102

Handles recurring supply with one long-term document and a rolling delivery schedule instead of individual purchase orders.

Transactions & Fiori apps

  • ME31L — Create Scheduling Agreement
  • ME38 — Maintain Delivery Schedule
  • ME84 — Create Scheduling Agreement Releases
  • MIGO — Goods Receipt
  • Manage Scheduling AgreementsAvailability depends on release and scope

Differences by SAP version

ME31L/ME38/ME84.

Configuration

  • LP vs LPA

    Typical

    LPA uses release documentation (forecast/JIT releases sent to the supplier); LP sends schedule lines directly.

  • MRP relevance in the source list

    Configuration dependent

    Lets MRP generate schedule lines automatically.

Prerequisites

  • Supplier and material
  • Agreement type LP/LPA
  • Source list entry if MRP should create schedule lines

Master data

Source list
Assigns the agreement for MRP.

Organizational structure

  • Purchasing organization 1000 (demo)
  • Plant 1000

Tables

TableDescription
EKKO / EKPOScheduling agreement header / item
EKETDelivery schedule lines

Integration

  • PPMRP can create the schedule lines.
  • FIReceipts and invoices as for POs.

Common errors

  • “MRP creates requisitions instead of schedule lines”

    Likely causes: Source list entry not MRP-relevant

    Where to look: Source list (ME01)

Troubleshooting

Something went wrong? Work through these checks in order. They are diagnostic questions, not configuration instructions — confirm changes with your system owner.

  1. CHECK 1

    Receipt

    • Is there an open schedule line?
    • Is the agreement valid?

Interview questions

  • Contract vs scheduling agreement?

    Both are outline agreements. A contract has no delivery dates and is called off by release orders (POs). A scheduling agreement contains its own delivery schedule lines; goods are received directly against it, no PO needed.

Quiz

Q1 · Multiple choice

Where are delivery dates in a scheduling agreement held?

References

  • SAP SE — SAP Help Portal: Scheduling Agreements (source)
  • SAP SE — SAP Help Portal: Delivery Schedules (source)

Explanations are original. They summarize standard behaviour; always validate against your system's release and configuration.

Version history

VersionChange
1.0.0Initial version.