Defining basic sourcing configuration

You can determine whether or not the organization you are configuring uses sourcing rules.

About this task

When an organization only has one or two nodes from which they source all of their products and services, you may not need to define complex sourcing configurations. However, when an organization has many nodes and suppliers with whom they interact, you would want to define sourcing rules to ensure that the optimal nodes are used to handle shipping and service fulfillment.

In cases when you do not define sourcing rules for an organization but may have more than one node, the system still uses optimization logic, such as distance to ship to location, to determine the appropriate node to use.

To configure basic sourcing rules:

Procedure

  1. From the tree in the application rules side panel, choose Cross Application > Order Promising > Sourcing And Scheduling > Basic Configuration.

The Sourcing Basic Configuration window displays in the work area.

  1. Enter information into the applicable fields. Refer to Table 1 for field value descriptions.
  2. Choose the Save icon.
    Table 1. Sourcing basic configuration window.

    Sourcing basic configuration details
    Field Description
    Default Fulfillment Type to be used when not specified on the order Select the fulfillment type you want to be use by default for sourcing when no fulfillment type is specified on the order. For more information about configuring fulfillment types, see Defining fulfillment types.
    Products being shipped
    Use any of my nodes for shipping the product Select this option if you do not want to define product item sourcing rules for the organization you are configuring. If you select this option, the system optimizes product sourcing based on the node(s) you have defined for the organization.

    Important: If an Enterprise inherits sourcing rules from another organization, they inherit the parent Enterprise's nodes when they select this option.
    Find node based on sourcing rule setup Select this option if you want to use configured product item sourcing rules with the organization you are configuring. For more information about configuring product item sourcing rules, see Defining sourcing rules for product items.
    Default Distribution Rule to be used when no sourcing rule found Select the default distribution group you want to use to source product items when the system cannot determine an appropriate sourcing rule to use for an order. A distribution group is a defined set of nodes and source organizations.

    For more information about configuring distribution groups for product items, see Defining distribution groups for product items.
    Products being delivered
    Use any node for delivering the product Select this option if you want the system to select any delivery location that services a given delivery region.
    Find nodes based on sourcing rule setup Select this option if you want to use configured delivery service item sourcing rules with the organization you are configuring. For more information about configuring delivery service item sourcing rules, see Defining sourcing rules for product items.
    Provided Services
    Use any node that can provide the service Select this option if you want the system to select any provided service location that services a given shipping region.
    Find node based on sourcing rule setup Select this option if you want to use configured provided service item sourcing rules with the organization you are configuring. For more information about configuring provided service item sourcing rules, see Defining sourcing rules for product items.
    External Availability
    Availability Is Maintained Externally Select this option if availability is maintained externally for your enterprise. Inventory and promising will be available to Sterling™ Order Management System, but will be maintained in an external system, the Promising server, instead of being maintained internally. The inventory picture is obtained by calling the getExternalAvailability user exit.
    Note: An Enterprise that has Availability Is Maintained Externally selected must have an inventory organization that has Supply and Demand Kept Externally selected.