Background:
An inquiry is a request made by a buyer to the seller in order to obtain the necessary details regarding the seller's goods. It is a sign of the buyer's interest in the goods offered by the seller. A customer inquiry could ask about a product's price, availability on a specific day, how to utilize it, and other factors. You send a quotation in response to the customer's inquiry. The price of the product, any relevant terms and conditions, and any additional questions from the buyer's inquiry are typically included in a quotation.
End-user Business Process (From Inquiries and Quotations to Sales Order)
Flow Steps
- Create Inquiry (Tcode VA11)
- Create Quotation with the reference to Inquiry (Tcode VA21)
- Create Sales Order with reference to Quotation (Tcode VA01)
- Create Inquiry
Step 1: Enter transaction code VA11. Enter Inquiry type as IN, Sales organization, Distribution channel and Division.
![](../upload/photos/2023/04/6SqctsdDkRv7kGrHXHad_28_b908eb860c30fc1ea038336c25fea583_image.png)
Figure 1 Inquiry Creation: Initial Screen
Step 2: Enter sold-to-party/ ship-to party address to which you are creating an inquiry, and the material number which is inquired by the customer.
![](../upload/photos/2023/04/EVsLMBCHmpp25TgNLJxC_28_caf02b56307f8cbef0c6295625878559_image.png)
Figure 2 Inquiry Creation: Overview
Step 3: You can provide your consumer an option when creating any of the two documents (IN or QT) by offering one or more alternatives for a specific product. Enter the alternative item right below the primary item on the inquiry or quotation document, along with the primary item's reference number in the alternate item field on the alternate item line. This is represented in Figure 3, where item 20 acts as a substitute for item 10.
![](../upload/photos/2023/04/pjXsPmaDOJiztndt1ImI_28_f6af65245c7c0e3334de06cf769baf2f_image.png)
Figure 3 Inquiry and quotation process in SAP
Step 4: Once the data are filled in, save it.
- Create Quotation with the reference
Step 1: Enter transaction code VA21. Fill in Quotation type as QT, Sales organization, Distribution channel and Division.
To create quotation with reference go to More ➢ Sales Document ➢ Create with Reference.
![](../upload/photos/2023/04/UScRcvdyYsqYbmC4w2NG_28_e12cc89d0e57ec7f8fe4914a051a7574_image.png)
Figure 4 Quotation Creation: Initial Screen
Step 2: Enter Inquiry number for which you want to create quotation and click on Copy.
![](../upload/photos/2023/04/Hf5EtxDfYrSh6QW1TOlz_28_f1245603a963467c95f96cea611200f5_image.png)
Figure 5 Quotation Creation with Reference
Step 3: Sold-to-party, ship-to-party, and material should be copied from the inquiry if you create a quotation with a reference. Enter the duration for which the quotation is valid (validity period). Change the quantity of material a company supplies a customer as needed, or add alternative items. Save it.
![](../upload/photos/2023/04/jNjB2e6psG45dttVYlVn_28_141675a4ea918bb12b2aa56bf5ed9d5e_image.png)
Figure 6 Quotation Creation: Overview
After saving the quotation, the status of inquiry will change to Completed. See in document flow below:
![](../upload/photos/2023/04/O1g9n88x1Q3T8Pt6wOvW_28_01db7033194900cc24f6d8f20361fc2c_image.png)
Figure 7 Document Flow – Quotation
- Create Sales Order with reference
Step 1: Enter transaction code VA01. Enter document type (we are using standard order - OR), Sales organization, Distribution channel and Division.
To create Sales Order with reference go to More ➢ Sales Document ➢ Create with Reference.
![](../upload/photos/2023/04/KCkKZ2o36yLD1KHSaEYn_28_74a70e31264b18ea1647df949f0c87e5_image.png)
Figure 8 Sales Order Creation: Create with reference
Step 2: Enter Quotation number for which you want to create quotation and click on Copy. You can also copy the substitute item into the sales order with a reference to the client quotation if the customer quotation turns into a confirmed order and the customer accepts the substitute item. The Item Selection function from the dialog box must be used if you want to copy alternative items.
![](../upload/photos/2023/04/ytWrkgRFcmcSXbF8CQHl_28_d53292afc54b9c636971ecc3c058945a_image.png)
Figure 9 Sales Order Creation with Reference
Step 3: Select the items and click Copy.
![](../upload/photos/2023/04/O9vqpSvg18G5eXyZWmS8_28_3bb11bf29e4b400c85e1764bf1bc5242_image.png)
Figure 10 Quotation: Selection List for Reference Document
Step 4: Check the copied data and fill in the missing information if necessary. Save it.
![](../upload/photos/2023/04/25EgZJi7Jfc11xbAirwo_28_6ef860d99823f5287188a2a4954d70b7_image.png)
Figure 11 Create Sales Order: Overview
The status of quotation will change to Completed because the full quantity has been referenced, see document flow below:
![](../upload/photos/2023/04/WSUVuCxvNgP6DUCFQhPc_28_23917f22a78af359a96b6da4587ebb17_image.png)
Figure 12 Document Flow – Sales Order
The completion rule and reference status are shown in Figure 13.
![](../upload/photos/2023/04/uZ1dPcdsBy7MhRSCGHmd_28_597c6994473a68302bf252263bf88670_image.png)
Figure 13 Completion Rule and Reference Status