PLAIN-LANGUAGE REFERENCE
SAP glossary
Search concise definitions used across ERP Atlas.
ATP
Available-to-Promise: a check that proposes deliverable quantities and dates from supply and demand.
Business partner
The central S/4HANA master record for parties such as customers and suppliers.
Business role
A work-oriented collection of launchpad content and authorizations assigned to users; the exact role model differs by SAP product edition.
Client
A high-level data and configuration boundary within an ABAP system. Logon client can affect available business data and client-specific settings.
Clearing
Linking offsetting accounting items, such as an invoice and payment, so they are no longer open.
Company code
The smallest SAP organizational unit for which a complete, self-contained set of accounts can be produced.
Configuration
Governed system settings that define reusable application behavior, such as document types, tolerances, workflows, and account determination.
Controlling area
An organizational unit that defines a common management-accounting environment for cost control and internal allocations.
Document flow
The connected SAP records created as one business transaction progresses.
Fit-to-standard
A structured review of standard SAP processes against business needs, used to identify adoption decisions and evidence-based gaps.
SAP Fiori launchpad
A role-based entry point to SAP apps, search, notifications, and insights, with content commonly organized through spaces and pages.
Goods receipt
A posting confirming that ordered materials arrived or services were accepted.
GR/IR
A clearing account bridging goods receipt and invoice receipt when they occur at different times.
Journal entry
A balanced accounting document containing debit and credit line items.
Master data
Governed, reusable information about materials, people, customers, suppliers, and structures.
MRP
Material Requirements Planning: calculation of required supply quantities and dates.
Open item
An accounting item that remains outstanding until matched and cleared.
Planned order
An MRP supply proposal for in-house production that can be adjusted before conversion.
Plant
An operational organizational unit used for activities such as inventory, planning, production, procurement, maintenance, or fulfilment.
Post goods issue
The posting that confirms goods left stock and records inventory and accounting effects.
Purchasing organization
The organizational unit responsible for procurement activities and commercial purchasing conditions for assigned plants or company codes.
Purchase requisition
An internal request to procure a material or service by a required date.
Reconciliation account
A G/L account updated automatically by customer, supplier, or asset subledger postings.
Sales order
The operational record of a customer commitment, including product, quantity, price, and date.
Sales area
The combination of sales organization, distribution channel, and division that defines a commercial processing context.
Subledger
Detailed accounting for objects such as customers, suppliers, or assets that is connected to the general ledger through reconciliation accounts.
Transport
A controlled movement of configuration or development artifacts across SAP environments. Tools and procedures depend on product edition and landscape.
Universal Journal
The S/4HANA line-item foundation for accounting-relevant Financial Accounting and Controlling transactions.
Wage type
A payroll classification for an earning, deduction, time value, or statistical amount.
Asset class
A classification controlling number assignment, account determination, and default depreciation behavior for fixed assets.
Bill of material
The governed list of components and quantities required to make or maintain a product.
Capitalization
Recording qualifying expenditure as an asset rather than an immediate expense.
Consensus forecast
A demand plan agreed after business teams review statistical forecasts, events, assumptions, and exceptions.
Depreciation area
An asset valuation view used for a particular accounting principle, tax rule, or management purpose.
Installed base
A record of products or equipment installed at customer locations, including ownership and service history.
Product lifecycle
The governed progression of a product from idea and design through launch, change, and retirement.
Service-level agreement
A commitment defining service response or resolution targets and the conditions under which they apply.
WBS element
A Work Breakdown Structure element that organizes project scope, dates, responsibility, budget, cost, and revenue.
Quant
An EWM stock record representing a product quantity with common stock attributes in a storage bin.
Handling unit
A uniquely identifiable physical unit consisting of packaging material or a load carrier together with the products contained in it.
Warehouse request
An EWM document describing warehouse demand such as putaway, picking, internal transfer, posting change, or scrapping.
Warehouse task
An executable EWM instruction for a product or handling-unit movement, stock change, goods receipt, or goods issue.
Warehouse order
An executable work package that groups warehouse tasks or physical-inventory items for a warehouse worker or resource.
Transportation zone
A TM grouping of locations used to simplify transportation-network, planning, and commercial rules.
Freight unit
The smallest set of goods that TM plans to transport together across the transportation chain.
Freight order
A TM capacity and execution document, primarily for road or rail, containing the planned vehicle, route, stops, cargo, dates, carrier, and execution data.
Freight settlement document
A TM document representing calculated carrier cost for the follow-on purchasing, accrual, and invoice-verification process.