What is consumption direction in SAP CA-ATP - Available-to-Promise (ATP)?

SAP Term: consumption direction

• Component: CA-ATP

• Component Name: Available-to-Promise (ATP)

• Description: In product allocation sequences, available allocation quantity of a product/material is defined per time period day, week, month. During the product allocation check<>,<> a specified range of time periods is checked for available allocation quantity. These time periods can be checked in different orders. The time period checked first pivot period is the one containing the date where the requested products shall be available could be in the future. Before and after the pivot period<>,<> additional time periods<>,<> the backward and forward periods are defined. The order how these additional periods are checked for available quantity is named consumption direction. The consumption direction can be as follows: Backward then Forward Backward with Earliest First Then Forward: Example: Period=one month, two backward and two forward periods, pivot period=June Backward Then Forward: After June 1, May 2 and April 3 are checked backwards from pivot period, then Ju

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• Key Concepts: 
  Consumption direction is a feature of the Available-to-Promise (ATP) component in SAP. It is used to determine the direction of material consumption for a particular order. The two directions are “forward” and “backward”. In forward consumption, the material is consumed from the current stock, while in backward consumption, the material is consumed from future stock. 
  
  How to use it: 
  The consumption direction can be set in the ATP configuration. To do this, go to the IMG (Implementation Guide) and navigate to Logistics Execution > Availability Check > Availability Check > Define Consumption Direction. Here, you can select either “forward” or “backward” as the consumption direction for a particular order. 
  
  Tips & Tricks: 
  It is important to note that the consumption direction should be set according to the customer’s requirements. For example, if a customer wants their order to be fulfilled from current stock, then the consumption direction should be set to “forward”. On the other hand, if a customer wants their order to be fulfilled from future stock, then the consumption direction should be set to “backward”. 
  
  Related Information: 
  For more information on how to configure the consumption direction in SAP, please refer to SAP Help Portal article “Configuring Consumption Direction in SAP”. Additionally, you can find more information on SAP ATP in the official SAP documentation.