SAP SD Schedule Line Category — VOV5 & VOV6
Determination logic · VOV5 vs VOV6 · movement type & TOR · troubleshooting — S/4HANA & ECC, 2026
The item category gets the attention. The schedule line category does the work — it decides whether stock actually moves, whether planning ever hears about the demand, and whether a purchase requisition appears.
This guide covers the determination logic, the difference between VOV5 and VOV6, everything the schedule line category controls, the standard categories with the project situations you meet them in, and a full diagnostic flow for when the schedule line is missing.
Quick Jump
What is a schedule line?
A sales order has three levels. The header carries the customer and the terms. The item carries the material and the quantity ordered. The schedule line carries how much is confirmed, and for when.
One item can have several schedule lines, because a confirmation can be split across dates. A customer orders 100; 60 are available now and 40 arrive next month. That is one item with two schedule lines — and it is why the level exists at all.
What is a schedule line category?
Item category controls what the sales order item does.
Schedule line category controls what happens to the quantity and the delivery requirement behind that item.
That distinction matters because the consequential settings live on the schedule line, not the item: the movement type posted at goods issue, whether the availability check runs, whether demand reaches MRP, and whether a purchase requisition is created automatically.
Determination logic
Two keys, one lookup. The item category on the line, plus the MRP type from the material master, are looked up in VOV5:
SAP SD schedule line category determination: item category + MRP type → schedule line category (VOV5).
| Item category | MRP type | → Schedule line | Scenario |
|---|---|---|---|
| TAN | PD | CP | Standard order, MRP planned |
| TAN | ND | CN | Standard order, no MRP |
| TAN | VB | CV | Consumption-based planning |
| TAS | — | CS | Third-party — creates purchase requisition |
| TAB | — | CB | Individual purchase order |
| REN | — | DN | Returns |
Illustrative — your exact VOV5 rows depend on your item categories and MRP types.
VOV5 vs VOV6
The pair works exactly like VOV4 and VOV7 do for item categories — one defines, the other assigns:
VOV6
Definition
Defines what a schedule line category does — movement type, delivery relevance, availability check, transfer of requirements, purchase requisition, requirements type.
VOV5
Assignment
Decides which schedule line category applies, from the item category and MRP type combination.
Diagnostic shortcut: if the wrong category is determined, look in VOV5. If the right category behaves wrongly, look in VOV6. That one distinction saves hours.
What VOV6 controls
Delivery relevance
Whether the schedule line can be delivered at all. A line with no delivery-relevant schedule line will never appear on a delivery due list, no matter how the item category is configured.
Movement type
Which inventory movement is posted at goods issue — 601 for a standard sale, 651 for a customer return. Third-party lines carry no movement type because nothing leaves your plant.
Availability check
Whether the ATP check runs for this line. Switch it off and the line confirms the full quantity regardless of stock — occasionally intended, usually a bug.
Transfer of Requirements (TOR)
Whether demand is passed to MRP. This is the single most consequential flag on the screen: with TOR off, sales demand is invisible to planning and replenishment is never triggered.
Purchase requisition generation
Whether saving the order creates a purchase requisition, and with which document type and item category. This is what drives third-party (CS) and individual purchase order (CB) flows.
Requirements type / class
Which requirement is created in planning — this is where make-to-order behaviour comes from, including whether stock is segregated to the sales order as special stock.
Order type (for direct procurement)
The purchasing or planned-order document type used when the schedule line triggers procurement automatically.
Important schedule line categories
Standard item, MRP relevant
When you meet it: The one you will see on almost every standard order line. Material has MRP type PD, demand flows to planning, availability is checked, and goods issue posts with movement type 601.
No material planning
When you meet it: Materials deliberately kept out of MRP — trading goods bought to order, or items planned entirely outside SAP. You see this when a planner complains that sales demand never appeared in MD04.
Consumption-based MRP
When you meet it: Consumption-planned materials (MRP type VB/VM) — fast-moving, low-value items replenished on reorder point rather than on specific sales demand.
Third-party
When you meet it: Drop shipment. The vendor ships directly to your customer, so there is no goods issue from your plant. Saving the order creates a purchase requisition instead. This is the schedule line that makes item category TAS actually work.
Individual purchase order
When you meet it: Procure-to-order where you DO take the stock. A purchase requisition is raised, goods are received into your plant against the sales order, then you deliver. Pairs with item category TAB.
Returns
When you meet it: Returns orders. Movement 651 brings goods back from the customer into returns stock. No demand is passed to planning — a return is supply arriving, not demand to be met.
Why is my schedule line category not determined?
Work down this ladder in order. Stop at the first check that fails — the cause is almost always in the first three.
Does the item allow schedule lines at all?
In VOV7, the item category must have "Schedule Lines Allowed" ticked. Service and text items usually do not — and if the item category forbids schedule lines, nothing downstream will help.
What is the MRP type on the material?
MRP 1 view of the material master, for that plant. PD, VB, ND — this is half of the determination key. A blank or unexpected MRP type is the most common single cause.
Does a VOV5 entry exist for that combination?
Item category + MRP type must have a row in VOV5. Check the exact pair the document built, not the one you assumed it built.
Is the right schedule line category determined but behaving wrongly?
Then the problem is VOV6, not VOV5. Check delivery relevance, movement type, availability check, and TOR on that category.
Is the requirements type / class correct?
Wrong requirements type produces the right schedule line with the wrong planning behaviour — for example demand landing in the wrong segment, or make-to-order stock not being segregated.
Are ATP and TOR actually switched on?
Availability check and transfer of requirements are controlled here and in the checking group. If confirmations look impossible or planning never sees the demand, this is where to look.
⚠ The most common cause
An unexpected MRP type on the material master, for that specific plant. Consultants check VOV5 first and the material second — do it the other way round and you will find it faster.
Where it sits in the SD chain
The schedule line category is the hinge between the sales document and everything that happens to inventory and planning:
- →Item Category decides whether schedule lines are allowed at all — read the guide
- →ATP / Transfer of Requirements only run if the schedule line says they should — read the guide
- →Order-to-Cash the delivery step depends on the schedule line being delivery relevant — read the guide
What changed in S/4HANA
The determination itself did not change. VOV5 and VOV6 work as they always have, and the item category plus MRP type logic is identical — ECC knowledge transfers directly.
What changed is what happens after the schedule line says “check availability”. The classic check is replaced by advanced ATP, with product allocation and rules-based backorder processing deciding who keeps a confirmation when supply is short. The schedule line category still decides whether the check and the transfer of requirements happen at all — it is the switch, aATP is the engine behind it.
Interview questions
How is the schedule line category determined?
From two keys: the item category of the sales order line and the MRP type on the material master (MRP 1 view, for that plant). The combination is maintained in VOV5. A manual alternative can also be permitted.
What is the difference between VOV5 and VOV6?
VOV6 defines what a schedule line category does — movement type, delivery relevance, availability check, transfer of requirements, purchase requisition. VOV5 assigns which category is determined for a given item category and MRP type. VOV6 is the definition, VOV5 is the assignment.
Why does a third-party item not post a goods issue?
Because the schedule line category CS carries no movement type — the vendor ships directly to the customer, so nothing moves through your plant. Instead the schedule line creates a purchase requisition when the order is saved.
What is the difference between CS and CB?
Both raise a purchase requisition. CS is third-party — the vendor delivers straight to the customer and you never hold the stock. CB is an individual purchase order — the goods are received into your plant against the sales order and you deliver them yourself, so CB has a movement type and CS does not.
What happens if Transfer of Requirements is switched off?
Sales demand never reaches MRP, so no replenishment is triggered for it. The order may still confirm against whatever supply the availability check can see — which is how you end up with confirmations that cannot actually be delivered.
Why can one item have several schedule lines?
Because the confirmed quantity can be split across dates. If a customer orders 100 and only 60 are available now, the system creates one schedule line confirming 60 on the requested date and another confirming 40 when supply is expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a schedule line category in SAP SD?
A schedule line category is the control key for the delivery schedule behind a sales order item. Where the item category controls what the item does, the schedule line category controls what happens to the quantity and the delivery requirement — the movement type posted at goods issue, whether the line is delivery relevant, whether the availability check runs, whether demand is transferred to MRP, and whether a purchase requisition is created.
How is the schedule line category determined in SAP SD?
It is determined from two keys: the item category of the sales document line and the MRP type on the material master (MRP 1 view). That combination is looked up in transaction VOV5. For example, item category TAN with MRP type PD determines schedule line category CP. Each VOV5 row can also carry manual alternatives the user is allowed to choose instead.
What is the difference between VOV5 and VOV6?
VOV6 defines the schedule line categories themselves — movement type, delivery relevance, availability check, transfer of requirements, purchase requisition settings, and requirements type. VOV5 is the determination table that decides which schedule line category applies to a given item category and MRP type combination. In short: VOV6 is the definition, VOV5 is the assignment — exactly the same relationship as VOV7 and VOV4 for item categories.
What is the difference between schedule line categories CP and CN?
CP is the standard MRP-relevant schedule line: demand is transferred to planning, the availability check runs, and goods issue posts with movement type 601. CN is used when the material is deliberately not planned in MRP — there is no transfer of requirements, so sales demand never reaches planning. If a planner reports that sales orders are invisible in MD04, a CN schedule line is a likely cause.
Which schedule line category is used for third-party processing?
CS. It carries no movement type, because in third-party processing the vendor ships directly to the customer and nothing moves through your plant. Instead, saving the sales order creates a purchase requisition. This is why item category TAS alone is not enough — TAS only works because the schedule line behind it is configured to raise the requisition.
What does Transfer of Requirements do on the schedule line category?
It decides whether the sales demand is passed to MRP as a requirement. With TOR active, planning sees the demand and can trigger production or procurement. With TOR inactive, the demand is invisible to planning. TOR and the availability check work together: TOR pushes demand into planning, and the availability check reads the resulting supply back to confirm dates to the customer.
Why is my schedule line category not determined?
Work through it in order: (1) does the item category allow schedule lines at all (VOV7)? (2) what is the MRP type on the material master for that plant? (3) does a VOV5 row exist for that item category and MRP type combination? A missing VOV5 entry or an unexpected MRP type accounts for the large majority of cases. If the category IS determined but behaves wrongly, the problem is in VOV6, not VOV5.
Did schedule line category determination change in S/4HANA?
No. VOV5 and VOV6 work as they always have, and the item category plus MRP type logic is unchanged, so ECC knowledge transfers directly. What changed around it is the availability check: advanced ATP replaces the classic check, and backorder processing re-confirms lines using business rules. The schedule line category still decides whether the availability check and transfer of requirements happen at all.
Practise the configuration, not just the theory.
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