Oracle SCM Interview Questions

 Q.What is inventory control? Ans: Inventory control is the process of reducing inventory costs while remaining responsive to customer demands. By this definition a store would want to lower its acquisition, carrying ordering and stock-out costs to their lowest possible levels. However a store would need to have enough inventories to meet any needs of its customers. Q.What does inventory affect in a store? Ans: Inventory levels and their values can affect the income of the store, the amount of taxes paid, and the total stocking cost. Q.How can the value of inventory be determined? Ans: The value can be found using four methods in inventory control. Standard Cost: The specific cost in which each item's cost is added together for the inventory's value. Average Cost: The weighted average of the costs for a period to determine value. FIFO Cost: First In First Out. In this method value is measured using the latest costs of goods while working towards the beginning of the period until all goods in inventory are valued. LIFO Cost: Last In First Out. In this method the costs of gods at the beginning of the period are used to determine the inventory's value much like FIFO. Q.What are the important considerations in inventory control? Ans: For inventory control to work at its best a store must consider the costs of acquisition, carrying, ordering, and stock-out. The store must also look at its reordering system, its budgeting for inventory, insurance and forecasted demand. Q.Will the changes made in a Workday calendar comes into effect after saving? Ans: No. The changes made into a Workday calendar will come into effect only after Building the Calendar. Q.How different weekly offs can be assigned to different shifts without doing it manually? Ans: Suppose Monday is the Calendar Start day and we want Thursday as weekly off for 1st shift and Friday for 2nd shift, enter the ‘Workday Pattern’ for 1st as 3 On 1 Off and 3 On 0 Off. This means that Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are working days, Thursday is off and Friday, Saturday and Sunday are again working days, for any week for 1st shift. And for 2nd shift enter the Workday Pattern as 4 on 1 off and 2 on 0 off. Q.What is an Organization? Ans: An Organization is an inventory location with its own Set of Books, Costing Method, Workday Calendar and List of items. Q.What is a Sub inventory? Ans: A Sub inventory is used when two physical inventory locations share the same Set of Books, Costing Method, Workday Calendar, but different list of items. Q.How will you that a location is available for transaction in all Organizations? Ans: While defining the Location, don’t attach an Organization to it so that the location can be used for any organization Q.What is the difference between Internal and External Organizations? Ans: The difference between Internal and External Organization is that we cannot assign people to an External Organization. Examples of External Organizations: Workers Compensation Insurance Carriers. Organizations that are recipients of third party payments from Employee’s benefits. Q.What is an Item Master Organization? Ans: The organization in which the items are defined is called the Item Master Organization. Child Organizations (other organizations) refer to the Item Master for the item definition. There is no functional or technical difference between the Item Master Organization and other Organizations. However, for simplicity, it is recommended to limit the item master to just for an item defining organization. Q.Is it possible to have different costing methods for different organizations under the same Item Master Organization? Ans: Yes. Even we can have dummy organizations for using different costing method for different costing method for different items within an organization. Q.Can we use Average Costing in an organization where WIP is also installed? Ans: No. We can’t use Average Costing if WIP is installed. Q.What shall be the Costing Organization of an Org? Ans: If individual organization wants to have control over its own cost, we will assign the current organization itself as the Costing organization. If that is not the case, we can assign the Item Master Organization or any other organization as the costing organization. Q.What are the Inventory material transactions interface tables. Ans: Material Transactions Interface Tables are: mtl_transactions_interface, mtl_transactions_lots_interface, mtl_serial_numbers_interface, mtl_interface_errors Q.In which table the inventory material transactions history data is maintained after running the interface program. Ans: Material transactions data are maintained in “mtl_material_transactions” table. Q.In which table the onhand quantities of the items exist? Ans: On-Hand quantities of the items are stored in “mtl_onhand_quantities” table. Q.In which table the subinventories are stored? Ans: Sub inventories are stored in “mtl_secondary_inventories” table. Q.In which table the locators are stored? Ans: Location information is stored in “mtl_item_locations” table. Q.What is the use of specifying alternate items in Order Management? Ans: System facilitates order entry user to choose between items which are set as Alternates based on attributes such as ATP etc. Hence alternate items can be booked if original item is not available as per customer timelines. Q.What are Back-to-Back orders and what are the setups involved? Ans: Back to Back orders are orders for which items booked in Sale order is not available in Inventory and system creates a purchase requisition and tracks the item through creation of Purchase order from the requisition and finally when PO receipt is made for the item, the receipt quantity is reserved against the sale order. Setups include definition of item with attributes such as ‘Built in WIP’ and ‘Assemble to order’ set to Yes. Sourcing rule needs to be defined for the item and sourcing rule should be mapped to MRP: Assignment set. Q.What are ATO and PTO items? ATO and PTO are types of Item which are used in OM and Configurator mainly. Ans: ATO or Assemble to Order items are typically items that are built as per the customer’s requirement. Hence ATO model is entered in Sales order and end items are chosen from the configurator window. The workflow of the item creates a Discrete job and chosen item is built in WIP. Once the Discrete job is complete, the item is available in OM for picking and shipping. PTO or Pick to order items are items which are picked from inventory based on customer requirements and then picked and shipped. Q.What are the typical reasons for a line to get backordered during Pick Release? Ans: Primary reasons for line to be backordered are

  1. Item is not available in inventory
  2. Inventory period is closed
  3. Holds are placed against the order or order line.

Q.What is the purpose of Trips and Stops? Ans: A trip is an instance of a specific freight carrier departing from a particular location containing deliveries. A trip is carrier specific and contains at least two stops such as a stop to pick up goods and another stop to drop off goods, and may include intermediate stops. Q.How to setup Drop shipment cycle in OM? Ans: Oracle Order Management and Oracle Purchasing integrate to provide Drop Shipments. Drop Shipments are orders for items that your supplier ships directly to the customer either because you don't stock or currently don't have the items in inventory, or because it's more cost effective for the supplier to ship the item to the customer directly. In the sale order, specify the Source type as External. Purchase Release program should be run and post this program, requisition import program should be run. Q.What is the purpose of Interface Trip Stop? Ans: Interface Trip Stop creates the sales order issue transaction and thereby depletes the inventory to the sale order shipped quantity. As part of ITS, COGS account gets generated. Q.What is RMA and what are the scenarios when RMA cycle would be used? Ans: If I have shipped an order via Order Management to a wrong customer or the wrong item/quantity has been shipped, then I will do an RMA transaction in Inventory to bring the item back. This will generate a credit memo in AR. If the customer finds that item is faulty or defective, then he returns the shipment to us In this case too, we will create an RMA in Inventory and receive the item back. This again creates a credit memo. Q.How to setup credit hold in Order Management? Credit hold setups include setting up Ans: Customer site level – Credit check must be enabled, Amount and currency must be specified Payment term – Credit check must be enabled Credit check rule – Credit check rule must be defined. Order type – Credit check Rule must be mapped as required Q.How to setup quantity discounts in Price lists? Ans: Quantity discounts are handled by specifying Price breaks by giving quantity and corresponding price applicable. Q.What is the purpose of scheduling a sale order? Ans: Scheduling a sales order ensures that line is available for Picking and further transactions applicable. Also, Scheduling looks at sourcing rules to determine the source of the item specified in order line. Scheduling honors Promise date and Latest Acceptable date whichever is applicable as per setups. Q.What are processing constraints in OM? Ans: Processing constraints ensure that user doesn’t violate any business process or system defined process by putting checks on various actions performed by user. Typically actions such as cancelling orders are governed by processing constraints. contact for more on Oracle SCM Online Training