In SAP availability check, which statement best describes the types of stock and movements that can be taken into account when determining whether a material is available?

Introduction / Context:
The availability check in SAP helps determine whether a requested quantity of material can be delivered on a desired date. It is a key part of Sales and Distribution (SD) and Materials Management (MM), influencing delivery dates, confirmations, and customer service levels. To make realistic promises, the system must consider not only current stock but also future receipts and issues. This question asks you to identify the combination of stock and movements that the availability check can take into account when calculating available-to-promise (ATP) quantities.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The focus is on the SAP availability check, which determines confirmed quantities and dates.
- Relevant data includes current stock, planned inward movements (like purchase orders or production orders), and planned outward movements (such as sales orders and deliveries).
- Different options describe various subsets of these elements, some too narrow and some incorrectly focused on one side only.
- The question aims to identify the comprehensive and realistic set of data used in ATP checks.

Concept / Approach:
In SAP, ATP logic typically looks at the so-called stock/requirements list, which includes on hand stock and a series of requirements and receipts over time. Current stock is the starting point. Planned inward movements may include purchase orders, production orders, planned orders, and stock transfers. Planned outward movements include customer requirements such as sales orders, deliveries, and reservations. The scope of check customizing allows you to include or exclude specific elements, but the general principle is to consider both sides: what you currently have and what you expect to receive or issue. Therefore, the best description is the one that mentions current stock plus both planned inward and outward movements.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that an availability check is meant to answer whether you can meet a requested date, which requires looking beyond just today's stock. Step 2: Recognise that current stock alone is not enough; incoming supplies such as purchase orders and production orders can make additional quantities available by the requested date. Step 3: Remember that the system must also respect outgoing requirements such as existing sales orders, deliveries, and reservations, which consume stock or planned receipts. Step 4: Identify that the only option which explicitly mentions current stock plus both planned inward and planned outward movements is option A. Step 5: Conclude that option A best reflects the typical SAP ATP logic and configuration options in the scope of check.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify this behaviour by checking the scope of check customizing in SD or MM, where you can specify which elements (stock, safety stock, purchase orders, production orders, sales orders, deliveries, etc.) are to be included in the availability check. Running transaction MD04 (stock/requirements list) for a material shows the same data that ATP uses to evaluate availability. If you compare the confirmed quantities in a sales order with the entries in MD04, you will see that the system considers both current stock and time-phased receipts and issues. This confirms that an accurate availability check requires the combination described in option A rather than a subset of elements.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B is wrong because it would ignore all future receipts and issues, leading either to overly pessimistic or inaccurate confirmations; SAP availability check is not limited to current stock only. Option C is incorrect since considering only anticipated outward movements without planned receipts would again distort reality by ignoring incoming supply. Option D is wrong because focusing only on purchase requisitions and ignoring on hand stock and existing customer requirements is not how SAP ATP is designed; it would make confirmed quantities meaningless and unreliable.

Common Pitfalls:
A common misunderstanding is to assume that availability check always considers all possible elements automatically. In reality, the scope of check must be configured, and if certain elements like purchase orders or reservations are excluded, the results can be surprising. Another pitfall is to look only at the material master settings and forget that the checking group and checking rule combination determines which movements are taken into account. Understanding that ATP is built on both current stock and planned receipts and issues helps you design realistic confirmation strategies and troubleshoot availability problems effectively.

Final Answer:
The correct answer is Current stock plus planned inward and planned outward movements, such as purchase orders and sales requirements, because SAP availability check is designed to evaluate material availability based on a time-phased combination of existing stock and future receipts and issues, not on a limited subset of data.