For materials that are subject to batch management, in which document is the batch number generally not entered or specified in the standard sales process?

Introduction / Context:
Batch management in SAP allows companies to track and manage materials that are produced or purchased in discrete batches, such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, or food products. During the order to cash process, batch numbers must be assigned at appropriate stages so that the specific batch delivered to a customer can be traced. However, not every SD document is used to enter or change batch numbers. This question checks whether you know in which document the batch is normally not specified in a standard batch-managed sales process.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The material is batch managed, so batch numbers are relevant in SD and MM documents.
- Batch information may appear in the sales order, delivery, and goods movement steps.
- The billing document is primarily a financial and invoicing document derived from delivery data.
- The question asks where batch numbers are generally not entered by the user in standard processing.

Concept / Approach:
In a typical SAP SD process with batch management, batch numbers are assigned at or before goods movement. This can occur in the sales order (if batch is known early), more commonly in the outbound delivery during picking, or at the latest when posting goods issue. These documents interact with inventory and therefore need batch-specific stock information. By the time the billing document is created, it simply reads the batch information from the underlying delivery; users do not normally enter or change batch numbers in the billing document itself. Thus, the billing document is not the place where batch numbers are initially specified, even though batch data can be displayed there for reference and reporting.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Review the main SD documents in a batch-managed process: sales order, outbound delivery (including picking), goods issue posting, and billing document. Step 2: Recall that batch determination and assignment typically take place in the delivery or at the goods issue step, because that is when stock is physically picked and moved. Step 3: Note that batch numbers may also be entered in the sales order item if business rules require early assignment, for example in make-to-order scenarios. Step 4: Recognise that the billing document is created after goods issue and is based on delivery data, primarily for invoicing and accounting, not for inventory movements or batch selection. Step 5: Conclude that the billing document is the document in which batch numbers are generally not entered or specified by the user in standard SAP processing.

Verification / Alternative check:
In an SAP training system, create a sales order for a batch-managed material, then create the outbound delivery. In the delivery, use the picking overview or batch determination function to select a batch. When you post goods issue, the system records the batch-specific stock movement. Afterward, create the billing document and display the line item details. You will see that the batch number is shown as informational data copied from the delivery, but the billing transaction does not provide a standard place where the user is expected to enter or change the batch. This confirms that batch entry happens earlier, not in billing.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B is wrong because the picking overview screen of the delivery is a common place to select or change batch numbers when picking stock. Option C is incorrect since batch assignment can be done or adjusted right before posting goods issue, which is the final inventory movement step in SD. Option D is wrong because in some scenarios the batch can indeed be specified at the sales order item level, especially if the batch is reserved for a particular order or customer.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent source of confusion is assuming that any document displaying batch data is also a document where batch numbers are actively maintained. In reality, some documents simply carry batch information for traceability without being used for batch selection. Another pitfall is thinking of the billing document as both a commercial and a logistics document; in SAP, logistics decisions such as batch selection are finalised earlier, and billing focuses mainly on pricing, taxation, and accounting. Keeping these roles separate in your mind helps you understand where batch data is maintained and where it is merely displayed.

Final Answer:
The correct answer is In the billing document that is created from the delivery, because batch numbers for batch-managed materials are selected and recorded at the order, delivery, or goods issue level, while the billing document only reflects the batch information without serving as the primary place to enter or change it.