Order Management Data Structure

OTM models order management across three levels: the Purchase Order (what was ordered), the Order Release (a confirmed booking for movement), and Order Movements (the planned legs of that movement). Understanding this hierarchy and the underlying tables is essential for integration work and troubleshooting.

Purchase Order (Order Base):

A Purchase Order represents the commercial transaction — what items are being moved, from where, to where, and under what terms. POs are typically created in an ERP system (e.g. Oracle E-Business Suite) and sent to OTM via inbound integration. Note that POs often lack exact weight and volume details, which are required for shipment planning — those are defined on the Order Release.

Domain, Items, Locations, and Equipment

This is the first in a series of eight posts that walk through a complete OTM end-to-end transaction flow — from initial setup through planning, tendering, invoicing, and cost allocation. Each post builds on the previous one. Use this series as a starting point and refer to OTM Help documentation to explore each topic in depth.

Recommendation for new OTM consultants: If you are early in your OTM career, the single most effective way to build confidence is to complete this entire series hands-on in a non-production environment. Step through each post in order, create every object yourself, and verify the results — rather than just reading through them. You will make mistakes, and that is exactly the point: troubleshooting your own configuration teaches you far more than any documentation can.

You do not need to create a new Domain. Skip the Domain creation step and work inside your existing business domain instead. Everything else — Items, Locations, Equipment, Service Providers, Rates, Itineraries, Bulk Plan, Tender, Invoice, and Voucher Allocation — can be built and tested within your current domain without affecting production data.

Business Scenario: