This system map is part of the special pricing agreement exceptions hub, which walks through why an expired approval reaches a new order. This page shows where each record lives and which key holds the case together.
Five systems and the key each can share
A distributor that sells under supplier special pricing usually spreads one case over five places. Each row is one node on the map.
| System | Record it holds | Linking key it shares | Usual owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPQ or quoting tool | Pricing request, quote with the special price, project name | Approval number, project field | Pricing desk or sales operations |
| ERP price conditions | Condition record with price and validity dates | Approval number, condition dates | ERP administrator, pricing team |
| ERP order lines | Ordered item, price applied, ship-to account | Approval reference on the line, ship-to | Order management |
| Supplier claim portal or claim file | Claim submission, status, rejection reason, credit | Claim ID, approval number | Claims accountant or rebate team |
| Approval letter folder and email | Supplier's letter naming the end user, period and items | Approval number in the file name, if anyone used it | Pricing director, often individual staff |
The ERP side is usually strongest because the approval number is a field. The weakest nodes are the letter folder and email, where the key is only as good as someone's file naming.
The four joins, and how each one breaks
Each join needs the same value recorded on both sides when the event happened. Here is what each depends on.
| Join | Upstream record | Downstream record | How it breaks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approval number | Number on the CPQ quote | Same number on the order line and the claim | Quote copied forward with the number but no date check |
| Validity dates | Dates in the supplier letter | Condition dates in the ERP on the order date | ERP dates adjusted later by an overlapping load |
| End customer or project | Project or end user named in the approval | Ship-to or job account on the order | Contractor billed under a different account |
| Claim reference | Order line and credit memo | Claim ID and status in the supplier portal | Rejection handled by email, never logged against the claim |
The dates join deserves its own warning, because the ERP can change it without anyone noticing. SAP's documentation on validity periods says a new condition record may partially overlap an existing one, for example a special price valid for one month, and a partial overlap adjusts the existing record's validity without a message; an existing record wholly inside a new one is deleted on save after a system message. In Microsoft Dynamics 365, each sales trade agreement price line has a From date and a To date, and when two agreements overlap, the one with the lowest price is selected when order lines are created. In both cases the price on a past order can be correct while the dates now stored no longer show which approval produced it. The letter folder is often the only record of the dates as approved.
SAP
Microsoft Dynamics 365One case joined end to end (Illustrative)
Illustrative and fictional: a 340-person plumbing and HVAC distributor, a water heater manufacturer and a school renovation project. Every identifier is invented to show the shape of a joined case.
| Step | System | Record | Key carried forward |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CPQ | Request R-2210 for tankless heaters, project "district school renovation", contractor named | Project field |
| 2 | Letter folder | Supplier approves SPA-7731 for that project, 120 units, valid February 1 to July 31 | SPA-7731, end user, dates |
| 3 | ERP price conditions | Condition loaded for SPA-7731 with the same dates | SPA-7731, dates |
| 4 | ERP order lines | Order SO-48120, 40 units at the special price, shipped to the contractor's job account | SPA-7731, ship-to |
| 5 | ERP order lines | Order SO-49377, 30 units, same price, billed to the contractor's main account for a different job | SPA-7731, wrong ship-to |
| 6 | Claim portal | Claim CL-5530 for SO-48120 paid; claim CL-5611 for SO-49377 rejected, reason "end user not on agreement" | Claim IDs |
| 7 | Pricing desk confirms SO-49377 was for another site; asks supplier for a separate approval | SPA-7731 in subject | |
| 8 | Letter folder and ERP | New approval SPA-7902 issued; claim resubmitted as CL-5688 and paid; CPQ rule added to check ship-to against the approved project | SPA-7902, CL-5688 |
The approval number ran through every step, so the case can be found. What makes it explainable is the project join: step 5 looks correct by price and dates, and only the comparison between the approved end user in step 2 and the ship-to in step 5 shows why the supplier refused the claim. If the letter had been filed under the supplier's name with no approval number, step 2 would be unjoined and the rejection in step 6 would read as an unexplained loss.
Where cases stay unjoined, and what to record about it
Most distributors will have some cases that cannot be fully joined. Name the gap on the map rather than hiding it; a partial history described honestly is still worth describing.
- Reloaded conditions. If price conditions were rebuilt during a pricing project, the stored dates may not be the dates in force on the order date. Ask whether the original letters were kept. The preservation guide covers what to inventory before a reload.
- Free-text approval references. Where the approval number sits in an order note rather than a field, joins rely on text matching and some will fail.
- Portal history. Supplier claim portals belong to the supplier. How far back a distributor can see its own claim history varies by portal and is a question for the claims team.
- Email-only rejections. A rejection argued and settled by email leaves the claim record showing only the final credit.
Supplier program terms may also limit what can be disclosed about prices and approvals; the question on distributor price file confidentiality covers that, and it belongs on the map as a rights flag beside the supplier nodes.
Map questions for the pricing director
The pricing director can usually answer these without opening a single record:
- Which systems hold requests, approvals, conditions, order lines and claims, and from which year?
- Is the approval number a field on the order line, or typed into notes?
- Are approval letters filed by approval number, by supplier or by project?
- Were price conditions reloaded or rebuilt in the last few years, and were the original dates kept anywhere?
- Roughly how many claims a year are rejected, and is the rejection reason recorded against the claim?
- Who administers each system, and who owns the special pricing process?
Write the answers into the special pricing referral brief; who can approve a licensing discussion is covered in who can license special pricing exception records. For sector context, see specialty distribution and pricing value creation in private equity.
The introduced company needs 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded), documented operating history, rights to license and an authorized contact. Companies in the U.S., Canada and the EU qualify, as do companies in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, South Africa, Latin America, the UAE and Saudi Arabia when at least 90% of the data is in English. Partners sign the Channel Partner Agreement before submitting introductions and never handle quotes, letters or exports. Whether supplier terms allow licensing, how much end customer detail must be removed, and whether any buyer wants the history stay unknown until SourceX reviews it with the company.
Next step
Refer a company. Earn up to $100,000. Default reward: 25% of Actual Supplier Payout, capped at $100,000 cumulatively per referred company. Eligibility and payment conditions apply, and a signed Schedule A or addendum can differ. A lead, meeting or signature alone does not trigger payment.
If the pricing director confirms that approval numbers, original dates and claim outcomes can be lined up for most cases, register as a partner, check the distributor on who qualifies, and read the program terms before you make the introduction.