In SAP S/4HANA Sales, the partner determination procedure assigned to a sales document type defines which partner functions are mandatory. For a standard sales order, the Sold-to party (SP) is the primary partner from whom all other essential partners are typically derived; it is always mandatory. The Ship-to party (SH) is also a standard mandatory partner function because the system requires this information to process the delivery and determine shipping-related data like the route and shipping point. If a partner function is marked as mandatory in the configuration and is not maintained in the sales document, the system will issue an error message upon saving, preventing the document's completion.

C. Invoicing party (11): This is a specialized partner function, often used in agency business scenarios, and is not a mandatory partner in a standard sales order process.

D. Ordering party (1): This is an optional partner function used when the entity placing the order is different from the sold-to party; it is not mandatory by default.

1. SAP S/4HANA Product Assistance: Sales -> Basic Functions and Master Data in SD Processing -> Business Partners -> Partner Determination -> Defining and Assigning Partner Determination Procedures. This documentation explains that within a partner determination procedure

specific functions can be flagged as "Mandatory". The standard procedure for sales document headers (AG) marks Sold-to party (SP)

Ship-to party (SH)

Payer (PY)

and Bill-to party (BP) as mandatory.

2. SAP S/4HANA Product Assistance: Sales -> Basic Functions and Master Data in SD Processing -> Business Partners -> Partner Functions. This section defines the roles of key partners. It describes the Sold-to party as the central partner function in the sales order and the Ship-to party as the recipient of the goods

highlighting their essential nature for the sales and delivery process.

3. SAP Learning Hub Courseware (TS462 - SAP S/4HANA Sales - Functions & Innovations): Unit: Sales Process and Analytics

Lesson: Partner Determination. This course material explicitly states that the four standard

mandatory partner functions at the sales document header level are Sold-to party

Ship-to party

Bill-to party

and Payer.