Cross-docking is one of the most strategically valuable areas of SAP EWM, but also the most misconfigured. Many implementation teams treat the three main variants—planned, opportunistic, and push—as interchangeable. In practice, each carries a different master data footprint, a different trigger logic, and a different operational profile. The wrong choice typically surfaces only in production, when cross-docking throughput targets are missed or when storage control interferes with the expected flow. This article is written for experienced EWM consultants and warehouse design leads who need a design-oriented view of when and how to use each cross-docking variant in S/4HANA embedded EWM. It focuses on configuration logic, decision drivers, and project pitfalls rather than introductory concepts. The article covers the customizing required for each scenario, the interaction with storage control (LOSC and POSC), the impact on inbound and outbound process flows, and the most common reasons cross-docking projects fail to deliver the expected throughput gains. The scope covers S/4HANA with embedded EWM, with notes on differences for decentralized EWM where relevant. - Cross-docking in EWM: business drivers and scenario landscape - Planned cross-docking: configuration, master data, and process flow - Opportunistic cross-docking: trigger logic and storage control interaction - Push deployment: when and how to use it - Comparative decision framework and project pitfalls - Embedded vs decentralized EWM considerations