Unit 4: Master Data

Lesson 1 · Setting Up Material Master Records

Key concepts

Material master Customizing is found under Logistics – General › Material Master. It is organised into the following areas:

Global settings

• Update of administrative data (technical data in table MSTA, displayed via the information-on-material function): updated either per table/organizational level, or per maintenance status and organizational level (status-dependent), or not at all.
• Document type for design drawings, if the document management system is used.
• Checkboxes to activate special reference-material functions, e.g. follow-up materials or manufacturer part numbers.

Maintaining company codes for materials management

MM keeps its own posting period per company code, independent from the FI posting period variants. With OMSY you see, per company code, the current fiscal year and period, the previous period and whether postings into the previous period are permitted (back-posting). The very first period is set by initialization (MMPI); afterwards the period is moved forward each month by the period-closing program (MMPV). Back-postings into the previous period are controlled with MMRV. A period close with MMPV cannot be reversed; if done by mistake, the company code must be re-initialized (an SAP Note documents the procedure).

Process flow

System steps

1. Display the MM periods per company code with OMSY.
2. For a new company code, initialize the period with MMPI (period, fiscal year, company code).
3. At month end, run MMPV (usually as a background job) to move to the next period.
4. Use MMRV to allow or disallow postings to the previous period.

Configuration (IMG)

Lesson 2 · Creating Material Types

Key concepts

A material type groups materials with the same basic characteristics (raw material ROH, semi-finished HALB, finished FERT, trading goods HAWA, non-stock NLAG, services SERV …). It is assigned in the basic data (client level) and drives many downstream controls; other components also refer to it, e.g. PP decides per material type whether BOMs and routings are allowed.

Material status and special procurement keys can further restrict procurement per material and plant. The material type of an existing material can only be changed if old and new types share the same account category reference, or if no stock, purchase orders or reservations exist. The old type-specific create transactions (e.g. MMR1) still exist but no longer protect the material type; use MM01.

Maintenance status and views

The maintenance status records which user departments (views) have been created for a material. Each department has its own views; a valuated material bought into stock needs at least E (Purchasing) and B (Accounting). BOM and routing require at least one plant-level view.

MM50 (Extend Material View(s)) lists materials that still lack a given maintenance status, so each department can complete its views directly from the list.

Number assignment

Material numbers can be internal (assigned by the system when creation starts) or external (entered by the user). Configuration in MMNR (number range object MATERIALNR, also visible in SNRO):

1. Create groups and assign number range intervals to them — each interval belongs to one group; a group may have one internal and one external interval.
2. Assign material types to the groups.

• Internal intervals must be numeric.
• External no. assignment w/o check on the material type: externally entered numbers are not checked against an interval (they should then be alphanumeric), so no external interval is needed.
• Internal numbers are buffered (10 numbers); combined with number assignment at the start of creation, gaps can occur. Resetting the interval status can close them.

Output format of material numbers

S/4HANA supports up to 40 characters for material numbers (numeric numbers max. 18). By default — new installation and conversion — the length stays at 18 and the extension is inactive. To use longer numbers:

1. Activate the extended material number (client-dependent): Cross-Application Components › General Application Functions › Field Length Extension › Activate Extended Fields (FLETS).
2. Adjust the material number length and format in OMSL.

In OMSL you can also define an editing template (e.g. __.___.___) — the special characters are display-only and not stored — and the lexicographical indicator, which treats numeric numbers as labels without leading-zero padding; it must be set before the first material is created. Restrictions for numbers longer than 18 characters are collected in an SAP Note.

Material status

The material status restricts usability of a material per application (purchasing, MRP, inventory management, BOM, routing, costing, forecasting, warehouse …). For each application the status can give no message, a warning (A) or an error (B). Statuses are maintained in the material master as:

• Cross-plant material status (Basic Data 1) — applies in all plants;
• Plant-specific material status (Purchasing or MRP views);
• distribution-chain-specific and cross-distribution-chain status for sales (Sales: Sales Org. 1 view).

Example: a status with B for purchasing and blank for inventory management blocks POs with an error but still permits goods movements.

Process flow

System steps

1. In OMS2, copy an existing type (e.g. ROH) to a Z-type so all dependent entries are copied.
2. Set field reference, screen reference, user departments, external/internal purchase orders, product type group, price control and account category reference.
3. Under Quantity/value updating, set the flags per valuation area.
4. In MMNR, assign the type to a number range group (create group/intervals if needed).
5. Define material statuses with OMS4 and material groups with OMSF.
6. Test with MM01; check missing views with MM50.

Configuration (IMG)

Lesson 3 · Setting Up Field Selection for Material Master Records

Key concepts

Field selection decides for each material master field whether it is hidden, display-only or ready for input (required or optional). Unlike many other objects, the material master does not control fields one by one: every field belongs to a field selection group, and the attribute is set for the group. There are 240 field selection groups, of which 40 are reserved for customers (listed in the documentation of Assign Fields to Field Selection Groups, which also explains how to control long-text fields). If you want one field to behave differently from the others in its group, move it to a customer group (OMSR).

Influencing factors and field references

Several factors act at the same time, each represented by a field reference:

To affect all materials of the mechanical engineering sector you would change reference M; to affect one material type you change (or create and assign) its reference.

Link rules

The system combines the attributes of all applicable field references for each group; the attribute with the highest priority wins. Priority: Hide > Display > Required > Optional. These link rules are fixed by SAP.

Process flow

System steps

1. Identify the field's selection group in OMSR and check which other fields share it.
2. If the change must not affect the other fields, move the field to a free customer group.
3. Decide on the influencing factor (e.g. material type) and find its current field reference.
4. In OMS9 change that reference for the group, or create a new reference.
5. Assign a new reference to the influencing factor (e.g. in OMS2 for the material type) and test with MM01/MM02.
6. If you made fields mandatory, check existing materials and fill missing data.

Configuration (IMG)

Lesson 4 · Defining Field References for Material Master Records

Key concepts

Field selection groups in detail

In Assign Fields to Field Selection Groups each material master field (e.g. MARC-EKGRP) is listed with its group. Print the current assignment (Table View › Print) before regrouping. The field details also contain the Propose field content indicator: if set, the field value is copied from a reference material when a material is created with reference. From here you can jump directly into field selection maintenance for the group.

Maintaining field references

For a selected group (e.g. group 14), the screen shows the fields in the upper part and, in the middle, the field references with four radio buttons (Hide, Display, Required, Optional). Priority decreases from left to right. Special client-wide references:

The where-used list shows where a reference applies — e.g. reference MM02 is used by the change transaction MM02 as well as by related change transactions such as the retail article change MM42. Plant field references are assigned per plant in a separate Customizing table.

Logical dependencies

Beyond Customizing, the program enforces dependencies: lot-sizing procedure FX on MRP 1 makes the fixed lot size field mandatory; selecting purchasing views makes the material group (Basic Data 1) mandatory.

Lock-relevant fields

In industry systems (not SAP Retail) you can define, at client level, fields that become read-only once a material is locked. After the lock is saved, these fields can no longer be changed (except required fields that must be entered when extending the material). If a field is made lock-relevant while changes are already planned for it (change numbers), those changes are not applied. Locking and unlocking require authorization object M_MATE_MAF (activity 16 = lock, 51 = unlock); unlocking is not possible for materials under configuration management. Mass locking/unlocking uses field MARA-MATFI in mass maintenance (MM17).

Process flow

System steps

1. In OMSR, display the group, check Propose field content and jump to field selection maintenance.
2. In OMS9, select the group, use the where-used list on a reference and set the attribute.
3. For plant-specific behaviour, assign a field reference to the plant in the plant assignment table of the Field Selection node.
4. Define lock-relevant fields in the IMG; lock a material in MM02 or with MM17 (field MATFI).

Configuration (IMG)

Lesson 5 · Configuring the Material Master

Key concepts

The material master dialog can be tailored when departments do not need all standard views or need different groupings. Building blocks, top-down:

• You can remove, replace or reorder subscreens, convert frequently used secondary screens into main screens, and change the order of main and additional screens. You cannot change the order of fields on a standard subscreen.
• Plant-specific subscreens must never be placed on a client-level screen (e.g. Purchasing subscreens on Basic Data).
• Secondary screens are reached from main screens via function codes PBxx on pushbuttons, integrated with the Screen Painter.
• To identify a screen number, use F1 › Technical Information or System › Status.
• User settings: default industry sector, default views and organizational levels per user and screen sequence.

Screen references and assignment of screen sequences

The screen sequence is determined from four screen references:

In the assignment table, entries use the wildcard *. The first entry (all * → 21) has the lowest priority; the most specific matching entry wins. Example: sequence Z1 for user reference SAMPLE + material type reference ROH + industry reference M; Z2 if only the user matches; Z3 if material type and industry match but not the user; Z4 if only the material type matches; otherwise 21.

Simplified creation of material

With business function LOG_MM_CI_3 active, a material master and a purchasing info record can be created in one step on one screen. There is no own transaction: in ME21N below the item overview choose Enhanced Material Search, enter a plant, and select Create New Material. Customizing (per material type, grouping fields into group boxes and setting their sequence): Logistics – General › Material Master › Enhanced Material Search with Material Creation.

Process flow

System steps

1. Copy standard sequence 21 to a Z-sequence in Define Structure of Data Screens for Each Screen Sequence (OMT3B).
2. Delete unneeded data screens, change their maintenance status/texts, and replace or remove subscreens (dummy 0001).
3. Maintain the order of main and additional screens and convert secondary screens if desired.
4. Define user, material type and industry screen references and assign them.
5. Assign the screen sequence per combination of references using * wildcards; test with MM01.

Configuration (IMG)

Lesson 6 · Defining Settings for Business Partners

Key concepts

In SAP S/4HANA suppliers and customers are maintained as business partners with transaction BP or the Fiori app Maintain Business Partner. One central record holds the general data; roles add the application-specific data. A BP has a category: person, group (e.g. married couple, executive board) or organization (company, department, association).

BP roles for a supplier (category organization)

Roles can be added or removed. Customer roles are FLCU00/FLCU01 for sales.

Field attributes

As in the material master you set hide, display, required or optional. For business partners, field selection depends on client, BP role, activity (create/change/display) and BP type. The ECC influencing factors — account group, transaction and purchasing organization — are not used for BP field control (the account group still exists in the background for other purposes). The link rules equal those of the material master (Hide > Display > Required > Optional), with one exception: between BP roles the priority is reversed — Required > Optional > Display > Hide. So if e-mail is required for FLVN00 and hidden for FLVN01, it is required whenever the supplier is maintained.

Number assignment: groupings

When creating a BP the user chooses a grouping; its number range (numeric or alphanumeric; internal = system-assigned and logged in the number status, external = user-entered) determines the BP number.

1. Define number range intervals (non-overlapping; external flag where needed) — BUCF.
2. Define groupings and assign number ranges; one range may serve several groupings. Standard groupings for internal and external assignment are used when no grouping is entered. The BP's grouping is stored in table BUT000.

Customer/Vendor Integration and the account group

Creating a BP in a supplier role automatically creates the classic supplier (vendor) record in the background via Customer/Vendor Integration (CVI). The grouping determines the supplier account group (table TBC001). The Same Numbers flag defines whether BP and supplier numbers are identical; otherwise the supplier number comes from the account group's number range. The account group no longer drives field selection, but it still decides whether purchasing data may be maintained at plant or subrange level and carries the partner schema. It is shown on the Vendor: General Data tab of the supplier role.

Partner roles (partner functions)

In procurement one supplier may act in several functions — or different BPs take over different functions. Partner roles define the rights and duties of each partner in a transaction and support message, price and address determination and statistics. Standard MM roles:

Only partners that differ from the supplier itself need to be maintained; the partner must exist as a master record. Partners can be stored per purchasing org, purchasing org + plant, purchasing org + subrange, or purchasing org + plant + subrange.

Customizing chain for partner determination

• Higher level: if no partner exists at plant/subrange level, search at purchasing org level. Needed so that POs created automatically (ME59N, assignment list ME58, conversion of requisitions from MD04) also find partners.
• End: partners are determined when the document is checked or saved instead of right after entering the supplier. Useful when partners depend on plant/subrange: if all items share the same plant/subrange the system uses that level; with mixed items it uses the purchasing org level, regardless of the Higher-level flag. Drawback: because pricing runs earlier, invoicing-party conditions (MEKJ) are not found — reprice the items or remove the End flag.

Example: ordering address for message output

To send POs for supplier A to a separate ordering address B: check A's account group and its partner schema (role OA must be included), check that B's account group may assume role OA, enter B as OA in A's master record, and ensure the document type (e.g. NB) partner schema contains OA. A PO for A then determines B as ordering address. Output still requires message determination — a condition record with MN04 (output type NEU, key fields such as document type/purchasing org/supplier, timing and medium) or, in S/4HANA output management, a corresponding output parameter rule.

Further partner functions and invoice checks

• Planned delivery costs: a freight supplier can be entered directly in the condition details (independent of partner settings) and is proposed in invoice entry; an alternative freight supplier can be entered at goods receipt.
• Message M8 776 (payments to partner not allowed): the invoicing party must hold a role permitted as payee (Define Partner Role as Allowed Payee) — e.g. a forwarding agent CR invoicing against the PO.
• Message M8 777 (invoicing party has no partner role in PO): the invoicing party entered in MIRO must be a partner in the PO.
• Both messages can be set to warning or error in Define Attributes of System Messages for Logistics Invoice Verification (OMRM).

Process flow

System steps

1. Define number range intervals (BUCF) and groupings with their number ranges.
2. Map each grouping to a supplier account group and decide on Same Numbers (CVI Customizing).
3. Set BP field attributes per role/activity if required.
4. Define partner roles, permissible roles per account group, partner schemas for supplier master and for purchasing documents; assign schemas to account groups and document types.
5. Create the supplier with BP in roles 000000, FLVN00, FLVN01 and enter differing partners.
6. Create a PO (ME21N) and check the Partners tab; post an invoice with MIRO to test M8 776/777.

Configuration (IMG)

Unit summary & exam focus

Material master control is layered: basic settings and MM periods per company code; the material type (views, number range, procurement, price control, quantity/value update, account category reference); field selection via groups, references and link rules; and the dialog via screen sequences and screen references. Suppliers are business partners whose roles, groupings, account groups and partner schemas determine numbering, data levels and partner determination in purchasing documents.

T-codes in this unit

Self-check questions

1. At which level are MM posting periods defined and how is the next period opened?
   Answer

   Per company code. After initialization (MMPI) the period is advanced with the period-closing program MMPV.
2. Which two references are entered in the material type attributes for screen and field control?
   Answer

   The screen reference and the field reference.
3. A material type allows both in-house production and external procurement. Which procurement type is proposed?
   Answer

   X (both).
4. Field selection group 14 is "required" for the material type reference and "hidden" for the plant reference. What is the result?
   Answer

   Hidden — suppress has the highest priority in the material master link rules.
5. In which order do you configure the material master screens?
   Answer

   Screen sequence → data screens → subscreens.
6. Which factors control BP field selection, and which ECC factor is no longer used?
   Answer

   Client, BP role, activity and BP type. Account group (and transaction/purchasing org) no longer control field selection.
7. To which objects can partner schemas be assigned?
   Answer

   Account groups (supplier master) and purchasing document types.
8. Why might invoicing-party conditions not be found in a PO?
   Answer

   Because the End indicator determines the invoicing party only at check/save, after pricing has run. Reprice the items or remove the End indicator.