Creating a Purchase Requisition with Source Determination

Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
  • Maintain the source list for automatic source determination
  • Create a purchase requisition with the advanced transaction

Source List

Note

For more information on sourcing during MRP, see S4500, Unit 8, Lesson 1.

You can stipulate a source list requirement for a material. This means that this material may only be procured from sources that have been entered as valid in the source list. You will find the necessary indicator in the purchasing data of the material master record.

You can also specify the source list requirement for a plant in Customizing. However, this means that you must maintain the source list for all the externally procured materials of this plant.

Source List: Maintenance

Maintain the Source List

Advanced Transaction ME51N for Purchase Requisition

  • Header:

    This is where you enter all data relevant for the whole document. For example, in the purchase requisition, the header data consists only of an internal header memo, and in the case of an overall release for the purchase requisition, information on the release procedure.

    In the header of a purchase order, you can find data like the supplier and the supplier address or the organizational levels.

  • Item overview:

    In this list, you can enter the items with the most important data, such as material, quantity, delivery date, and plant.

    Note

    It is also possible to integrate web-based catalogs in purchasing. This means the item data can also be copied from a catalog. If you want to connect a catalog, the catalog must comply with the Open Catalog Interface (OCI) standard.
  • Item detail:

    Here you enter more data (if desired or necessary) for a particular item, such extra texts or account assignment specifications.

  • Document overview:

    In the document overview, you can display different documents, such as purchase requisitions, purchase orders, and purchasing contracts.

Navigation Elements in Single-Screen Transactions

Screenshot 1: The document overview is on and the Item detail area is expanded. Screenshot 2: The document overview is off and the Item detail area is collapsed.

In the purchase requisition transaction (and also in the purchase order transaction), you can open and close all screen areas individually.

If you close and then reenter a single-screen transaction, the screen is in the same format as it was when you left it. If the document overview and the header were closed and the item overview and item detail were open, this same screen format is displayed.

It does not matter which function you use to access the purchase requisition (create, change, display). You can switch between functions by choosing Create or Display/Change. By choosing the Other Purchase Requisition icon, you can also branch directly to another purchase requisition or purchase order.

Account Assignment

If you want to request a material or service directly for an account assignment object, you specify an account assignment category for the item in the item overview. The other necessary account assignment data that you can enter in the item detail is on the Account assignment tab page.

Screenshot showing a purchase requisition and an account assignment. Details are provided in the following text.

If you have the single account assignment screen displayed on the Account Assignment tab, you can use (Multiple account assignment) to switch to the multiple account assignment screen. On the multiple account assignment screen, choose (Single account assignment) to switch to the single account assignment screen. The system makes a note of your last setting. On the multiple account assignment screen, you can also create single account assignments.

With multiple account assignment you can, for example, distribute the costs for one purchase order item among several cost centers. In this case, the created account assignment data represents individual account assignment items. With multiple account assignment for an item, you must decide whether the value of the item is to be distributed on a quantity or value basis, or as a percentage.

If you want to distribute the quantity of a purchase requisition item in equal parts, you just need to enter the account assignments. The system automatically distributes the requested quantity in equal parts to the existing account assignment items. If you change the requested total quantity in the item overview, the quantity is adjusted in the relevant account assignment items.

An example of automatic account assignment distribution: You have requested 90 office chairs and assigned them equally to three cost centers. However, because you require 120 office chairs, you change the requested quantity in the item overview. The system then automatically changes the distribution so that 40 office chairs are assigned to each cost center.

Note

The icons (Multiple account assignment) and (Single account assignment) mentioned earlier are also used in the purchase order transaction ME21N. But in a purchase order item with a multiple account assignment, the system cannot automatically distribute the ordered quantity in equal parts to the existing account assignment items.

Templates for Purchase Requisition (and Purchase Order)

For frequently requested materials you can create templates. Using a template reduces the effort involved in data entry when you create a new document.

Templates can be used for the following documents:

  • Purchase requisition

  • Purchase order

You can create user-specific templates or public templates. Public templates are available to all users.

To save a purchase requisition as a template, choose Save As Template. You can also load a template by choosing Load From Template.

In these transactions, choose the Save As Template or Load from Template buttons. You see a dialog box in which you can save, load, or delete templates. When you save a template, you can define the template as a public template. When you load a template, you can decide whether you want to copy the header and item data to the new purchasing document, or only the item data.

To save and delete public templates that are available to all users, you need the appropriate authorizations (authorization object Create/Change/Delete Public Templates M_TEMPLATE).

Create a Purchase Requisition with the Advanced Transaction ME51N