Controlling the Output of Messages in Purchasing

Output control includes complex tasks such as automatic determination of output parameters based on the configuration, creation of documents based on form templates, sending via various output channels and the required archiving of the created documents.

In addition to the classic output solution based on message determination, also referred to as NAST, SAP S/4HANA offers a new output solution, SAP S/4HANA output management. However, message determination (NAST) remains the default solution for SAP S/4HANA on premise. 

You decide in Customizing whether you want to set up output control via SAP S/4HANA output management or NAST: IMG → Cross-Application Components → Output Control → Manage Application Object Type Activation. By default, SAP S/4HANA output management is active for cloud installations and inactive for on premise ones.

SAP S/4HANA output management can be activated per business object type, therefore the coexistence of SAP S/4HANA output management and NAST in SAP S/4HANA on premise is possible.

As a rule, when converting from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA, it makes sense to continue using the already existing solution (NAST).

For new implementations or new feature deployments, you may want to consider which solution to choose. Unlike NAST, SAP S/4HANA output management is easy to set up, but there are some restrictions. You can read about the advantages and disadvantages of each solution in the following blog.

In this training you will learn about both solutions, with a clear focus on NAST - the default solution for SAP S/4HANA on premise. 

Message determination in Purchasing includes:

• Message schemas
• Message types and fine-tuned control
• Access sequences and condition tables
• Partner roles for outputting messages
• Printer determination
• Change messages

Messages are an important means of communication with suppliers in relation to purchase transactions.

You can send messages through the postal service or electronically. A message-control facility, dependent on a number of different criteria, enables you to process and send these messages subject to certain conditions and with predefined restrictions.

The message determination process enables you to output messages on a variable and differentiated basis. Message determination is a variant of the condition technique.

In addition to the settings for message determination, you need to assign printers for print output.

When you create or change a purchasing document, for example, a Request for a Quotation (RFQ), a purchase order (PO), or an outline agreement, the system checks whether it has to create an output format for this document. A document in output format represents a message.

To use message control via NAST, you must first ensure that SAP S/4HANA output management has not been activated.

Then, you must assign a message schema to each purchasing document category.

If no message determination schema is assigned, the system cannot perform automatic message determination for the corresponding purchasing document category.

Working with message schemas results in the following:

• Any message type can be output.
• In case of print output, the system determines the printer in the following sequence:

  • printer from message record

  • printer depending on the print parameter in the message type

• Output medium and dispatch time can be defaulted, depending on the concrete values of influencing factors, such as document type and supplier.

The purpose of message determination is to output messages in accordance with predefined criteria.

With message determination, the system checks whether condition records exist for the actual application data in a purchasing document. The condition records specify how, when, where, and how often a message should be output. If condition records exist, then the system can generate and process (for instance, send electronically) one or more messages. Without a valid condition record, the system cannot generate a message automatically.

Example — Result of Message Determination

What does message determination enable you to do? For instance, message determination enables you to control the document output process for each supplier on an individual basis.

Depending on the actual application data in the document, you could specify the following options:

• Transmit purchasing documents for particular suppliers by EDI.
• Send purchasing documents with a particular document type to certain suppliers by fax.
• Print purchasing documents for the remaining suppliers.

In this example, the program uses different message records (condition records) for the outputs.

Example of Message Determination Process

With the relevant application data that you want to use for message output, condition tables must be created in Customizing.

In the message determination process, the system searches the condition records depending on the condition tables in a predefined sequence (the access sequence).

You can take into account various dependencies with the three different condition tables in the figureExample — Message Determination Process. Thus, supplier A can receive every purchasing document by EDI whereas supplier B only receives purchasing documents belonging to particular document types by fax.