Defining Settings for Business Partners

A supplier master record is automatically created in the background when you create a business partner master record for a supplier. An account group is assigned automatically to this supplier master record. The account group depends on the grouping and is assigned in table TBC001.

To maintain this table, go to SAP Customizing Implementation Guide (IMG) → Cross-Application Components → Master Data Synchronization → Customer/Vendor Integration → Business Partner Settings → Settings for Vendor Integration → Field Assignment for Vendor Integration → Assign Keys → Define Number Assignment for Direction BP to Vendor.

The Same Numbers checkbox in this customizing activity decides whether business partner master records and supplier master records have the same numbers. If the checkbox is not selected, the number for the supplier is assigned through the account group.

You can display the assigned account group on the Vendor: General Data tab in the business partner master record for the BP role Supplier.

First, you define all the partner roles that you want to use client wide. When defining the roles, you can specify that a partner role may be used only once per organizational level for a business partner (Unique checkbox). If the checkbox is not selected, several partners with the same role may be maintained for a supplier per organizational level. When creating a purchase order, the buyer obtains a list of all possible partners with this role and has to choose the desired one.

If you maintain several partners for a single partner role in a supplier master record, you can designate one of them as the default value. When the user creates a purchasing document, the default partner is listed in the selection list on top and is highlighted.

To define partner roles in Customizing, choose IMG → Materials Management → Purchasing → Partner Determination → Partner Roles → Define Partner Roles.

After the partner roles are defined, you have to specify which category of suppliers can assume which roles for another partner. This categorizing is done using the account group. You thus assign to each relevant account group the partner roles that the suppliers with that account group can assume.

To specify the allowed partner roles for each account group in Customizing, choose IMG → Materials Management → Purchasing → Partner Determination → Partner Roles → Define Permissible Partner Roles per Account Group.

A partner schema contains a selection of partner roles. You can assign partner schemas to account groups in Customizing.

This time it is the account group of the business partner for which you want to define different partner functions.

Assigning a partner schema to an account group is optional and restricts the selection of partner functions when maintaining master records for suppliers with that account group.

To define partner schemas for account groups in Customizing, choose IMG → Materials Management → Purchasing → Partner Determination → Partner Settings in Supplier Master Record → Define Partner Schemas in Supplier Master Record.

When defining partner schemas for account groups, you can set the following indicators:

• No Change indicator:

  If you want to prevent changes in the partner defined in the supplier master record, set the No Change indicator. However, this indicator does not prevent a partner from being deleted.

• Mandatory indicator:

  The Mandatory indicator determines whether a partner role is mandatory.

After creating partner schemas, you can assign them to account groups. To assign partner schemas to account groups, choose IMG → Materials Management → Purchasing → Partner Determination → Partner Settings in Supplier Master Record → Assign Partner Schemas to Account Groups. You can assign different schemas on the levels purchasing organization, supplier subrange and plant.

If you want to use partner roles in purchasing documents, you have to assign a partner schema for the relevant purchasing document types. If you need a new partner schema, define it in Customizing under IMG → Materials Management → Purchasing → Partner Determination → Partner Settings in Purchasing Documents → Define Partner Schemas in Purchasing Documents. When defining partner schemas for purchasing documents, you can set the following indicators:

• No Change indicator:

  If you want to prevent changes in the partner determined from the supplier master record, set the No Change indicator. This indicator also prevents a partner to be deleted.

• Mandatory indicator:

  The Mandatory indicator determines whether a partner role is mandatory.

• Higher Level indicator:

  If the Higher Level indicator is set, the system searches for partner roles at the purchasing organization level if no partner roles exist at the plant or supplier subrange level.

  This indicator is also necessary if you want the system to find partners for purchase orders which are not created manually with transaction ME21N, for example, but with

  • Automatic creation ME59N

  • Assignment list ME58

  • Converting purchase requisitions in transaction MD04

• End indicator:

  The End indicator specifies the time of partner determination. If the End indicator is set, the partner roles are determined from the business partner (or, in the case of release orders, from the relevant contract) at the end of the document entry process (when the document is saved or checked). If the indicator is not set, the partner roles are determined when a purchasing document is created, after you enter the supplier number in the document header and press Enter.

  Determining a partner when a document is checked or saved is particularly beneficial if different data has been stored for the business partner at the plant and/or supplier subrange levels (if partners have been maintained at these levels). The system checks whether all document items contain the same plant or subrange. If all items contain the same plant or subrange, the system searches for partners that are defined just at this level.

  If a purchase order contains several items with different plants or subranges, the partners are determined at the purchasing organization level, irrespective of whether or not the Higher Level indicator is selected.

Invoicing parties are not determined until you check or save a purchase order, because the End indicator is set. For this, they cannot be considered in price determination.

Example: Conditions have been created for a different invoicing party on the SAP Easy Access screen, under Logistics → Materials Management → Purchasing → Master Data → Conditions → Discounts/Surcharges → By Invoicing Party (MEKJ). Price determination occurs at the start, but the invoicing party is determined at the end (if the End indicator has been set). Therefore, the conditions of the invoicing party are not found. To find the invoicing party’s conditions, either carry out new pricing in the purchase order items or remove the End indicator in the partner schema.

To assign partner schemas to document types, choose IMG → Materials Management → Purchasing → Partner Determination → Partner Settings in Purchasing Documents → Assign Partner Schemas to Document Types .

If you now create a purchasing document with document type NB for supplier S520–200, partner S520–100 is determined as the ordering address.

To create a message to this partner, message determination must be set up.

For example, to create a message condition record using document type NB, on the SAP Easy Access screen, choose Logistics → Materials Management → Purchasing → Master Data → Messages → Purchase Order → Create (MN04).

If you are using the new output management, you have to create a corresponding rule instead.

You can enter an alternative freight supplier for planned delivery costs when you post a goods receipt.

For example, supplier 1058 is entered as a partner with partner role forwarding agent (CR) in a purchase order for supplier 1000. When you need to post an invoice from supplier 1058 for this purchase order, you must define role CR as an allowed role in Customizing. If CR is not defined as an allowed role, this message is displayed. If the message is configured as an error message, the invoice cannot be posted.

You define the permitted partner roles in Customizing under Materials Management → Logistics Invoice Verification → Incoming Invoice → Define Partner Role as Allowed Payee.

Message M8 777 (invoicing party has no partner role in purchase order) allows you to specify whether an invoicing party has to be entered as a partner in the referenced purchase order. You can configure this message as a warning or an error message.

For example, supplier 1005 is entered as partner with partner function invoicing party (PI) in a purchase order for supplier 1000. You enter an invoice for this purchase order and change the invoicing party to 1010. If the message is configured as an error, the invoice cannot be posted.

For more frequently asked questions regarding partner determination, see SAP Note 459350.