The stock management level is the total quantity of all stock management units that share the same attributes: material type, plant, storage location, and stock type. For inventory sampling in Warehouse Management, the relevant attributes are warehouse number and storage type.
In SAP S/4HANA (2026), creating an inventory sampling profile is a mandatory prerequisite for carrying out statistical sample-based inventories. The inventory sampling profile acts as a template, defining mathematical parameters and default values critical for random selection and extrapolation.
Configuration
To create the profile, navigate to: SPRO→Materials Management→Inventory Management and Physical Inventory→Physical Inventory→Inventory Sampling→Create Inventory Sampling Profile.
Once the profile is saved, you can carry out the sample-based inventory by navigating to: SAP Easy Access→Logistics→Materials Management→Physical Inventory→Inventory Sampling→Create.
Define key profile parameters
Next, define key profile parameters:
- Currency: Specify the currency for all value-based calculations, like book value versus physical value.
- Probability of Error: Set the statistical confidence level. Lower probability requires a larger sample size, but increases accuracy.
- Upper Price Limit: Determine the threshold for high-value items to be fully counted due to their potential impact on statistical results.
- Upper Value Limit (Percentage): Define a value or percentage limit. It often follows the 80/20 rule to ensure higher-value items are fully counted while lower-value items are sampled.
After you save the profile, assign it to an inventory sampling document by navigate to SAP Easy Access→Logistics→Materials Management→Physical Inventory→Inventory Sampling→Create.
The system uses the profile parameters to:
- Divide stock into strata: Based on value layers
- Perform random selection: Select items for manual counting
- Calculate extrapolation error: Assess the validity of the statistical results after posting the count