Process Steps
Note
Note
Unused service parts can be returned to the supplier for service order items that were procured without stock postings. This allows you to create a returns purchase order that references the service order item, enabling a financial return without impacting inventory.
Since release 2602, you can create a return purchase order even if a corresponding purchase order already exists. The return process is now also supported for a fixed price item without a fixed price bundle.
Non-Stock Materials
The materials bought from suppliers are referred to as non-stock managed materials or non-stock materials.
When the service order is released and saved in the database, the SAP S/4HANA Cloud system is able to automatically create a purchase requisition (PR) for any material assigned to a service line of the order as a non-stock material. Two types of processes for non-stock materials are supported:
- Non-stock material WITH a known source of supply: These are materials for which the vendor, price, and so on, are known and thus well defined as master data in the system.
- Non-stock material WITHOUT a known source of supply: These are materials that are rarely needed or are of very low cost and therefore the vendor, price, and so on, are not available in the system as master data.
During service order creation for non-stock materials with a known source of supply, the system automatically triggers the creation of the purchase requisition and assigns the valid source of supply. This is done via a master data record called a source list. The system should also automatically fetch the correct pricing elements. This is done via a master record called a purchasing info record. This purchase requisition can then be converted into a purchase order (PO) manually or via a background job scheduled to run automatically at predefined intervals.
For non-stock material without a known source of supply, the generic material description entered in the service order is replaced by a specific material (service part) description and the valuation price of this material is entered manually. This is done to enable the automatic creation of the purchase requisition. The manual input enables the procurement department to order the correct part(s).
Master Data Objects Used
The following master data objects are required for the integration processes between procurement and service management, which are implemented using this scope item:
- Business partner representing the customer
- Business partner representing the supplier
- Service (using a material master record)
- Purchasing info record
- Source list
The business partner functionality of SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition is used to maintain both customer and supplier master data records in the system.
The services delivered to the customer are created as material master records with a special material type for services (known as service products or materials). The same type of master record is used for the materials bought from the suppliers (as non-stock materials).
The purchasing info record contains all the pricing agreements made with the supplier concerning the materials bought (validity periods, gross prices, discounts, freight costs, and so on).
A source list is a master data record that is created for a material in a plant. It is used in automatic source of supply determination. It is possible to flag a supplier in the source list as the fixed source of supply for a material for a certain validity period. This supplier will then automatically be assigned as the source of supply to the purchase requisition created from the service line that contains the (non-stock) material.