Customizing Document Types in Purchasing

In the first step, you can define the following general parameters:

• Item number interval:

  This determines the size of the steps between the default item numbers.

• Number range intervals:

  These specify the number ranges for internal or external number assignment. If you want to allow only internal number assignment, you do not need to enter any external number range interval.

• Field selection key:

  This determines the attributes that the fields of the documents are to have for the document type in question. You maintain the field attributes in Customizing for the relevant document under Define Screen Layout at Document Level.

You can define the following special features for RFQs:

• Global percentage bid:

  You can define an RFQ document type for external services as a global percentage bidding document type. In this case, the price is already specified in the RFQ. You then expect the vendor to quote only percentage additions to or deductions from your agreed prices for each outline level.

• Time-dependent conditions:

  You can set the Time-Dep. Conditions indicator for the RFQ document types. This enables you to maintain a validity period and scales for the quotation’s conditions.

In the SAP Fiori app Process Purchase Requisitions (V2), you can initiate a different RFQ process. The document types that are used for this process can be found in Customizing for Materials Management under Purchasing → Sourcing → RFQ and Supplier Quotation.

You can define the following special features for purchase requisitions:

• Control:

  In the Control column, you can assign the R indicator to a document type for purchase requisitions. By doing so, you specify that an outline agreement is required as a follow-on document to this purchase requisition instead of a standard purchase order. A purchase requisition with the RV document type is neither relevant for MRP, nor is a commitment built up for an item with account assignment.

• Overall release:

  You can use the Overall Rel. for Preq. indicator to specify that purchase requisitions of this document type cannot be released item by item but only in their entirety in the course of a release procedure.

• Scenario based workflow (Flexible Workflow):

  Release procedures for document types with the Scenario based workflow indicator are to be defined in a corresponding Fiori app. These release procedures are based on a BRF+ (Business Rules Framework Plus) rule set instead of procedures with classification.

You can define the following special features for purchase orders:

• Control:

  In the Control column, you can assign the T indicator to a document type for purchase orders. By doing so, you indicate that this is a document for stock transport orders.

• Stock Transfer (take supplier data into account):

  For stock transport order document types, you can also set the Stock Transfer Vndr indicator. This enables you to work with supplier master records also when processing stock transport orders, provided such supplier master records exist for the supplying plants in question.

  Hint

  You can create additional settings for stock transport orders in Customizing for Materials Management under Purchasing → Purchase Order → Set up Stock Transport Order.

• Scenario based workflow (Flexible Workflow):

  Release procedures for document types with the Scenario based workflow indicator are to be defined in a corresponding SAP Fiori app. These release procedures are based on a BRF+ (Business Rules Framework Plus) rule set instead of procedures with classification. You have to activate the scenario based workflow in a separate Customizing activity.

You can define the following special features for scheduling agreements:

• Control:

  In the Control column, you can assign the T indicator to a document type for scheduling agreements. By doing so, you indicate that this is a document for stock transport scheduling agreements.

• Stock transfer (take supplier data into account):

  For stock transport scheduling agreement document types, you can also set the Stock Transfer Vndr indicator. This enables you to work with supplier master records also when processing stock transport scheduling agreements, provided such supplier master records exist for the supplying plants in question.

• Time-dependent conditions:

  You can set the Time-Dep. Conditions indicator for the scheduling agreement document types. This determines that you can maintain validity periods and scales for the conditions.

• Release documentation:

  You can set the Release docu. indicator for the scheduling agreement document types. As a result, scheduling agreement releases are stored in a separate file and you can display them at any time.

• Scenario based workflow (Flexible Workflow):

  Release procedures for document types with the Scenario based workflow indicator are to be defined in a corresponding SAP Fiori app. These release procedures are based on a BRF+ (Business Rules Framework Plus) rule set instead of procedures with classification. You have to activate the scenario based workflow in a separate Customizing activity.

You can define the following special features for contracts:

• Shared lock only:

  You can set the Shared Lock indicator if you want to set a shared lock instead of an exclusive lock when you create a release order against a contract. This enables several users to simultaneously issue release orders against the contract (an advantage). As a result, the target quantity may be exceeded (a disadvantage).

• Application Link Enabling (ALE) distributed contract:

  You can set the Distributed Cntrct (ALE) indicator if you want changes to be identified by pointers when you transmit contracts through ALE. You can then evaluate the changes through the ALE administration facility.

• Scenario based workflow (Flexible Workflow):

  Release procedures for document types with the Scenario based workflow indicator are to be defined in a corresponding SAP Fiori app. These release procedures are based on a BRF+ (Business Rules Framework Plus) rule set instead of procedures with classification. You have to activate the scenario based workflow in a separate Customizing activity.

For example, you should be able to convert purchase requisition items of the NB document type with the blank (Standard) item category and the L (Subcontracting) item category into purchase orders of the document type you are currently creating with the L item category.

For this purpose, the following table entries must exist:

You can define the following additional parameters for each table entry:

• NAA (No AccAss) indicator:

  This specifies that a purchase order item may not contain any account assignment, regardless of whether there is an account assignment in the purchase requisition or not.

• R/S (Contract Release/SA Sch.Line) indicator:

  This determines whether release orders or delivery schedule lines are possible in purchasing documents such as contracts or scheduling agreements.

• Dialog indicator:

  This controls whether you will receive a warning message if you select this combination of document type and item category when converting a purchase requisition item.

You can define document types using the following menu paths in Customizing for Materials Management:

• Purchasing → Purchase Requisition → Define Document Types for Purchase Requisitions

• Purchasing → Purchase Order → Define Document Types for Purchase Orders

• Purchasing → Contract → Define Document Types for Contracts

• Purchasing → Purchase Scheduling Agreement → Define Document Types for Purchase Scheduling Agreements

• Purchasing → RFQ and Quotation (SAP ERP) → Define Document Types for RFQs and Quotations

• Purchasing → Sourcing → RFQ and Supplier Quotation → Define Document Types for RFQs

The following are some useful hints:

• The system does not copy the partner schema for partner determination when you copy document types. If you want to use partner functions in a new purchasing document type, you have to assign a partner schema to the document type.

• Purchasing documents, such as RFQs and purchase orders, do not have to be linked to each other.