Creating Material Master Records for Purchasing

The following table describes the information included in the different views of a material master record:

A maintenance status is assigned to each user department. The maintenance status determines whether a material master record has been sufficiently maintained for a particular process.

The maintenance status for purchasing is E. When you create a purchase order, the material must have maintenance status E (purchasing). If the material type of the material involves value-based inventory management, then the accounting data, maintenance status B, must also be available.

You can use the Extend Material View(s) functionality to determine whether a material is sufficiently maintained. The user department data that are allowed to be maintained depend on the material type of a material.

Use the following menu paths on the SAP Easy Access screen to maintain material master records and extendable materials:

• Create material master record:

  Logistics → Materials Management → Material Master → Material → Create (General) (MM01)

• Change material master record:

  Logistics → Materials Management → Material Master → Material → Change(MM02)

• Display material master record:

  Logistics → Materials Management → Material Master → Material → Display → Display Current (MM03)

• Display or maintain extendable materials:

  Logistics → Materials Management → Material Master → Other → Extend Material View(s) (MM50)

You can also use the SAP apps - Create Material, Change Material, and Display Material - in the SAP Fiori launchpad. The user experience for these apps is the same as for the back-end transactions MM01, MM02, and MM03.

Generally, the material type controls the following:

• The type of number assignment and number ranges
• The data screens that are displayed and the sequence in which they appear
• The user departments that can be maintained
• The procurement type of the material (whether the material is produced in-house or procured externally, or whether both are possible)
• The updating of quantities and values in the relevant valuation areas
• The possible valuation classes for material types with value update

A material type can also be assigned to a special transaction for creating material master records.

You can define attributes of material types in Customizing for Logistics - General under Material Master → Basic Settings → Material Types → Define Attributes of Material Types (OMS2).

Switching the material type assigned to a material is only possible if there are no stocks and no open documents for the corresponding material.

To replace the material type, use the Change Material Type app in the SAP Fiori launchpad or, in the SAP GUI on the SAP Easy Access screen, choose Logistics → Materials Management → Material Master → Material → Change Material Type (MMAM).

This material type is suitable for spare parts or office materials that are procured regularly, but not stored.

In the standard system, the NLAG material type is set up in such a way that quantity update and value update are not allowed. Therefore, no postings to stock accounts are possible. The order quantity is posted as consumption quantity at the time of goods receipt.

You can create info records or contracts for NLAG materials to set up source determination for them. As material type NLAG has an accounting view, you can maintain a valuation price that is used in purchase requisitions. However, goods receipts and invoice receipts don’t update the valuation price.

This material type is suitable for the procurement of materials such as copy paper. For these materials, the costs are to be posted to a consumption account at the time of goods receipt.

The UNBW material type has quantity update. That means that you can control the current stock using the stock overview. The stock is managed without a value. The consumption quantity is updated at the time of goods issue. The consumption quantities can then be used for forecasting in the planning process.

It is not possible to create accounting data for the UNBW material type. Purchase order items for such material must have an account assignment. If you create a purchase requisition, the valuation price must be entered manually.

You can create info records or contracts for UNBW materials to use them in source determination.

The material type SERV is an alternative to using service master data. In the customizing details for the material types, you can find the new field Product Type Group. For the material type, the product type group defines whether it is a material (blank or 1) or a service (2).

When you use material type SERV, some fields and departments that are irrelevant in SAP S/4HANA are hidden from the screen. This gives all transactions relevant for material master a leaner and simplified look. Therefore, material type SERV (Service Material) is delivered with reduced user departments and fields.