Deploying Additional Special Functions

Objective

After completing this lesson, you will be able to examine special functions for procurement

Purchase Requisition and Purchase Order Templates

This figure shows you the templates for Purchase Requisitions and Purchase Orders. Each screenshot is labeled.

User-specific templates or public templates increase efficiency and reduce the effort involved in data entry when creating purchase requisitions and purchase orders for materials that you frequently order or request. Public templates are available to all users.

You can use templates in the following transactions:

  • Create purchase order (ME21N)
  • Change purchase order (ME22N)
  • Create purchase requisition (ME51N)
  • Change purchase requisition (ME52N)

In these transactions, choose the Save As Template or Load from Template button. A dialog box offers the options to save, load, or delete templates. When you save a template, you can define the template as a public template. When you load a template, you can decide whether you want to copy only the item data or both the header and item data to the new purchasing document.

To save and delete public templates that are available to all users, you need the appropriate authorization, which you can set by using the M_TEMPLATE (Create/Change/Delete Public Templates) authorization object. When you copy a user, the user-specific templates of the user you are copying are copied to the new user master record.

Park and Hold for Purchase Requisitions and Purchase Orders

Characteristics of the Park and Hold Functions

The Park function:

  • Requires complete documents from materials management perspective

  • Allows errors in financial management (for example, funds)

  • Does not create account commitments

  • Disables follow-on activities

  • Can trigger a workflow to request completing the document

The Hold function:

  • Allows any kind of error in a document

  • Disables follow-on activities (for example, converting purchase requisitions into purchase orders or posting goods receipts for purchase orders)

  • Is not supported for blanket purchase orders.

If you want to use the Park and Hold function, you have to activate it on client level in Customizing for Materials Management under Purchasing → Environment Data → Activate ‘Park and Hold’ in Purchasing Documents.

You can easily find purchase requisitions and purchase orders that are on hold using new selection variants in the document overview.

You can use the following workflow templates for completing parked documents:

  • WS 11000012 for completing purchase requisitions

  • WS 11000013 for completing purchase orders

Note

The SAP Fiori app Manage Purchase Orders has no park or hold function. Instead, there is a draft function. When you close the app without saving, a draft is created. This draft can be resumed the next time you start the app, or you can discard it. However, the draft is not relevant for MRP.

Multiple Account Assignment

This figure accounts for the switch between the single and multiple account assignment screens during a value-based multiple account assignment

For multiple account assignment in purchase requisition and purchase order items, you can choose between three distribution methods:

  • Quantity-based distribution
  • Percentage-based distribution
  • Value-based distribution

Value-based distribution is especially useful when the distribution of small amounts on a percentage or quantity basis results in rounding problems.

Multiple account assignment is also possible for delivery costs. In this process, the delivery costs are distributed according to the distribution key of the goods item.

Multiple Account Assignment Valuation

This figure provides you with a graphical outline of valuation for multiple account assignment

You also have various options for posting a goods receipt for purchase order items with account assignment. You can define the following in the purchase order item:

  • Valuated goods receipt expected

  • Non-valuated goods receipt expected

  • No goods receipt expected

If you decide to use a valuated goods receipt for a purchase order item with account assignment, the commitment is already reduced at the time of the goods receipt.

If you must change the distribution for a multiple account assignment during goods receipt, you can use BAdI MB_ACCOUNTING_DISTRIBUTE. However, note that you can only change the distribution among the account assignment objects, but not the account assignment objects themselves.

If you want to implement a personalized distribution logic during invoice verification, you can use BAdI MRM_DISTRIBUTION_MAA.

Hint

Subcontracting items with multiple account assignment require valuated goods receipt.

Down Payments and Security Retentions

With the LOG_MMFI_P2P business function, you can plan down payments and security retentions in purchase orders.

This figure outlines the means by which you can plan down payments and security retentions in purchase orders with the LOG_MMFI_P2P business function

You can enter a percentage value or absolute amount for the down payment at header or item level in a purchase order. You can also define a date by which the down payment must be made. The down payment monitor helps you monitor purchase orders for which you must make or have already made down payments. The down payment monitor is located in the purchasing reporting functions. You can access it by choosing Logistics → Materials Management → Purchasing → Purchase Order → Reporting → Down-Payment Monitoring for PO (ME2DP). If you have the necessary authorization, you can post down payment requests and down payments from within the down payment monitor.

On the SAP Foreign launchpad you can use the Monitor Purchase Order Down Payments app.

Hint

Down payment requests and down payments are strictly FI processes. They do not generate any materials management documents.

Down payment requests and down payments are displayed separately in the purchase order history. When you enter an invoice in Logistics Invoice Verification for a purchase order with down payments, you can decide if and which down payments you want to clear with the invoice.

Security Retention

Optional: Create and Convert Purchase Requisitions for Special Cases

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