Customizing Manual Text Entry

It is noticeable that less text types are available in the sales order than have been defined in Customizing for the text object VBBK or VBBP. The reason for this is that ALL text types that are ever required for a text object are defined in the Customizing of the text types for the corresponding text object.

For example, for the text object VBBK, this means that text types are defined for all SD document headers, that is, commercial invoices, credit memos, outbound deliveries, quotations, returns orders, rush orders, standard orders, and so on. However, you usually need different text types in the standard order as in the commercial invoice, for example. Therefore, you must define the necessary text types for a specific context. In other words, you define which of the text types available for the text object are required in the standard order header.

The selection is made using a text determination procedure.

As the following figure illustrates, a text determination procedure can be thought of as a container that contains a selection of text types (text IDs) that you require in a particular context. The context can be, for example, the standard order header, the quotation item, or the returns order header, and so on.

A text determination procedure therefore determines the text types available for a particular context. But how is the context of the text determination procedure now determined or formulated differently: for example, how is the text determination procedure determined for the standard order?

The connection is as follows: SD documents are created and controlled with document types.

Examples are as follows:

• "Ordinary" billing documents are created with billing type F2 Invoice (F2).
• Delivery documents are controlled at header level with delivery types. For example, the outbound delivery on the basis of a sales order is usually created with delivery type LF Delivery.
• Normal customer orders are documented by sales documents that are entered with sales document type OR Standard Order.

The following figure illustrates the assignment of a text determination procedure.

By assigning a text determination procedure to a sales document type, delivery type, or billing type, the possible text types for the document header are determined for the document created with the respective document type. The possible text types for sales document items are determined by assigning the relevant text determination procedure to the (sales document) item category. The text determination procedure that contains the texts for the delivery item is assigned to the delivery item category.

As soon as a text determination procedure is assigned to a sales document type, a text in the required language can be entered in a text type of the assigned procedure in a sales document that is created with this document type.

Of course, the same applies to the sales document item: As soon as a text determination procedure is assigned to an item category, a text in a certain language can be entered in a text type of the assigned procedure in a sales document item that is controlled by this item category during document processing.

As a result, information can now be documented in the form of texts during document processing at header and item level. These texts can then be read as part of document processing, transferred to subsequent documents, or, if necessary, output on outputs. This alone can be a support for sales document processing by SAP S/4 HANA.