Configuring Copying Control for Sales Documents

The copy control tables in Customizing are important elements of your SAP S/4HANA system. They control many functions that are executed when you create a document that references a preceding document. In this lesson, learn more about relevant copying control settings and what they cause.

As Jim outlined, you set up copying control for header, item, and schedule line levels to match the structure of your sales document. With parameter settings and data transfer, you can control which data (such as header data, partner data, or conditions) is copied when referencing. In the system, you first define the target document and the source document.

The figure illustrates an example of a source and target definition on header, item, and schedule line level.

The Create with Reference function is available on the initial entry screen of creating a sales document with reference as well as on the create sales document overview screen during document entry. Using this function, you can, for example, combine several quotations for a customer in one sales order.

The graphic below shows relevant copying control settings.

To control the copying procedure, at each level you create:

• Routines for data transfer:These routines control transfer of fields in the preceding document.
• Copying Requirements:Here you define requirements that are checked when you create a document with reference. If these requirements are not met in a particular case, the system issues a warning or error message and if necessary, terminates processing.
• Switches:There are switches for setting specific controls for each transaction. For example, you can activate or deactivate the transfer of item numbers from the preceding document at the header level for sales documents.

If you enter an invalid value or do not enter a target value at item and schedule line level, the system determines the target from the assignment of the item or schedule line categories. Any value you enter must exist in the item or schedule line category assignment (as an alternative).

If a document is created with reference to predecessor document, the Customizing of the relevant copy control is checked. Only if a relevant target-source relation exists, the business process is generally possible. Before the data is copied from the source document to the target document, the system checks whether certain requirements are met.

Examples of these requirements are as follows:

• Do the source and target documents have the same sold-to party?
• Is the item being copied already rejected in the source document?
• Have the items being copied already been fully referenced?
• Has the validity period of the source document been exceeded?

Before data is copied from the source document to the target document, certain requirements must be met. ABAP routines contain these requirements, which are assigned in the copying control tables. The specified data transfer routines are not executed until the copying requirements are fulfilled. You can store copying requirements at every level in copying control. Copying requirements contain the specific requirements for each business process. The reference document can only be created if all these requirements have been met.

The process is illustrated in the following graphic.

Routines and requirements are written in ABAP code, and they can be processed in Customizing for Sales and Distribution under the menu option: System Adaptations → Routines → Define Copying Requirements (transaction code VOFM).

Here, you should check whether the existing requirements are suitable.

In an SAP project, you can adjust the copying requirements if required. This task requires ABAP programming knowledge, which is in scope of this course.