Configuring Status Profiles for Process Orders

Process orders have a status management that controls on the one hand, which status is set by the execution of a business process in the order, and on the other hand, which business processes are allowed or forbidden in which order status. System statuses are predefined by SAP and cannot be changed. However, SAP’s system status concept can be supplemented by user statuses to record additional information in the order or fine-tune whether a business process can be executed.

The figure shows a basic example of the relationship between business processes and system status: When a process order is created, the status CRTD Created is set. In Created status, among other things, the order can be scheduled, a material availability check can be performed, and the order can be released (→ column Allowed Business Processes). However, it is not allowed, for example, to print the order and to post goods issues, confirmations and goods receipts (→ column Not Allowed Business Processes). If the order is released, the CRTD Created status is deleted and the REL Released status is set. Now, the previously forbidden business processes are allowed. However, due to the REL Released status, the order cannot be released again.

In the SAP S/4HANA Public Edition standard, you can post a goods receipt for a process order when the order is released. If you want to ensure that, for example, an order is completely manufactured before the warehouse clerk can post the goods receipt, you can implement this restriction without the necessity of more programming by assigning a user status profile to a process order type. In our example, the assigned user status profile consists of two statuses GR and NoGR: The status NoGR forbids posting of the goods receipt; the status GR does not forbid posting of the goods receipt. The latter is automatically set once the order is confirmed.

We first consider a released order (upper part of the figure): The system status REL Released enables the confirmation of the order and the goods receipt, however, no sequence is specified in which these two business processes must be processed. In our scenario, however, the user status NoGR Goods Receipt Forbidden is set in addition. Because NoGR forbids posting of the goods receipt, the user cannot post the goods receipt to this order unless the user status changed to GR.

Now, we confirm the order. The system is configured such that the confirmation posting automatically deletes the user status NoGR Goods Receipt Forbidden and sets the user status GR Goods Receipt Allowed instead. Since the latter does not forbid posting of the goods receipt, the warehouse clerk can now post the goods receipt for the process order.

As you can see in this simple example, you can leverage user statuses to forbid the execution of business processes that can be in the standard SAP. In addition, you can automatically set a user status if a certain business process is performed in the system. As a consequence, you can, for example, enforce a sequence in which the user must execute two business processes. Alternatively, you can define a list of conditions (each condition corresponds to one user status) which must be fulfilled before, for example, an order can be released.

The configuration activity, Define Business Transaction Control, enables you to make settings for blocking or unblocking certain business transactions for a status profile either immediately or when other business transactions are executed.

In the Define Status Profile view, you can create a status profile and assign an object node type. By assigning an object node type you specify whether the settings are relevant for a production order, a process order, or an order operation.

In the previous figure, for example, you can see that the status profile, ZPP00004 GR only after Confirmation, is assigned to the object node type, Process Order Header.

To use the settings of a status profile with process orders, you must assign the status profile to the respective order type.

In the previous figure, for example, you can see that the status profile ZPP00004 is assigned to the order type YBM2.

In the following, the configuration settings for the user status example discussed in the previous section Status Management of a process Order are explained.

In the Define Business Transaction Controls view, you can view user statuses for your status profile and specify whether a user status is to be activated immediately. Activated immediately means that the user status is set automatically when an order is created.

In our example, the user statuses GR and NoGR were defined for status profile ZPP00004. The user status NoGR is initially set when the order is created. 

In the previous figure, for example, you can see that the status profile ZPP00004 was assigned to process order 1000022 when the order was created. The user status NoGR was initially activated and the user status GR is not activated yet.

In the Define Transactions to Be Blocked view, you can specify the business transactions to be blocked by the selected user status.

In our example, the business transaction Goods Receipt for Process Order is blocked by the user status NoGR. This means that when an order is created, the user status NoGR is initially activated and a goods receipt posting for the order is therefore prohibited.     

In the Define Activating/Deactivating BTs view, you can assign business transactions to a user status and define whether these business transactions activate or deactivate a user status.  

In our example, the user status GrNO is deactivated by executing the business transaction Confirm Order. This means that when the order is confirmed, the user status NoGR is deactivated and a goods receipt posting for the order is enabled.   

In our example, the user status GR is also activated when the order is confirmed. This is for information purposes only. This status does not affect business transactions; no entry is defined in the Define Business Transactions view.    

In the previous figure, you can see that, as a result of the order confirmation, the NoGR user status was deactivated and the GR user status was activated.