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Introducing Copy Control

Objective

After completing this lesson, you will be able to introduce Copy Control

Business Transaction Documents

The activity we execute during the sales process are reflected in the system in a number of documents. For example, the quotation, the order, the delivery and the invoice. Such documents are logically chained within the Document Flow.

A flowchart depicting the typical document flow for a sales order. It begins with a quotation being sent to the customer. If the customer approves the quotation, they place an order. Upon receiving the order, the company fulfills the order by picking and packing the items and shipping them to the customer. A delivery document is then sent to the customer. An invoice is also created and sent to the customer after the order is shipped. All these documents are linked together in the document Flow view.

In frequent cases, a new document is created as subsequent of a previous document. For example, a sales order can be subsequent of a quotation. Every time this happens, part of the information in the previous document is copied to the subsequent document, in addition some updates are executed in the previous document.

Copy Control Scope

Using Copying Control you can determine what happens when a document is copied to an other document. For example you can:

Identify which document types are allowed to be copied to which other document types.
Check whether the original document meets all the requirements for the execution of the copy.
Determine which information is copied.
Update prices and quantities.
Influence the status of the original document.
Update the document flow.

Figure shows various aspects that are involved in copy control: for example price determination, billing .documents, delivery schedules, and influencing document status.

Copy Control Logic

Copying Control Tables

Copying control tables define which document types can be copied to which other document types.

They do the same at item level; they define which item category can be copied to which other item category.

SAP S/4HANA Cloud, public edition is pre-configured with standard copying control table entries. So, for example, a quotation can be copied to a sales order, but not to a credit memo request.

You cannot create additional table entries in the way you would in SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition. For example, you cannot include a new pairing of documents in the list, or remove an existing one.

Figure represents to examples of sales document copy, the first one is allowed (quotation QT to Order OR),the second is prohibited (order OR to return order CBAR).

Copying Requirements and Data Transfer Routines

The Create with Reference function is available on the initial entry screen when creating a sales document, as well as on the Create Sales Document Overview screen during document entry.

Certain requirements must be met before a target document can be created with reference to a source document. For example, a sales order should not be created if the quotation to be referenced has already been completely fulfilled or rejected.

ABAP routines, known as copying requirements, contain these checks, and are assigned in the copying control tables using their identification (ID) numbers. It is also possible to create customer-specific copying requirements. Each creation with reference is executed only if the checks specified in the copying requirements are successfully fulfilled.

Additional ABAP routines, known as data transfer routines, control which data (such as header data, partner data or conditions) is copied to the target document when creating with reference. Again, these are assigned in the copying control tables using their identification (ID) numbers. You can also create customer-specific data transfer routines.

The image illustrates a process for evaluating and executing data transfer routines for document headers and items. The process is divided into two parallel workflows. The top workflow starts with Evaluate copying requirement for header, followed by an arrow labeled Requirements met, leading to a blue box labeled Execute data transfer routines for document header. The bottom workflow starts with Evaluate copying requirement for item, followed by an arrow labeled Requirements met, leading to a blue box labeled Execute data transfer routines for document item.

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