Item Category

[former_member71163]

Dear Friends,

I am a beginner in SAP.....though I have the basic knowledge I find difficult to make someone(Knowledge transfer) to understand the concept of Item category and its functionality...how to proceed?.....

[former_member184555 · Accepted solution]

Hi

The item category determines..how the item should behave in a sales document.

1. The same item in the same sales document behaves differently if the item category is different (TAN, TANN)

2. Different items behave differently in the same sales document if the item category is different (TAN, TAS)

3. The same material behaves differently in different sales documents (AFN, AGN, TAN in Inquiry, Quotation and Order)

You can observe the controls that influence the behaviour of the item category using the Tcode VOV7.

Thanks,

Ravi

[Lakshmipathi]

Dear Kumar

When you create a new BOM item, you must select an item category for the item. The item category defines the features and functions of an item. The item category determines which specific item data is processed and controls further activities in the system.

If you define an item category for materials with a material type that is kept in stock, stock can be checked automatically

To define an item category, you answer the following questions:

- Is a material number a required entry?

- Is the item to be checked against stock?

- Is the item a text-only item with no further functions?

- Are different-sized sections of the item to be entered?

- Are negative quantities allowed?

- Are sub-items supported?

- Is the item a plant maintenance (PM) structure element?

- Is the item an intra material?

- Is the item a document item or class item?

- Which screens are selected and which fields appear on the item detail screens?

For more information on Item Categories, please go through this help link

[Item Categories |http://help.sap.com/erp2005_ehp_03/helpdata/EN/dd/55fb13545a11d1a7020000e829fd11/content.htm]

thanks

G. Lakshmipathi

[Former Member]

Dear S. Kumar,

A lots of such thread & Material is already available, have a look:

[Thread1 - Item Category|]

[Thread2 - Item Category|]

[Thread3 - Item Category|]

[SAP Help - Item Category|http://help.sap.com/erp2005_ehp_03/helpdata/EN/dd/55fb13545a11d1a7020000e829fd11/content.htm]

[Item Category|http://sapdocs.info/2008/12/31/make-to-orderfunctions-of-item-categories/]

[Billing Split by Item Category|http://www.sap-img.com/sap-sd/billing-spilt-by-item-category.htm]

and many more. Take help from Functionality - [Search Forum|https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/forumsearch]

Not only this, but most of your General Queries, either related to SD or MM or FI or Other Modules, will get answered.

Please feel free to post real-time queries. That would be great learing for others.

Best Regards,

Amit

[former_member550050]

Hi

As you said that you are new to SD and for freshers this is an interview qn too

As everybody has given everything about item category to answer it crisp in an interview you can say

An item category controls what that item (material) does in sales order process

This one line is sufficient to convince your interviewer

Some major controls are Pricing, BOMs,delivery relevance ,billing relevance, completion rule, data at header and item can be allowed to differ, whether schedule line are permitted,incompleteness etc

The entire sales order processing is controlled by document type (order type VOV8)item category(VOV7) and schedule line category(VOV6)

Without these three sales process cannnot run smoothly

Regards

Raja

[former_member204513]

Dear Kumar,

Item category

An indicator that defines the characteristics of a document item.

For example, the item category controls the type and scope of:

Pricing

Billing

Delivery

Inventory posting

Transfer of requirements

Items in stock, and value and text items are item categories.

-->Item categories will get determine in the sales order based on this combination

Sales document type(from sales order)+Item category group(From material master)-->item category

For more Information go through this Help link

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_47x200/helpdata/en/dd/55fb13545a11d1a7020000e829fd11/frameset.htm

I hope this will help you,

Regards,

Murali.

[Former Member]

Item category is the controlling parameter/controlling instrument which controls the Item.

Item category is determined for each item in the Sales document by Sales doument + Item category group + Item uasage (if any) + Item category of higher level item(for sub-item).

Whether Price applies to the item , whether billing will created from Delivery or from sales order, whether any completion rule is applicable,whether schedule line is allowed for the item,whether bussiness data can differ between the header and item, whether BOM will explode in the order or not etc all are controlled from the item categories.

You can find many informations on Item category, if you will search the forum.