Batch level settings conversion from plant-to-plant to material-level

[Former Member]

If someone has worked on conversion of Batch level settings within SAP from plant-to-plant to material-level batch management, please let me know what are the challenges involved in doing this. Thanks.

[Former Member]

Check help !!!

To change the batch level, you have to start a conversion program. This program first checks whether conversion is possible and outputs an error log containing all batch numbers that occur more than once at the new level. Now you need to manually transfer these batch records to batch numbers within Inventory Management using a transfer posting 'material to material'.

If you change the level from plant level to a higher level, it is possible that batches with the same batch numbers in different plants are actually identical. In this case, all you have to do is remove stocks (including previous period stocks) so that all batches with the same batch numbers, except one, can be reorganized.

When you convert from plant level to material level, the material is then to be handled in batches in all plants in which it is defined.

Standard settings

In the standard delivery batches are uniquely defined at material level.

Activities

To change the batch level, proceed as follows:

1. Choose the level at which you want your batches to be unique.

2. Save the new settings and choose Back.

3. Choose Batch level -> Conversion.

4. If necessary, carry out the conversion in test mode first.

Further notes

Note that you cannot reset conversion from plant level to a higher level in the standard.

If you create a client by copying an existing client, initially, there are no settings in the target client at batch level. The system makes the settings in the target client only when you have carried out an activity (maintaining master data or posting a goods movement, for example). The client level is not transported. If you copy a client with client level, you have to manually set the client level in the target system.

[Former Member]

Sujit, Thanks for your reply. I have this information alongwith couple of SAP notes.. I am looking to see if someone has done this batch conversion in production and if so what problems they have faced during this process and how to overcome this.

[former_member42743]

I have done it before. But we did in an unconventional manner that SAP probably wouldn't approve of. But it worked great and was done in a few hours. It only works if you are in already in a defacto batch material level system. This means that even though you are using plant level batches, the same batch number, when used for the same material in two different plants really is the same batch. If that is the case, first, make a full backup of the system and make sure you specifically keep a copy of tables MCHA, MCH1 and MCHB.

Next, copy out the MCHA table to something like Access. Remove all but the oldest (usually) record for each batch. You should wind up with only ONE record per batch in the table. Check that all fields are accurate for batch. Reload these edited records to SAP into table MCHA after deleting the existing records. Perform the conversion in configuration. Verify and update any batch dates, such as MFG date, next inspection date, expiration date. Also check vendor batch number. All of these should still be the same valuse as what was on the oldest plant batch record which in most cases is usually correct for the batch. Also, if you have different characteristic values for the same batch across different plants, the batch characteristics will be those linked to the single record left in MCHA. You may need a process for updating characteristics in this process. We didn't have to fortunately.

This did work quite well on a 4.0c system and I don't think SAP has changed anything where it wouldn't work on a 6.0 system.

The key to making the conversion is that you must only have ONE record in table MCHA for each material/batch combination.

If you use the SAP conversion process, you must first archive all documents, such as orders, delvieries, inspection lots etc. that reference the same material/batch. I.e. if a particular batch/material record in MCHA is referenced by any active document in the system, the document must be removed before the SAP conversion process will work.

FF