Default Product Category in Punchout Catalog

[Former Member]

Hi Gurus,

We have recently put code around by defaulting product category MRODUMMY and we are returning an error message to select a valid product category.  This works great for free item text shopping carts.  But when someone is ordering from the punchout catalog this product category is getting defaulted and now it cannot be changed by the requestor.  Is there config where we can set a default product category for punchout catalog?

Thanks,
Jeff

[robin_janke · Accepted solution]

There are several ways to solve something like this:

1. in the BBP_CATALOG_TRANSFER set a default category other than the MRODUMMY one (of course a valid one should actually be returned from the catalog).

2. Create an enhancement in /SAPSRM/CL_PDO_DYN_MDF_IT_SC->CATEGORY to influence field control

3. Create your own class->category method and replace the SAP standard one in customising (there is an explanation in SPRO how to do this in the extension and field control section.

[jason_boggans]

Easiest way is as already mentioned, just use the BBP_CATALOG_TRANSFER Badi to satisfy the requirements. Just be sure you also use this Badi to clear the et_messages table which will probably have an error in it before Badi call.

Regards,

Jason

[former_member198532]

Hello Jason, Jeff,

My situation is partly same.

Original team members who implemented Punch out are no longer working for us so I am missing some very crucial point.

Existing Punch out catalog with Vendor 'A' works fine and I did setup the new catalog with Vendor 'B'.

For new punch out all fields are getting replicated from catalog to SRM except for Product Category.

System is picking default product category.

Even checked in SLG1 log and I see three log entries:

Product category 60122905 does not exist

Start of line 000000 in shopping cart of catalog

Standard category of user was used.

We don't have any Z-tables for cross reference and my unfortunate situation is that I don't know if previous team members had sent list of SAP Material group to Vendor tech team so that they are managing cross reference of UNSPSC code to our SAP material group.

thanks in advance for any help or advice.

regards

Vinod

[robin_janke]

Hi,

steps I would take:

1. Determine what kind of product categories your company is using -> UNSPSC at deepest level for example?

2. If yes: check the org model for the allowed categories for the user you are testing with

3. Ask vendor A tech team if there ever was a list sent to them

4. check the catalog transfer badi for any coding regarding product categories

5. search for the documentation regarding the implemented catalog process at your company

From your error message it looks like it is an UNSPSC code (Ceramic Beads ) -> http://www.unspsc.org/search-code.

Robin

[former_member198532]

Hi Robin,

Thank you for taking time to respond.

I did check the UNSPSC code yesterday before posting in SCN and I was even I was suprised by

the unspsc code value of Ceramic Beads, our company has nothing to do with beads so that itself is an indicator that something is wrong with data being returned from catalog.

I am also in agreement with your hypothesis that few years ago when punchout was established with Vendor 'A' out tech team must have send list of SAP Product category to Vendor 'A'.

Unfortunately our tech team in Europe who did the impelmentation are no longer with the company so I am stuck. I have followed all the steps listed in out technical documentation but apparently no where does it mention about we sent list to Vendor for mapping.

SPRO setting for UNSPSC : Content Management ->Define Standard schema types ->

INTERNAL = Internal Schema

UNSPSC = Universal Standard Prod/Serv Classification

Our Badi has specific mapping only for three fields, Material specificity, Vendor material number and Manufacturer number and these three are imported correctly.

My next moves

1. Somehow get hold of Vendor 'A' tech team contacts, based in Europse.

2. Either way send our SAP Product category list to new Vendor 'B'

sincerely,

Vinod

[laurent_burtaire]

Hello Jeff,

do not understad your request: why do you want to have a default product category for items coming from a catalog (punch-out or internal one)?

If you use a catalog, item will be brought back with its correct product category... There is no sense to change it !!

What is your business need to work this way?

Regards.

Laurent.

[Former Member]

Hi Laurent,

We have not implement the use of UNSPSC codes in production yet.  Suppliers are using UNSPSC codes for product category.  So currently the product category is getting defaulted from the extended attributes because we do not have them mapped to anything.

Because requestors are not selecting the correct product category to match their request and they are just leaving the default product category from their extended attributes we have put in place a product category called MRODUMMY and return a hard error message.  This works great for free item text orders because product category is modifiable.  But punchout catalog is not modifiable for product category as it returns it from the supplier catalog.

Even after we get UNSPSC codes into our production system there will still be instances where we may not a code in our system that the supplier has and hence SRM will assign the product cat from the extended attributes.

Thanks,

Jeff

[laurent_burtaire]

Hello Jeff,

so, use a specific method to manage metadata for field name CATEGORY_ID based on CATEGORY method from /SAPSRM/CL_PDO_DYN_MDF_IT_SC class.

Regards.

Laurent.

[Former Member]

Or is there a way to have the product category set as modifiable for punchout catalog.