PR release strategy-strange behavior

[zoricak_marianne]

Hello, perhaps someone can shed some light into this issue.  We have release strategy set up at the PR level.  It is working fine. However we have a couple parts that are part of a kit that we order. They are expensive parts and we have our release set up at $1000 with the second level at $50,000.  When we create  PR with either one of the items as a stand alone, (only 1 item on the PR) the release strategy does not come in even though the dollar amount is within the limits.  When we have a second item on the PR, the release strategy pulls in with no issue. The work around is to add a second item, then trash can it. The release strategy will hold.  I checked the MRP settings and the item category for both of these parts and they are fine.  We do not care about material group. Item category is set to NORM in both cases.  So the question is why would the release not trigger?  They are purchased parts just like any other part we order.  Planned orders do not come into MRP either, but we should be able to do a PR with ME51N and have the release strategy trigger.  Procurement type is F.

What could be causing this issue?  I looked at past questions on PR release and nothing is related to this particular situation.

Thank you in advance.

[JL23 · Accepted solution]

The characteristic values used in the strategy have to match with the item in the PR, in all characteristics, SAP cares where you do not care.

So please show your classification and the corresponding values from strategy, Read the blog

and see especially the brick box at the end.

[zoricak_marianne · Accepted solution]

Thank you. Attached is how we have it set up.  It is by plant and dollar amount. I am working with plant U014, which is correctly called on the release strategy.  The dollar amount is over $1000 as well. 

[JL23 · Accepted solution]

There must be more. How do you get the value to the USRC1? This must be with logic in a user exit ZXM06U13

[zoricak_marianne · Accepted solution]

I am not sure what USRC1 is. We do not care who creates the PR as long as they have security to the purchase req. and the business area.  I can check with our technical team on the user exit.

[JL23 · Accepted solution]

USRC1 is a character field for free usage via an exit.

The exit does some checks and fills this field, and this is probably not the case if you have just 1 item of this set in your PR, hence your strategy fails.

[zoricak_marianne · Accepted solution]

I checked with our technical team and we do not use that user exit.  There are no values for USRC1 in any table.  We have other purchase requisitions with only 1 line item and the release strategy gets pulled in.  The problem seems to be isolated to 2 part numbers.  They are both purchased parts, but part of a kit.  They do not have to be ordered together.

[JL23 · Accepted solution]

If USRC1 is empty since you don't use the exit, then I do not wonder that you don't get the strategy since "empty" and "Y" are quite different values.

Your programmers shall debug the program and put more effort into the search, maybe they name the program differently.  Go SMOD and enter enhancement M06B0002, then open the EXIT_SAPLEBND_001 and see which program is called

I am very certain this is a homemade issue. Somehow you have to get the Y into USRC1, SAP does not do that for you as SAP could not know that you are going to use that field.

[zoricak_marianne · Accepted solution]

Thank you.  That was it.  The material group is causing the issue.  Our technical team did more research and found it. Thank you for all of your help.