VC - Material Variant - Basic Data / MRP View

[former_member209175]

Dear Team,

I am working on SAP VC. My FERT material, I would like to convert to "material variant" by assigning the KMAT material in basic data view or in MRP view. I assign the KMAT material & characteristics values in MRP view for my FERT material & I will not assign KMAT material & characteristic values in basic data view for my FERT material.

If I assign the KMAT material & characteristic values ONLY in basic data view for my FERT material, Can I able perform variant matching during sale order creation (VA01)?

What is the business reason behind SAP provides such option (assignment of KMAT material to FERT material---> Material Variant) in basic data view?

Thanks

[Ritz]

Please check below document , it will help you understanding how the material variant have been setup as well as how variant matching works in sap variant configuration.

Hope it may help you , please rate the document if you like it.

Thanks

Ritesh

[former_member209175]

Hi Ritesh,

Thank you for the document.

But my doubt is: If I assign the KMAT material & characteristics values ONLY in basic data view (not in MRP view), shall I able to perform variant matching during sale order creation?

Thanks

[Ritz]

yes you can , by maintaining it at client level you are making it active for all plants.

Consider a scenario , you produce same variant in 2 plants and if there are certain differences in configuration or BOM or Routing etc, in those cases you will maintain plan specific martial variant using MRP view. in that case you need to also material master for different plants with specific value.

In case if you have same master data applicable to all plant , use Basic data view it will reduce master data maintenance.

Hope this explanation may help you.

Thanks

Ritesh

[former_member209175]

Hi Ritesh,

But somewhere I have read that to perform the "Variant matching" function in sale order creation, in MRP view of the material master the FERT material to be assigned to KMAT material as mandatory.

Is it not so?

Thanks

[Ritz]

My understanding is it work both way. explanation I already added in my previous reply. Test it out and lets know.

Thanks

Ritesh

[former_member209175]

Hi Ritesh,

I have tested in my system. For my FERT material, I have assigned the KMAT material & assigned the characteristics value in basic data view only (And I have NOT assigned the KMAT material in MRP view). With this condition, if I try to create the sale order in VA01 & if I click on the icon 'Configuration" in sale order screen, I am getting the message that "Item Can not be configured".

And then for my FERT material, I have assigned the KMAT material & characteristics value in MRP view. Then I am trying to create the sale order in VA01 & in sale order screen, if I click the icon "Configuration", the characteristics value which I have assigned in MRP view of FERT material master is getting displayed as "Material Variant".

Now I understand that assigning the KMAT material & characteristics value in MRP view is mandatory for "Material Variant" concept in logistics process (Eg: PP & SD ).

Could you also please test it & confirm ?

Thanks

[Ritz]

Selva,

Do you mean you are putting KMAT in sales order item line and unable to configure it as the KMAT was assigned in Basic data view of FERT?

Looks like you are putting FERT in sales order and trying to configure it , it will not allow you as FERT's are non configurable materials. Even a material variant is a frozen configuration of a KMAT, it will have fix values and you cant change those in sales orders.

Thanks

Ritesh

[former_member209175]

Hi Ritesh,

I am entering only KMAT material in the sale order creation screen (VA01) in below cases & the I have observed the below behavior.

Case 1: The KMAT material & characteristic values are assigned ONLY in basic data view of my FERT material (In MRP view, the KMAT material & characteristic value is NOT assigned)

Case 1- Behavior during Sale order creation: In sale order creation screen, I have entered the KMAT material & provided the same characteristic value which I have entered in the basic data view in the configuration screen of the sale order. And I was expecting that the KMAT material will be replaced with my FERT material (as material variant behavior). But it is NOT replacing the KMAT material to my FERT material

Case 2: The KMAT material & characteristic value are assigned BOTH in basic data view & MRP view

Case 2 -  Behaviour during sale order creation: In Sale order creation screen, I have entered the KMAT material & provided the sale char value which I have entered in the MRP view in the configuration screen of my sale order. As I have expected, the KMAT material is replaced with my FERT material (as material variant). This OK for me.

My question is: Why in "Case 1" the KMAT material is NOT replaced with my FERT material (as material variant concept)?

Could you please test it & let me know any configuration is missing in my system? OR it is a SAp standard behavior?

Thanks

[Ritz]

Selva,

Please check MRP views are maintained for your material for correct plant. Also if the BOM and Routings assigned to material variant. Refer my document to validate this settings. I don't have access to any test system at the moment , so I cant try it on my own till 15th September.

So far for what ever VC I have setup I always used MARC-STDPD, but my assumption is it work with Basic data filed too. Basic data is at client level so it will be valid for all the plant , only thing is your material variant should have plant data maintained correctly.

Please check and let me know. Hope it help you.

Thanks

Ritesh

[former_member209175]

Hi Ritesh,

As per your assumption, if the KMAT material & characteristic values are assigned only in basic data view (and NOT assigned in MRP view), the variant matching is NOT working during sale order creation. I also had same assumption like you till. But after my testing in SAP system, it is NOT behaving as per our assumption (This basic data view setting is NOT treated as client level settings for variant matching function).

It would be great help if you also test from system & confirm it/

Thnaks

[Ritz]

Selva T,

Please confirm you have maintained MRP views for a plant , variant is assigned to KMAT BOM and routing.

While creating sales order you are specifying correct plant in sales order line item.  Please check and reply.

Thanks

Ritesh

[former_member209175]

Hi Ritesh,

Our discussion is that if we do not maintain the material variant in MRP view (and in basis data view only we have maintained the material variant), in sale order creation the "Variant Matching" will NOT work.

My conclusion is: The variant matching function can only be supported in LOGISTICS scenarios only if we maintain the material variant in MRP view of material master (The cross-plant specific material variant maintenance in basic data view will NOT be considered in LOGISTICS scenarios (production, sales & procurement etc).

Request u to check in system (whenever u have access to SAP system) & confirm

Thanks

[Ritz]

Thanks , but can you please reply to my previous thread.

"Please confirm you have maintained MRP views for a plant , variant is assigned to KMAT BOM and routing.

While creating sales order you are specifying correct plant in sales order line item.  Please check and reply."

Thanks

Ritesh

[former_member209175]

Hi Ritesh,

I have NOT maintained the KMAT material in MRP view. I do not want to maintain in MRP view because the KMAT material is already maintained in basic data view.

If we do not maintain the KMAT material in MRP view, in CS40 we can not link the material variant with KMAT super BOM.

In sale order i have entered the plant. But "variant Matching" function is NOT happening during sale order creation since in material master , the KMAT material is only assigned in basic data view & NOT in MRP view. That is why the variant matching function is NOT happening in sale order creation.

Thansk

[Ritz]

My Friend,

If you just want to drive conclusion on your own rule then I don't have any objection in agreeing with you. But if we are taking about material variant then please understand those are in house produce variants of a KMAT and to produce those we need a material maintained at plant , it will need a list of component to assemble which is BOM and the steps on manufacturing line which is routings. if you assign or arrange this things for a material which have configuration settings even at client level becomes some thing producible and give you desired results.

Otherwise if doesn't qualify just to be variant if maintained a MARC-STDPD view. how come without a BOM or routing assignment you will produce it ?

Please mark replies helpful if it helps you or inspire you to dig more in it to explore great SAP space.

Thanks

Ritesh