Sales orders with # signs

[Former Member]

When you're posting sales order documents to the system, normally would you make sure the # signs are not saved with the data field entries?

How do the # signs get there or are these normal?

I would think the description texts or any texts would allow special characters but what if it is something that describes a material number or something else, would you allow # signs for these fields?

[Former Member]

'#' is not an invalid character and as you said, can be allowed in text and descriptive fields. If you use externally numbered material masters and the material master number has a '#', then '#' is allowed in the material number field.

The big question is: Are you entering the '#', or are they mysteriously appearing in saved sales orders?

[Former Member]

From transaction CT04, that is the characteristic of the material number, the characteristics have no # signs, but from VA03, there are # signs. I would have to conclude that the # signs were put there by the data entry people. The system saved the orders anyway, but I am working on some reporting system that is finicky about updating the system with data that includes # signs.

Of all the things, I thought SAP systems should have some checking mechanisms to prevent butter fingers from going crazy and entering whatever. SAP is not a standalone system, it communicates with other systems and exchanges data. It's a pain when you have to correct another system in order to retrieve the data from it.

[Former Member]

If '#' this was entered as part of text field, SAP would not validate it against anything and would allow you to enter the same.

However, if it's a part of master data that exists in database (such as material number, plant etc.) SAP would check if it exists in the database. If it doesn't will throw an error message.

If you entered '#' while creating master data that exists in database it will allow you to enter in transaction data as well.

[Former Member]

If you read my message more detail, it saids that the value are characteristics of the material numbers; essentially they are attributes and you would say that you would want to order these material numbers with these attributes. And the master data attributes do not have the # signs from tcode CT04 but displayed from VA03.

I am not talking about texts here either. That's obvious.

Theorectically, I am saying that SAP should have some mechanisms if it does not already. It checks if something doesn't exist within the F4 dropdown if you enter some other value, it will display a message that it doesn't exist or something for that field, but for some reason some fields are not checked.

Again, # signs were not entered from CT04 but are displayed from VA03.