Integration of Version Management, Release Strategy and Output messages in SAP MM – An Analysis

Applies to:

ECC6.0 Version

Summary:

This article is helpful for Consultants in SAP MM specifically working in procurement Area.  The document mainly deals with the analysis of the behaviour of SAP system when three different configurations in SAP MM such as Version Management, Release strategy and Output messages are in place.

Author:                      Prabhullachandran R

Company:       RP TECHSOFT INTERNATIONAL PVT. LTD     

Created on:    14^th March 2016

Author Bio:

Prabhullachandran R, a SAP Certified Materials Management Consultant has total 10 years of experience out of which 9 years in SAP consulting in Procurement, Inventory Management and Country India Version. He has got expertise across various industries such as Construction, Pharmaceutical & Manufacturing sectors. Throughout his career he has gained sound knowledge by working in Companies like IBM, TCS, RP TECHSOFT, and COLLABERA.

Scholastically he has secured first class in Master of Technology in specialisation with Production & Industrial Engineering under Mechanical Engineering Department of Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala.

Pre- Requisite for the Analysis:

• Release strategy Configuration with minimum one level of approval
• Print output Message settings for PO
• Version Management Configuration

Overview of the Analysis:

This Document depicts about the behaviour of the SAP system or how the integration works when a combination of three different customisations with in SAP Materials Management such as Version Management, PO message settings and Release strategy configuration are in place. The Document reveals how these different settings complement each other while Create or Change or Release or Output a PO.

Process steps:

Create a Purchase order through the transaction code ME21N.

While creation Version Number = 0 and in Completed status. No need of activity in Version tab when the version = 0 as subsequent versions meaningfully occurs only when the document is released.

Messages will be automatically generated as the condition records were maintained correctly in MN04 transaction code.

Release Purchase order using Transaction Code ME29N

The Date and Time of the Purchase order Release and User name  of the person who released the Purchase order are captured in the tab.

Amendments in Purchase order

Triggering of new versions and Cancellation of releases will be applicable in PO based on the nature of changes and when the changes are happened.

Case 1: Change in PO quantity to a higher value, after PO fully released and before the document gets outputted.

Through the transaction ME22N, Quantity changes from 10 – 12 PAC

Following are the outcome of this Amendment:

• Since PO value changes to a higher value existing releases will be altered.
• Since the document has not outputted, system will not generate new version.

Case 2: Change in PO quantity to a higher value, after PO fully released and the document gets outputted.

Document after message transmitted.

Through the transaction ME22N, Quantity changes from 12 – 14 PAC

Click on 

Then following messages will popup

System will propose for new version.

Click on 

New Message set for transmission

Even though Quantity and subsequently value got raised, existing release will not get cancelled until the version completed indicator is ticked manually for the latest version.

Once the Version Completion indicator is checked, Click on 

the following messages will popup.

Following are the outcome of this Amendment:

• If PO is outputted, Value increases can trigger for new version.
• Even though Value increases, unless the current version is completed manually, existing releases will not get altered.

Case 3: Change in PO quantity to a lower value, after PO fully released and the document gets outputted.

PO quantity changes from 14 to 10 PAC

Click on 

System will pop up for Version Management

Following are the outcome of this Amendment:

• Even though Version completed activated, Release strategy will not trigger, but new output will be activated.
• As per standard SAP behaviour, Quantity/ price changes which are in to lower level which falls in the same release strategy will not cancel the existing releases.

Case 4: Change in PO Delivery date, after PO fully released and the document gets outputted.

Delivery date changed from 11.03.2016 to 16.03.2016

Following are the outcome of this Amendment:

• By changing the delivery date system triggers for version change
• Releases will not reflect on this change even after checking version completion indicator.

Case 5: Text creation or changing, after PO fully released and the document gets outputted.

Following are the outcome of this Amendment:

• By changing the Text  system triggers for version change
• Releases will not reflect on this change even after checking version completion indicator.

Case 6: Material code change for the same quantity and same value, after PO fully released and the document gets outputted.

Finally my analysis was on how system behaves when the whole material code itself got changed but the price and quantity remains the same.

10000057 changed to 10000943 but quantity and effective price remains same.

Following are the outcome of this Amendment:

• By changing the Material code having same value and quantity in PO system triggers for version change
• Releases will not reflect on this change even after checking version completion indicator.

Conclusion:

Version management, Release strategy and Output messages are different configurations in SAP MM but their behaviour in the system has some dependencies.

My inferences are as follows:

• Version changes will happen only when the document is outputted
• Releases will be cancelled only for a value change if and only if Version indicator is completed.
• For Each Version changes separate Outputs are generated.