Item Hierarchies in Purchase Contracts

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Item hierarchies allow you to structure a list of items. This can be particularly useful if you want to group certain items. For example, if you are in charge of purchasing materials and services for different departments within a company, you could use item hierarchies to group the items by department. Within an item hierarchy, you can add items to item sets to create a nested structure that comprises several levels. This way, you can structure the list of items in a way that suits your needs.

Item hierarchies are also useful if you want to group items for a specific purpose. Let’s say you want to paint your office. You will need some paint, a paint roller, and perhaps a paintbrush. In this case, you could create an item set called ‘Painting the office’ and add the items you will need for that purpose as subitems. This way, everything you need for your painting project will be grouped together. If you decide that you want to replace the carpet as well while you’re at it, you can create an additional item set for that project.

In this blog post, you’ll learn how to work with item hierarchies in purchase contracts and how you can rearrange items within an item hierarchy.

Please note that the UI of the app Manage Purchase Contracts is subject to change and may look slightly different in the future compared to the screenshots below.

How to Work with Item Hierarchies in Purchase Contracts

In the application Manage Purchase Contracts, you can:

• Create functional items and item sets
  You can create functional items (materials and services) and item sets by using the Create button.To create a hierarchical structure, you can also use the Create button to add subitems (materials and services) and subitem sets to item sets. If you want to paint your office, you could create an item set for your painting project and add the individual items you need as subitems. For this purpose, (1) select the item set, (2) click the Create button, and (3) select the type of item you would like to add as a subitem.In this example, I have added a paintbrush as the first subitem:You can also add subitem sets to subitem sets. This way, you can create an item hierarchy that comprises several levels. To return to our painting project, if you want to paint your office in blue and green, you could add a subitem set called ‘Paint tins’ and add the blue paint and the green paint as subitems.


• Insert functional items and item sets
  You can insert a new item or item set at the position of a selected item (set) by using the Insert button. The newly created item (set) is then assigned the hierarchy number of the selected item (set). The rest of the items in the branch, below the newly created item (set), are renumbered accordingly.


• Cut and paste functional items and item sets
  You can move an item (set) by using the Cut and Paste buttons. To cut an item (set), you first need to select the item (set) and choose Cut.You can then select a target item (set) and choose Paste. You can decide whether you want to paste the item (set) before, after, or as a subitem of the selected item (set).


• Copy and paste functional items and item sets
  You can copy an existing item (set) and paste it at a position of your choice by using the Copy and Paste buttons. To copy an item (set), you first need to select the item (set) and choose Copy.You can then select a target item (set) and choose Paste. You can decide whether you want to paste the item (set) before, after, or as a subitem of the selected item (set).


• Drag and drop functional items and item sets
  You can move functional items and item sets by dragging and dropping them to new positions. This way, you can add functional items or item sets to existing item sets.


• Delete and restore functional items and item sets
  You can delete functional items and item sets by selecting the item (set) and using the Delete button during the creation or update of a purchase contract. When you delete an item (set) in a draft document, the item (set) is deleted and removed from the hierarchical structure. However, when you delete an item (set) in an active document, the item is logically deleted and marked with a deletion indicator.You can recover functional items and item sets that have been logically deleted by using the Restore button. This option is only available when you delete items in an active document. The item set in the image below has been logically deleted, and you can see that the short text can no longer be edited. If you change your mind, you can select the item set and use the Restore button.


• Block and unblock functional items and item sets
  You can block and unblock functional items and item sets in the hierarchy list during the creation or update of a purchase contract by using the respective buttons.


• Create a purchase order
  You can create purchase orders from items in the hierarchy list of an approved purchase contract. To create a purchase order for specific items of a purchase contract, open the purchase contract, select the relevant items, and choose Create Purchase Order.

As you can see, these functionalities allow you to structure a list of items in a way that suits your needs and to rearrange the items as needed. Whether you are planning a renovation project or have other reasons for grouping items, item hierarchies can help you create a clear structure and keep an overview.

Kindly share your feedback and thoughts regarding this post in the comments section below. If you have any questions, you can submit them here and follow the respective tag. You can also get in touch via the Community Page for SAP S/4HANA Sourcing and Procurement or the Influence Portal.

For more information about purchase contracts, take a look at the product assistance for Manage Purchase Contracts. For configuration-related information, take a look at the scope item for Purchase Contracts (BMD).