Reading sample
2.1 Material master structure
Like most information stored within SAP’s transactions, the material master is nothing more than a database that has been programmed with an aesthetic visual representation. This visually pleasing display consists of several screens (also known as views of a material master), each containing information and parameter settings relevant to the screen’s title. Furthermore, the information on each screen is sub-classified into more specific groupings, which we refer to as an information set. Figure 2.1 shows an example of the MRP 1 screen, an essential component to material planning, procurement, and production functionality.
Figure 2.1: MRP 1 screen
The top part of the screen contains general header data—the Material, the material description (Descr), and the Plant. Technical information is accessed by clicking on the “i” icon on the right. Underneath, there are four information sets—General Data, MRP procedure, Lot size data, and MRP areas (not shown here).
Screenshots
To maintain editorial standards, it is not always possible to capture an entire screen in the images displayed in this book. However, scrolling down on the actual screens will take you to the fields referred to in the text.
Each element of any given information set is called a field. In the previous example (see Figure 2.1), the General Data section contains the fields Base Unit of Measure, MRP Group, Purchasing Group, ABC Indicator, Plant-Sp. Matl status (plant-specific material status), and Valid From (regarding the plant-specific material status).
Each field is also stored “behind the scenes” in a table within the SAP database. The table contains other fields with similar functions. SAP has also designed relationship structures into the program which enable certain tables to communicate with one another and drive functionality. As you progress in your understanding of the material master, you will want to understand those relationships in detail. Not only does an understanding of those relationships help you to understand material master functionality, it also helps you to capitalize on customized reporting possibilities.
Each table and field is represented by a technical name in the database. Figure 2.2 shows an example of a technical description of the MRP Type field. You can see the technical name of the field (DISMM) and the table (MARC) in which it is stored. We discuss more about technical information and how to access it later in the chapter.
Figure 2.2: Technical information–table and field name
Use table relationships for customized reporting
Standard SAP reports might not give you all the information you require. Once you have gained an understanding of tables, fields, and their relationships with one another in the material master, you can explore transaction SQVI. This is a report builder where you can create customized reports on most interrelated fields of the material master (and other transactions for that matter) by joining their respective tables for reporting purposes.
Advanced tip—use SQ01, SQ02, and SQ03 to share joined table reports
Transaction SQVI is a quick and handy tool that enables end users to join tables in order to generate simple reports. We recommend SQVI for beginners because of its simplicity. However, once you become confident with joining tables for ad hoc reporting, we recommend using transactions SQ01, SQ02, and SQ03. These transactions enable users to define information sets (tables or collection of joined tables) and allow for more refinements to the selection criteria and output. Furthermore, end users can define authorized user groups for these information sets so that customized reports can be shared and reproduced by any authorized user. SQVI limits the use of the defined joined table to only the end user who created it.
SAP S/4HANA offers an intuitive and user-friendly table and data analytics tool that can be accessed and explored using transaction SE16H.
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