MM / P2Pintermediate

MM Material Master Part 2: Purchasing and MRP Fields That Drive Procurement

Key takeaway

The fields that decide how procurement behaves: purchasing group, order unit, source list requirement, purchasing value key, GR processing time, planned delivery time, MRP type, lot size, procurement type, special procurement key, safety stock and plant-specific material status.

Explanation

📌 KEY POINTS
✅ Purchasing view: purchasing group, order unit, source list requirement, purchasing value key (reminders, tolerances), GR processing time.
✅ MRP views: MRP type, lot size, procurement type (E/F/X), special procurement key, planned delivery time, safety stock.
✅ Planned delivery time and GR processing time drive requisition dates and PO delivery dates.
✅ Plant-specific material status can block purchasing or other activities.
⚠️ A missing or wrong MRP type means MRP either ignores the material or creates wrong proposals.

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▶ WHERE WE ARE
Part 1 covered views and types. Now the fields that drive procurement.

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▶ 1. PURCHASING VIEW

Purchasing group (buyer), order unit, material group.
Source list requirement (plant-level), purchasing value key.
GR processing time (inspection/putaway days).

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▶ 2. MRP 1–2

MRP type (PD MRP, VB reorder point, ND no planning), MRP controller.
Lot size (EX exact, HB replenish to max, FX fixed).
Procurement type (E in-house, F external, X both), special procurement key (e.g. consignment, subcontracting, stock transfer).

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▶ 3. TIMES AND STOCKS

Planned delivery time, GR processing time, safety stock, reorder point.

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▶ 4. STATUS

Plant-specific material status (e.g. blocked for purchasing).
Cross-plant status for all plants.

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▶ 5. EFFECTS

Requisition dates, source determination, tolerance checks, reminders.

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▶ STEP BY STEP

Set MRP type PD, lot size EX, procurement type F.
Set planned delivery time 10 days, GR processing time 2 days.
Run MRP and check the requisition dates.

✅ CHECKPOINT: requisition release date = requirement date − GR time − planned delivery time − purchasing processing time.

Code example

ABAP Code

===== STEP 1: purchasing view =====Purchasing group 001 | order unit BOX (1 BOX = 10 EA) | source list required X | purchasing value key 1 (reminders, tolerances)GR processing time 2 days ===== STEP 2: MRP views =====MRP type PD | MRP controller 001 | lot size EX | procurement type F | special procurement (blank / 10 consignment / 30 subcontracting / 40 stock transfer, per config)Planned delivery time 10 days | safety stock 50 ===== STEP 3: status =====Plant-specific material status 01 (blocked for procurement) → PO creation error/warning

Real project scenario

A plant complained that MRP always created requisitions with past release dates. The planned delivery time was 60 days while buyers actually had 15-day agreements. Updating planned delivery times from info records and reviewing them quarterly fixed MRP dates and reduced rush orders.

Common mistakes

Unrealistic planned delivery times.
Wrong MRP type or procurement type.
Source list required without source lists.
Ignoring GR processing time.
Material status not maintained on phase-out.

Best practices

Align delivery times with suppliers.
Review MRP settings periodically.
Use material status for phase-outs.
Maintain source lists where required.
Document special procurement keys.

Interview angle

Questions: "Which fields influence requisition dates?", "What is the procurement type?", "How do you block a material for purchasing?"
Strong answer: purchasing group/order unit/source list/value key, MRP type/lot size/procurement type/special procurement key, planned delivery and GR times, material status.

Practice this lesson

Quick check

1. A company wants a material to be automatically blocked from procurement in a specific plant while remaining usable in other plants. Which material master setting should be used?

2. In the material master, which field determines the default number of days used to calculate the delivery date proposal in purchasing documents?

3. MRP always creates requisitions with release dates in the past. Which material field is most likely unrealistic?

Interview questions

1. Purchase order creation is being blocked for a material at one plant with an error referencing plant-specific material status, while the same material transacts normally at other plants. How would you diagnose and resolve this?

Answer it in your own words first, then compare.

2. A procurement team complains that a newly created material cannot be used on a purchase order for a specific plant even though it exists in the material master. What material master view and organizational-level checks would you investigate first?