QS21 — Create Master Inspection Characteristic
QS21 creates a Master Inspection Characteristic in SAP Quality Management. A MIC is reusable QM master data for quantitative or qualitative inspection characteristics and can later be referenced in inspection plans. SAP's current S/4HANA migration documentation explicitly lists QS21 as Create, QS23 as Change, and QS24 as Display for Master Inspection Characteristics.
QS21 is the transaction for creating a code group under one of the QM catalog types, the layer between the catalog itself and the individual codes used in defect recording, usage decisions and inspection results. This page covers the real reasons a freshly created code group does not show up where a consultant expects it to, and how to prove in the data whether the problem is the code group, the codes, or the selected set that links them to a plant or inspection type.
Published 20 Sept 2026· 563 words
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Purpose
QS21 creates a reusable Master Inspection Characteristic (MIC). A MIC can define the characteristic type, control indicators, units, tolerances/specifications, catalog assignments, inspection methods, and other settings that inspection plans reuse. It is not a QM catalog code-group transaction.
When it is used
Use QS21 when a quality characteristic should be standardized and reused across inspection plans or other QM master data instead of being maintained as a one-off characteristic. Typical examples include dimensional measurements, chemical properties, visual checks, or qualitative acceptance criteria.
How to use it in practice
- Enter the plant and external/internal MIC identifier required by the master-data design.
- Choose quantitative or qualitative characteristic type and maintain the required control indicators.
- Maintain units, target/specification limits, valuation settings, catalogs, or inspection methods as required by the business characteristic.
- Save and release the characteristic according to QM master-data governance.
- Reference the MIC in a representative inspection plan and verify results recording/valuation behavior before broad rollout.
Key data objects
Master Inspection Characteristics are versioned/effective master data and should be governed like other reusable quality objects.
- Plant and MIC identifier/version — identify the reusable characteristic.
- Characteristic type — quantitative or qualitative behavior.
- Control indicators — govern recording, valuation, documentation, sampling, and related behavior.
- Specifications/unit — relevant to quantitative characteristics.
- Catalog/selected-set or inspection-method assignment — relevant where qualitative values or standardized methods are required.
- QPMK/QPMT — SAP documentation identifies these as core MIC master/short-text tables for migration analysis.
How to prove it in the data
Display the created characteristic with the standard MIC display function (QS24 in SAP documentation) and confirm plant, version/status, type, control indicators, specifications, and assignments. Then place it in a test inspection plan and record representative results to prove that the MIC behaves as intended rather than relying only on successful master-data save.
ECC vs S/4HANA
SAP's S/4HANA 2025 documentation still lists QS21 for creating Master Inspection Characteristics, QS23 for changing them, and QS24 for display. S/4HANA also provides Fiori apps for MIC display/maintenance in supported releases, but the underlying QM master-data concept remains.
Common pitfalls and how to diagnose them
- Confusing QS21 with QM catalog maintenance — catalogs and selected sets use other QS transactions.
- Creating duplicate MICs instead of reusing or versioning an existing standardized characteristic.
- Choosing quantitative versus qualitative type incorrectly and then trying to fix downstream inspection-plan behavior.
- Changing control indicators without testing results recording, valuation, and sampling consequences.
Whose problem this is
Primary ownership is QM master-data/process design. Laboratory or quality engineering teams define the business specification, while QM consultants configure the characteristic behavior. Migration/integration teams must preserve version, plant, and assignment semantics.
Related SAP objects
Reviewed pages this object connects to in the ERPClimb knowledge graph.
Source: ERPClimb — https://erpclimb.com/sap-tcodes/qs21ERPClimb is an independent platform and is not affiliated with SAP SE. Reference pages are written and reviewed by SAP consultants for learning and troubleshooting.