T023 table — Material Group Master Table

One row in T023 represents one material group code (Warengruppe) that has been defined in customizing as valid for use on material master records. The material group is a flat classification key, not a hierarchy node by itself; it is used to group materials for purposes such as purchasing statistics, account determination in some configurations, authorization checks, and reporting cubes. T023 itself carries only the code and its division assignment, not the actual grouping of materials to that code, which lives in the material master. Because it is a customizing table rather than transactional master data, entries here change rarely, usually as part of a project to restructure how materials are classified. The table is client-dependent, so the same code can carry different meaning across clients if customizing was not transported consistently.

T023 is small, typically a few hundred to a few thousand rows per client, so selectivity is rarely a performance concern on its own. Always restrict by MANDT first if querying outside a client-bound tool. The real risk is not performance but assumption: MATKL here is just a code and a division, nothing else. Do not expect a parent group, a hierarchy level, or a controlling area link on this table; those live elsewhere or do not exist at all for material groups in standard SAP. When investigating a material group issue, check the material master's basic data view first to confirm which materials actually carry the code before looking at T023 for the code's own attributes.

Symptom: a material group appears in a purchasing report but purchasing users insist it should not exist. Select T023 on MATKL for that value. If no row is found, the code is invalid customizing that got into a material master or requisition through a data load or manual entry bypassing the check, and the fix is either to create the missing customizing entry or correct the material master. If the row exists, check T023T for the description text and confirm the division assignment matches what the business expects for that material group.

T023 continues to exist as a customizing table in S/4HANA in the same shape as in ECC. Material group logic was not restructured as part of the S/4HANA simplification items that affected material master fields like old dimension or unit tables. Access in reporting and Fiori apps typically goes through a CDS view exposing material group text and code together with MARA attributes, but the underlying customizing table itself is unchanged.

Ownership sits with the MM customizing team, usually the same group that owns material master configuration and division setup. Changes to the material group list go through a change request process because the code is referenced across purchasing, sales, and reporting; a functional consultant should never add or remove an entry directly in production without checking downstream usage first.

T023T carries the language-dependent description for each material group and is maintained together with T023 in the same customizing transaction. MARA carries the MATKL value on every material master and is maintained through the standard material master transactions. EBAN can carry MATKL directly for requisitions raised without a material master. T024 (purchasing groups) is a neighbouring but functionally separate classification table, often confused with T023 because both feed dropdown fields on purchasing documents.