Internet Application Component (IAC) "Procurement via
Catalogs"
In any given enterprise, it is likely that a large number of
employees from different departments will continually be giving
notice of their requirements of various items. For example,
secretaries will regularly need office supplies, and production
workers on the shop-floor may run short of screws from time to
time.
As of Release 4.0A, the process of requesting a material is
simplified by means of the Internet application component
"Procurement via Catalogs", with its easy-to-use browser interface.
An employee can search through external product catalogs and the
SAP product catalog and add suitable materials found to the list of
materials to be procured. If the SAP material number is known, it
can be entered directly. If neither the number is known, nor a
suitable material can be found in the catalog, the employee enters
a description of his or her requirement.
After saving, the system generates purchase requisitions,
reservations and/or purchase orders depending on the item data and
the settings in Customizing. If a material was adopted from the SAP
product catalog, the system creates both a purchase order and a
sales order (in the Sales and Distribution component) and updates
the purchase order by adding the sales order number.
The process within the IAC is as follows:
1. You log into the R/3 System via
the relevant home page.
The initial screen appears.
If the system cannot determine a purchasing group or a material
group from your user master record, the screen with the global data
appears. Here you have to provide further data.
2. You have the following options on
the initial screen:
Search for a material in a catalog (see step 3.)
Enter an SAP material number
When you have confirmed your input, the system carries out an
availability check and displays the data in the form of a
graphic.
Enter a description of the material
The system generates a non-stock item.
3. If you wish to search through a
catalog, use the "possible entries" facility to choose the desired
catalog and then click on the "Catalog search" function.
The catalog is called up and you choose one or more materials.
The catalog returns the SAP material number to the application (if
possible).
If only the vendor material number and the vendor number can be
returned, the system searches the info records with this data.
If only the manufacturer part number and the manufacturer can be
returned, the system searches the material master records with this
data.
If an SAP material number is found, the system carries out an
availability check and shows the result in graphic form. Otherwise
the system generates a non-stock item.
4. You can
supplement the detailed data for each item (e.g. quantity, date
required, requester, item text)
If an SAP material master record is involved, you see the
availability data on the item detail screen. You can then also
choose a different date.
maitain global data that applies to all items (e.g. material
group, document type, account assignment category). The system
checks the items in which the global data can be adopted and copies
the data accordingly.
5. You save your items.
Depending on the item data and the settings in Customizing, the
system generates a purchase requisition, a purchase order and/or a
reservation.
If a material was adopted from the SAP product catalog, the system
generates a purchase order and, from this, a sales order in the
Sales and Distribution component. The sales order number is
recorded as the order acknowledgment number of the PO item. On the
acknowledgment (confirmation) screen, you see both the PO number
and the sales order number.
SAP provides the enhancement LMEWPU06 (function exit
EXIT_SAPLMEWP_001), allowing you to determine which object is to be
generated.
Internet application component (IAC) "Status in Case of
Procurement via Catalogs"
You can monitor the status of your request using this IAC (e.g.
status "Material corresponding to reservation already withdrawn
from stores").
Change system parameters in customizing
In Customizing, specify:
which documents (requisition, purchase order, reservation) are
generated upon saving, depending on the material group and
purchasing group.
Note
You can also use the enhancement EXIT_SAPLMEWP_001.
the permitted catalogs for your call structure per material
group