A collective number is required in transaction ME41 for almost every business. While creating a request for quotation (RFQ), you have to add the collective number manually. You can get multiple quotations against one purchase request (PR) from different vendors. You can use this collective number to collect all quotations against one PR or against one material.

For one example, say a company wants to purchase a laptop. First, it creates a PR for this laptop using transaction ME51N. Then it creates an RFQ for vendors with reference to the created PR using transaction ME41. If the company sends the RFQ to 10 vendors, then it has to create 10 RFQ documents. When it gets a quotation from all vendors, it needs a common ID for the quotations so it can compare them and determine the lowest price. In this case, it can use the collective number (stored in the Coll. No. field) to retrieve and then compare these prices. By default, the user has to enter this collective number manually, which is time consuming and allows for error if the user enters a number incorrectly. As a second example, imagine the company wants to send an RFQ without creating a PR. In this case, it needs to put an automatically generated number into the Coll. No. field.

You can solve either of these example scenarios by filling the Coll. No. field with an automatically generated number or a PR number using a technique called implicit enhancement. I explained how to use an implicit enhancement in my SAPexperts article “Avoid Modifications by Using Implicit Enhancements in Standard SAP Code.” You can add your custom code in SAP’s standard code using this technique without doing any modification. Modification is not recommended in any case because it can create many issues during a system upgrade.

By default, the collective number field is obligatory. The reason you need to make it optional is that when submitting an RFQ, the system takes you to the screen where you have to enter this value before the point where you can add the implicit enhancement. As a result of that, before you can do anything else that I show you in this article, you need to configure the system so that the field is optional. That way, the system lets you move forward with the RFQ and you can put in the enhancement. Then with the field being optional, the system doesn’t override the enhancement. I’ll start by showing you how to set this up in the system, and then take you through the process of using the implicit enhancement.

Make the Collective Number Field Optional

As discussed, you need to make the collective number field optional. Use transaction ME41 and fill in the selections shown in Figure 1. In the RFQ Type field, AN represents a request for quotation. (There are other options, but they do not apply to this example.) After you have filled in the details, press Enter.

Figure 1

Initial screen for creating RFQ transaction code ME41

The system leads you to the screen of the collective number (the Coll. No. field) and gives you a message to fill it (Figure 2). However, since you’re going to fill this field automatically, you need to make it optional so that the system doesn’t require you to fill it manually. Now let’s go through the process to do that step by step.

Figure 2

The system demands you fill the Coll. No. field

Step 1. Use transaction SPRO and follow IMG menu path Materials Management > Purchasing > RFQ/Quotation > Define Screen Layout at Document Level to produce the screen in Figure 3. Double-click Request for quotation.

Figure 3

Double-click Request for quotation

Step 2. In the resulting screen, double-click Reference data, header (Figure 4).

Figure 4

Double-click Reference data, header

Step 3. You can see the Reqd.entry check box checked for Collective RFQ (Figure 5). Uncheck the Reqd.entry check box and select the Opt. entry box instead (Figure 6).

Figure 5

By default, Collective RFQ is checked as Reqd.entry

Figure 6

Uncheck Reqd.entry and check Opt. entry

Step 4. Press F3 to go back to the screen in Figure 3 and click the save icon (or press Ctrl+S). A screen appears in which you have to create a new customizing request using the new icon shown in Figure 7. In the resulting screen (Figure 8), enter a Request name and a Short description. Then click the save icon.

Figure 7

Click the create icon to create a new request

Figure 8

Enter a Short description and click the save icon

Click the green check mark icon to save the object in this newly created request (Figure 9).

Figure 9

Click the green check mark icon

Then use transaction ME41 and create an RFQ to see if it worked. You do not get any message for giving a collective number and the Item Overview window appears as shown in Figure 10.

Figure 10

Item Overview screen

Implement an Implicit Enhancement

Now let’s go through the steps to implement an implicit enhancement. For more information on this process, see my other article, which I linked to at the beginning of this article.

Step 1. Use transaction SE38 and enter the Program name MM06EFTE_KOPFTEXT_UEBERNAHME (Figure 11). Then click the Display button.

Figure 11

Give the Program name and click the Display button

Step 2. Click the enhance icon in the resulting screen (Figure 12). Follow menu path Edit > Enhancement Operations > Show Implicit Enhancement Options (Figure 13).

Figure 12

Click the enhance icon from the toolbar

Figure 13

Select Show Implicit Enhancement Options

Step 3. Double-click SAPMM06E or select it and click the Choose button (Figure 14).

Figure 14

Double-click SAPMM06E

Step 4. At the end of the program, just before the ENDFORM, you can see that the implicit enhancement option is available (Figure 15).

Figure 15

Implicit enhancement position

Step 5. Right-click and follow menu path Enhancement Implementation > Create (Figure 16).

Figure 16

Select Create

Step 6. Because it is a form, you have the option of either type of enhancement. Since you’re adding code in this example, click the Code button (Figure 17).

Figure 17

Click the Code button

Step 7. In the list, you can see the standard implemented enhancement, but you must not select a standard enhancement implementation and add your code in it because it can be replaced by SAP code in the case of a system upgrade. To create a new enhancement implementation, click the new icon shown in Figure 18.

Figure 18

Click the new icon

Step 8. Give the Enhancement Implementation name and Short Text. Then click the green check mark icon (Figure 19).

Figure 19

Enter the Enhancement Implementation name and Short Text

Step 9. Give a Package name (e.g., ZFSL) where you want to save this enhancement and click the save icon (Figure 20).

Figure 20

Enter the Package name and click the save icon

Step 10. Create a new workbench transport request by clicking the new icon shown in Figure 21.

Figure 21

Click the new icon

Step 11. Give the transport request a Short description and click the save icon (Figure 22). This brings up the screen in Figure 23. Click the green check mark icon to save the object in the request. Then in the screen in Figure 24, click the save icon again.

Figure 22

Enter the Short description and click the save icon

Figure 23

Click the green check mark icon

Figure 24

Click the save icon

Step 12. After you save in Figure 24 the screen in Figure 25 appears. Here you need to add this object in the same request. You do this because then you can transport it all to the quality assurance or production system in a single request. Click the green check mark icon.

Figure 25

Click the green check mark icon

Step 13. Now you can see the newly created enhancement implementation ZSUBMI (Figure 26; you may need to scroll down to find it). Select it and click the green check mark icon.

Figure 26

Select ZSUBMI and click the green check mark icon

Step 14. Now you can see the white line inside ENHANCEMENT 1 ZSUBMI … ENDENHANCEMENT (Figure 27). Here you can add your code.

Figure 27

Here you can add code

Step 15. Add the code: ekko-submi = ‘TEST’. and click the Enhancements button (Figure 28). Click the green check mark icon to activate (Figure 29). This produces a message in the taskbar that states “No syntax errors found.”

Figure 28

Sample code added

Figure 29

Click the green check mark icon

Step 16. Use transaction ME41 and click the header details icon shown in Figure 30. You can see the Coll. No. value shows TEST, meaning the code in this example worked (Figure 31).

Figure 30

Click the header details icon or press F6

Figure 31

Coll. No. field automatically filled with TEST

Before you can get an automatically generated number, you first have to create a domain. Then, using this domain, you can create a number range object and replace old testing code with new code. I’ll show you how to do this next.

Create a Domain

Step 1. Use transaction SE11 and enter the Domain name ZSUBMI (Figure 32). Click the Create button.

Figure 32

Enter the Domain name and click the Create button

Step 2. Because the collective number field is of a 10-character length, you have to create the domain with the Data Type as CHAR and the No. Characters as 10 (Figure 33). You should also enter a Short Description. Click the save icon.

Figure 33

Enter the Short Description, Data Type, and No. Characters and click the save icon

Step 3. Enter the name of the Package (e.g., ZFSL) and click the save icon (Figure 34).

Figure 34

Give the Package name and click the save icon

Step 4. Add the Domain in the same request and click the green check mark icon (Figure 35).

Figure 35

Save it in the same request

Now you need to create a number range object using this domain.

Create a Number Range Object

Step 1. Use transaction SNRO, give the Object name, and click the create icon (Figure 36).

Figure 36

Enter the Object name and click the create icon

Step 2. In the resulting screen, fill in all fields as in Figure 37 and click the save icon. This brings up the screen in Figure 38. Click the Yes button.

Figure 37

Enter parameters

Figure 38

Click the Yes button

Step 3. Enter the name of the Package (e.g., ZFSL) and click the save icon (Figure 39).

Figure 39

Enter the Package name and click the save icon

Step 4. Add the Number Range Object in the same request and click the green check mark icon (Figure 40).

Figure 40

Click the green check mark icon

Step 5. Go back to the initial screen (Figure 36) and click the Number ranges button (Figure 41). In the resulting screen, click the Intervals button (with the pencil icon) (Figure 42). Then click the Interval button in the toolbar (Figure 43).

Figure 41

Click the Number ranges button

Figure 42

Click the Intervals button with the pencil icon

Figure 43

Click the Interval button

Step 6. Enter the intervals appropriate for your situation (Figure 44). In my example, I used 2500000001 and 2599999999, but you can use whatever you need. Click the add icon in the bottom-right corner. Now you can see the interval added (Figure 45).

Figure 44

Click the add icon

Figure 45

Range added

Step 7. Click the save icon and you get the message shown in Figure 46. Click the green check mark icon.

Figure 46

Click the green check mark icon

Now it is time to replace the old code (in Figure 28) with the new code.

Change Enhancement and Add Actual Code

Step 1. Open the same include, MM06EFTE_KOPFTEXT_UEBERNAHME, in display mode and show the implicit enhancement options as displayed in Figures 11, 12, 13, and 14).

Step 2. Right-click the implemented enhancement and follow menu path Enhancement Implementation > Change (Figure 47). This brings up the screen in Figure 48.

Figure 47

Select Change

Figure 48

After selecting Change

Copy and paste the code shown in Figure 49 in place of the code in Figure 48 and active enhancement as you did in Figures 28 and 29.

Figure 49

Code for assigning PR or automatically generated number to collective number field

Testing Both Scenarios

Now you are ready to test the scenarios for both the automatically generated number and the PR number.

Test Automatically Generated Number

Try to create an RFQ using transaction ME41 and go to the header as previously mentioned. Now you can see the Coll. No. field filled with the automatically generated number of the assigned number range (Figure 50).

Figure 50

Coll. No. field with an automatically generated number

Test the PR Number

Use transaction ME41 and from the toolbar select the Reference to PReq button (Figure 51). Enter the Purchase Req. number and click the green check mark icon (Figure 52).

Figure 51

Click the Reference to PReq button

Figure 52

Select Purchase Req. and click the green check mark icon

Select the line and click the Adopt + Details button (Figure 53). Then click the header details icon (Figure 54).

Figure 53

Select the line and click the Adopt + Details button

Figure 54

Click the header details icon

Now you can see the Coll. No. field automatically filled with the PR number (Figure 55).

Figure 55

Coll. No. field with the PR number

Faisal Altaf

Faisal Altaf is a certified development consultant. He has more than seven years of experience and currently is working with Al Yamamah Steel Industries Co., Saudi Arabia, as the SAP technical division head. He completed his MS in software engineering and intends to complete his Ph.D. in the field of SAP.

 

 

You may contact the author at faisalatsap@gmail.com.

If you have comments about this article or publication, or would like to submit an article idea, please contact the editor.