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How SAP Begets Efficient Materials Storage & Procurement Processes in Organizations

All manufacturing companies have certain cost associated with the production, purchase, selling, maintaining inventory etc. All this information is crucial for a business. Having the right date and time along with the accounts is what makes for an efficient company process.

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Material Master Data: What It Is and How to Optimize It

The material master contains descriptions of the materials a company procures, produces, and stores. The material master is the central repository of material information (such as stock levels) for the company.

In SAP all this information is maintained in the Material Master Data with the corresponding date and cost. Therefore, it is important to maintain this information without any ambiguity as all the processing of the materials are influenced by material master. The data in Material master is received from SAP Transaction(CK24). Transferring this data correctly is crucial to the overall functioning of the processes

How SAP Perceives Calenders Traditionally?

In SAP there are 2 calenders. One is K4 i.e. fiscal year (Jan- Dec) and the other is V3 (April-March). The default calendar in SAP Transaction (CK24) is K4. Most of the companies using SAP software, use K4 i.e. the fiscal year dates for all their processes in SAP Material Master data. Our customer wanted to switch from K4(Jan-Dec) calender to V3(April-March) calender.

For example, CK24 uses K4 calendar. Therefore, when any transfer was done CK24 automatically takes the fiscal year dates i.e. if the transfer is done in June, CK24 will take it as the 6th Period. Some organizations demand that CK24 to take June as the 3rd Period in V3. This can not only lead to confusion but also cause misleading entries in the system.

Why Material Master Data Needs Optimization

In order to update the important data without confusion, it is vital that Material Master data is maintained optimally. It is responsible for all the processes. Thus, its functioning has to be optimized as per the right process efficiency

Classic Optimization Doesn't Always Work

Manufacturers try to change the periods in the transaction code CK24. However, SAP transaction (CK24) does not have this provision. This can more often lead to long snags and misleading entries.

How Our Module Approach Solved the Puzzle

Our consultants provide a solution by enhancing the standard function module which did not create any chaos while transferring data from SAP transaction to Material Master data. This not only improved the system efficiency but also accuracy in the entries.

What were the main benefits to Organizations

By following a simple approach to optimize the modules, we not only deliver an efficient stores/procurement process system but also a far less error prone entity. This helps organizations cut costs and also have a fair understanding of the material master data inner workings.

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