Status Profiles in SAP

Concept:
Different user defined statuses can be assigned to a sales order at the header or at the line item
level. These statuses are assigned using a status profile. This concept is present in SAP CRM as well.
What is more important to understand is the different business scenarios that demand statuses for
the sales document.

Status Profile Example:

For example, in typical office situations, quotations beyond a certain sum need to be approved by
the sales manager. Lets take a simple IDES example of a ZQT status profile. This status profile has 3
statuses Quotation Approved, Quotation Declined, Quotation Not Approved. If the quotation is not
approved, we should configure the system in such a way that an order cannot be created from the
quotation. Which means, each status can influence the way the sales orders subsequent steps are
performed.

A status can allow, prohibit or issue a warning for any subsequent process.

You can create Status profiles for documents or transactions and then set up authorizations for
certain activities. The result is we can enable select personnel as authorized to carry out the
activities blocked by status profiles.

Create Status Profile

1. Create status profile in general status management as shown below or via IMG --> Sales &
Distribution Sales Sales documents Define & Assign Status Profile:
2. Go to Define Status Profiles. Choose New Entries and enter code & description for your status
profile:

3. Choose object types for status profile. Eg: Sales order header or sales order item for which the
status profile is to be applied to.
4. Enter your status say for price check, specify lowest status number (which will render any
statuses lower than the lowest number specified, inactive) and highest status number (which
will decide the upper limit of status numbers which may be activated if this status is active).

Set initial indicator for your required status, generally system sets initial automatically for the first
status.

Specify authorization key in authorization code field. (See below for creation of authorization key).

5. Double click on your status (PRC) and choose transaction control. Select the activities which are
to be checked with this status.

For eg: confirmation of order, creation subsequent documents like delivery & billing documents is
forbidden.

Save status profile.

6. Assign status profile to document types (VOV8) & item categories (VOV7) as required.

Authorization Key

Enter authorization key & description in BS52 and save. Authorization key is assigned to status
profile and is used to create authorization for user role.
Users and Authorizations

Authorizations to perform a particular action in the R/3 system can be created (and included in
required user roles) via authorization objects. Create authorization for authorization object
B_USERSTAT

Go to IMG Cross-Application components -Document Management - Control Data - Maintain Role

or use transaction PFCG and add authorization for status profile to required user role.

Choose change user role and go to menu tab. Add transaction (say VA02) for which you want to give
authorization to change user status for sales order header or item
Go to Authorization tab and choose change authorization data. Maintain status management for
authorization object B_USERSTAT, specify object category as chosen (VBK or VBP), authorization key,
and status profile. Generate authorization.

Go to user tab and enter user ids which are to have role with authorization for status profile and
save.
Save User Role.

Test Status Profile

Create sales order and check status (sales document header status tab). Status is blocked and user
status is PRC (from status profile).

Click on object status button (Sales document header status tab object status) and both statuses
from status profile can be seen.
Try to deliver the blocked sales order to get below error:

A user with authorization (in this case sd consultant, Me) can change status to 'released' after
checking sales order price.

After selecting ZRE, overall blkd status changed to Not blocked as under:

Now, delivery and subsequent documents can be created for released sales order.

This sums up a brief understanding about the Status profile in documents.

Happy Learning !!!!

Tripurari Sharan Mishra