SAP Batch Handling

What is a batch no. of a materail? and where can we mention batch no for material? Can
we maintain batch no in mm01 Tcode while creating material?

In simple terms SAP Batch Handling means an additional keys fields for users to identify the
same materials.

For e.g. Normal Control : Plant + Material + Storage Location

Batch Hanlding : Plant + Material + Storage Location + Batch Number

The structure of the material master record allows you to manage stocks of a material by value
at plant level or company-code level and by quantity down to storage-location level. Under
certain conditions, you may need to make further subdivisions for a material and manage
batches.

Certain materials' features cannot always be guaranteed to be exactly alike in production. For
example, you cannot guarantee that a certain color will always have the same shade. Minor
differences between production lots cannot be avoided. You need to be able to uniquely identify
the individual production lots of the same material and manage them separately in inventory.

Materials that require such precise identification, for example pharmaceutical products, are
identified and managed in stock not only according to material number, but also according to
batch number.

With batch handling, you can manage not only production lots from in-house production, but
also production lots from vendors as separate entities.

It is possible to supplement standard batch management with batch status management.

What Is a Material Handled in Batches?

Before you can manage batches of a material in stock, you must first specify in the material
master record that the material is to be managed in batches for the specified plant. To do this,
you must set the batch management requirement indicator in the material master record (for
example, in the Purchasing view field MARA-XCHPF or Storage Location view field MARC-
XCHPF).

Whether the material is managed in batches:

This indicator can be set while creating material.
MM01 -- General Plant data/storage 1 View -- Batch Management (check box)
(Check also Purchasing or Warehouse Mgmt 1 view).

Level of Batch Number Assignment

If a material is subject to management in batches, every quantity of that material must be
assigned to a batch. Each batch of a material is identified by a unique batch number, under which
it is managed. This number is either entered by the user (external number assignment) or
assigned automatically by the system.

You can define number assignment for batches at various levels:

- Uniquely at client level for a material

- Uniquely at material level
- Uniquely at plant level

In the standard R/3 System, numbers are assigned to the individual materials at plant level.

For every batch, there are two types of data:

- General data on the batch (for example, shelf life expiry date, date of the last goods receipt),
which is defined in the master batch. The master batch applies to all storage locations in which
the batch is located. No stocks are managed at this level.
- Stock data, which is managed separately for every storage location in which the batch is
located.

For example, if the batch C1 of a material is spread across two different storage locations, the
stock quantity is tracked for each storage location.

Must the Batch Exist Before the First Goods Receipt?

Both the master batch and the stock data for the batch are created automatically during the first
goods receipt. Thus, you do not need to create this data manually. However, if you want to
define specific data for a batch, such as the shelf life expiration date, you have to manually
maintain the batch data.

What Sorts of Batch Stocks Are There?

The following stocks are managed separately at batch level:
- Unrestricted-use stock
- Restricted-use stock
- Quality inspection stock
- Blocked stock
- Stock in transfer
- Blocked stock returns

Working with Materials Handled in Batches

When you enter goods movements for materials handled in batches, you must enter the batch
number in addition to the material number. If you do not know the batch number, you can search
for the batch using the required characteristics.

Config Setting In Batch Management

Logistics general - Batch Management

1.1. Specify Batch Level
Menu Path Enterprise Structure--> Logistics General--> Batch Management --> Specify
batch level and activate batch status management Transaction OMCT

1.2. Batch Number - Activate Internal Number Assignment

Menu Path Enterprise Structure--> Logistics General--> Batch Management --> Batch
Number Assignment --> Activate internal batch number assignment Transaction OMCZ

1.3. Batch Creation - for Goods Movements

Menu Path Enterprise Structure--> Logistics General--> Batch Management --> Creation
of new batches --> Define batch creation for goods movements Transaction

1.4. Characteristic Value Assignment -- Update Standard Characteristics

Menu Path Enterprise Structure--> Logistics General--> Batch Management -->
Characteristic Value Assignment --> Update Standard Characteristics Transaction

1.5. Activate Batch Classification for Goods Movements in Inventory Management

Menu Path Enterprise Structure--> Logistics General--> Batch Management -->
Characteristic Value Assignment --> Valuation for goods movements --> Activate Batch
Classification for goods movements in Inventory Management Transaction OMCV

1.6. Batch Determination – Condition Table(Cross Client)

Menu Path Enterprise Structure--> Logistics General--> Batch Management --> Batch
Determination & Batch Check --> Condition Tables --> Define production order condition
tables Transaction OPLB

1.7. Batch Determination – Condition Table(Cross Client)

Menu Path Enterprise Structure--> Logistics General--> Batch Management --> Batch
Determination & Batch Check --> Condition Tables --> Define SD condition Tables
Transaction V/C7

1.8. Batch Determination – Access Sequence(Cross Client)

Menu Path Enterprise Structure--> Logistics General--> Batch Management --> Batch
Determination & Batch Check --> Access Sequences --> Define Production Order Access
Sequences Transaction OPLF

1.9. Batch Determination – Access Sequence(Cross Client)

Menu Path Enterprise Structure--> Logistics General--> Batch Management --> Batch
Determination & Batch Check --> Access Sequences --> Define SD Access Sequences
Transaction V/C2

1.10. Batch Determination – Strategy Types

Menu Path Enterprise Structure--> Logistics General--> Batch Management --> Batch
Determination & Batch Check --> Define Production Order Strategy Types Transaction
OPLE
1.11. Batch Determination – Strategy Types
Menu Path Enterprise Structure--> Logistics General--> Batch Management --> Batch
Determination & Batch Check --> Define SD Strategy Types Transaction V/C1

1.12. Batch Determination – Batch Search Procedure

Menu Path Enterprise Structure--> Logistics General--> Batch Management --> Batch
Determination & Batch Check --> Define IM Search Procedure Transaction OMCY

1.13. Batch Determination – Batch Search Procedure

Menu Path Enterprise Structure--> Logistics General--> Batch Management --> Batch
Determination & Batch Check --> Define Production order Search Procedure Transaction
OPLG

1.14. Batch Determination – Batch Search Procedure

Menu Path Enterprise Structure--> Logistics General--> Batch Management --> Batch
Determination & Batch Check --> Define SD Search Procedure Transaction V/C3

1.15. Batch Determination – Batch Search Procedure Allocation

Menu Path Enterprise Structure--> Logistics General--> Batch Management --> Batch
Determination & Batch Check --> Allocate IM search procedure/activate check
Transaction OMCG

1.16. Batch Determination – Batch Search Procedure Allocation

Menu Path Enterprise Structure--> Logistics General--> Batch Management --> Batch
Determination & Batch Check --> Assign Search procedure to production order
Transaction OPL8

1.17. Batch Determination – Batch Search Procedure Allocation(SD)

Menu Path Enterprise Structure--> Logistics General--> Batch Management --> Batch
Determination & Batch Check --> Allocate SD Search procedure Transaction V/C5

1.18. Batch Determination – Activate Automatic Batch Determination(SD)

Menu Path Enterprise Structure--> Logistics General--> Batch Management --> Batch
Determination & Batch Check --> Activate Automatic Batch Determination in SD -->For
delivery item categories Transaction V/CL

1.19. Batch Determination – Batch Selection Class

Menu Path Enterprise Structure--> Logistics General--> Batch Management --> Batch
Determination & Batch Check --> Define Selection Classes Transaction CL01

1.20. Batch Determination – Sort Rule

Menu Path Enterprise Structure--> Logistics General--> Batch Management --> Batch
Determination & Batch Check --> Define Sort Rules Transaction CU70
1.21. Batch Determination – Make Settings for Batch Where-used list
Menu Path Enterprise Structure--> Logistics General--> Batch Management --> Make
Settings for Batch Where-used list Transaction OMBB

This blog offers a quick guide on how to use standard SAP Batch Determination for a material
transfer. For an internal goods movement we need SAP to pick the batch from stock with the
earliest Shelf Life Expiration Date (SLED). We don’t want our fresh products terminate
themselves from stock…

1. For this we will be using standard IM search strategy ME001 – Standard Search Procedure.

IMG > Logistics > Batch Management > Batch Determination and Batch Check > Batch Search
Procedure Definition > Define Inventory Management Search Procedure

IM Search Procedure

The search procedure consists of three condition types that is plenty to us. We want the
determination rule to be activated when we use Movement type 311 (Mvt from SLoc to SLoc) in
Plant X for only a specific material. ME01 condition seems to fit this purpose.

2. Now we need to activate the search procedure for the movement type, otherwise it will not
even begin to look for a determination procedure in the first place.

IMG > Logistics > Batch Management > Batch Determination and Batch Check > Batch Search
Procedure Activation and Check Activation > Allocate IM Search Procedure/Activate Check

Activate procedure

We add the Search procedure to movement type 311 and check the check box so that manually
entered batch codes are validated as well.

3. Next we need a sort rule to be able to sort batches on SLED.

IMG > Logistics > Batch Management > Batch Determination and Batch Check > Define Sort
Rule
For the rule we use standard Batch Characteristic LOBM_VFDAT. This is the SLED. We need
earliest batches first so we choose ‘Ascending’.

Now we did all necessary customizing. It may be necessary to create batch classes with
classifications if you are not already using this. If your products are batch managed already, your
materials should already be assigned a batch class in the material master. This class we will also
be using in the batch determination.

4. The last step is to create a search strategy, much like message determination for document
output (if you never did this, then never mind this comparison).

SAP Menu > Logistics > Central Functions > Batch Management > Batch Determination >
Batch Search Strategy > For Inventory Management > MBC1 – Create

We will use strategy type ME01 and key combination Movement Type/ Plant and Material.
Remember that we want the search procedure only to work for one material at time of goods
transfer in one plant. If you want you can extend the procedure to all materials for movement
type 311. In this case choose key combination: Movement Type/Plant. It’s that easy.

MBC1 - Create Search Strategy

Here we actually enter the criteria when the batch determination should be activated: movement
311, material MRP and plant 3000. You can choose settings with regards to batch splits and
whether determination should occur in dialogue mode or background. For details F1 your way
through these options.

Last but not least: enter Selection criteria and Sort rule by pressing the buttons in the task bar.
For selection criteria you can e.g. say SLED > 01.01.2009. It is a minimum requirement that the
procedure needs. Be selecting a SLED date in the past I’m assuming that all batches are in scope
(at the same I assume that expired products are taken off the shelf in time so I will not use it in
my delivery process).

I will use the sort rule I created in the previous step: sort by SLED.

That should do it.