MM - SAP Mental Notes

Printing barcode labels in SAP R/3

Published on November 13, 2008 in Basis. 9 Comments Tags: Barcode, MM, PP,
SmartForm.

Last week I spent some time finding out how to implement barcode printing in SAP. As
usual I googled the internet and a couple of alternatives were flung at me: middleware,
hardware vendor applications, installing fonts, etc.

Interestingly enough there is one very simple solution: using the standard barcode font
that SAP standard offers for SmartForms.  You wonder why there are so many
alternatives while SAP already includes the easiest one. The main requirements for
printing barcodes this way are:

 It will only work with SmartForms. If you are still using SapScript this is the
time to switch to the modern era of form design.
 SAP R/3 4.6C: you are running an older version? Seriously? Then wake up your
CIO.

How to approach label design with barcodes:

1) Design the label: choose the text elements and the type of barcode. Think about what
technical data elements to include and from what structure table these can be taken (e.g.
MATNR for material number). The below example is designed to let the barcode
represent the batch number.

Bar code label

2) In your design include Font: standard text is Helvetica, but your barcode is the
standard font that SAP offers. Go to transaction SE73 to create the appropriate barcode
type. On the opening screen of SE73 choose “System Bar Codes” > Change.
3) On the screen <Change System Bar Codes> choose Create (F5). Choose new
barcode technology. Run through the steps that SAP offers you. It will ask you what
type of barcode you prefer. Code 128 is a common type that will fit your need in most
cases. Create your new type starting with ‘Z’.

4) The developer will make sure that using your data elements and font types in
SmartForm the label will be ready for use. If your batch code (CHARG) is
’1234567890′ then with the new barcode font this number will be displayed as the
barcode in the example label above.

5) Set up the output configuration through customizing. In case of GR labels: IMG >
Materials Management > Inv Management and Phys Inventory > Output
Determination. Unfortunately the special label output determination (output types
WEE1, WEE2 and WEE3) don’t go together with SmartForms. This means you cannot
use the ‘special’ label output determination as described here.

Other

If you experience problems printing barcode labels in SAP, below you find links to two
of the most popular printer vendors who partner with SAP:

 Printing SmartForm barcode labels with SATO

 Printing SmartForm barcode labels with Zebra

Below is a link to SAP note 64158 that explains in nitty-gritty detail the new bar code
functionality (SAP Service log-on required):

 SAP note 64158 – New Barcode Technology for SmartForms

Finally, if you wish to stick to SapScript for your forms and require barcode support, I
recommend following solutions that involve installing a SAP barcode printer driver on
your local machines. Site licenses are approximately 1200 EUR (1500 USD). Demos
are available at:

 Barcode .dll by TEC-IT

 Barcode .dll by e-bizco.com
 Barcode .dll by MW6 Technologies

Kowboyz BV / CC BY-ND 3.0

Batch determination for IM

Published on February 6, 2009 in MM, PP and SD. 11 Comments Tags: Batch, MM.

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

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.