Alternative items on Purchase Order

Question

Hi Experts:
    I have a question regarding the alternative items on Purchase order. If alternative item A2 is setup for item A1 from Vendor XYZ, and if we place a PO with XYZ for item A1 but they ship item A2: can we receive A2 in stock on the initial PO for A1? Dose SAP have these kind of solutions?
Thanks and best regards
Xincheng JIN

Answer 1

Hi,
there is one good solution for this sort of requirement...However, the limitations are there; may be suitable for example, we order for envelopes from vendor.  You may order for one type of envelope and vendor may send other type...size may be the same, one envelope with window for address and other type may not have a window....similar such situations can be easily address using the standard SAP's below example: (I implemented this already in 2 projects previously)
http://help.sap.com/saphelp_47x200/helpdata/en/9f/fb79385feddf6ae10000009b38f8cf/frameset.htm
Example: Configurable Materials in Purchasing
You are responsible for procuring office supplies for your company, including envelopes. A printing firm supplies you with envelopes featuring your company logo in various sizes, with or without an address window.
In order not to have to create separate material master records for every possible combination (e.g. C5 with window, C6 without window), you wish to use a configurable material.
You must carry out the following activities for a configurable material:
Create characteristics
Create class
Create material
Create configuration profile
Create Characteristics
You define the criteria you use to differentiate between the variants of a material (in this case, the size of the envelope and the address window) by means of characteristics. You must create a characteristic for each criterion under Logistics ® Central Functions ® Classification System ® Master Data ® Characteristics Management.
Characteristic: Size of envelope
Enter size_of_envelope in the field Characteristic.
Choose Create.
Enter the following data on the tab page Basic Data:
· Description: Size of envelopes
· Data type: Character format
· Number of characters: 20
This indicates how many characters a characteristic value may comprise.
· Select the Single value indicator in the area Value assignment.
If you set the Single value indicator, one value only may be assigned to the characteristic. For example, only one size may be chosen when you specify the dimensions of the envelopes that are to be ordered in a PO.
Enter the following data on the tab page Values:
· Enter possible values for the characteristic:
Characteristic value
Description
DIN C4
229 mm x 324 mm
DIN C5
229 mm x 162 mm
DIN "Langhülle"
218 mm x 114 mm
DIN C6
162 mm x 114 mm
· Select the Additional values indicator.
If this indicator is selected, you may also specify values that you have not yet defined here when assigning values to the characteristic.
Choose the class type 300 (variants) on the tab page Restrictions.
Choose Save.
Characteristic: Address window in envelope
Enter window_in_envelope in the field Characteristic.
Choose Create.
Enter the following data on the tab page Basic Data:
· Description: Address window in envelopes
· Data type: Character format
· Number of characters: 4
· Select the Single value indicator in the area Value assignment.
Enter the following data on the tab page Values:
· Values of characteristic: yes , no
· Do not select the Additional values indicator.
Choose the class type 300 (variants) on the tab page Restrictions.
Choose Save.
Create Class
You group several characteristics to form a class. The class is then assigned to a material.
Choose Logistics ® Central functions ® Classification system ® Master data ® Class management.
Enter the following data on the initial screen:
· Class : Envelope
· Class type: 300 (variants)
Choose Create.
Enter a short description of the class in the Description field on the tab page Basic data: Envelopes with company logo.
On the tab page Characteristics, enter the characteristics you created previously: size_of_envelope, window_in_envelope .
Choose Save.
Create Material
Choose Logistics ® Materials management ® Material master ® Create material ® Create (general) ® Immediately.
Enter the following data:
· Material: Envelope
· Industry sector: Office supplies
· Material type: Configurable material
Choose Enter.
Choose the views Basic Data 1, Basic Data 2, Purchasing, and Accounting 1.
Enter plant 0001.
Enter the following data on the tab page Basic Data 1:
· Short description of the material: Envelopes with company logo
· Base unit of measure: KI (box)
· Material group: Office supplies
On the tab page Basic Data 2, check whether the Material is configurable is selected.
On the tab page Purchasing, select the Subject to batch management indicator.
On the tab page Accounting 1, enter the following data:
· Valuation class:
· Price control: V
· Moving average price: 99.95
Choose Save.
Create Configuration Profile
In the configuration profile, you assign characteristics to the material via a class.
Choose Logistics ® Central functions ® Variant configuration ® Configuration profile ® Create.
Select Material and choose Enter .
Enter envelope in the field Material.
Choose Goto ® Profile overview.
Enter the following data:
· Priority: 01
· Profile name: Envelopes
· Class type: 300 (variants)
Choose Goto ® Class assignment and enter envelope in the Class field.
Choose Save.
Use in Purchasing
You can now create, change and display this configurable material in all purchasing documents.
Display
If a configuration already exists for the material, you can display it in the purchasing document.
Change
If the configuration of the material was adopted from a sales order or from the material master record, you can change it in the purchasing document. This may be necessary if a material with the selected characteristic value cannot be supplied (is not available) and has to be changed to the material in the quotation.
If you change the configuration of a material in the purchasing document:
A new price determination process is carried out
You do not change the original configuration in the sales order or in the material master record as a result
Subsequent changes to the sales order or the material master record do not affect the configuration in the purchasing document
Create
If no configuration yet exists for a configurable material, you can create one in the purchasing document. This may be necessary, for example, if a configurable material is to be ordered without reference to a sales order.
Subcontracting items and the archiving of the characteristic values are not supported.
For more information on configurable materials, refer to the section  LO Variant Configuration.