Material Master : Message in a Bottle

Question

Hi all,
I'm new in the functional aspects of SAP. I begin with a hard task : I'm responsible of Material Master, Vendor Master and Change Master.
This is a really hard task for me because I never what is important to know to do a good Material Customizing.
Every day, I have a new question such as :
  - What is the difference between X-plant material status and Plant-Specific material status ?
  - If I want to create a new material type, which standard type to copy ?
So my question is not really specific, it is something like  "Is there a way for me to improve my skill, llike ... MM customizing for dummies ???"
Many Thanks,
regards
Morgan

Answer 1

Hi
Cross-Plant Material Status
Indicates whether the material may be used in the following areas for all plants:
Materials management (for example, in purchasing and in inventory management)
Production planning and control
Plant maintenance
Warehouse management
Costing with a quantity structure
Use
The cross-plant material status restricts the usability of the material for all plants, that is, it defines whether a warning or error message is displayed if you include the material in a particular function.
Example
The material may be a part under development or one to be discontinued
The material status determines how a material is handled in different applications and in business operations (for example, purchasing, materials planning, usage in bills of material, and so on).
For each material, you can set a material status in the corresponding material master record. If a material has a material status, the system will issue either a warning or an error message (depending on which status you have chosen) if the material is used.
Example
Material status assignment
You want to designate a material as a material to be discontinued. In the master record, you give the material a status whose parameters have the following settings:
Parameters:
     Purchasing                  "B" = error message
    MRP                          "A" = warning
    Inventory Management        " " = no message
If the material is used, this parameter assignment has the following effect:
You can perform no further purchasing function for the material; for example, you can enter no further purchase order for the material. In this instance, you are given a corresponding error message.
If you plan requirements for the material, you are warned that the material is one to be discontinued.
You can continue to withdraw the material from stores; no message is given.
Actions
1. Define your material statuses.
2. On the Details screen, define the characteristic of the individual material statuses. You do so by positioning the cursor on the corresponding line and pressing F2. The details screen for the respective line appears.
Regards