Third Party Processing with Product Substitution

Dear SAP Masters, please kindly help me to solve this case.

I have a requirement where I need to combine Third Party Processing with Material Substitution.

The business process is:

We have “Vendor Material Number” and “our client’s Material Number” which is not same.

Example :

Our client’s Material Number is “ATOZ”

Vendor Material Number is “ZTOA”

Every time the customer orders Material “ATOZ”, Purchase Requisition is created automatically for Material “ZTOA” when Sales Order is saved.

For some reason, we cannot use CMIR (Customer Material Info Record), so we tried to use “Product Substitution” as an alternative.

• - For sub-item category (usage PSA2), I assigned Schedule Line Category that “Order Type” field at VOV6 filled with Purchase Requisition Type.
• - I created a substitution of Material “ATOZ” with Material “ZTOA” with VB11. (we using Substitution Reason “1000” and Outcome ”B” at OVRQ)

The results of my test are:

• - If I enter Material Number “ATOZ” at VA01, then “ZTOA” show up as a result of product selection.

“ATOZ” as a main item and “ZTOA” as a sub-item.

Item | Material | Qty |

10 | ATOZ | 5

11 | ZTOA | 5

At Sales Order item data, schedule line tab, Purchase Requisition Number created for Material ZTOA.

This is magically perfect for my case.

But unfortunately … After I maintain “Purchase Info Record – Purchasing Organization Data” for Material ZTOA (ME11). When I entered Material Number “ATOZ” at VA01, not like the first time, Material “ZTOA” not show up as sub-item.

After I marked the deletion flag for that PIR - Purchasing Organization Data with ME15, Material ZTOA show up again at VA01.

My questions :

1. What is the relation between “Purchase Info Record (Purchase Organization Data)” with “Product Substitution”?
2. Can we use Product Substitution for Third Party Processing like that?

Thanks,

GJ