How to use Info Record properly?

[Former Member]

Hi Experts,

Source determination in purchase requisition uses info record as the last source if the other 3 are not available. How do you overcome the issue with price condition that has a validity to 31.12.9999? The issue with using that price is it may not be valid anymore at the time the PO creation. Do you have a manual process to check and update info record from time to time?

As far as I know, the price with 31.12.9999 validity can be created if at the time when the buyer enter a quote, he/she does not enter a price validity date or if 'info update' checkbox is checked at the time of PO creation. I am just thinking if the 'valid to' 31.12.9999 can be configured to only populate to today's date if the user does not specify a date? Please share your experience using info record as valid sources for automatic PO creation.

Thanks in advance.

DS

[former_member183424 · Accepted solution]

First of all, system will not create any validity period when info record is created from PO (with info update). Its because info record contain time dependent condition and PO contain time independent condition.

Second, when you will not enter any valid to in info record.

The info record condition will be updated from time dependent condition (Contract, SA, RFQ) and also the valid from and valid to will be updated from that.

But if you will not enter the valid to manually for condition in purchasing document (Contract, SA, RFQ), then system will take the date as Valid from = Today's Date and Valid to = 31.12.9999. It will also happen when you will create manually info record.

1. Either you have to change the valid to date manually

2. You can go for a development, where you can write a logic that valid to will be as per your requirement for time dependent conditions.

[Former Member]

Thanks for all the responses.

In the last few days I have thought about two ways to improve our PO automation:

1. Put the materials in an outline agreement

2. Development in ME59N user exit to ignore auto PO where info record has expired or with 'valid to' 31.12.9999.

[former_member183424]

1. Its not sufficient to only put the material into an outline agreement. You have to enter the valid to manually or can be automated by enhancement. Otherwise system will take the valid to date as 31.12.9999.

2. System will not take the info record which has expired already. Yes, you can also do that by enhancement,

[former_member318507]

You can rely on Auto PO & Info records ONLY the below pre-requisite suits your business process needs

1. Changes in Price should happen once in a year or max 2 or 3 times in a year.
2. Even if you have Auto PO process , you should have control over the PO creation and anytime you can hold it for time being

Example: If you have Auto PO process, you should set up the AutoPR to PO batch job once in a day @ predictable time(always known time) so that if you know that price changes going to happen in Info records, you can either do it ahead of time before Auto PO job runs or you can post pone the job until  the price updation of the Info records are completed.

[JL23]

Auto PO process should be used if SAP can work without user interaction. Precondition for this is good reliable data. Of course you need a process that you always have accurate data if you are going to use auto PO, otherwise it will even create more work than it saves.