BAPI_OBJCL_GETDETAIL - exporting 00/00/0000

I have an issue coming back from my developers.

We use BAPI_OBJCL_GETDETAIL to obtain material 023 classifcation data (MARA) and also to get batch level 023 classifcaiton data.(MCH1).

We have some multiple value characteristics that they need to update. This has been accopmlished.

But in the process, the development is replacing numeric values with 0.00 and date fields with 00/00/0000. These are characteristics we have no business touching. For some of these characteristics, a 00/00/0000 in a material master characterisitcs prevents entry of anything but 00/00/0000 in batches. Also, a value of 0.00 in a batch characteristic is considered an actual value and indicates the test has actually been tested.. it is a valid result. All these characteristics that we aren't interested in changing must remain as NULL.

We can't have these 0's but they say that's how the BAPI works. I know I have had projects before for other clients that the developers used this BAPI and we never saw this issue.

Is their any advice I can give these developers to get this BAPI to leave date and numeric characteristics NULL, like they found them?

Craig