Batch determination for IM

This blog offers a quick guide on how to use standard SAP Batch Determination for a material transfer.  For an internal goods movement we need SAP to pick the batch from stock with the earliest Shelf Life Expiration Date (SLED). We don’t want our fresh products terminate themselves from stock…

1. For this we will be using standard IM search strategy ME001 – Standard Search Procedure.

IMG > Logistics > Batch Management > Batch Determination and Batch Check > Batch Search Procedure Definition > Define Inventory Management Search Procedure

IM Search Procedure

The search procedure consists of three condition types that is plenty to us. We want the determination rule to be activated when we use Movement type 311 (Mvt from SLoc to SLoc) in Plant X for only a specific material. ME01 condition seems to fit this purpose.

2. Now we need to activate the search procedure for the movement type, otherwise it will not even begin to look for a determination procedure in the first place.

IMG > Logistics > Batch Management > Batch Determination and Batch Check > Batch Search Procedure Activation and Check Activation > Allocate IM Search Procedure/Activate Check

Activate procedure

We add the Search procedure to movement type 311 and check the check box so that manually entered batch codes are validated as well.

3.  Next we need a sort rule to be able to sort batches on SLED.

IMG > Logistics > Batch Management > Batch Determination and Batch Check > Define Sort Rule

Sort rule

For the rule we use standard Batch Characteristic LOBM_VFDAT. This is the SLED. We need earliest batches first so we choose ‘Ascending’.

Now we did all necessary customizing. It may be necessary to create batch classes with classifications if you are not already using this. If your products are batch managed already, your materials should already be assigned a batch class in the material master. This class we will also be using in the batch determination.

4. The last step is to create a search strategy, much like message determination for document output (if you never did this, then never mind this comparison).

SAP Menu > Logistics > Central Functions > Batch Management > Batch Determination > Batch Search Strategy > For Inventory Management > MBC1 – Create

We will use strategy type ME01 and key combination Movement Type/ Plant and Material. Remember that we want the search procedure only to work for one material at time of goods transfer in one plant. If you want you can extend the procedure to all materials for movement type 311. In this case choose key combination: Movement Type/Plant. It’s that easy.

MBC1 - Create Search Strategy

Here we actually enter the criteria when the batch determination should be activated: movement 311, material MRP and plant 3000. You can choose settings with regards to batch splits and whether determination should occur in dialogue mode or background. For details F1 your way through these options.

Last but not least: enter Selection criteria and Sort rule by pressing the buttons in the task bar. For selection criteria you can e.g. say SLED > 01.01.2009. It is a minimum requirement that the procedure needs. Be selecting a SLED date in the past I’m assuming that all batches are in scope (at the same I assume that expired products are taken off the shelf in time so I will not use it in my delivery process).

I will use the sort rule I created in the previous step: sort by SLED.

That should do it.

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