Understanding field types

SAP screens have three types of fields:

• Required fields — marked with a small checkbox/tick icon or will show an error if left empty. You cannot post the document without filling these.
• Optional fields — not mandatory but often important for reporting. Leave them blank only if you are sure.
• Display-only fields — greyed out, populated automatically by the system (e.g., document number after saving, calculated totals).

F4 Help — the most important key in SAP

Press F4 in any input field (or click the small dropdown arrow) to open a search help / value list. This is called F4 help or matchcode and is your best friend as a beginner.

• In a Vendor field: F4 opens a vendor search by name, address, or account group
• In a Cost Centre field: F4 shows all valid cost centres for your controlling area
• In a Material field: F4 lets you search by description, material type, or plant

F1 Help — field documentation

Press F1 in any field to read what that field does, what values it accepts, and (via Technical Info) which database table/field it maps to. Extremely useful for understanding unfamiliar fields.

Entering dates

SAP accepts dates in the format configured in your SU3 settings (DD.MM.YYYY or MM/DD/YYYY). You can type dates in short form — in DD.MM.YYYY format, typing 01.06. and pressing Tab will auto-complete the year. Typing t (today) or y (yesterday) in some date fields also works.