SAP ME21N — Create Purchase Order

What kind of order this is. NB is the standard purchase order; others cover stock transport orders, framework agreements and subcontracting. It controls the number range and which fields appear.

Who you are buying from. Must exist in the purchasing organisation you name, not just centrally.

Watch out: "Vendor not maintained for purchasing organisation 1000" means the master record exists but has no purchasing view. That is a master-data request, not a PO problem.

The unit responsible for negotiating with suppliers. Together with the vendor it determines which prices and conditions apply.

Where the cost goes. **Blank** means the goods go into stock and are valued there. **K** charges a cost centre, **F** an internal order, **P** a project. Anything other than blank means the purchase is consumed immediately rather than stocked.

Watch out: This decides whether you are buying inventory or expense. Choosing it wrongly puts the cost in the wrong place and is awkward to correct after goods receipt.

What kind of procurement this line is. Blank is standard, **D** service, **L** subcontracting, **K** consignment, **U** stock transfer. It changes which later steps are expected.

Price per price unit. Usually pulled automatically from a purchasing info record or contract; typing over it creates a manual condition on this order only.

Watch out: A zero net price will normally block the order or fail invoice verification later. If it defaults to zero, the info record is missing.

When you expect the goods. Drives MRP, the delivery schedule and any dunning of the supplier.

Where the goods are going. The material must be maintained in that plant, otherwise the line is rejected.

Material 4182 not maintained in plant 1000

Why: The material master exists but has no plant view for the plant on this line.

Fix: Extend the material to that plant (MM01 for the missing view), or order into a plant where it is maintained. Not something to work around on the PO.

Please enter purchasing organisation

Why: Header is incomplete — easy to miss because the header pane is often collapsed.

Fix: Expand the header and fill in purchasing org, purchasing group and company code.

Net price may not be zero

Why: No purchasing info record or contract covers this vendor/material combination, so nothing defaulted in.

Fix: Type the price manually to proceed, but flag that the info record is missing — otherwise every future order repeats the problem.

Purchase order is subject to release strategy

Why: The order value or category triggers approval. This is information, not an error.

Fix: The PO exists but cannot be acted on until released in ME29N. Goods receipt against an unreleased PO will be refused.

Account assignment category K requires a cost centre

Why: You set the line to charge a cost centre and did not name one.

Fix: Enter it on the Account Assignment tab of the item detail.

What is the difference between ME21N and ME21?

ME21N is the modern enterprise version with the three-pane layout; ME21 is the old screen-sequence version, effectively retired. Use ME21N.

What is the difference between a purchase requisition and a purchase order?

A requisition (ME51N) is an internal request — "we need this". A purchase order is the external commitment — "we are buying this from you". Requisitions are usually converted into POs after approval.

Why can I not post a goods receipt against my new PO?

Most often a release strategy: the order exists but has not been approved in ME29N. Check the release status on the header.

What is the three-way match?

Purchase order, goods receipt and invoice must agree on quantity and price. SAP holds the difference on the GR/IR clearing account until all three line up. It is why the PO has to be right first.