Knowledge Management

Question:
Dear Friends:
In Material Master MM02, I am entered data for valuation category.
The Receipt (without PO mvt.501) transactions has been done for this material
The System says
The Valuation Category cannot be changed, Choose Display errors.
Further Notes display by the system log
The valuation category cannot be changed; choose "Display errors"
Message no. M3 194
Diagnosis
The pushbutton Display errors appears only in dialog mode, not in data transfer or in mass maintenance.
Procedure
If this message appears in data transfer or in mass maintenance, and you want to know why the field cannot be changed, access the material in dialog mode using the relevant transaction below, try to change the field as required, and then choose Display errors:
Industry
Proceed
Retail
Proceed
How to overcome this problem? Please advise?
All the help will be greatly appreciated.
Regards
Sridhar
Answer:
Do what the error message tells you.
Change the material master in dialog. then press the button for errors and SAP will tell you what went wrong.
I guess you try to change the valuation category, which is not possible if stock in current period and previous period exists.
I know you are a programmer, but it wonders me that one tries to do such thing via batch input without testing it first in dialog.
Answer:
If you want to change the valuation category then follow OSS note 30656 :
When maintaining a material master record, you change the base unit of measure or the batch management requirement indicator or the valuation category. The system then tells you that this change is not possible since stocks still exist. However, no stocks are shown for the material in the stock overview.
Cause and prerequisites
The message that stocks still exist refers not only to stocks in the current period, but also to stocks in the previous period.
The reason for checking previous period stocks is that postings can also be made to the previous period when entering goods movements. This would result in inconsistencies if the base unit of measure had meanwhile been changed.
Solution
Please check whether stocks still exist for the previous period by displaying, for example, the plant stock view or storage location stock view of the material. You do this by selecting "Extras -> Previous period -> Prev. pd SLoc. stock or Prev. pd plant stock".
If previous period stocks exist, you can make a withdrawal posting as follows:
1. Post the same amount to current period stock (for example, using movement type 561) so that previous period stock and current period stock are identical.
2. Make a withdrawal posting in the previous period for the stock together with posting date (for example, using movement type 562).
You can now try again to change the base unit of measure or the batch management requirement indicator.
Now reverse the stock postings above if necessary.