Item Category

Item Category

Definition

Determines how a component is procured. Depending on the item category you enter, the system may prompt you for more data.

Use

The following item categories in the R/3 System are relevant for projects:

Category L (stock item)

If you allocate a component with item category L to an activity, it is procured via MRP. When requirements are activated, the reservation that the system created for the material becomes relevant for MRP. MRP then decides, if the material is not available in stock, whether it should be procured externally or produced internally and then creates either a purchase requisition or a planned order respectively.

Item category N (non-stock item)

If you allocate a component with item category N to an activity, it is procured directly by purchasing, without using MRP. The system prompts you to enter the relevant purchasing data. When requirements are activated, the system creates purchase requisitions for the components.

Item category (variable-sized item)

This item category is used for components that are cut to size. If you allocate a material with this item category to an activity , you must also enter data for the item. The system uses this data to calculate the quantity of the variable-sized material, which is procured as item category L via MRP.

Item category T (text item)

You can use the item category to assign a text of any length to an activity. Text items are not relevant for MRP.