You can create a master record by referencing an existing one, in which case the system copies certain data from the reference master record. However, the system does not transfer all data; which data is transferred depends on several factors:
- The system only transfers data that is not vendor-specific. For example, the address or a block indicator is not transferred from the reference master record.
- The transfer of data depends on the data you have already entered for your vendor. In general, if you have already maintained data, the data is not overwritten with data from the reference record.
- For example, if you have already created the general data, such as the name, address, and phone number, only the company code data is transferred when you enter the company code data. To transfer the company code data only, you must specify the company code of the reference master record. When you create the data for the purchasing department, again only the corresponding data is transferred from the reference master record.
- If you have not yet created the general data, only the language and the country are transferred from the reference master record.
- You determine which data is transferred by specifying which areas are to be transferred from the reference master record. If you do not specify a purchasing organization for the reference, for example, the purchasing data is not transferred.
When you create a new vendor master record in this way, you can choose whether you want to use the account group of the reference master record. In this case, do not enter an account group for the master record to be created. The system automatically transfers the account group from the reference master record.
You can use a vendor master record from any company code as a reference. The data from the reference is used merely for default values. You should check each screen before saving and, if necessary, add data or change the default data.