Creation of the Business Partner from the Customer/Vendor

Use

You can use this function to create one new business partner once from the customer or vendor master record from Financial Accounting (FI) as long as this customer/vendor is not already linked to a business partner. Afterwards, it is no longer possible to create another business partner from the corresponding customer or vendor.

This function can be used only for creating single records.

It is part of Customer/Vendor Integration for the business partner.

Integration

If you want to create business partners from existing customers/vendors en masse, we recommend that you use the Synchronization Cockpit. This can be used when conducting the first synchronization in the processing direction from customer/vendor to business partner, for example.

Prerequisites

  • You have made the correct settings in Customizing for SAP Business Partner and for Customer/Vendor Accounts that are relevant for customer/vendor integration. For more information about the Customizing settings, see Customer/Vendor Integration.

  • You have ensured that a business partner has not already been assigned to the customer/vendor. If a business partner has already been assigned to the customer/vendor, then the system issues an error message and terminates processing.

  • You have ensured that no relevant business partners were created for this customer/vendor, in order to avoid duplicates. If a relevant business partner is already available in the system, then you can link this business partner to the customer/vendor selected.

  • In the customer or vendor master record from which the business partner is to be created, entries are available in all business partner-relevant fields that have been defined as required entry fields for the business partner role in which the business partner is to be created.

Activities

On the SAP Easy Access screen, choose Create from Customer to create a business partner from a customer master record and Create from Vendor to create a business partner from a vendor master record.

On this screen, enter one customer or vendor master record and choose Create Business Partner.

If there is no business partner assigned to this customer/vendor, the system creates the relevant business partner and links it to the customer/vendor.

When the system creates the business partner, it uses the following Customizing activities for Customer/Vendor Integration:

  • Define BP Role for Direction Customer to Business Partner or Define BP Role for Direction Vendor to Business Partner

    The system automatically creates the business partner in the BP role that is assigned to the relevant account group for the customer/vendor in this Customizing activity.

  • Define Number Assignment for Direction Customer to BP or Define Number Assignment for Direction Vendor to BP

    The system automatically creates the business partner with the business partner number that is intended for the relevant account group for the customer/vendor in this Customizing activity on the basis of the BP grouping.

You can now change or display the created business partner within business partner maintenance. You can process it either from the business partner or from the customer/vendor master record. The customer/vendor master record is automatically updated in tandem whenever you make a change to the business partner that is also relevant for the customer/vendor and vice versa.

In business partner maintenance the assigned customer number is displayed in the corresponding business partner role on the Customer: General Data tab page and the vendor number on the Vendor: General Data tab page. When you create company code-dependent data, this number is displayed under the Company Code pushbutton.