If you want to calculate planned costs for an externally processed operation, you must maintain a cost element for the operation:

• If you have entered a purchasing information record number for an externally processed operation, the system determines the cost element of the operation via the info record.

• If you have not entered a purchasing info record number for an externally processed operation, you must add the cost element manually.

The costing variant defined in Customizing refers to a valuation variant which in turn specifies the price with which the external activity is to be valuated (for example with the price from the purchasing info record, or the price from the operation).