Default values from the Default data material (Purchasing data) area of the vendor master can be proposed or copied as follows:

• To purchasing info records only
• To article master records only
• To both purchasing info records and article master records

The field Confirmation control appears in the purchasing info record only. If you change the data in this field in the vendor master, the changed values are copied to the purchasing info record only.

The following fields, for example, appear in the article master only:

• MRP Controller
• Planning cycle

If you change the data in these fields in the vendor master, the changed values are copied to the article master only.

The following fields, for example, appear in both the purchasing info record and the article master:

• Purchasing group
• Planned Deliv. Time
• Rounding profile

If you change data in these fields in the vendor master, the changed values are copied to both the purchasing info record and the article master.

Default values are copied differently. Where they are copied to depends on the default values that are determined when an article is created.

When a purchasing info record is created, the initial values of the fields are determined from the data retention level in the vendor master, at which the purchasing info record is retained.

When an article master is created, the initial values of the fields are determined in the following sequence:

• From the existing site-dependent purchasing info record
• From the existing site-independent purchasing info record (provided no site-dependent purchasing info record exists)
• From the data retention level (in the vendor master) at which the record is retained (provided neither site-dependent nor site-independent purchasing info records exist)

The reason for this procedure is that default values are embedded in the operative environment. When you create a purchase order, the default values are taken from the purchasing info record, not the vendor master. This prevents fields in article master records from being changed to contain values, taken directly from the vendor master, that are not used in operative business transactions.