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Function documentationUsing the External Business Partner ID

 

You can display business partner IDs in either of the following ways:

  • The differentiator is always displayed. This option is recommended if there are a lot of number conflicts.

  • The differentiator is only displayed if the business partner's ERP number is not unique. You can use this option if there are only a few number conflicts.

You control which option to use in Customizing. For the input of business partner numbers you can enter an external business partner ID without a differentiator as long as it is unique. If you enter a non-unique number the system displays an error message.

To support you in choosing a business partner number, especially when a non-unique business partner number is entered, the system provides a new search help. This search help takes the external and the internal business partner number as search parameters. The usual business partner search options are also available, but here only the internal business partner number is supported. Range selections on the business partner number work with the following limitations:

  • In some cases the system displays an error message stating that the lower limit is higher than the upper limit. If this happens we recommend that you use a wildcard search.

  • As the differentiator is used to make the external BP ID unique, you must not use it as part of wildcard selections. For example, entering 1400*@AA1C causes the system to search for 1400*.

  • Because of the mapping between internal and external BP numbers, not all the business partners can be selected if you specify a range that is too wide. In this case, the system displays an information message. You should specify a narrower range accordingly.