Determination of External Reference Numbers 

Use

This function allows you to enter external reference numbers that do not exist in the SAP system as master data.

Prerequisites

You have made corresponding settings in Customizing. For more information, see the Implementation Guide (IMG) for Customer Relationship Management at Basic Functions ® External References ® Define External References, Define Reference Profiles and Assign Reference Profiles to Transaction Type.

Features

You can enter and save external reference numbers in documents. These numbers are also available in data exchange with other systems. However, you cannot navigate to external systems via reference numbers in order to make corresponding changes there.

Example

When you sell products to dealers who then sell them on to end customers, you can store numbers of transactions between dealers and end customers, for example order numbers or invoice numbers, as external reference numbers. If you are required to specify a warranty number for repairs to be carried out on a warranty, you can store it as an external reference number.