Business Chain on Maintenance Customer Order
A business chain is a specific ID for a business partner representing a group of customers. In many situations, the business chain and customers included in it are processed the same way. The chain is made up of customers connected to one another on different levels such as the parent company and its subsidiaries.
In maintenance customer order processing, you can use a business chain, but it is limited to only control pricing and discount of material lines, line type 2, on the invoice specification.
A condition that is connected to one level can also apply to the lower levels. When a condition is connected to the highest level, then it applies to all members of the group. A condition connected to level 2 applies to level 2, 3, 4, etc.
To trigger the check for business chain on a maintenance customer order (MCO), you must activate the setting to check business chain on 'Maint CO Type. Open' (COS010/E).
When creating an MCO with this setting activated on the order type, there is a check for valid business chains. If one valid business chain is found, it is saved on the MCO header and displayed on 'Maintenance Customer Orders. Open' (COS100/F).
If several valid business chains are found, a message is displayed during MCO entry, to select one business chain. When you confirm the message, 'Business Chain. Connect Customer' (OIS039) opens, and you can select a business chain from the list. If the customer has more than one valid business chain and the MCO is created in the background where the pop up is not allowed, an application message 759 is sent to the order responsible and you can add the business chain manually with Function key 16 on (COS100/F).
When you create a split payer record manually in 'Maint CO. Connect Payers' (COS117), there is a validation if the order type is configured to check for business chains. If it is and a valid business chain is found, it is saved on the payer record and displayed on (COS117/E). If several valid business chains are found, a message pops up, to select one business chain. When you confirm the message, (OIS039) opens and you can select a business chain from the list. If the split payer record is created in the background and the payer has more than one valid business chain, an application message 759 is sent to the order responsible and you can add the business chain manually with Function key 16 on (COS117/E). If only one business chain is valid, it is saved when the record is created.
If several valid business chains are found when entering the MCO order header using the API COS100MI (Maintenance customer order), you must set the correct business chain as input fields. All levels must match a valid business chain in (OIS039). If the customer is connected only to one business chain, you can leave the input business chain fields blank, and the business chain is set automatically according to the set up in (OIS039).
If updating the split payer record using the API COS117MI (Split Payer Maintenance customer order), you must set the correct business chain as input fields, and all levels must match a valid business chain in (OIS039).
The validity of a business chain (valid from and valid to date) is compared against the order date of the MCO header and the split payer record. If you cannot set the order date manually, the registration date is used.
The business chain on the MCO header or the split payer record is used if the controlling object &CHAIN is set up to retrieve the sales price and discount for the material line, type 2, in these areas:
- Sales price list
- Sales costing model
- Sales discount.