Contents

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 2
Define Merchandise Category Hierarchy Levels ...................................................................................... 2
Define Merchandise Category Hierarchy Assignments ........................................................................... 5
Define Characteristics .............................................................................................................................. 7
Define characteristic values ............................................................................................................... 10
Define Characteristics Profile ................................................................................................................ 11
Define Merchandise Category ............................................................................................................... 13
Sample Test Data ....................................................................................................................................... 15
New article creation using merchandise category and sales order process .......................................... 15
Behavior in sales order creation ........................................................................................................ 18
How to add extra sizes to the generic article (Create extra variants) ....................................................... 19
Technical Details .................................................................................................................................... 25

Introduction

Merchandise Category is a mandatory field that you need to key in when creating a new article
(material) in FMS (SAP Fashion Management Solution) via transaction MM41. This is same in the IS-
Retail as well. This drives number of variant articles that youre going to create based on color, size
variations. However you will not see this field in the standard R/3 material master creation transaction
(MM01).

Merchandise Category enables the user to categorize their merchandise in a structural way within the
organization. This will allow the management to change their focus from individual article level to
merchandise groups.
Below steps will explain you all steps required to define a new merchandise category in FMS.
I will take below example to explain the concept. Lets say I have below items to be sold in my store and
therefore required to define new merchandise category for those.

Define Merchandise Category Hierarchy Levels
First you need to identify different hierarchy levels, which require defining your merchandise category.
In my example shown above, I have 3 levels. We need to define those as merchandise category
hierarchy levels.
Transaction: CLWM
Easy Access Menu Path:

Double click on the node or call the above transaction

Enter name for the top hierarchy level and press enter key (eg: I will define AW as the top
level, i.e: Apparel)

Enter description and save

Now start defining next hierarchy levels required for your business. Please make sure to keep a
standardized number sequence for the levels.

Eg: 2nd Level:

3rd Level:


Once all levels are defined, you will be seen it as below.

Define Merchandise Category Hierarchy Assignments

Transaction: CLW1
Easy Access Menu Path:

Once hierarchy levels are defined, you need to assign those to define the hierarchy.

Call the above transaction or easy access menu path

Starting from the top hierarchy node, start assigning levels
Enter top hierarchy level and press enter key

Maintain lower levels in the hierarchy

Save
Now take one of those levels and assign lower level to it

Carry out same steps until you finish assigning all levels and build the complete merchandise
hierarchy

Define Characteristics
Once defined, these merchandise categories will carry the color, size variations in the article master.
When the article master is created, based on the merchandise categories you have selected, you will be
able to select the relevant sizes of that generic article as well (Those will be known as variant articles).
This functionality is handled via characteristics in SAP. (Similar setup was used in IS-AFS to define size
grid of the material as well)
Transaction: CT04
Easy Access Menu Path:

In order to define characteristics required, you need to analyze your article, color, and size variants. I will
define one characteristic for S, M, L, XL sizes (Shirts, T Shirts, Jackets, etc.).

Call the transaction or double click on the above easy access menu

Enter characteristic name and click the Create button

Complete the characteristic Basic Data tab

Under values tab, you have options to maintain relevant values for that characteristic. You can
use the button
to select one out of below options.
o You can maintain values directly in the characteristic values tab itself

Use Check table option and maintain the table required to check

Use Function Module - WRF_CHECK_CHAR_VAL

Check against catalog characteristics

I will use the Function Module option for my characteristic

Save

Define characteristic values
If you use the option Function Module under characteristic to store values, then you need to follow
these steps to define those values
Transaction: WRFCHVAL
Easy access menu path:

Double click on the above easy access menu or call the transaction
Enter your characteristic values as follows

Save

Define Characteristics Profile

Once characteristics are defined, you need to create a characteristic profile to group them. For example
if you have one article, which require 2 characteristics (Color, size), then you need to define a
characteristic profile to keep them together. Later on, you will have to assign the characteristic profile to
the merchandise category.
Transaction: CLWE
Easy Access Menu Path:

Call above transaction or double click on the easy access menu

Enter a name for the characteristic profile and press enter key

Complete basic data

Under Char tab maintain the relevant characteristics.

Please note; Relevancy 2 needs to be assigned to create variant articles

Save

Define Merchandise Category

Transaction: WG21
Easy Access Menu Path:

Call above transaction or double click on the easy access menu

Give a name to merchandise category and select highest merchandise category hierarchy level
and the characteristic profile and press Create New button in each level.

Maintain a reference article and save

Do same for all hierarchy levels

Once you have defined, you will be able to see all your merchandise categories as below

Sample Test Data

New article creation using merchandise category and sales order process

Transaction: MM41

Select the relevant merchandise category and the article category as 01 Generic Article

Highlight relevant tabs and press enter key

Based on the characteristic profile attached to the merchandise category below popup will be
given

Select the characteristic profile and press enter key

In the next screen you will see relevant characteristics based on the characteristic profile you
have selected

Select size required for variant article creation and press enter key. Please note, those sizes you
select are not the sizes that will get created as variants. You get another window to select
relevant sizes for variant creation.
But if you select those sizes in this screen (Even though youre not going to create variant
articles at this point of time, you leave the provision to create them later on)

Those will be shown as below

Press the back button

Now select the size required for your generic article (variants). In the below example I am
creating 3 sizes only. (3 variants)

Complete the article master creation and save

Behavior in sales order creation

When you create a new sales order with generic article, the popup will give your sizes as below.

Size Extra Small and Extra Large is appear in the screen (But no editable), because I have selected those
from the merchandise category popup at the article master creation.

Based on the above size selection, the respective variant articles will be determined in the sales
order line item as shown below


Please note, line item 10 is the generic article where as, line item 20 to 30 represent sizes (Known as
variant articles in FMS). This used to be grid values (At schedule line level in AFS)

How to add extra sizes to the generic article (Create extra variants)
You have 2 scenarios to discuss here.
Scenario 1:
If you keep provision at the generic article creation by selecting all characteristics from the merchandise
category characteristic popup, but not select them at variant selection point; then you can add those
sizes and create new variant article later on.

Call transaction MM42

Select the generic article and go to Basic Data tab

Click on

button

Select new characteristic values from the variant selection tab

Go back to basic data tab using

button
Save
New variant article will be created for those 2 new characteristics

Scenario 2:
Add a new characteristic value to the characteristic and create a new variant based on that.

Add the new characteristic value to the characteristic value table shown in the below easy
access menu path

Select your characteristic and add the new value

Eg:

Save
Now go to your generic article in change mode (Transaction: MM42)
Select the Basic Data tab

Click on

button

Click on Insert row button and select the new characteristic value

When you press enter key, it will added as a new characteristic

Click on button and go to the Basic Data tab

Save the article and go back to Basic Data tab again

Now click on

button

Select the new value from the Value Selection tab

Click on button and save

Now if you go back to Variant Number tab, you will see the new variant number

Technical Details

Merchandise Category is stored in the material master table MARA- MATKL

All merchandise categories are stored in the table T023

Function module MERCHANDISE_GROUP_HIER_ART_SEL will give you the relevant

merchandise hierarchy levels for a given Merchandise category

Author: Anupa Wijesinghe
E-Mail: anupaw@gmail.com / anupaw@learnsaptips.com
Website: www.learnsaptips.com
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Disclaimer

This article is done based on my research and readings, unless otherwise stated. The views expressed
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Author accepts no liability for the content of the articles in this website or for the consequences of any
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