What is a batch no. of a material and where can we mention batch no for material? Can we maintain batch no in mm01 Tcode while creating material?

In simple terms SAP Batch Handling means an additional keys fields for users to identify the same materials.

For e.g.  Normal Control : Plant + Material + Storage Location
Batch Hanlding  : Plant + Material + Storage Location + Batch Number

The structure of the material master record allows you to manage stocks of a material by value at  plant level or company-code level and by quantity down to storage-location level. Under certain conditions, you may need to make further subdivisions for a material and manage batches.

Certain materials’ features cannot always be guaranteed to be exactly alike in production. For example, you cannot guarantee that a certain color will always have the same shade. Minor differences between production lots cannot be avoided. You need to be able to uniquely identify the individual production lots of the same material and manage them separately in inventory.

Materials that require such precise identification, for example pharmaceutical products, are identified and managed in stock not only according to material number, but also according to batch number.

With batch handling, you can manage not only production lots from in-house production, but also production lots from vendors as separate entities.

It is possible to supplement standard batch management with batch status management.

What Is a Material Handled in Batches?
Before you can manage batches of a material in stock, you must first specify in the material master record that the material is to be managed in batches for the specified plant. To do this, you must set the batch management requirement indicator in the material master record (for example, in the Purchasing view fieldMARA-XCHPF or Storage Location view field MARC-XCHPF).

Whether the material is managed in batches:
This indicator can be set while creating material.
MM01 — General Plant data/storage 1 View — Batch Management (check box)
(Check also Purchasing or Warehouse Mgmt 1 view).

Level of Batch Number Assignment
If a material is subject to management in batches, every quantity of that material must be assigned to a batch. Each batch of a material is identified by a unique batch number, under which it is managed. This number is either entered by the user (external number assignment) or assigned automatically by the system.

You can define number assignment for batches at various levels:

– Uniquely at client level for a material
– Uniquely at material level
– Uniquely at plant level

In the standard R/3 System, numbers are assigned to the individual materials at plant level.

For every batch, there are two types of data:

– General data on the batch (for example, shelf life expiry date, date of the last goods receipt),  which is defined in the master batch. The master batch applies to all storage locations in which the batch is located. No stocks are managed at this level.
– Stock data, which is managed separately for every storage location in which the batch is located.

For example, if the batch C1 of a material is spread across two different storage locations, the stock quantity is tracked for each storage location.

Must the Batch Exist Before the First Goods Receipt?
Both the master batch and the stock data for the batch are created automatically during the first goods receipt. Thus, you do not need to create this data manually.  However, if you want to define specific data for a batch, such as the shelf life expiration date, you have to manually maintain the batch data.

What Sorts of Batch Stocks Are There?
The following stocks are managed separately at batch level:
– Unrestricted-use stock
– Restricted-use stock
– Quality inspection stock
– Blocked stock
– Stock in transfer
– Blocked stock returns

Working with Materials Handled in Batches
When you enter goods movements for materials handled in batches, you must enter the batch number in addition to the material number. If you do not know the batch number, you can search for the batch using the required characteristics.

Config Settings

Logistics general – Batch Management

1.1. Specify Batch Level
Menu Path  Enterprise Structure–> Logistics General–> Batch Management –> Specify batch level and activate batch status management Transaction  OMCT

1.2. Batch Number – Activate Internal Number Assignment
Menu Path  Enterprise Structure–> Logistics General–> Batch Management –> Batch Number Assignment –> Activate internal batch number assignment Transaction  OMCZ

1.3. Batch Creation – for Goods Movements
Menu Path  Enterprise Structure–> Logistics General–> Batch Management –> Creation of new batches –> Define batch creation for goods movements Transaction

1.4. Characteristic Value Assignment — Update Standard Characteristics
Menu Path  Enterprise Structure–> Logistics General–> Batch Management –> Characteristic Value Assignment –> Update Standard Characteristics Transaction

1.5. Activate Batch Classification for Goods Movements in Inventory Management
Menu Path  Enterprise Structure–> Logistics General–> Batch Management –> Characteristic Value Assignment –> Valuation for goods movements –> Activate Batch Classification for goods movements in Inventory Management Transaction  OMCV

1.6. Batch Determination – Condition Table(Cross Client)
Menu Path  Enterprise Structure–> Logistics General–> Batch Management –> Batch Determination & Batch Check –> Condition Tables –> Define production order condition tables Transaction  OPLB

1.7. Batch Determination – Condition Table(Cross Client)
Menu Path  Enterprise Structure–> Logistics General–> Batch Management –> Batch Determination & Batch Check –> Condition Tables –> Define SD condition Tables Transaction  V/C7

1.8. Batch Determination – Access Sequence(Cross Client)
Menu Path  Enterprise Structure–> Logistics General–> Batch Management –> Batch Determination & Batch Check –> Access Sequences –> Define Production Order Access Sequences Transaction  OPLF

1.9. Batch Determination – Access Sequence(Cross Client)
Menu Path  Enterprise Structure–> Logistics General–> Batch Management –> Batch Determination & Batch Check –> Access Sequences –> Define SD Access Sequences Transaction  V/C2

1.10. Batch Determination – Strategy Types
Menu Path  Enterprise Structure–> Logistics General–> Batch Management –> Batch Determination & Batch Check –> Define Production Order Strategy Types Transaction  OPLE

1.11. Batch Determination – Strategy Types
Menu Path  Enterprise Structure–> Logistics General–> Batch Management –> Batch Determination & Batch Check –> Define SD Strategy Types Transaction  V/C1

1.12.  Batch Determination – Batch Search Procedure
Menu Path  Enterprise Structure–> Logistics General–> Batch Management –> Batch Determination & Batch Check –> Define IM   Search Procedure Transaction  OMCY

1.13.  Batch Determination – Batch Search Procedure
Menu Path  Enterprise Structure–> Logistics General–> Batch Management –> Batch Determination & Batch Check –> Define Production order Search Procedure Transaction  OPLG

1.14.  Batch Determination – Batch Search Procedure
Menu Path  Enterprise Structure–> Logistics General–> Batch Management –> Batch Determination & Batch Check –> Define SD Search Procedure Transaction  V/C3

1.15.  Batch Determination – Batch Search Procedure Allocation
Menu Path  Enterprise Structure–> Logistics General–> Batch Management –> Batch Determination & Batch Check –> Allocate IM search procedure/activate check Transaction  OMCG

1.16. Batch Determination – Batch Search Procedure Allocation
Menu Path  Enterprise Structure–> Logistics General–> Batch Management –> Batch Determination & Batch Check –> Assign Search procedure to production order Transaction  OPL8

1.17.  Batch Determination – Batch Search Procedure Allocation(SD)
Menu Path  Enterprise Structure–> Logistics General–> Batch Management –> Batch Determination & Batch Check –> Allocate SD Search procedure Transaction  V/C5

1.18.  Batch Determination – Activate Automatic Batch Determination(SD)
Menu Path  Enterprise Structure–> Logistics General–> Batch Management –> Batch Determination & Batch Check –> Activate Automatic Batch Determination in SD –>For delivery item categories Transaction  V/CL

1.19.  Batch Determination – Batch Selection Class
Menu Path  Enterprise Structure–> Logistics General–> Batch Management –> Batch Determination & Batch Check –> Define Selection Classes Transaction  CL01

1.20.  Batch Determination – Sort Rule
Menu Path  Enterprise Structure–> Logistics General–> Batch Management –> Batch Determination & Batch Check –> Define Sort Rules Transaction  CU70

1.21.   Batch Determination – Make Settings for Batch Where-used list
Menu Path  Enterprise Structure–> Logistics General–> Batch Management –> Make Settings for Batch Where-used list Transaction  OMBB