2.4 Customer-Material Information Records (CMIR), Item Proposals, and Cross-Selling

Customer-Material Information Records (CMIR), Item Proposals, and Cross-Selling

Where Sales Document Data Comes From

Before looking at the CMIR in detail, it helps to know the four sources the system combines whenever you enter a sales document (S46050, lesson Identifying the Source of Data in a Sales Document):

A preceding document such as a quotation is a further source: data copied from it takes the place of master data. SAP's advice is to store as much as possible in master records, because good master data speeds up order entry and prevents errors. Master data that sales documents can draw on includes business partners, materials, customer-material records, item proposals, bills of material, prices, discounts, taxes, freight, output, and texts.

Customer-Material Information Records (CMIR) Overview

The Customer-Material Information Record (CMIR) represents the most specific logistics and commercial master data link between an enterprise and its trading partners. In high-volume business-to-business commerce, buying organizations maintain their own proprietary part numbering taxonomies, engineering revisions, packaging specs, and logistics dock restrictions that differ completely from the vendor's internal material numbers.

The CMIR bridges this discrepancy. Maintained through classical SAP GUI transaction codes VD51 (Create), VD52 (Change), and VD53 (Display), or the modern SAP Fiori application "Manage Customer-Material Information", the CMIR record is stored in database table KNMT.

The unique key of a CMIR entry consists of four organizational and master data fields:

1. Customer Number (KUNNR): Represents the Sold-to Party.
2. Sales Organization (VKORG): The selling enterprise entity.
3. Distribution Channel (VTWEG): The commercial sales path.
4. SAP Material Number (MATNR): The internal product identifier.

Core CMIR Fields and Master Data Override Mechanics

The primary function of the CMIR is to provide customer-specific overrides that take precedence over general values maintained in the customer master (KNVV) or material master (MVKE/MARC):

1. Customer Material Number (KNMT-KDMAT) & Description (KNMT-POSTX)

• Order Entry Acceleration: When entering a sales order in transaction VA01 or the Fiori "Create Sales Orders" app, an order clerk can input the buyer's part number directly into the "Customer Material" field or the standard "Material" field. The system automatically searches table KNMT using the Sold-to Party and Sales Area, retrieves internal material MATNR, and populates the line item.
• External Document Output: The customer material description replaces the internal SAP material text on external customer-facing documents, including order confirmations, packing lists, advance shipping notices (ASNs via EDI), and billing invoices.

2. Customer-Specific Delivering Plant (KNMT-WERKS)

As established in the three-tier delivering plant determination hierarchy, the delivering plant maintained in the CMIR takes absolute precedence over both the Ship-to customer master and the material master Sales Org. 1 view. This allows an enterprise to supply a specific customer from a dedicated regional distribution center or plant located in close proximity to their assembly lines.

3. Delivery Parameters and Tolerance Overrides

The CMIR allows fine-grained overrides of shipping parameters for a specific material and customer combination:

• Minimum Delivery Quantity: Prevents the creation of an outbound delivery if the available quantity falls below this threshold.
• Under-Delivery Tolerance Limit (KNMT-UNTTO): The percentage by which a delivery may fall short of the sales order quantity without triggering an open order status.
• Over-Delivery Tolerance Limit (KNMT-UEBTO): The percentage by which a delivery may exceed the ordered quantity.
• Unlimited Over-Delivery (KNMT-UEBTK): Checkbox permitting shipments of unrestricted over-delivery quantities.
• Partial Delivery per Item (KNMT-KZTLF): Governs whether partial shipments are permitted, restricted to a maximum number, or prohibited (one-time complete delivery).

These tolerance values in KNMT strictly override the corresponding default delivery tolerance settings maintained in the Customer Master Sales Area data (KNVV).

Item Proposals (Product Proposals)

In many commercial sectors (such as consumer packaged goods, retail replenishment, and wholesale distribution), customers place recurring orders for predictable assortments of products. SAP S/4HANA provides Item Proposals (also known as Product Proposals) to streamline high-volume order entry.

Concept and Architecture

An Item Proposal is maintained as a template sales document using transaction VA51 (Create Item Proposal), VA52 (Change), and VA53 (Display). In standard customizing, item proposals use sales document type MS, which has SD document category D (item proposal).

• An Item Proposal has no commercial validity of its own; it cannot be delivered, picked, or billed.
• It contains a header and a list of materials with optional predefined default order quantities.
• Unlike condition records, an item proposal does not require the condition technique.

Assignment and Execution Workflow

To make an Item Proposal available for a customer:

1. An item proposal document is created via VA51 (e.g., proposal number 50000012).
2. The proposal document number is assigned to the customer master Sales Area data in field Item Proposal (KNVV-VSORT).
3. During sales order entry in VA01:
   • The user selects Edit -> Propose Items.
   • The system displays two operational retrieval options:
     • Default with Quantities: Copies both the materials and the predefined quantities from the template directly into the sales order items.
     • Default without Quantities: Copies only the material numbers into the sales order, allowing the clerk to rapidly tab through and specify quantities requested by the buyer.

Cross-Selling and Dynamic Product Proposals

While Item Proposals provide static lists of frequently ordered goods, modern digital sales requires intelligent, automated recommendations based on what the customer is currently buying. SAP S/4HANA accomplishes this through Cross-Selling and Dynamic Product Proposals.

Cross-Selling Configuration via the Condition Technique

Cross-selling in SAP S/4HANA utilizes the powerful Condition Technique to trigger automated product recommendations. When an order clerk enters a specific primary material, the system evaluates active condition records and suggests complementary products (e.g., purchasing a laptop suggests a docking station, carry case, and power adapter).

The architectural configuration sequence for Cross-Selling in SPRO follows standard condition technique design:

1. Field Catalog: Verifies required fields (e.g., MATNR, VKORG, VTWEG, KUNNR).
2. Condition Table: Defines the key combinations for cross-selling rules (for example, a table keyed by the material entered).
3. Access Sequence: Specifies the search hierarchy from specific to generic keys.
4. Condition Type: Standard condition type CS01 (Cross-Selling).
5. Cross-Selling Procedure: Standard procedure CS0001 grouping cross-selling condition types.
6. Profile Determination: A cross-selling profile, which contains the procedure, is determined from the sales area, a customer procedure (maintained in the customer master), and a document procedure (maintained in the sales document type) under SPRO -> Sales and Distribution -> Basic Functions -> Cross-Selling -> Define and Assign Cross-Selling Profile.

Operational Behavior

When cross-selling records are found, they are offered to the order clerk:

• Recommendation dialog: A dialog box presents the cross-selling materials. The clerk selects the ones the customer wants and enters quantities, or dismisses the proposal; the selected materials are added as new items.
• Not a substitution tool: replacing a discontinued or unavailable product with another one is the job of material determination (condition technique application with condition type A001), not of cross-selling.

Master Data Comparison Matrix

The table below contrasts the three primary master data accelerators in SAP S/4HANA Sales: