SAP Material Number Ranges - choosing automatic vs manual numbering
“There are some decisions which are one-way doors while many decisions can be revisited later”
Amazon has a great way of identifying importance of business decisions. Their employees are trained to ask themselves: can our decision be revisited later if we agree to proceed? Perfect example of this question, in SAP implementation world, comes during the global blueprint program phase: should we let the system automatically number all of our materials? Maybe some (raw and semi-finished goods)? Or do we manually assign numbers like we do today?
This is an example where it would be profoundly impractical to revisit the decision once it has been made. Just imagine how many distinct parts your car has (if you fully disassembled it and placed it in containers of various sizes). Now imagine all distinct parts a car maker has. Now account for all other materials which are needed but are not part of the end product. Now visualize this mountain of parts and see it grow when you consider multiple industries. Quickly will you realize there are millions of items which need to be uniquely identified so the system can manage them.
While SAP limits part number length to 18 characters (40 in cases of specific industries, like aerospace) it would be theoretically difficult to run out of combinations. So in many cases manual assignment makes sense, albeit it requires more effort to manage this process outside of SAP. Allowing the system to manage this process introduces a lot of convenience. Yet there are drawbacks, like instant recognition of components by people which use the system and make up the enterprise.
Best approach is to organize large teams which will evaluate this decision in great detail, make the final call, develop a plan and close this topic for good. It is a long, nuanced and tiring process. But you will get good rest knowing the final decision has been made well. After every major initiative comes the sense of accomplishment.
Reach out if your business needs help in this area.
Best, SAP10x
— Proverbs 15:14