SAP Knowledge Base Article - Public

3699051 - Some NBIC purchase orders do not appear in app “Monitor Value Chains” in Advanced Intercompany Stock Transfer (5HP) in SAP S/4 HANA Cloud Public Edition

Symptom

  • NBIC purchase order is created for Advanced Intercompany Stock Transfer (scope item 5HP), but no value chain is visible in app “Monitor Value Chains”.​
  • Field EKPO-VCM_CHAIN_CATEGORY remains initial for the affected NBIC PO.​
  • As a result, no transfer dates are generated and inbound delivery / goods receipt / billing cannot be executed via the Advanced Intercompany process.​
  • The same configuration works for many other NBIC POs, and at least one NBIC PO created by the same conversion job does appear correctly in the value chain (for example, PO A works, PO B does not).

 

Environment

SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Public Edition

Reproducing the Issue

  1. Create a purchase requisition (PR).
  2. Convert the PR into a purchase order (PO) using a conversion job.
  3. Observe that the PO does not appear in the value chain monitoring application.

Cause

  • In this scenario, NBIC purchase orders for 5HP are created from purchase requisitions via a customer-specific PR→PO conversion job.​
  • The purchase requisition itself is not a VCM‑relevant document in the 5HP process; the standard process is designed such that the value chain is triggered at the creation of the NBIC purchase order.​
  • The custom conversion job does not follow the standard-supported 5HP creation path and does not reliably meet all internal conditions that the Value Chain Monitoring framework uses to set EKPO‑VCM_CHAIN_CATEGORY (for example, ICST).​
  • Therefore, for some NBIC POs created via this job, the VCM trigger is skipped at creation time and EKPO‑VCM_CHAIN_CATEGORY remains blank, so no value chain instance is created.​
  • Other NBIC POs created by the same job may accidentally fulfill all internal conditions (depending on PR/PO data), and therefore do get a value chain, which makes the issue appear random from a business perspective.

 

Resolution

  1. Clarifications and limitations
    • The PR‑driven, job‑created NBIC scenario described here is not part of the standard, supported trigger design for scope item 5HP.​
    • Value Chain Monitoring must be triggered at the moment of PO creation. If EKPO‑VCM_CHAIN_CATEGORY is initial at that time and no value chain is created, there is no supported way to generate or “repair” the value chain retroactively for that existing PO.​
    • For already affected POs where EKPO‑VCM_CHAIN_CATEGORY is initial and no value chain exists, the 5HP process (including transfer dates and VCM‑controlled follow‑on documents) cannot be completed via standard Advanced Intercompany Stock Transfer.​
  3. Recommended preventive measures
    • For Advanced Intercompany Stock Transfer (5HP), ensure that NBIC purchase orders relevant for this process are created using a supported creation path as described in the official 5HP documentation (for example, NBIC created directly in line with the 5HP process) and not via a custom PR→PO conversion job.​
    • Review and, if necessary, adjust or discontinue the conversion job for 5HP‑relevant NBIC POs so that the job does not bypass or interfere with the standard 5HP/VCM trigger logic.​
    • For any custom-specific automation that creates NBIC POs, align the logic and the populated fields (header, item, schedule line, plant, company code, item category, special stock, etc.) with the standard 5HP guidance to ensure that the VCM framework can consistently set EKPO‑VCM_CHAIN_CATEGORY (for example, ICST) at PO creation.​
  5. Optional internal analysis steps
    • Compare working and non‑working NBIC POs (for example, PO with value chain vs. PO without value chain) on tables EKKO / EKPO / EKET to identify any systematic field differences (document type, plants, item categories, special stock, reference PR fields, creation user, etc.) at the moment of PO creation.​

 

See Also

  • KBA 3192546 - SAP S/4HANA Cloud: Restrictions and General Information for Advanced Intercompany Stock Transfer.
  • KBA 3110493 - Cannot create Purchase Order for Intercompany Stock Transfer using API:API_PURCHASEORDER_PROCESS_SRV/A_PurchaseOrder 

Keywords

purchase order, value chain monitoring, EKPO-VCM_CHAIN_CATEGORY, advanced intercompany stock transfer, 5HP process, NBIC purchase order, conversion job, intercompany process, inbound delivery, billing, goods receipt. , KBA , MM-PUR-PO-IC-2CL , Purchase Orders Intercompany Processes (Public Cloud) , Problem

Product

SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition all versions