Lesson 4 of 6
Info records, source lists and quota arrangements
8 min
SAP needs to know where to buy each product. Contracts and scheduling agreements are one answer. Three more master data objects complete the picture: purchasing info records, source lists and quota arrangements. Together they decide which supplier SAP proposes when a requisition or MRP needs rotors.
Purchasing info records
An info record links a supplier and a product (for a purchasing organization, optionally a plant) with price conditions, planned delivery time, tolerances and texts (course sap-mm-201). For sourcing, one setting matters: the automatic sourcing indicator, which marks the info record as relevant when SAP looks for a source without a source list or agreement. Contoso's Lakeside rotor info record carries the $42.00 price that standard POs have used until now.
Source lists
A source list (ME01, or the Manage Source Lists app) lists the allowed sources for a product in a plant, each with a validity period. An entry can point to a supplier (with its info record) or to an outline agreement item. Each entry has flags:
| Flag | Meaning | Contoso rotor source list, plant 1710, 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed | Preferred source when several are valid (one fixed source per type and period) | Lakeside scheduling agreement 5500000310 item 10 |
| Blocked | Source may not be used in this period | Northfield Precision (declined; blocked to prevent maverick POs) |
| MRP indicator 1 | Relevant for MRP; requisitions get this source | Harbor contract 4600000021 item 10 |
| MRP indicator 2 | Relevant for MRP; schedule lines generated for a scheduling agreement | Lakeside scheduling agreement 5500000310 item 10 |
Source list flags and Contoso's entries.
A plant or product can require a source list: then only sources on the list may be used, which is a strong control against buying from unapproved suppliers. Contoso sets the source list requirement for production components in plant 1710.
Quota arrangements
When demand should be split between sources by percentage, a quota arrangement (MEQ1) assigns each source a quota for a period. SAP calculates a quota rating for each source: (quota allocated quantity + quota base quantity) ÷ quota. The source with the lowest rating gets the next requirement, and its allocated quantity rises. Over time, the split approaches the quotas.
- QuotasLakeside 70, Harbor 30; both start at 0 allocated
- Requirement 1: 600Ratings equal (0); first source in the arrangement wins → Lakeside, allocated 600
- Requirement 2: 600Lakeside 600/70 = 8.6; Harbor 0/30 = 0 → Harbor, allocated 600
- Requirement 3: 600Lakeside 8.6; Harbor 600/30 = 20 → Lakeside, allocated 1,200
- Over the yearAllocations converge toward 70% / 30%
A quota arrangement lists suppliers and plants, not agreement items. To make MRP pick up the scheduling agreement and contract, Contoso keeps both in the source list with MRP indicators, as above. A quota arrangement also has a usage setting that decides whether it applies in MRP, in requisitions, in POs or elsewhere; a quota that is not marked for MRP use is ignored by the planning run.
Who maintains these objects matters too. At Contoso, buyers maintain info records and outline agreements, the procurement process owner approves source list changes for production components, and planning owns quota arrangements together with purchasing because quotas move supply between suppliers. Changes to source lists and quotas are logged, and a monthly review compares them with the sourcing decisions on file. This turns sourcing master data into a controlled object rather than a field anyone with access can change on a busy afternoon.
What would you do?
A buyer creates a standard PO to Northfield Precision for rotors in plant 1710 and SAP refuses it. Why is that likely correct?
- Info records hold supplier–product data; the automatic sourcing indicator makes them eligible as sources.
- Source lists define allowed, fixed, blocked and MRP-relevant sources per plant and period.
- Quota arrangements split demand by quota rating: (allocated + base) ÷ quota, lowest wins.
- All sourcing master data is date-dependent; plan year-end changes like cutover.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. Which transaction maintains a source list?
2. What does the "fixed" flag on a source list entry mean?
3. How is the quota rating calculated?
4. What does the source list requirement enforce?