Lesson 3 of 5
Reading pricing analysis
11 min
When a price is wrong, guessing is expensive. SAP records exactly what it did for each condition type on each item, and the pricing analysis shows it. Every key user and tester working in order to cash should be able to open it and explain what it says.
Opening pricing analysis
- Display the order with
VA03(or open it from the Manage Sales Orders app into the order screen). - Select the item and open the item Conditions tab.
- Choose Analysis. A split screen opens: the pricing procedure's condition types on the left, and on the right the detail of the one you select.
- Expand a condition type to see each access of its access sequence and the result of each.
The same function exists on billing document items, which matters because billing can re-price. If an invoice differs from its order, compare the analysis on both.
What the analysis tells you
For each condition type, the analysis shows whether it was found automatically, entered manually, or not found, and why. For a condition type with an access sequence, each access is listed with the key values SAP used, for example sales organization 1710, distribution channel 10, customer, material CMC-ALT-100, and a message. Typical outcomes are:
| What you see | What it means | Typical next step |
|---|---|---|
| A record was found | This access succeeded; the record number and amount are shown | Open the record and confirm amount and validity |
| No record found for this access | No valid record exists for this key on the pricing date | Check the key values and the validity dates |
| Requirement not fulfilled | A requirement on the access or the procedure step stopped it from being tried | Ask a consultant which requirement and why |
| Access not made (exclusive) | An earlier exclusive access already found a record | Expected behavior; check the earlier record |
| Condition entered manually | A user changed or added the value | Check who changed it and whether limits apply |
| Condition inactive or excluded | Exclusion logic, a subsequent price, or an error deactivated it | Check exclusion groups and the inactive reason |
Common pricing analysis results. Exact message wording varies by release.
- Is the condition type in the pricing procedure at all?Yes → open it in the analysis · No → wrong procedure: check sales area, order type and customer pricing procedure
- Was any access attempted?Yes → read each access · No → a requirement on the procedure step blocked it
- Did an access find a record?Yes → compare that record with the one you expected · No → check key values and validity on the pricing date
- Was the found value changed afterwards?Yes → manual change or exclusion; check limits and exclusion groups · No → the record amount itself is wrong: a master data finding
A worked example
Maria expects Great Lakes Fleet Services to get its 5% customer discount on CMC-ALT-100. The order shows no discount. In the analysis she expands the customer discount condition type. The only access shows the key: sales organization 1710, distribution channel 20, customer. No record found. The record exists for distribution channel 10. The order was entered in the wrong sales area. The analysis turned a vague complaint into a precise cause in under a minute.
Header, item and the net value
The Conditions tab itself is worth reading line by line. Each line shows the condition type, amount, unit, condition value and, at the right, flags for inactive or statistical lines. Subtotals show you how gross price becomes net value. If a percentage discount looks wrong, check its base: the "from" step in the pricing procedure decides which subtotal the percentage is applied to.
| Line | Amount | Value for 50 pieces | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base price PPR0 | $240.00 / piece | $12,000.00 | Record found: sales org, distribution channel, material |
| Customer discount | -5% | -$600.00 | Record found: sales org, distribution channel, customer |
| Freight surcharge | $2.00 / piece | $100.00 | Record found: material freight group |
| Net value | $11,500.00 | Subtotal | |
| Cost (statistical) | $150.00 / piece | $7,500.00 | Standard cost from the product, Detroit plant 1710 |
The statistical cost line, taken from the product's standard cost in plant 1710, does not change the net value but drives margin reporting. If the order is delivered from Chicago (plant 1720), the cost becomes $156 and margin changes even though the price does not. Testers often miss that.
What would you do?
Dan, the finance process owner, says revenue on a Contoso test invoice is $600 lower than the order. The order's pricing analysis shows the 5% discount found; the invoice's analysis shows the discount found twice: once from the order and once from a new promotional record. What is the best next step?
- Open pricing analysis from the item Conditions tab (Analysis) on orders and billing documents.
- Each access shows the key values used and whether a record was found, missing, or skipped by a requirement or an exclusive access.
- Compare the key values with the record you expected, field by field, including the pricing date.
- Read the Conditions tab subtotals to see how gross price becomes net value; statistical lines such as cost do not change it.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. Where do you open pricing analysis for an order item?
2. The analysis shows "no record found" for an access. What should you check first?
3. A later access was not made because an earlier exclusive access found a record. What does this mean?
4. Why might the cost line differ when the same product ships from plant 1720 instead of 1710?