MRP Live in S/4HANA: MD01N vs Classic MRP Setup

Key takeaways

MD01N (MRP Live) is the MRP run to test in S/4HANA. Classic MD01, MD02 and MD03 still exist, but they are not the target.
MRP Live writes no MRP list, has no simulation mode, and ignores planning horizons and classic planning scope. Your test evidence has to come from MD04, the Fiori MRP apps and the planned orders and requisitions themselves.
Most "configuration" is master data: MRP type, lot size, procurement type and the MRP controller setup. Some materials fall back to classic MRP, so you need to know which ones.
Sign-off needs a planning run schedule, a master data issues review, and a before-and-after comparison on a sample of materials.

If you are signing off MRP in an S/4HANA system, the question is no longer "how do I run MD01?" It is "what does MD01N actually do, which of my ECC habits still work, and how do I prove the proposals are right?" MRP Live replaces the three classic transactions with one, drops several classic features, and pushes most of the logic into the HANA database. This guide covers what changed, what to configure, and how to test it.

What changed from ECC: the short list

The biggest change is structural. A single transaction, MD01N, covers the functionality of MD01, MD02 and MD03, and it can take multiple plants and multiple materials as input. Classic transactions accepted one plant at a time.

The second change is the one that affects auditors and planners most: MRP Live no longer generates MRP Lists. Only materials planned with classic MRP still produce them. The SAP-published advice is to use MD04, which shows the live stock and requirements situation.

Other removals to check against your ECC process documentation:

Simulation mode. MD02 had "Simulation mode" and "Display results prior to saving," and MRP Live does not have simulation mode. Any ECC test script that relies on a simulated run needs a rewrite.
Planning horizon and planning scope. MRP Live plans all materials irrespective of the planning horizon, and the NETPL planning key is no longer used. SAP Note 2640393 also lists scope of planning as not supported. For plant-level scoping, SAP Help describes the planning run as always performed for the complete plant.
BAdIs and user exits. User exit M61X0001 is not supported by MD01N, and classic MRP BAdIs that ran in ABAP are no longer called in MRP Live. Any custom logic in the classic planning run has to be re-tested or rebuilt.

Classic MRP vs MRP Live at a glance

Area	Classic MRP (MD01, MD02, MD03)	MRP Live (MD01N)
Transactions	Three transactions, one plant per run for MD01	One transaction; multiple plants and materials per run
Output list	MRP list (MD05) as a snapshot	No MRP list; use MD04 and Fiori apps
Simulation	MD02 simulation and display-before-save options	No simulation mode
Creation indicators	Full rule set for PR or planned order creation	PR always created for externally procured material; indicator not supported
Planning horizon and scope	NETPL key and scope of planning available	Not used or not supported
Custom logic	BAdIs and M61X0001 can influence the run	Classic BAdIs not called; fallback to classic for selected materials

The table is a summary. Confirm the exact behavior of each row against SAP Note 2640393 and your release's documentation before you put it in a test script.

Step 1: Know which materials will not run in MRP Live

MRP Live is not all-or-nothing. Materials that are not planned in MRP Live are transferred to classic planning within the MD01N run. Some materials can only be planned in classic MRP, and MD_MRP_FORCE_CLASSIC lets you force a material into classic planning on purpose.

Before the first test run, do three things:

Pull the list of materials with the classic-MRP indicator set, and ask whether each one still needs it.
Run MRP Live for the test plant and open the MRP master data issues list. Each issue is a planning input you need to fix or accept, with a reason.
Record the fallback rate in your evidence pack. A high share of classic-planned materials means the performance case for MRP Live is weaker, and the planning team needs to know that before go-live.

Step 2: Set up the run and the schedule

In practice, the planning run is usually scheduled, not started by hand. The Fiori app Schedule MRP Runs creates and schedules a background job for your MRP runs. For the planning mode, the same SAP Help page says planning mode 1 (adapt planning data) reduces MRP runtimes and is the recommended planning mode. Mode 3 deletes and recreates planning data, so use it deliberately and test it separately.

Two setup points show up often in SAP Community threads:

An older SAP Community answer on this topic notes that a "Not Authorized" error or empty screen in Schedule MRP Runs has been traced to the scoping setting for the job catalog entry SAP_SCM_MRP. Check the catalog entry and the role's batch-scheduling authorization before you blame the app.
For single-material runs, an SAP Community thread reports that a BOM-components option did not work in MD01N, and the same run for the whole plant produced the expected result. Test the single-material path on purpose, not by assumption.

Step 3: Read the results without the MRP list

This is where most testers get stuck. The classic habit was to open the MRP list, see the exceptions, and sign off. That list is gone for MRP Live. The replacements are:

MD04 (Stock/Requirements List) for a material-level view of the live situation. SAP's own guidance points here.
Display MRP Master Data Issues, a Fiori app that shows all master data issues detected during an MRP Live planning run. Issues can be accepted and filtered, but an accepted issue reappears after the next run if it has not been solved.
Display MRP Key Figures, which holds detailed information on the completed MRP runs.
Planned orders and purchase requisitions in the standard lists, compared against the expected result from your test case.

Note the "compatibility scope" trap. The MRP list was part of the S/4HANA compatibility scope, so its usage rights are tied to a published end date. Sources differ on the exact dates by deployment type. One SAPinsider article says the compatibility scope use rights expire automatically on December 31, 2025, while SAP Note 2269324 lists extended dates for cloud subscription systems. Today is November 7, 2026, so any on-premise reliance on the MRP list is already past its date. Read Note 2269324 for your contract type and do not build a sign-off on the list.

Schedule runSchedule MRP Runs job, planning mode 1 for routine runs
Plan in MRP LiveMD01N or scheduled job; fallback materials go to classic MRP
Triage issuesDisplay MRP Master Data Issues; fix or accept with a reason
Verify resultsMD04 and planned orders or PRs against the expected result
Record evidenceExport, screenshot and log for the test pack and sign-off

Figure 1. The MRP Live cycle for a test run, from scheduling to evidence

Step 4: Test the procurement outputs, not just the run

MRP Live "always creates purchase requisitions" for externally procured material, and it creates planned orders for in-house production. SAP Learning's MRP Live course makes the same point. The practical consequence for a P2P tester is that the purchase requisition is the handoff into procurement, so the test must follow it.

For each test scenario, check:

The requisition exists, with the right material, plant, quantity and delivery date.
The requisition's account assignment, purchasing group and source of supply match the info record or source list. This is where classic and live MRP differ most in sourcing, so compare both if you still run any classic materials.
The scheduling agreement or outline agreement is used where it should be, because MRP Live creates schedule lines when a valid agreement exists, and the creation indicator for schedule lines is not supported.
A second run on unchanged data produces no duplicate requisitions. This is the test most teams skip.

Step 5: Build the test scope and the regression set

Start with a sample that covers the planning types you actually run: make-to-stock, reorder point, make-to-order, external procurement and one stock transfer. Include at least one material on each fallback path. Use a copy of production-like data, since MRP results depend on stock, open orders and lead times, not just the material master.

Keep the MRP regression set small enough to rerun after each support package or configuration change. The regression logic is the same as any S/4HANA release change, and our guide on running regression through S/4HANA upgrades covers the cadence. For the wider change from ECC, the phase-by-phase migration test plan shows where MRP sits in the cycle.

Where MM practitioners should go next

MRP sits between sales and demand, and purchasing and goods receipt. If your team owns requisition-to-PO testing, the Academy course Purchase Requisitions and Purchase Orders covers the document flow that MRP feeds. For the ECC-to-S/4HANA changes across procurement, the free course Procurement Changes from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA is the best starting point, and MD01N and MD04 have short reference entries.

Frequently asked questions

Is MD01N the same as MD01 in S/4HANA?

No. MD01N is MRP Live, a separate planning engine optimized for HANA that replaces MD01, MD02 and MD03 as the target transaction. Classic MD01 still exists, but SAP does not treat it as the future architecture, and some materials are planned in it automatically.

Where did the MRP list go in S/4HANA?

MRP Live does not write an MRP list. SAP's guidance is to use MD04 and the Fiori MRP apps for real-time visibility. The MRP list is also tied to the compatibility scope, so check Note 2269324 for the usage rights that apply to your contract before you rely on it.

Can I simulate an MRP Live run before saving?

Not in the way MD02 allowed. MRP Live has no simulation mode, so the practical substitute is a controlled test run on a copy of the data, with the expected result written down before you execute.

Which Fiori app runs MRP Live?

Schedule MRP Runs creates and schedules the background job. Display MRP Master Data Issues and Display MRP Key Figures show the results and issues. The Fiori apps schedule the run; they do not replace the MD01N transaction for every test case, so keep both in your test scope.

Sources

MRP Live by S/4 HANA, SAP Community blog
MRP Lists are gone with MRP Live! What should I do now?, SAP Community blog by SAP
MRP Live vs classic (as per SAP Note 2640393), SAP Community blog
Differences and functions of Classic MRP and MRP Live, SAP Community blog
What Are the Differences Between MRP Live and Classic MRP?, SAP PRESS blog
Schedule MRP Runs, SAP Help Portal, SAP S/4HANA on-premise
Display MRP Master Data Issues, SAP Help Portal, SAP S/4HANA on-premise
SAP Fiori APP for MRP master data issues, SAP Community blog
FAQ: Schedule MRP Runs in SAP S/4HANA, SAP Community blog, May 2020
Explaining MRP Live Requests, SAP Learning
Compatibility Scope For SCM Items & How You Can Solve That, SAPinsider
2269324 - Compatibility Scope Matrix for SAP S/4HANA, SAP Note summary mirror

How this guide is made: researched with AI-assisted search across SAP documentation and practitioner sources, with every fact linked to its source. Found an error or have field experience to add? Tell us.