A 250 kg order does not scale every BOM line
Fictional order MO-881 uses MAT-200, plant P-1, usage 1, alternative 02 and snapshot S-881-A, selected for its 12 September 2026 start. The source definition has a 100 kg output basis. Assume one manufacturing lot, no scrap or yield adjustment, no unit conversion and no further rounding. These normalized rows illustrate receiving rules; they are not a SAP response schema.
Scroll across to see every column →
| Source line | Meaning | Definition quantity | Rule confirmed for this example | Order requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0010 / RM-8 | Stock material | 12 kg | Proportional: 12 × 250 / 100 | 30 kg |
| 0020 / AID-2 | Stock process aid | 0.4 kg | Fixed for this manufacturing lot | 0.4 kg |
| 0030 / instruction | Text: verify line clearance | No material quantity | Retain as instruction context | Not a dispensing quantity |
| 0040 / LABEL-1 | Packaging material | 10 EA | Proportional: 10 × 250 / 100 | 25 EA |
Download the worked data (CSV)
Selection
MO-881 → P-1 / usage 1 / alternative 02 / S-881-A
A second valid alternative is a selection question, not permission to use the first returned row.
Mass requirements
RM-8: 30 kg; AID-2: 0.4 kg
Scaling the fixed aid to 1 kg is wrong under the declared one-lot rule.
Other lines
Instruction retained; 25 EA labels
Do not create a zero-kg ingredient from text or add EA to kg.
Execution evidence
RM-8 actual use: 29.8 kg
The −0.2 kg variance from the 30 kg requirement is not a revised BOM quantity, an acceptance decision or a posted SAP movement.
Choose a manufacturing interface explicitly.
Seal’s linked SAP provider guide covers the documented S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition business-partner library. That library is useful for organisation records; it does not establish a BOM read, order-component import or goods-movement posting capability. This manufacturing workflow requires a separately configured interface for the actual SAP product and edition.
For one documented option, SAP’s S/4HANA 2025 FPS01 on-premise Bills of Material (Version 2) API lists separate GET operations for MaterialBOM, MaterialBOMItem, item categories and ExplodeBOM. Its service name is API_BILL_OF_MATERIAL_SRV;v=2. Confirm availability with the SAP owner before choosing it; do not copy its route into another edition and assume equivalent behavior.
First identify whether the receiving record needs master BOM content, an exploded requirement or the components already assigned to a released order. A header read alone does not provide a complete order requirement. Obtain a representative response from the selected operation, its installed service metadata and an SAP-side display or report for comparison.
Source: SAP S/4HANA 2025 FPS01: Bills of Material (Version 2) operations.
Freeze the selection that explains the order.
Record material, plant, usage, alternative, validity date and any production-version or change-document selection used by the actual process. Preserve the selection inputs separately from the returned source keys. In this example alternative 01 and 02 may both be valid master records; MO-881’s reviewed selection establishes 02. If that order evidence is absent, leave the selection unresolved.
Use the complete entity identity returned by the selected interface. The documented V2 header key combines BillOfMaterial, BillOfMaterialCategory, BillOfMaterialVariant, BillOfMaterialVersion, EngineeringChangeDocument, Material and Plant. Item identity additionally needs its own documented item key, including the node and header-change context. Preserve identifiers as strings, including leading zeroes; display line 0010 alone is not a globally unique component identity.
If the order already has reviewed components, compare that population with the proposed import before writing quantities. A master BOM that becomes valid tomorrow does not retrospectively describe what was released yesterday. Keep the order’s selected snapshot, retrieved source evidence and adoption decision together.
Check the quantity basis before doing arithmetic.
SAP’s documented item fields distinguish quantity, unit and FixedQuantity. Capture those source values before converting them into receiving fields. Ask the SAP owner to demonstrate the quantity calculation for a proportional line and a fixed line in the selected operation; the fictional 0.4 kg rule above applies once to this manufacturing lot.
For RM-8 the dimensionless scale is 250 kg / 100 kg = 2.5, giving 30 kg. For AID-2 the confirmed fixed requirement remains 0.4 kg. The label calculation gives 25 EA. These values have different meanings and cannot be collapsed into one quantity total. A stock line marked fixed still needs material identity and any required inventory allocation.
An already exploded 30 kg requirement must not be multiplied by 2.5 again. Record whether the incoming quantity is per BOM base, already required for this order, or actual execution. Where scrap, yield, variable-size formulas, alternatives, phantom assemblies or multiple levels matter, use the agreed source calculation and reconcile it; this simple example is not a replacement for SAP’s configured explosion logic.
Source: SAP: BOM item update fields.
Retain every line, then decide how it is used.
Classify returned item categories using the installed source definitions. Preserve instruction and other non-dispensing content with its source identity instead of silently discarding it or inventing a measured quantity. A non-stock material can still be required for production; do not exclude it merely because it is not inventory-managed in the same way as a stock component.
Prove that the chosen read includes the intended item population and levels. Record any filters, continuation, excluded categories and deletion or validity handling. A response with the expected header and only the first group of components is incomplete. Compare the source line count and each classified line with the SAP-side reference for the same selection.
Treat source item/node identity as the join key within its complete BOM context. If a new line appears before 0020, its position in an array must not redirect an existing quantity update. If a component is replaced under a new identity, retain the replacement relationship and assess the change rather than assuming a description match.
Keep the source definition, working plan and actual use separate.
In Seal, link the manufacturing record to a BOM snapshot and component records. Give each component typed requirement and unit fields, source identifiers, quantity basis and source File reference. Keep allocated inventory lots and actual usage on separate linked records. This lets a reviewer trace a variance back to the intended requirement without changing the definition.
Stage and compare a complete candidate import before applying it to execution-facing fields. If alternative 02 changes RM-8 from 12 to 13 kg per 100 kg, a future 250 kg plan would require 32.5 kg under the same assumptions. MO-881 retains its reviewed 30 kg requirement until an explicit change decision identifies the affected work. Preserve operator entries and review-owned fields during refresh.
For a write-back project, separately agree the receiving operation, order/material/plant/storage/lot references, permissions and permitted review state. A BOM PATCH changes a definition; it does not mean 29.8 kg has been consumed. Save the submitted business operation identity and reconcile an uncertain receiver outcome before any repeat that could move inventory again.
Vendor references for this workflow
- SAP S/4HANA 2025 FPS01: Bills of Material (Version 2) operations. Documents separate header, item, category and explosion reads in API_BILL_OF_MATERIAL_SRV;v=2. This is the on-premise documentation set, not a statement that Seal’s Public Edition partner library exposes these operations.
- SAP: BOM item update fields. The documented item fields include quantity, unit and FixedQuantity. Field names help inspect a response; this read workflow does not call the update operation.
Test it with your data.
Use these cases to agree and test the connection’s behaviour. They are proposed acceptance checks, not completed tests or automatic connector features.
A fixed line is multiplied by the order scale
Import the four fictional rows for the 250 kg order, with 0.4 kg confirmed fixed for one manufacturing lot.
- Expected behaviour
- Expect 30 kg RM-8, 0.4 kg AID-2 and 25 EA labels. Preserve the instruction without a dispensing quantity. A 1 kg aid requirement fails this exercise.
- Evidence to keep
- The source basis, fixed indicator, item-category mapping and SAP-side requirement comparison.
An exploded quantity is scaled again
The chosen source operation already returns the RM-8 requirement as 30 kg for MO-881.
- Expected behaviour
- Retain 30 kg. Reject a receiving mapping that produces 75 kg by treating an order requirement as a per-base quantity.
- Evidence to keep
- Operation and request inputs, source quantity basis, raw response and receiving quantity.
Tomorrow’s definition refreshes today’s active order
A source revision changes RM-8 to 13 kg per 100 kg after MO-881 was reviewed against 12 kg.
- Expected behaviour
- Keep the reviewed 30 kg requirement and show the candidate 32.5 kg change for explicit assessment. Preserve actual use and operator records.
- Evidence to keep
- Both source snapshots, effectivity/selection evidence, affected records and adoption decision.
An instruction arrives between existing material lines
Reorder the payload and insert an instruction before the fixed aid without changing the aid’s source identity.
- Expected behaviour
- Match components by their complete source identity; retain the instruction separately. Do not update a different material by array position.
- Evidence to keep
- Before/after line populations, source keys and the exact receiving changes.
More checks for this connection
- Exercise the validity-date boundary with source evidence from both sides.
- Compare selected, returned and imported component populations including paging and excluded categories.
- Keep leading zeroes and source node/change keys intact when lines are reordered.
- Prove that already exploded quantities are not scaled a second time.
Apply this to your records
Start with one real manufacturing order and the interface that actually supplies its components. The partner library is a separate scope.
Download the blank working review
Write your working notes here
Notes stay in this tab and are not submitted. Download them before leaving to keep a copy. Use record references to identify your evidence.
Record SAP edition/version, service and operation, permissions, metadata and complete response. State whether it returns master content, exploded requirements or order components.
Record order, material, plant, usage, alternative, validity, production/change context and full returned keys. Explain how ambiguity was resolved and attach the selected snapshot.
Record base/output quantity and units, fixed/proportional meaning, source category and calculated or already exploded quantity for each line. Include non-dispensing lines and any conversion, scrap or rounding.
Record source versus receiving line counts, continuation checks, reordered/replaced items, second scaling and changed-definition results. Identify preserved operator and review records.
Record planned versus actual quantities separately, unresolved differences, adoption decision and owner. If posting is in scope, name its separate operation and reconciliation evidence.
Unanswered sections remain marked ‘Not recorded’ in the download.
Evidence needed to finish
Finish when the selected definition and every component requirement reconcile to the source for this order, and unresolved changes or transactions remain visible without rewriting the reviewed plan.
Before you connect
Does the SAP partner connection already import BOMs?
No. The linked Seal implementation guide describes the Public Edition business-partner library. Select and configure a supported manufacturing interface separately for BOMs or order components; agree any consumption or completion operation separately again.
Should we calculate requirements from the latest master BOM?
Use the source appropriate to the manufacturing record. When a released order owns the planned component population, preserve that population and selection evidence. A fresh master lookup may describe a different definition or apply different explosion choices.
Check your system’s connection options.
Confirm the installed version, available exports and permissions. These pages cover the source interface and link to setup instructions.
For configuration: Seal Scripts and local-file collection.
Start with one export.
Bring the source evidence and the records it needs to connect to. For this workflow, a useful starting pack is:
- The SAP product/edition, selected manufacturing operation and its installed metadata with a complete read response.
- One order and its SAP-side component list, including plant, alternative, validity and quantity calculation evidence.
- A second alternative or revision plus fixed, proportional and instruction lines to exercise selection and classification.