How To Fix 29660 - Special character & not supported for BOM usage

SAP Error Message - Details

• Message type: E = Error

• Message class: 29 - Bills of Material

• Message number: 660

• Message text: Special character & not supported for BOM usage

What causes this issue?

You want to assign special character &V1& to your new BOM usage as a
key.
This is not possible, as special characters are not supported in keys
for identifying BOM usages.

How to fix this error?

Please correct your entry.
Use either figures or letters of the alphabet for your BOM usage key.

Error message extract from SAP system. Copyright SAP SE.

Smart SAP Assistant

• What is the cause and solution for SAP error message 29660 - Special character & not supported for BOM usage ?

  The SAP error message 29660, which states "Special character & not supported for BOM usage," typically occurs when you are trying to create or modify a Bill of Materials (BOM) in SAP and you have included a special character (in this case, the ampersand "&") in a field that does not support it. This can happen in various fields such as the BOM item description, component description, or other text fields.
  Cause:
  
  Special Characters: The presence of special characters like "&" in fields that are not designed to handle them.
  Field Restrictions: Certain fields in SAP have restrictions on the types of characters that can be used, and the ampersand is often not allowed.
  Data Entry Errors: Mistakes during data entry where special characters are inadvertently included.
  
  Solution:
  
  Remove Special Characters: Check the fields in your BOM entry for any special characters, particularly the ampersand "&", and remove them.
  Use Valid Characters: Ensure that you are using only valid alphanumeric characters and any other characters that are explicitly allowed by SAP for that field.
  Validation: Before saving the BOM, validate the input to ensure that no unsupported characters are present.
  Check Documentation: Refer to SAP documentation or help files for the specific field to understand the character restrictions.
  
  Related Information:
  
  SAP Notes: Check SAP Notes for any updates or patches related to BOM handling that might address this issue.
  Field Definitions: Review the field definitions in the BOM transaction (e.g., CS01, CS02) to understand the allowed character set.
  User Training: Ensure that users entering BOM data are trained on the character restrictions and best practices for data entry in SAP.
  Error Handling: Implement error handling in your data entry processes to catch and correct these types of errors before they result in a failure.
  
  By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the error and successfully create or modify your BOM in SAP.