How To Fix CL138 - Characteristic & is in use and cannot be deleted

CL138 - Overview

• Message type: E = Error

• Message class: CL - Classification

• Message number: 138

• Message text: Characteristic & is in use and cannot be deleted

What causes this issue?

Characteristic &V1& is used in a material specification in quality
management.

System Response

The system issues an error message and will not allow you to continue with this transaction until the error is resolved.

How to fix this error?

You cannot execute this function until the characteristic is no longer
in use.

Error message extract from SAP system. Copyright SAP SE.

CL138 - Details

• The SAP error message CL138 indicates that a characteristic you are trying to delete is currently in use. This typically occurs in the context of classification in SAP, where characteristics are used to define the properties of classes and objects.
  
  Cause:
  
  Active Assignments: The characteristic is assigned to one or more classes or objects (e.g., materials, equipment, etc.) in the classification system.
  Dependencies: There may be dependencies or links to other objects that prevent the deletion of the characteristic.
  Usage in Master Data: The characteristic might be used in various master data records, such as material master records, which prevents its deletion.
  
  
  Solution:
  To resolve this error, you can follow these steps:
  
  
  Check Assignments:
  
  Use transaction code CL02 (Change Characteristic) to check where the characteristic is assigned.
  Look for any classes or objects that are using this characteristic.
  
  
  
  Remove Assignments:
  
  If the characteristic is assigned to classes or objects, you will need to remove these assignments first.
  Navigate to the relevant classes