How To Fix KM188 - Profit centers have already been assigned to company codes

SAP Error Message - Details

• Message type: E = Error

• Message class: KM - Error messages for Profit Center Accounting

• Message number: 188

• Message text: Profit centers have already been assigned to company codes

What causes this issue?

Profit centers have already been assigned to the selected company
codes.

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

System Response

How to fix this error?

Procedure for System Administrators

Error message extract from SAP system. Copyright SAP SE.

Smart SAP Assistant

• What is the cause and solution for SAP error message KM188 - Profit centers have already been assigned to company codes ?

  The SAP error message KM188 indicates that there is an issue with the assignment of profit centers to company codes. Specifically, it means that the profit centers you are trying to assign to a company code have already been assigned to another company code. This can occur during the configuration of profit centers in the Controlling (CO) module of SAP.
  Cause:
  
  Existing Assignments: The profit centers you are trying to assign are already linked to one or more company codes in the system.
  Data Integrity: SAP enforces data integrity rules to prevent the same profit center from being assigned to multiple company codes, which could lead to inconsistencies in financial reporting and analysis.
  
  Solution:
  To resolve the KM188 error, you can take the following steps:
  
  
  Check Existing Assignments:
  
  Use transaction code KE52 (Change Profit Center) or KE53 (Display Profit Center) to check the current assignments of the profit centers in question.
  Identify which company codes the profit centers are already assigned to.
  
  
  
  Modify or Remove Assignments:
  
  If the profit centers need to be reassigned, you may need to remove the existing assignments from the current company codes before assigning them to the new company code.
  Use transaction code KE51 (Create Profit Center) to create new profit centers if necessary, instead of reassigning existing ones.
  
  
  
  Consult with Stakeholders:
  
  Discuss with your finance or controlling team to understand the implications of changing profit center assignments. Ensure that any changes align with your organization's financial reporting requirements.
  
  
  
  Documentation:
  
  Document any changes made to profit center assignments for future reference and compliance.
  
  
  
  Related Information:
  
  Profit Center Accounting: Profit centers are used in SAP to analyze the profitability of different segments of a business. Each profit center can be assigned to a specific company code, and it is essential to maintain clear and accurate assignments for effective financial reporting.
  Transaction Codes:
  
  KE51: Create Profit Center
  KE52: Change Profit Center
  KE53: Display Profit Center
  OKB9: Assign Profit Centers to Company Codes
  
  
  SAP Notes: Check SAP Notes for any specific patches or updates related to profit center assignments that may address known issues or provide additional guidance.
  
  By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the KM188 error and ensure that your profit center assignments are correctly configured in SAP.