How To Fix M3551 - You cannot change the price control indicator

SAP Error Message - Details

• Message type: E = Error

• Message class: M3 - Material Master

• Message number: 551

• Message text: You cannot change the price control indicator

What causes this issue?

You have attempted to change the price control indicator from standard
price to moving average price. This is not allowed since negative
valuated stocks exist for the material.

System Response

The system has therefore cancelled your change.
The negative stocks can exist either in the current period or in the
previous period.

How to fix this error?

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

Error message extract from SAP system. Copyright SAP SE.

Smart SAP Assistant

• What is the cause and solution for SAP error message M3551 - You cannot change the price control indicator ?

  The SAP error message M3551 - "You cannot change the price control indicator" occurs when trying to change the price control indicator of a material in SAP. 
  Cause:
  The error message M3551 is triggered when attempting to change the price control indicator of a material that has already been used in a transaction, such as a purchase order or a goods receipt. SAP does not allow changing the price control indicator for materials that have already been involved in financial transactions to maintain data consistency.
  Solution:
  To resolve this error, you need to follow these steps:
  
  Check if the material has been used in any transactions by reviewing the material's transaction history.
  If the material has been used in any transactions, you cannot change the price control indicator directly.
  Instead, you need to create a new material with the desired price control indicator and transfer the stock from the old material to the new one using a stock transfer process.
  Once the stock transfer is completed, you can deactivate or delete the old material if necessary.
  
  Related Information:
  
  The price control indicator in SAP determines how the material's valuation is calculated. There are two types of price control indicators: standard price (S) and moving average price (V).
  The standard price (S) is a fixed price that remains constant until manually changed. It is used for materials with stable costs.
  The moving average price (V) is recalculated after each goods receipt, taking into account the actual costs incurred. It is used for materials with fluctuating costs.
  Changing the price control indicator for a material can have significant financial implications, so SAP restricts this change to maintain data integrity and consistency.