How To Fix ME853 - Not possible to determine external category for internal item cat. &

ME853 - Overview

• Message type: E = Error

• Message class: ME - Purchasing: General Messages

• Message number: 853

• Message text: Not possible to determine external category for internal item cat. &

What causes this issue?

No external item category has been maintained for item category &V1&
in Customizing.
For example: the internal item category <ZH>3</> corresponds to the
external item category <ZH>L</> for subcontracting.

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?

Maintain the external item category and a short text (if necessary) in
Customizing for Purchasing.

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 ME853 - Not possible to determine external category for internal item cat. & ?

  The SAP error message ME853 ("Not possible to determine external category for internal item cat.") typically occurs in the context of purchasing documents, such as purchase orders or purchase requisitions. This error indicates that the system is unable to map an internal item category to an external category, which is necessary for processing the document correctly.
  Causes:
  
  
  Item Category Configuration: The internal item category used in the purchasing document may not be properly configured in the system. This can happen if the item category is not assigned to an external category in the configuration settings.
  
  
  Missing External Category Mapping: The mapping between internal item categories and external categories may be missing or incorrectly set up in the system.
  
  
  Document Type Issues: The document type being used may not support the item category in question, leading to the inability to determine the external category.
  
  
  Master Data Issues: There may be issues with the material master or