How To Fix MH334 - Combination of config. class and charact. prof./merch. cat. not allowed

SAP Error Message - Details

• Message type: E = Error

• Message class: MH - Maintain Material Master Data (Retail)

• Message number: 334

• Message text: Combination of config. class and charact. prof./merch. cat. not allowed

What causes this issue?

You want to create or reclassify a generic article. The system has
detected an incompatibility with error code &V1&.
To create a generic article in SAP ERP, you usually assign
variant-creating characteristics to either a merchandise category or a
characteristics profile. In SAP S/4HANA, the characteristics assigned to
a configuration class are used to create generic articles.
If an SAP S/4HANA system distributes generic articles to a SAP ERP
system by means of the ARTMAS IDoc, the receiving SAP ERP system cannot
process the generic articles if the variant-creating characteristics are
not assigned to a merchandise category or a characteristics profile. To
prevent this ARTMAS inbound error situation, when a generic article is
created, a compatibility check of the classification and configuration
master data is performed in the sending SAP S/4HANA system. This ensures
that the classification and configuration master data used in the
sending system is maintained in such a way that it can be seamlessly
distributed to an SAP ERP system or a compatible legacy system by using
Application Link Enabling (ALE) technology. The same check is performed
during reclassification when a generic article is moved to another
merchandise category or a characteristics profile.
If an SAP ERP system has been converted to an SAP S/4HANA system, the
old assignments of variant-creating characteristics to merchandise
categories or characteristics profiles still exist and can be used for
the compatibility check of generic articles as follows:
If characteristics profiles are not used, the variant-creating
characteristics assigned to the merchandise category used must be among
the variant-creating characteristics assigned to the configuration
class.
If there is an exact match for the variant-creating characteristics, the
generic article can be assigned to the merchandise category and the
configuration class without any conflicts.
If a merchandise category provides no variant-creating characteristics
or only a subset of the required variant-creating characteristics, the
system creates a corresponding characteristics profile linked to the
merchandise category in the background with the same name as the
configuration class and with the same variant-creating characteristics
assigned to it. The system also assigns the generic article to the new
characteristics profile in the background.
If a merchandise category provides more variant-creating characteristics
than the configuration class, the system cannot resolve this
incompatibility automatically; another combination of merchandise
category and configuration class must be chosen manually.
In the worst case, a new configuration class must be created that
matches the lower number of variant-creating characteristics given by
the merchandise category.
If characteristics profiles are used, the variant-creating
characteristics used in the characteristics profile must be identical to
the characteristics in the configuration class. The name of the
characteristics profile must be the same as the name of the
configuration class. If this is not the case, the system identifies an
incompatibility that cannot be resolved automatically. Another
combination of merchandise category, characteristics profile, and
configuration class must be chosen manually.
In the worst case, a new configuration class must be created that
matches the name and the number of variant-creating characteristics of
the characteristics profile.
If the SAP S/4HANA system has been set up from scratch or if new
merchandise categories and characteristics profiles have been created
manually after conversion to SAP S/4HANA, it is no longer possible to
assign variant-creating characteristics to merchandise categories or
characteristics profiles. In this case, the compatibility check for
generic articles works as follows:
If characteristics profiles are not used, the merchandise category
cannot provide any variant-creating characteristics; therefore, the
system creates a corresponding characteristics profile linked to the
merchandise category in the background with the same name as the
configuration class and with the same variant-creating characteristics
assigned to it. The system also assigns the generic article to the new
characteristics profile in the background.
By default, characteristics profiles cannot provide any variant-creating
characteristics; therefore, it is not possible to use characteristics
profiles even if they are intended for use as informative
characteristics only.
To make sure that the classification and configuration master data meets
the requirements, the system performs checks during the creation and
reclassification of retail generic articles to ensure compatibility. If
the requirements are not met, the following error codes are issued:
Error code 1: You are using a characteristics profile &V4& with a
different name to the variant-creating configuration class &V2&. The
names of the configuration class and the characteristics profile must be
the same.
Error code 2: The chosen configuration class &V2& provides fewer
variant-creating characteristics than the used merchandise category &V3&
and no characteristics profile is available.
Error code 3: The chosen configuration class &V2& provides fewer or more
variant-creating characteristics than the used characteristics profile
&V4& whereas the name of the configuration class matches the name of the
characteristics profile.
Error code 4: The chosen configuration class &V2& contains more than
five variant-creating characteristics, which is not allowed.
Error code 5: The chosen merchandise category &V3& provides fewer
variant-creating characteristics than the used configuration class &V2&
and no characteristics profile is available. This is the only error
situation that the system can resolve automatically.

System Response

To avoid any inconsistencies, the system stops processing. It is not
possible to create or reclassify the article based on the given
configuration class and merchandise category or characteristics profile.

How to fix this error?

Check which combination of configuration class and merchandise category
or characteristics profile is causing the error and, depending on the
error code, do the following:
Error code 1: Choose a characteristics profile with the same name and
the same variant-creating characteristics as the used configuration
class &V2&.
If no suitable characteristics profile exists for the given merchandise
category, do not use a characteristics profile; instead use only a
merchandise category.
In this case, the system can create a suitable characteristics profile
which is then used automatically. If necessary, create a new
configuration class that matches the variant-creating characteristics
and the name of the given characteristics profile.
Error code 2: Choose a configuration class with the same set of
variant-creating characteristics as the merchandise category &V3&.
If necessary, create a new configuration class that matches the
variant-creating characteristics of the given merchandise category. If
possible, choose another merchandise category with the same set of
variant-creating characteristics as the configuration class or with
fewer or no variant-creating characteristics. Having fewer
variant-creating characteristics in the merchandise category can be
handled by the system through the generation of a suitable
characteristics profile which is then used automatically.
Error code 3: Choose a configuration class with the same name as the
used characteristics profile &V4& and with the same set of
variant-creating characteristics.
If necessary, create a new configuration class that matches the
variant-creating characteristics and the name of the given
characteristics profile. If possible, choose another characteristics
profile and find a suitable configuration class with the same name and
the same set of variant-creating characteristics.
It is not sufficient to choose another merchandise category because a
characteristics profile with the same name already exists for the given
configuration class, but the variant-creating characteristics do not
match. In this case, no new characteristics profile can be created to
meet the requirements: same name and same set of variant-creating
characteristics.
Error code 4: Choose a configuration class with fewer than five
variant-creating characteristics.
The system tries to create a suitable characteristics profile in the
background in cases where the incompatibility between the configuration
class and the merchandise category can be resolved automatically by a
characteristics profile.
If necessary, these compatibility characteristics profiles can be
created in advance in the merchandise category maintenance (transaction
WG22). Based on the given merchandise category, you can specify the
relevant configuration classes (one by one) to trigger the creation of a
compatible characteristics profile. The characteristics profile that is
created has the same name as the configuration class and carries all the
variant-creating characteristics of the configuration class. When
creating generic articles with this combination of merchandise category
and configuration class, the compatibility check will always be
successful.

Procedure for System Administrators

If you are not planning to supply an SAP ERP or a compatible legacy
system with classification and generic article master data from an SAP
S/4HANA system, you can configure the system in such a way that
incompatible assignments of configuration classes together with
merchandise categories and characteristics profiles are allowed.
In an ALE distribution scenario with two SAP S/4HANA systems, we
recommend that you switch off the compatibility check in the sending
system.
If the compatibility check is switched on, the system creates
unnecessary characteristics profiles and also links the generic articles
to these characteristics profile without any necessity. These
unnecessary characteristics profiles cannot be removed because they are
then used by the generic articles.
To switch off the compatibility check, in Customizing for <LS>Logistics
- General</> under <LS>Material Master -> Retail-Specific Settings ->
Settings for Hybrid ALE Scenarios (SAP ERP-SAP S/4HANA) -> Deactivate
Compatibility check for Configuration Classes</>, change the category of
this message to <LS>No Message</>.
If the compatibility check is switched on by mistake and generic
articles have already been created and automatically assigned to a
characteristics profile and if the generic article master data will
never be distributed to an SAP ERP or compatible legacy system, it is
possible to reassign the generic articles to the corresponding
merchandise category using the reclassification functionality
(transaction WRCR). To do this, first switch off the compatibility
check. After reclassification, you can delete the unnecessary
characteristics profiles by using transaction CLWH.

Error message extract from SAP system. Copyright SAP SE.

Smart SAP Assistant

• What is the cause and solution for SAP error message MH334 - Combination of config. class and charact. prof./merch. cat. not allowed ?

  The SAP error message MH334, which states "Combination of config. class and charact. prof./merch. cat. not allowed," typically occurs in the context of material management and configuration in SAP, particularly when dealing with configurable materials.
  Cause:
  This error usually arises due to one of the following reasons:
  
  
  Incorrect Configuration Class: The configuration class assigned to the material does not match the characteristics profile or merchandise category defined in the system.
  
  
  Missing or Incorrect Characteristics Profile: The characteristics profile assigned to the material may not be compatible with the configuration class.
  
  
  Merchandise Category Issues: The merchandise category assigned to the material may not be set up correctly or may not be compatible with the configuration class.
  
  
  Master Data Inconsistencies: There may be inconsistencies in the master data setup for the material, characteristics, or configuration class.
  
  
  Solution:
  To resolve the MH334 error, you can follow these steps:
  
  
  Check Configuration Class:
  
  Go to the configuration class in the SAP system and verify that it is correctly defined.
  Ensure that the configuration class is compatible with the characteristics profile and merchandise category.
  
  
  
  Review Characteristics Profile:
  
  Check the characteristics profile assigned to the material.
  Ensure that the characteristics defined in the profile are appropriate for the configuration class.
  
  
  
  Verify Merchandise Category:
  
  Check the merchandise category assigned to the material.
  Ensure that it is correctly set up and compatible with the configuration class.
  
  
  
  Adjust Master Data:
  
  If there are inconsistencies in the master data, correct them. This may involve updating the material master, characteristics, or configuration class settings.
  
  
  
  Consult Documentation:
  
  Review SAP documentation or help resources for specific guidelines on setting up configuration classes, characteristics profiles, and merchandise categories.
  
  
  
  Testing:
  
  After making the necessary adjustments, test the configuration again to ensure that the error no longer occurs.
  
  
  
  Related Information:
  
  Transaction Codes: You may need to use transaction codes such as MM02 (Change Material), CT04 (Create Characteristic), or CU41 (Maintain Configuration Profile) to make the necessary changes.
  SAP Notes: Check for any relevant SAP Notes that may address this specific error or provide additional guidance.
  User Roles and Authorizations: Ensure that you have the necessary authorizations to make changes to the configuration class, characteristics, and merchandise categories.
  
  If the issue persists after following these steps, it may be beneficial to consult with your SAP support team or a functional consultant who specializes in material management and configuration.