How To Fix MW478 - A negative stock was determined for & &

SAP Error Message - Details

• Message type: E = Error

• Message class: MW - Messages IS-R / Allocation Tables

• Message number: 478

• Message text: A negative stock was determined for & &

What causes this issue?

A negative stock was determined for a plant in table MARD.
This leads to errors when determining the quantity in the context of an
allocation strategy that depends on the current stock in the plant.

System Response

The strategy has continued the quantity determination for this plant
with an assumed stock of 0.

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.

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 MW478 - A negative stock was determined for & & ?

  The SAP error message MW478 indicates that a negative stock situation has been detected for a specific material in a particular plant/storage location. This typically occurs when the system attempts to process a transaction that would result in a stock level going below zero, which is not allowed in standard inventory management practices.
  Cause:
  
  Incorrect Stock Levels: The stock levels in the system may not be updated correctly due to previous transactions that were not posted properly.
  Goods Movement Errors: There may have been goods movements (like goods issues or transfers) that were posted without sufficient stock on hand.
  Inventory Management Issues: Issues during inventory counts or adjustments that did not reflect the actual stock levels.
  Configuration Issues: The system may be configured in a way that does not allow for negative stock, or there may be settings that need to be adjusted.
  
  Solution:
  
  Check Stock Levels: Use transaction codes like MMBE (Stock Overview) to check the current stock levels for the material in question. Ensure that the stock levels are accurate.
  Review Recent Transactions: Look at the recent goods movements for the material using transaction codes like MB51 (Material Document List) to identify any discrepancies or errors.
  Adjust Stock: If there are discrepancies, you may need to perform a stock adjustment using transaction MI10 (Adjust Inventory) or MB1C (Other Goods Receipts) to correct the stock levels.
  Inventory Count: Conduct a physical inventory count to ensure that the stock levels in the system match the actual stock on hand.
  Configuration Review: If the issue persists, review the configuration settings in the material master and inventory management settings to ensure that negative stock is not allowed if that is the desired behavior.
  Consult with SAP Support: If you are unable to resolve the issue, consider reaching out to SAP support or your internal SAP team for further assistance.
  
  Related Information:
  
  Transaction Codes: Familiarize yourself with relevant transaction codes such as MMBE, MB51, MI10, and MB1C.
  Material Master Data: Ensure that the material master data is correctly maintained, including stock type and valuation type.
  User Authorizations: Ensure that users have the necessary authorizations to perform stock adjustments and view stock levels.
  Negative Stock Settings: If your business process allows for negative stock, you may need to adjust the configuration in the system to permit it, but this should be done with caution as it can lead to further inventory discrepancies.
  
  By following these steps, you should be able to identify the cause of the MW478 error and implement a solution to resolve it.