How To Fix N2M209 - New item category &1 not allowed, associations exist for item &2

N2M209 - Overview

• Message type: E = Error

• Message class: N2M - Global Trade: Item Category Management

• Message number: 209

• Message text: New item category &1 not allowed, associations exist for item &2

What causes this issue?

The item category can only be changed if the new item category does not
change the behavior of the handling for the association-related data.
You are not allowed to select an item category in which the item is no
longere relevant for association management, if the item has
associations.

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?

Choose another item category or delete the associations of the current
item.

Procedure for System Administrators

Error message extract from SAP system. Copyright SAP SE.

N2M209 - Details

• The SAP error message N2M209 indicates that a new item category is not allowed because there are existing associations for a specific item. This typically occurs in the context of materials management or sales and distribution processes where item categories are used to define the behavior of items in transactions.
  
  Cause:
  The error arises when you attempt to change the item category of a material or item that has existing associations (such as sales orders, purchase orders, or other documents) that are linked to the original item category. The system prevents this change to maintain data integrity and consistency across related documents.
  
  Solution:
  To resolve this error, you can take the following steps:
  
  
  Check Existing Associations: Identify the documents or transactions that are associated with the item in question. You can do this by using transaction codes like VA03 (Display Sales Order), ME23N (Display Purchase Order), or similar, depending on the context.
  
  
  Remove Associations: If possible,