How To Fix OIJ_MD053 - Location &1 cannot be deleted as it is used as parent of &2

SAP Error Message - Details

• Message type: E = Error

• Message class: OIJ_MD - TSW Master data maintenance

• Message number: 053

• Message text: Location &1 cannot be deleted as it is used as parent of &2

What causes this issue?

You are trying to delete a location which is used as a parent of
another location.

System Response

Locations which are parent of another location cannot be deleted.

How to fix this error?

First delete all the locations which are using this location as a
parent or change the parent for such locations and then delete this
location again.

Procedure for System Administrators

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 OIJ_MD053 - Location &1 cannot be deleted as it is used as parent of &2 ?

  The SAP error message OIJ_MD053 indicates that a specific location (denoted as &1) cannot be deleted because it is being used as a parent location for another location (denoted as &2). This is a common issue in hierarchical data structures where a parent-child relationship exists.
  Cause:
  The error occurs when you attempt to delete a location that is still referenced as a parent in the system. In SAP, locations can have a hierarchical structure where one location can be a parent to one or more child locations. If you try to delete a parent location without first addressing its child locations, the system will prevent the deletion to maintain data integrity.
  Solution:
  To resolve this error, you need to follow these steps:
  
  
  Identify Child Locations: Determine which locations are children of the parent location you are trying to delete. You can do this by checking the location hierarchy in the relevant SAP transaction or report.
  
  
  Reassign or Delete Child Locations: 
  
  If the child locations are no longer needed, you can delete them first.
  If the child locations are still required, you may need to reassign them to a different parent location before you can delete the original parent location.
  
  
  
  Delete the Parent Location: Once all child locations have been addressed (either deleted or reassigned), you can proceed to delete the parent location.
  
  
  Related Information:
  
  Transaction Codes: You may use transaction codes like OIJ_LC (for location management) or OIJ_LC_HIER (for location hierarchy) to manage locations.
  Data Integrity: Always ensure that the deletion of locations does not violate any business rules or data integrity constraints in your SAP system.
  Documentation: Refer to SAP documentation or help files for more detailed instructions on managing locations and understanding the hierarchy.
  
  By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the OIJ_MD053 error and successfully manage your location data in SAP.