How To Fix WS877 - Multiple customers found for ILN &

SAP Error Message - Details

• Message type: E = Error

• Message class: WS - Supplier Billing Document

• Message number: 877

• Message text: Multiple customers found for ILN &

Self-Explanatory Message

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• What is the cause and solution for SAP error message WS877 - Multiple customers found for ILN & ?

  SAP Error Message:
  
  WS877 - Multiple customers found for ILN &
  
  Cause:
  This error occurs when SAP tries to identify a business partner (customer) using an ILN (International Location Number), but finds more than one customer master record associated with the same ILN. The system expects a unique match but encounters multiple entries, causing ambiguity.
  Typical scenarios include:
  
  Multiple customer master records have the same ILN assigned.
  The ILN is used as a key to identify customers in processes like EDI, IDoc processing, or business partner determination.
  Data inconsistencies or duplicates in customer master data.
  
  
  Explanation:
  
  ILN (International Location Number) is often used in logistics and EDI to uniquely identify a location or partner.
  When SAP processes documents (e.g., inbound IDocs, orders, deliveries) and tries to find the customer by ILN, it expects a single match.
  If multiple customers share the same ILN, SAP cannot decide which customer to use, hence the error WS877.
  
  
  Solution:
  
  
  Identify Duplicate Customers:
  
  Use transaction XD03 (Display Customer) or BP (Business Partner) to check customers with the given ILN.
  Alternatively, run a report or query on customer master tables (e.g., KNA1, KNVV) filtering by the ILN field.
  
  
  
  Clean Up Master Data:
  
  Determine which customer records are duplicates or incorrectly assigned the same ILN.
  Correct the ILN assignments so that each ILN is unique to a single customer.
  If multiple customers legitimately share the same ILN (rare), consider using additional criteria or fields to differentiate them.
  
  
  
  Adjust Partner Determination Logic (if applicable):
  
  If the ILN is used in partner determination procedures, review and adjust the logic to handle multiple matches or to use additional keys.
  
  
  
  Data Governance:
  
  Implement checks to prevent duplicate ILNs during customer creation or maintenance.
  Regularly audit master data for duplicates.
  
  
  
  
  Related Information:
  
  
  Tables to check:
  
  KNA1 (General Data in Customer Master)
  KNVV (Sales Data in Customer Master)
  BUT000 (Business Partner General Data)
  Custom fields or extensions where ILN might be stored.
  
  
  
  Transactions:
  
  BP - Business Partner Maintenance
  XD03 - Display Customer
  SE16 or SE16N - Table Browser to search for ILN duplicates
  
  
  
  Notes and Documentation:
  
  Check SAP OSS Notes related to WS877 for any patches or known issues.
  Review EDI or IDoc partner determination configuration if ILN is used there.
  
  
  
  
  Summary:
  WS877 indicates multiple customers share the same ILN, causing ambiguity. The fix is to ensure ILNs are unique per customer by cleaning up master data and adjusting partner determination logic if necessary.