How To Fix WU542 - The purchasing period is different to that in the reference plant

SAP Error Message - Details

• Message type: E = Error

• Message class: WU - Promotion management messages

• Message number: 542

• Message text: The purchasing period is different to that in the reference plant

What causes this issue?

A purchasing period that differs from the purchasing period for the
reference plant was found for plant &V4&, material &V2& in unit of
measure &V3&.

System Response

Price activation at plant group level may lead to incorrect results for
plant group &V1&.

How to fix this error?

You can activate prices at plant level by changing the price activation
type for plant group &V1&. To do this, change the price activation type
indicator to "Plant" in the plant group overview.

Error message extract from SAP system. Copyright SAP SE.

Smart SAP Assistant

• What is the cause and solution for SAP error message WU542 - The purchasing period is different to that in the reference plant ?

  The SAP error message WU542 indicates that there is a discrepancy between the purchasing period defined in the current plant and the purchasing period defined in the reference plant. This typically occurs when you are trying to create or modify a purchasing document (like a purchase order) that references materials or conditions from another plant, and the purchasing periods do not match.
  Cause:
  
  Different Purchasing Periods: The purchasing period settings in the material master or purchasing info records for the current plant do not align with those in the reference plant.
  Configuration Issues: There may be configuration settings in the SAP system that define purchasing periods differently across plants.
  Data Entry Errors: Incorrect data entry when creating or modifying purchasing documents can lead to this error.
  
  Solution:
  
  
  Check Material Master Data:
  
  Go to the material master record for the material in question (transaction code MM03).
  Check the purchasing view for both the current plant and the reference plant to ensure that the purchasing periods are consistent.
  
  
  
  Review Purchasing Info Records:
  
  Check the purchasing info records (transaction code ME13) for the material and vendor combination in both plants to ensure that the purchasing periods match.
  
  
  
  Adjust Configuration:
  
  If the purchasing periods need to be aligned, you may need to adjust the configuration settings in the SAP system. This typically requires access to the SPRO transaction and may involve working with your SAP configuration team.
  
  
  
  Consult Documentation:
  
  Review any relevant documentation or guidelines that your organization has for setting up purchasing periods to ensure compliance with internal policies.
  
  
  
  Contact Support:
  
  If you are unable to resolve the issue, consider reaching out to your SAP support team or consulting SAP Notes for any known issues or patches related to this error.
  
  
  
  Related Information:
  
  Purchasing Period: This is a time frame during which certain purchasing conditions apply, such as pricing or availability.
  Material Master: The material master is a central repository of information about materials in SAP, including purchasing data.
  Purchasing Info Record: This is a record that contains information about a specific material and vendor combination, including pricing and conditions.
  
  By ensuring that the purchasing periods are consistent across the relevant plants and correcting any discrepancies, you should be able to resolve the WU542 error.