How To Fix WW080 - The assignment of reference material & to & cannot be changed

SAP Error Message - Details

• Message type: E = Error

• Message class: WW - Material group master maintenance

• Message number: 080

• Message text: The assignment of reference material & to & cannot be changed

What causes this issue?

You are attempting to change the assignment of a reference material to
a material group. This is not possible in this case as other material
groups are also assigned to this reference material.
Moreover, this reference material is assigned the material group for
which you wish to delete the assignment in its material master. This
means that the deletion flag you are requesting cannot be set.

System Response

The system cannot carry out the change.

How to fix this error?

First change all other existing assignments; then you can change the
assignment to this material group.

Error message extract from SAP system. Copyright SAP SE.

Smart SAP Assistant

• What is the cause and solution for SAP error message WW080 - The assignment of reference material & to & cannot be changed ?

  The SAP error message WW080, which states "The assignment of reference material & to & cannot be changed," typically occurs in the context of material management and is related to the assignment of reference materials in the system. This error can arise in various scenarios, such as when trying to change the reference material for a material that is already assigned or when attempting to modify certain attributes of a material that are not allowed.
  Cause:
  
  Reference Material Assignment: The error usually indicates that the reference material you are trying to assign or change is already linked to another material or is in a status that does not allow changes.
  Material Status: The material may be in a status that restricts changes, such as being locked for changes or being part of a production order.
  Data Consistency: SAP enforces data consistency rules, and if the reference material is being used in transactions or has dependencies, changes may not be permitted.
  
  Solution:
  
  Check Material Status: Verify the status of both the reference material and the target material. Ensure that they are not locked or in a state that prevents changes.
  Review Assignments: Check if the reference material is already assigned to another material. If so, you may need to remove that assignment before making changes.
  Use Transaction Codes: Use relevant transaction codes (like MM02 for changing material master data) to check the details of the materials involved.
  Consult Documentation: Review SAP documentation or help files for specific guidelines on changing reference materials.
  Authorization: Ensure that you have the necessary authorizations to make changes to the materials in question.
  Contact Support: If the issue persists, consider reaching out to your SAP support team or consulting with an SAP expert for further assistance.
  
  Related Information:
  
  Transaction Codes: Familiarize yourself with transaction codes related to material management, such as MM01 (Create Material), MM02 (Change Material), and MM03 (Display Material).
  SAP Notes: Check SAP Notes for any known issues or patches related to this error message.
  Material Master Data: Understand the structure and dependencies of material master data in SAP, as this can help in troubleshooting similar issues in the future.
  
  By following these steps, you should be able to identify the cause of the WW080 error and take appropriate actions to resolve it.