How To Fix WY085 - Characteristic & previously not maintained as supplier-specific

SAP Error Message - Details

• Message type: E = Error

• Message class: WY - Supplier Master

• Message number: 085

• Message text: Characteristic & previously not maintained as supplier-specific

What causes this issue?

Up to now, no vendor characteristic values have been maintained
for this characteristic.

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?

Confirm your choice of this characteristic or enter a new
characteristic.

Error message extract from SAP system. Copyright SAP SE.

Smart SAP Assistant

• What is the cause and solution for SAP error message WY085 - Characteristic & previously not maintained as supplier-specific ?

  SAP Error Message:
  
  WY085 - Characteristic & previously not maintained as supplier-specific
  
  Cause:
  This error occurs when you try to maintain or assign a characteristic as supplier-specific in a classification, but the characteristic was previously maintained or used as a general (non-supplier-specific) characteristic. In other words, the system detects an inconsistency because the characteristic was not originally defined or maintained with the supplier-specific flag, and now you are attempting to treat it as supplier-specific.
  
  Explanation:
  In SAP classification (e.g., in Material Management or Vendor Master classifications), characteristics can be maintained either as general or supplier-specific. Supplier-specific characteristics are linked to a particular supplier and can have different values per supplier.
  If a characteristic was initially created or maintained without the supplier-specific indicator, the system does not allow you to simply switch it to supplier-specific later on because it could lead to data inconsistencies.
  
  Solution:
  
  
  Check Characteristic Definition:
  
  Go to transaction CT04 (Change Characteristic).
  Check if the characteristic is marked as supplier-specific.
  If it is not, and you want it to be supplier-specific, you cannot directly change this flag if the characteristic has already been used.
  
  
  
  Create a New Characteristic:
  
  The recommended approach is to create a new characteristic with the supplier-specific flag set from the beginning.
  Assign this new characteristic to the classification.
  
  
  
  Adjust Classification Assignments:
  
  Remove the old characteristic from the classification.
  Add the new supplier-specific characteristic.
  
  
  
  Data Migration:
  
  If necessary, migrate existing characteristic values to the new characteristic for each supplier.
  
  
  
  Consistency Check:
  
  Ensure that the characteristic is consistently maintained either as supplier-specific or general across all uses.
  
  
  
  
  Related Information:
  
  Supplier-specific characteristics are used when the characteristic values differ per supplier.
  Changing the supplier-specific flag on an existing characteristic is generally not allowed if the characteristic is already in use.
  This behavior ensures data integrity and prevents conflicts in classification data.
  For more details, refer to SAP Note or documentation on Classification and Characteristics in Logistics (LO-CL).
  
  
  Summary:
  
  
  
  Aspect
  Details
  
  
  
  
  Error
  WY085 - Characteristic & previously not maintained as supplier-specific
  
  
  Cause
  Attempt to maintain a characteristic as supplier-specific which was previously general.
  
  
  Solution
  Create a new characteristic with supplier-specific flag; assign it instead of the old one.
  
  
  Transaction
  CT04 (Change Characteristic), CL24 (Change Class), MM02 (Change Material)
  
  
  
  
  If you need further assistance, please provide the characteristic name and the context (e.g., material classification, vendor master classification) where the error occurs.