COGI

We often find questions related to Backflushing & COGI errors (Errors in Automatic Goods Movements
during Confirmation entries).

Let’s recollect certain Basic details –

Goods movements can be created during the confirmation entry for the Production/Process order.

Backflushing

 If you confirm an order / operation with components that have the Backflushing indicator set, the
system automatically posts a goods issue for these components. For more information about the
Backflushing indicator, refer to the end of this section.

Automatic Goods Receipt

 If the control key of the operation being confirmed specifies automatic goods receipt, the system
automatically posts the produced material to stock. Automatic goods receipt can also be activated by
the production scheduling profile.
o Automatic goods movements are not permitted for materials that require serial
numbers. However, if an automatic goods movement is specified for a material that
requires a serial number then an error record is written. This error record can be
displayed using the reprocessing function but it cannot be posted. Error records for
materials that require serial numbers must be deleted manually. The goods
movement must then be executed manually in inventory management.

Backflushing Indicator

We can control backflushing in the following objects:

 Material master – Backflushing key (MRP2 view)

 Work center – Basic data screen. This is only taken into account, if the material master stipulates that
the work center should determine whether the material is backflushed. Work centers are assigned to a
production order via the operations. The operations are copied from the routing used.
 Routing – component overview. This indicator is always taken into account, irrespective of the
indicators in the material master or work center.

If the Backflushing indicator has been maintained in the master data, it is copied from there when you create a
production order. You can change the indicator in the production order

Incorrect Goods Movement

If errors arise during a goods movement for certain reasons(for example, during backflushing insufficient
stock is available in the warehouse) then you can either process the incorrect goods movements directly in the
confirmation transaction or separately using a reprocessing function.

 Correction in the confirmation

o In Customizing for Confirmations (OPK4 – Goods movements indicator in the Error
handling/logs area) you can define that, for individual entry of confirmations, the system
 displays an error log before it saves a confirmation with incorrect goods movements. Before
you save the confirmation you have the option of correcting the incorrect goods movements.
 Correction when reprocessing
o If you want to process incorrect goods movements at a later stage, you can use the
reprocessing function (COGI/CO1P)

We can clear many of the regular errors by setting up a batch job to run the program CORUPROC at defined
frequency.Still, we need a regular manual intervention to check to clear the residual errors using transactions
COGI (or CO1P), left behind after the batch job execution.

This is an attempt to prepare the list of Common errors seen in COGI and respective resolution actions.

While searching around, found another nice blog on COGI, by Tanya Duncan. Sure, many would find this an
useful reference as well.

ERROR TEXT RESOLUTION TRANSACTIONS

Deficit of SL Unrestricted-use location & then post COGI
XX EA : XXXXXXX YYYY
ZZZZ
Storage location field empty
Material XXXX YYYY ZZZZ Extend the material to the plant / storage
does not exist
In plant XXXX , post to
current period YYYY/MM
Posting only possible in
periods YYYY/MM and
YYYY/MM in company code
XXXX
The plant data of the material Wait for or Request the other user to
XXXXXX is locked by the
user UUUUU
Material XXXXXXX YYYY
ZZZZ blocked due to a
physical inventory
User Authorization Errors for
certain movements
Enter a vendor for special
stock
a.Add inventory to the respective Storage
MB1B / MB1C / MIGO
b.Change the Storage location entry to COGI
where the inventory is available
a.Enter the Storage location
COGI
b.Maintain the Issue storage location in
MM02/CS02
Material master or BOM
MM01 / MMSC
location & then post COGI
Change the posting date to current
COGI
month/date and save
Change the posting date to current
month/date ( within the referred posting COGI
period) and save
Wait for the unlocking
complete / let the material off his
& then post COGI
transactions & then post COGI
Wait for the Physical inventory process to
MI**
be completed / Request the Supervisor to
clear the physical inventory & then post
COGI
COGI
Get necessary authorization to the user /
Post the transaction using the other users
with the right authorization settings
Enter a vendor for the special stock (K,P)
COGI
on the COGI detail screen
 ERROR TEXT RESOLUTION TRANSACTIONS
Check the Order and reset the status (like
Current order status does not
DLFL/CLSD) temporarily. to allow goods CO02 –> COGI
allow goods receipt
movements
Enter the valuation type on the COGI
Enter valuation type COGI
detail screen

One of my favorite memories during my first SAP deployment was the task to resolve COGI errors after go
live. After I was assigned this role, I remember scouring the web, searching ‘What are COGI’s?’ and ‘Tips for
resolving COGI errors’ hoping to enlighten myself prior to go live. Not surprisingly, my search turned up
mostly forum posts about specific error messages and seemingly helpful articles that required payment. I’m not
sure that scanning a few articles would have helped much for the puzzles that lie ahead. Luckily I had an
incredible mentor and strong functional teammates to learn from. I even had a plant resource assigned solely to
help me resolve COGI’s! By the end of the week, I was jokingly referred to as the ‘COGI Queen’.

My hope for this blog is to provide a useful resource with best practices and common error messages as well as
my insights from experience. Ultimately, I think this should be a wiki, and I’d appreciate any advice on where
to place this and your insights and comments. Note that this blog will be particularly relevant for a
manufacturing environment.

Let’s start with the basics. COGI stands for Controlling Goods Issued and is a standard SAP transaction which
shows a report of automatic goods movement errors. Automatic Goods Issues are carried out by the production
confirmation if the Backflush indicator is set on the MRP 1 View.

 Backflushing is a goods issue of materials to the production line.

 The quantities for backflushing are controlled by the component quantities on the BOM.
 The storage location from which the components are issued is controlled by the Issue Storage
Location on the MRP1 View of the Material Master.

When the master data for finished goods is set up properly, the automatic goods issue will execute without
error whenever a production confirmation (partial or final) is entered. The automatic goods receipt may fail for
one of the following reasons:

 The Issue Storage Location field on the material master is blank.

 The storage location is blocked for that material (eg. during a physical inventory).
 There is an insufficient level of inventory in the system for the component(s) back flushed.

Now let’s lay the ground rules:

1. Start by viewing COGI in summation view by plant (default view). If you’re viewing this for the first time
after go live, relax. You will likely see a very large number of errors, but hopefully many are multiples of the
same error. Note that records are grouped by material, movement type, and error message with the number of
errors for each record after the error message code. If you dare, try viewing the COGI’s in individual records
display (select radio button at bottom of selection screen). Here you will see each error as an individual record.
This view is ideal when troubleshooting errors and not for an overall summary. Drill in to a COGI by double
clicking on the record. You can navigate right from the COGI error to view the material master, order, stock,
and stock/requirements list (depending on your SAP version). Note that transaction COGI is just the starting
point for resolving COGI’s. You will need to view and edit material masters, Production/Process Orders,
Vendor Masters, post inventory movements, view stock, view stock requirements list, etc. Be ready to dig
deep!

2. As a best practice, DO NOT DELETE COGI errors!! This is your only (or at least the easiest) indication that
there is an issue with stock that needs to be addressed. Make sure your key users know and live by this rule. It
will bite you later if you delete a COGI without addressing it first. There are a few cases where you can delete
a COGI after resolving the issue. Typically, pressing the save button and/or refresh button after resolving an
error does the trick.

3. Check the COGI report on a daily basis. During go live, this report is a great representation of the accuracy
of BOMs. For example, a BOM with the incorrect amount of a material, the wrong material, or the wrong
amount of scrap can cause a COGI. Resolving these issues requires correcting the BOM and correcting stock
with a physical inventory count. Never let a COGI sit for more than a week. Resolving these errors is very
important because it keeps the integrity of orders and stock in SAP.

4. Before cancelling a Production Order confirmation, correct the COGI errors from the original confirmation
to avoid creating additional errors.

5. A big part of resolving COGI’s is understanding the story behind the error. The best way to understand is to
get in the plant and talk to the people that do the confirmations and can show you and explain what happened. I
learned so much about resolving errors by actually seeing the materials I was editing and understanding the
types of BOM’s I was working with.

6. Document everything! Unfortunately standard SAP COGI does not keep a record of COGI’s. So after they
are deleted or cleared, you have no record of the quantity or type of errors at a given time. I exported the COGI
errors for each plant every hour for the first day, and twice a day for four or six weeks after go live. I had
several charts showing the decline of COGI’s after go live that were circulated around the team and to
leadership. COGI count was a good KPI after go live! You’ll also want to document what you did to resolve
COGI’s for auditing purposes and to save time when you see the same error again!

**Note that if someone is viewing a record in COGI, it will be locked. Also note that if a user selects all
records and saves, that users name will show as resolving that COGI error… even if another user actually
resolved it.

COGI Status:

Unit of Measure conversion error: The conversion of the UOM shown in the COGI error to the base UOM
in the material master is missing. The plant will need to review the error and insert the correct conversion in
the material master Units of Measure table. You can also avoid UOM errors by using a universal measurement
for materials. For example, measuring string or tape by feet/meters/inches instead of rolls because rolls can
differ between vendors.
Not executed – Transfer posting failed: Stock in vendor owned is available to fulfill consumption
requirement but when quantity is rounded to next whole base UOM there is not enough stock in vendor owned
to fulfill movement.

Multiple vendor records error: Only one consignment vendor may be assigned to a plant/material. The plant
must review their consignment vendors for the plant/material and mark one consignment price record for
deletion (MSK2). If there is stock from the vendor marked for deletion it must be reconciled, either by
purchasing the inventory or returning the inventory to the vendor. This reconciliation should be done before
the consignment price record is marked for deletion.

Insufficient stock or No retry due to deficit: This is a very common error shown when there is not enough
company or vendor owned stock to fulfill the requirement. Usually this error is caused because a raw material
has not been received at the plant or a semi-finished good material production order has not been confirmed at
the plant.

Material locked: The material is locked at the plant and any material movement transaction will fail. Once
the material is press save in COGI to clear the COGI error.

COGI failed: Inventory quantity is available to cover the requirement but was received at a later date than the
error was encountered. During the month this overlap of dates is not a problem, but when a COGI error occurs
in a previous month than when the inventory is received the system will not process the COGI error. The plant
must manually clean up these errors using the COGI transaction and overlay the date.

Completed: COGI error was corrected.

Common Error Messages:

This is a small sampling of the basic COGI errors you may see. This could be a 10 page blog if I added every
error I saw, especially some of the more complicated errors!

M7 021; Deficit of unrestricted stock: Not enough inventory to backflush in the storage location specified. If
inventory exists, make the necessary goods receipts (receive stock transfer or purchased goods).

M7 022; Quantity moved exceeded by x: The over delivery tolerance for the production order has been
exceeded. If an over delivery tolerance is not set in the material master on the work scheduling view, set one
up. If the over delivery is valid, create a second production order to handle to over-produced good.

F5 286; Period A is not open for account type X: Production confirmations have been entered during closing
before the next accounting period has been opened. Once the accounting period is open, select and save the
failed records.

M7 018; Enter storage location: This common error is caused when the Issue Storage Location is blank on
the Work Scheduling view of the material master. Double click and edit the record in COGI with the correct
storage location, then press the Save button. After correcting the record, update the Issue Storage Location
field on the material master with the correct storage location to avoid future errors.

M7 121; You have no authorization for this transaction with movement type XXX: Have a user with the
correct authorizations open this COGI and save to clear the error. Ensure that the user that tried to make this
movement initially has the correct level of authorization if required.
M7 053; Posting only possible in period XXXX/XX and XXXX/XX in Company Code XXXX: This is not
likely something you will see in a Production client, only in test systems, that is unless someone forgot to open
the accounting period for accounting and material postings (tsk tsk). Change the posting date if incorrect by
opening the COGI or open the correct periods, then save the COGI.

I think what I enjoyed most about my experience with COGI’s was the feeling of accomplishment and pride
when that total number dropped below 2000 and then 1000… and those days we saw zero! There was even a
healthy competition during my second deployment between the three plants! I really enjoyed being the go-to
person for such functionally integrated and fun problems.