Sort Key Functionalities

Contents of the Document:

This document is an attempt at analyzing the functionality of sort key in SAP.
This document provides a framework for understanding:

What is a Sort Key

What is the functionality of a sort key

What are the uses of Sort Key

General process flow for using sort key

Example for illustrating the sort key functionality

Sort Keys:
Sort Keys are used to populate the Assignment number field in the line items of
customers or vendors or general ledgers.
The content of this Assignment number field can be populated in a customer or
vendor or general ledger document when the document is created:

either manually

or automatically by the system

Whenever a document is created, the Assignment number field in the

document line items will be populated automatically, if the requisite sort keys
are assigned to the customers or vendors or general ledgers master record.
Use of Sort Key - Benefits of Automatic Population of Assignment Field:
Whenever any standard reports are executed for displaying the line items of
customers or vendors or general ledgers, SAP uses the content of the
Assignment number field as one of the criteria to sort and display the line
items.

What are the contents that can be populated automatically in the

Assignment number field:
The Assignment number field of a customer or vendor or general ledger
document line item can be populated automatically with the contents of one or
more fields which are:

Either the data derived from the header of the document

Or the data derived from the line item of the document

The only requirement is that the above mentioned data proposed to be

populated automatically in the Assignment number field should be available in
one of the database tables BKPF or BSEG or BSEC or BSED.
Can partial contents be populated in the Assignment number field:
The contents of the fields available in the database tables
BKPF or BSEG or BSEC or BSED can be populated automatically in the
Assignment number field of the document, either completely or partially.
This can be controlled by mentioning the length of the field to be transferred in
the fields Length and Offset.
Applicability of the Sort Key logic:
The logic defined in the Sort Key is applicable across the client.
General Process Flow Describing Sort Key Functionality:

Illustration of Sort Key Functionality:

Step 1:SAP Configuration - Define Sort Key:

Description

Transaction
Code

Determine Standard Sorting for Line

Items

SPRO

The standard sort keys provided by SAP can be used to automatically populate
the Assignment number field.
But custom sort keys can also be defined if the requirements of the client
cannot be met with the standard sort keys available.
For example, if the standard sort key 002 is assigned to the customer or
vendor or general ledger master record, it would populate the Assignment
number field of the document with the document number (BELNR) followed by
the fiscal year (GJAHR).
Similarly, the standard sort key 001, would populate the Assignment number
field of the document with the posting date.

Parameters of standard sort key 002 - Screen Shot:

Parameters of standard sort key 001 - Screen Shot:

Step 2: Master Data maintenance - for illustrating Sort Key

Functionality:
Assigning Sort Key in the customer master:
Description

Transaction Code

Create/change Customer
master

FD01/FD02/XD01/XD02

In the example, the standard sort key 001 has been assigned to the
customer master.

Assignment of Sort Key in Customer Master Record - Screen Shot:

(Similar assignment can be made in the case of vendor or general ledger
master record also)
Step 3: Transactional data - for illustrating Sort Key Functionality:
Post Invoice against customer:
Description

Transaction Code

Enter Customer
Invoice

FB70/VF01

An invoice is posted against the customer referred above, without entering

anything in the Assignment number field.
After the document is saved, if the Assignment number field is checked, it can
be seen that the field is automatically populated with the posting date of the
document.

In the example below, the sort key assigned in the customer master record is
001 - Posting Date.
Since the posting date of the customer invoice - 7500205569, is 07/20/2012,
the Assignment number field in the document is automatically populated with
the posting date in the format YYYYMMDD (20120720).

Automatic population of Assignment Number field in the customer

invoice - Screen Shot:
Similarly, for subsequent documents posted, the posting date would
automatically get populated in the Assignment number field.

In the example, the posting date of the document 7500208207 is 08/03/2012,

and hence the Assignment number field is automatically populated as
20120803.

Similarly, the posting date of the document 7500210765 is 08/17/2012, and

hence the Assignment number field is automatically populated as 20120817.
Step 4: Transactional data - for illustrating Sort Key Functionality:
Customer Line Item Display:
Description

Transaction Code

Customer Line Item Display

FBL5N

When the transaction code is executed to display the customer line items, it
can be observed that the line items are displayed sorted on the basis of the
content of the Assignment number field.

Customer Line Item Display Report - Screen Shot:

Step 5: Transactional data - for illustrating Sort Key Functionality:
Modify Assignment number field of the customer invoice:

Description

Transaction Code

Change Customer Document

Line Item

FB02

The Assignment number field of the customer invoice - 7500205569 is

modified manually and the content is changed from 20120720 to 20120920

Modification of Assignment Number field in Customer Invoice - Screen

Shot:
Step 6: Transactional data - for illustrating Sort Key Functionality:
Re-run Customer Line Item Display:

Description

Transaction Code

Customer Line Item

Display

FBL5N

When the transaction code is re-executed to display the customer line items, it
can be observed that the line items are displayed sorted on the basis of the
content of the modified Assignment number fields.
The customer invoice - 7500205569 which was previously displayed as the
first invoice in the report is currently being displayed as the third invoice,
because the content of the Assignment number field has been modified.

Customer Line Item Display Report after modification of Assignment

number field - Screen Shot:
Conclusion: Based on the above discussion, it can be concluded that:
The Assignment number field of a customer or vendor or general ledger document,
if not manually populated, will be automatically populated with the data from the
header or line item of the document as per the sort key assigned to the customer or
vendor of general ledger master record.

The content that will be populated in the Assignment number field will be derived
from the database tables BKPF or BSEG or BSEC or BSED.
The customer line items are displayed in standard SAP reports after being sorted on
the basis of the content of the Assignment number field.