# SAP MM Order Creation: ME21N Step by Step and the Procure-to-Pay Process > Source: https://netray.co/erp-help/sap-me21n-purchase-order-creation-procure-to-pay-steps > Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems. > Section: ERP Help ## Short answer To create a purchase order in SAP MM, open ME21N, enter the vendor and organizational data in the header, add items with material, quantity, plant and price, then save. The PO sits inside the procure-to-pay flow: purchase requisition (ME51N), PO (ME21N), goods receipt (MIGO), invoice verification (MIRO) and payment (F110). ## Kind how-to ## System sap ## Erp SAP ECC / S/4HANA ## Module Materials Management / Purchasing and Procure-to-Pay ## Query sap mm order creation ## Alternate Queries - sap mm for procurement process - how to create purchase order in sap me21n - sap procure to pay process steps - sap me21n step by step ## Applies To SAP ECC 6.0 and S/4HANA on-premise. S/4HANA also offers Fiori apps for the same steps; the data model is the same. ## Steps ### How to create a purchase order in ME21N **Items:** - Open ME21N (Logistics > Materials Management > Purchasing > Purchase Order > Create > Vendor/Supplying Plant Known). - Select the order type, normally Standard PO (NB), and enter the vendor number. - In the Org. Data tab of the header, enter purchasing organization, purchasing group and company code. - In the item overview, enter the material (or short text), quantity, plant and, if needed, storage location and delivery date. - Enter or confirm the net price. If an info record or contract exists, the price is proposed automatically. - For account-assigned items (K for cost center), set the account assignment category and fill the cost center and G/L account. - Check for errors with the Check button, review the Conditions tab for freight and discounts, and fix any red messages. - Save. The PO number is issued, and output (print, EDI or email) is triggered per output determination, which you can view in ME9F. ## Sections ### The full procure-to-pay chain **Body:** Procure-to-pay starts with a need, entered manually as a purchase requisition (ME51N) or generated by MRP. A buyer may request quotes (ME41), then converts the requisition into a PO (ME21N, or ME58 and ME59N for automatic conversion). The vendor delivers; the warehouse posts a goods receipt in MIGO using movement type 101, which creates the material document and updates stock. The invoice arrives and is posted in MIRO with reference to the PO. The system performs a three-way match of PO, goods receipt and invoice, and blocks the invoice if price or quantity differs beyond tolerance. Payment follows through the automatic payment program (F110) in Finance. ### Where the data lives **Body:** The PO header is in EKKO and the items in EKPO, with schedule lines in EKET and account assignment in EKKN. PO history, meaning goods receipts and invoices posted against the item, is in EKBE. Purchase requisitions are in EBAN. Knowing these tables helps with reports and integrations, but for changes always use the transaction or the BAPI (BAPI_PO_CREATE1), not direct table updates. **Code:** - ME51N Create purchase requisition - ME41 Request for quotation - ME21N Create purchase order - ME22N Change PO - ME23N Display PO - MIGO Goods receipt (movement type 101) - MIRO Enter incoming invoice - F110 Automatic payment program - Tables: EBAN, EKKO, EKPO, EKET, EKKN, EKBE ### Controls that affect PO creation **Body:** A release strategy can block a PO until approvers release it (ME28 or ME29N); an unreleased PO cannot be received. Source lists and info records control price and vendor defaults, and tolerance limits control how far invoices may deviate from the PO. Most PO issues are one of three: a missing master data field (for example a material not extended to the plant), a missing authorization, or a release strategy that was not expected. The message in the status bar usually names the field. ## Pitfalls - Creating a PO for a material that is not extended to the plant, which gives a plant error on save. - Overriding the info record price by hand and breaking the audit trail. - Ignoring the release strategy and expecting immediate goods receipt. - Posting an invoice before the goods receipt, causing blocked invoices. - Updating EKKO or EKPO directly instead of using the transaction or BAPI. ## Ai Angle Buyers ask routine PO questions all day: where is this PO, what is received, why is the invoice blocked. A grounded assistant answers from EKKO, EKPO and EKBE under the buyer's own authorizations and can draft a PO for the buyer to review, never posting without approval. Netray's layer is read-only by default and can run on-prem. ## Faq ### What is the T-code to create a purchase order in SAP? **Answer:** ME21N creates a purchase order. ME22N changes it and ME23N displays it. The older ME21 and related transactions exist but ME21N is the standard in ECC and S/4HANA. ### What are the steps in the SAP procure-to-pay process? **Answer:** Purchase requisition, optional request for quotation, purchase order, goods receipt, invoice verification and payment. In transactions: ME51N, ME41, ME21N, MIGO, MIRO and F110. ### Which tables store purchase order data? **Answer:** EKKO holds PO headers, EKPO the items, EKET the schedule lines, EKKN account assignment and EKBE the PO history of receipts and invoices. Requisitions are in EBAN. ### Why can I not save my purchase order? **Answer:** Read the message in the status bar. Typical causes are a missing mandatory field, a material not maintained for the plant, a missing account assignment or authorization, or a pricing condition that cannot be determined. Fix the field named in the message. ## Search terms sap mm order creation, me21n create purchase order, sap procure to pay, sap mm procurement process, sap purchase order steps, sap po tables ekko ekpo, sap me21n step by step, sap goods receipt migo 101 --- Talk to an engineer: https://netray.co/contact?intent=erp_ai | Machine catalog: https://netray.co/agent/catalog.json