SAP: error in determining actual costs for order (and valuation with material cost estimate errors)
error in determining actual costs for order
Also searched as
- valuation with material cost estimate error
- error determining the cost estimate
- sap production order settlement cost estimate error
Short answer
These errors usually mean the system cannot value an order or a goods movement because the costing setup is incomplete: no released standard cost estimate for the material, a costing variant or valuation variant that does not match, or a missing settlement rule or profile. Fix the cost estimate release first, then check the order's costing variant and settlement setup.
Applies to: SAP ECC 6.0 and S/4HANA with Product Cost by Order or Production Orders. Exact message numbers differ by release, so read the long text of your message.
Diagnose and fix the cost determination error
- 1Open the error log of the failing transaction (CO88 or KO88 for settlement, KKS1 or KKS2 for variances, or the goods movement) and read the message class and number, then use the long text.
- 2Open the material master Accounting 1 view (MM03). Check the price control (S or V), the standard price and the valuation class. Price control S with a zero standard price means no released estimate.
- 3Open CK13N for the material and plant and check the costing status: it must show a marked and then released estimate. If not, run CK11N with the right costing variant, then release with CK24 (price update) or the costing run.
- 4Open the order header in CO03 and check the costing variant on the Control data tab and the order type's variant settings (OPJH for order type dependent parameters).
- 5Check the settlement rule on the order (CO02 > Goto > Settlement rule). The receiver must be valid, with the settlement profile allowing the receiver type.
- 6Check the order's status. A technically completed or closed order may block postings; a missing 'preliminary costing' flag may stop target cost determination.
- 7Repeat the failing step in a test client or period, and when it completes, rerun the settlement for the affected period.
Cause 1: no usable material cost estimate
A standard-priced material (price control S) needs a released standard cost estimate. Without it, the standard price in the material master stays at whatever it was before, often zero, so receipts from production, variances and valuation all end in an error or a distorted value. The message about valuation with material cost estimate points directly at this.
Also check the costing variant you use for the standard estimate. The variant defines the costing type, the valuation variant (which price to use for components, activities and the BOM and routing selection) and the date control. If the valuation variant cannot find prices for components, the estimate carries errors and cannot be marked. Open CK13N and read the error log of the estimate before anything else.
Cause 2: costing variant and valuation variant mismatch on the order
The planned costs of an order come from the costing variant for planned costs on the order type and plant, and actual costs are determined by a separate costing variant for actual costs. If the actual costing variant points at a valuation variant that is not set up for your plant or has no price source for an input, the system cannot value an item. It stops with the error on the order.
In the order, a missing routing or BOM version can also cause trouble: if costing cannot find a valid production version for the date, the planned cost cannot be computed, and target costs and variances fail later. Resolve BOM and routing selection first.
Useful transactions:
CK13N Display material cost estimate and error log
CK11N Create estimate with quantity structure
CK24 Mark and release price update
CO03 Display order, check costing variant and settlement rule
KKS2 Variances for collective orders
CO88 Collective settlement of production orders
Cause 3: settlement setup and period
Settlement errors happen when no settlement rule exists, the settlement profile does not allow the receiver, the allocation structure or source structure is missing (settlement profile, OKO7), or the posting period is closed for the receiving company code. The message usually names the object, so follow it.
Also distinguish the two jobs. Variance calculation (KKS1 or KKS2) determines the difference between actual and target cost and needs a valid cost estimate. Settlement (CO88) posts that difference to the receiver, usually inventory or price difference accounts. A failure in one often looks like a failure in the other, so run them in order.
Try it here, free
SAP Controlling (CO) Database Tables Reference
A searchable reference of the SAP tables behind cost centers, internal orders, product costing and material valuation.
Common pitfalls
- !Releasing the cost estimate in the wrong period: the release must happen for the fiscal period you are posting to, or the old price stays active.
- !Changing the costing variant after orders are released: existing orders keep the old data, so fix the order type setting and re-cost the open orders.
- !Fixing the symptom at the order only: if 50 materials have no released estimate, the same error returns on each order.
- !Running settlement before variances: you settle incomplete data and have to reverse it.
- !Editing the standard price manually in MM02 instead of releasing an estimate: it works until the next costing run overwrites it.
How an ERP-grounded AI assistant handles this
Cost determination errors are mostly a data audit: which materials in open orders have price control S and no released estimate, which orders have no settlement rule, which plants have an open period. An assistant such as ERPray, read-only over the cost and order tables and showing each query, can produce that list and rank it by order value, so a controller fixes the root causes in one pass. Writes such as releasing an estimate stay with a person.
Frequently asked questions
What does 'valuation with material cost estimate' mean in SAP?
It means the system values a quantity, such as a goods receipt from production or an inventory difference, with the standard cost estimate of the material instead of the plain price in the master. If no valid, released estimate exists for the period, it raises an error.
How do I release a standard cost estimate?
Create the estimate with CK11N, then mark it with the price update function in CK24, and release it. In larger systems you run a costing run (CK40N) and release all estimates together. Releasing updates the standard price in the material master for the period.
Why does settlement fail even though costing is fine?
Check the settlement rule on the order, the settlement profile and the allocation structure, and whether the posting period is open for the receiving company code. A receiver that is blocked or invalid also stops settlement with its own message.
Can I settle an order that has no goods receipt?
You can settle costs with a rule to a cost object or inventory, but variance logic depends on the delivered quantity. With no receipt, work in process is calculated instead of variances. Check your result calculation key before you settle.
Related
SAP CO11N Confirmation Errors and How to Fix Them
CO11N (time ticket confirmation for production/process orders) throws several distinct errors: deviation from the standard value is too large, goods movement not possible for a component, or the order/operation status does not allow confirmation. Each has a specific cause in order status, routing tolerance settings, or component availability, not a single generic fix.
How-toSAP Production Order Technically Complete (TECO): Set and Reverse in CO02
TECO (technically complete) stops further goods movements and confirmations on a production order and removes open reservations and capacity requirements. Set it in CO02 under Functions > Restrict Processing > Technically Complete, and reverse it with Reset Technically Complete when the order still needs postings. CLSD, the business close, is a separate step that comes after settlement.
Error fixSAP CO01 Error: No Production Version Found for Material
SAP cannot pick a production version for the order quantity and date, so it cannot determine the BOM and routing. Fix it in C223 or on the MRP 4 view of the material: create a version for the plant, make its validity dates and lot size range cover the order, link a valid BOM alternative and routing, and remove the lock indicator.
Error fixSAP M7 021: Deficit of SL Stock Quantity
M7 021 fires during a goods issue, delivery, or confirmation when SAP checks the unrestricted-use (SL) stock for the exact plant, storage location and batch combination and finds less than what you are trying to post out. Fix the entry (batch, storage location, quantity) first; only enable negative stock or downgrade the message to a warning if the business genuinely needs to post ahead of a receipt.
Error fixSAP IDoc Status 51: Application Document Not Posted
Status 51 tells you the IDoc reached the application layer and failed to post, but the status text itself is not the error - the real cause sits in the status record's long text or the linked application log. Fix the underlying data or configuration, then reprocess the IDoc through BD87 rather than editing the status.
Error fixSAP Short Dump TIME_OUT: Maximum Runtime Exceeded
A TIME_OUT runtime error means a dialog (or RFC) work process ran longer than the maximum allowed runtime, controlled by profile parameter rdisp/max_wprun_time (600 seconds by default). The fix is almost always to move the long-running work to background processing or tune the underlying program, not to raise the timeout.
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