Introduction:

Configuration is a very important section in SAP for any module.

Instead of following standard documents and replicating the
same, one consultant should have each and every detail of any
configuration for which s/he is responsible. Detailed
documentation of the configuration helps a lot to understand the
requirements and customizing to fulfill the requirements.
This is one of the most basic configuration section for BOM.
In this document we will try to explore various Modification
Parameters inside Control Parameter configuration of PP basic
data Bill of Materials.
The configuration of Bill of Material is available in the IMG path
(transaction SPRO) as shown below:

Control Data for BOM:

The control data configuration, the central modification
parameters and default values are maintained. These settings are
central settings and applicable across the BOM usage and types.
Define Modification Parameters:
This configuration can be called by OS27 transaction code. The
configuration data is stored in table TCS03 configuration table
(maintainable in SE16N, or in SM30, table V_TCS03_M).

The configuration is sub-divided into the following sections:

Validity
Technical Type
BOM Item
General Settings
We will discuss the indicators in detail for each section, and will
try to test the impacts of the same.
Validity:

Low Date:
If marked, the system proposes the earliest processing date (in
standard 01.01.1900) by default for the BOM maintenance. When
unchecked, system proposes the system date for the same.
Example in CS01/CS02 :
With Low Date checked:

With Low Date not marked:

BOM Validity Maint. Indicator:

This indicator controls whether the user has the flexibility of
changing the Valid from Date when maintaining BOM
(CS01/CS02). If not marked, system takes the Valid from Date as
per the Low Date indicator.

Note: This indicator cannot be removed when using Engineering

Change management, because ECM enables to maintain BOMs
based on a Valid from Date. System throws the following error:

Recommended setting: mark the field. If you do not want to give

the flexibility of changing the valid from date, try a screen variant.

EC Management Active Indicator:

This indicator specifies whether BOMs can be changed with a
reference to a change number. When a BOM is changed with a
change number, both the data (before and after the validity of
that change) are stored in the database. This is a central setting,
and is further defined in History Requirements for BOM
configuration (OS25). Activating this indicator here in OS27 does
not mean that ECM is mandatory for all the BOMs, but it is
optional change management is allowed. In OS25, we define

what are the BOM usages and BOM status combinations that will
have change management mandatory.
If you do not require change management for any BOMs, you may
uncheck this indicator.
Note: This indicator cannot be removed when using History
Requirement indicator because active history requirement has
ECM as a mandatory feature. You will receive the following error
message:

History Requirement Indicator:

This indicator specifies whether you need to enter a change
number for creation of BOMs. With this indicator ticked, system
asks for a change number during creation of BOM (CS01):

This message can be an error message or warning message,

based on the value of the authorization object C_STUE_NOH
assigned to the user role.

History Requirement Variant:

This indicator controls the requirement of a change number when

a new variant or alternative is added to a BOM group. The
possible entries are:

Blank: If any of the alternative or variant BOMs has been

changed with reference to a change number, system asks for a
change number during creation of new alternative or variant.
1: If any of the alternative or variant BOMs has the status that
requires history requirement (as defined in OS25), system asks for
a change number during creation of new alternative or variant. It
may be the case that none of the alternatives or variants has
previously been changed with reference to a change number, but
one or more of them have a status for which OS25 configuration
defines history requirement.
2: A new alternative or variant can always be created without a
change number.
Note: If the History Requirement indicator (discussed earlier) is
marked, system will always ask for a change number during
creation regardless of the setting maintained in Hist. Reqmt.
Variant.
Sub-Item Documentation:
Sub Items are partial quantities of a BOM item that can have
different installation locations. In general, they have no
operational functionality in BOM, and are not copied in the
production order. Changing the sub-items with a change number
is recorded when this indicator is active. Otherwise, changes to
sub items are not recorded.

For example: I have a BOM valid from 01.01.2013 and I have the
sub-items for item 0010 as shown:

Now I change the sub-items with a change number valid from

20.08.2013:

With the Sub-item documentation indicator active, system will

record this change, thus showing two different line items for 0010,
one with 01.01.2013 to 20.08.2013, another from 20.08.2013 to
31.12.9999, with the sub-item records.

All the sub-item change details are stored accordingly.

With the indicator inactive, system does not store this change
event. It just updates with the latest modification:

Header Indicator/ Create BOM Header with Parameter Effectivity:

This indicator specifies whether the Header is also subjected to
parameter effectivity during creation of a BOM with a change
number with parameter effectivity.
You can find more details about parameter effectivity here:

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_erp60_sp/helpdata/en/50/5fcc36df2e
a85be10000009b38f839/frameset.htm
It is recommended to leave this indicator unchecked to avoid
inconsistencies. One example is given here.
Suppose we have this indicator active.
We create a BOM with a change number with parameter
effectivity. The header is also subjected to this parameter
effectivity. We further change this BOM with another change
number with parameter effectivity. During this change, if we
change only the BOM items, and not the header, the following
consequence will follow. If we try to explode the BOM with a
parameter variant corresponding to the new change number,
system will be unable to find the BOM header, thus not exploding
the same. The items are thus not being considered.
Kindly follow the link mentioned earlier to know the usage of
parameter effectivity in Engineering Change management of
BOMs.
As a recommended setting, we leave it blank.
Handling Deletion Indicators for BOM Explosion:
This setting is implemented in accordance with the OSS note
552974.
The BOM explosion function modules had issues with the
alternatives with deletion flag. This is corrected by this
functionality and implementation of the note mentioned.

For example, in standard, if I have two active alternatives:

In this case, system fails to select the alternative 2 inside the

production order.

Now in this scenario, depending upon the settings in the

Handling deletion flag value:
Blank or z: system fails to select alternative 2.
1: Bill of material deleted: system treats the alternative 1
(for which deletion flag has been active) as deleted BOM and
picks up alternative 2.
2: Ignore deletion flag: system ignores the deletion flag and
selects alternative 1.
As a good practice, it is advisable to make BOM status inactive
when the deletion flag is updated for that alternative.

Technical Type:

Multiple BOM Inactive:

When this indicator is active, multiple BOMs cannot be
maintained.
If you already have alternative BOMs present in the system,
system shows a warning message during the configuration
change:

You cannot maintain alternative BOMs for a material when this

indicator is ticked. System throws the following error:

Variant BOM Inactive:

When this indicator is active, variant BOMs cannot be maintained.
If you already have variant BOMs present in the system, system
shows a warning message during the configuration change:

You cannot maintain variant BOMs for a material when this

indicator is ticked. The create variant BOM disappears and the
menu function becomes inactive:
With the indicator unchecked:

With the indicator checked:

BOM Item:

Item Explosion Types:

This is useful when changes in a BOM takes place with reference
to change numbers and further a date shift happens to the

change numbers so that the items can overlap or may have two
or more versions of an item present.
Please follow the link shared for a detailed example:
http://help.sap.com/saphelp_470/helpdata/en/d8/731e054b7511d
1894b0000e8323c4f/content.htm
We will take a simple example. The BOM is defined from
01.01.2013.

We change it (quantity change) with a change number having

valid from date 01.10.2013.

We further change (quantity change) with a change number

having valid from date 01.12.2013.

Now we shift the valid from date of the second change number to
20.08.2013. That will make the period from 20.08.2013 to
01.10.2013 as an overlap period.

Now we will check the effect of the indicator in the configuration

by creating production orders in this overlapping period, thus
exploding the BOMs.
When blank, system proposes all versions.

When 1, system takes the most recently created version, i.e. the
effect of third change number.

When 2, system takes the latest version in time by sorting in

terms of most recent valid from date. Here we have only one
preceding overlapping change number, thus again, the effect of
the third change number will be taken.
Description of Variable Size Item:
This indicator determines which description of the variable size
item will be displayed in the item overview screen:

With blank it takes the item text from status/ long text tab:

When 1 or blank without maintaining item text, it takes the

component's material master short text:

When 2, it takes the variable size dimensions with formula:

Repeated Item Effectivity via External Item ID:

Item ID field (RC29P IDENT) in BOM components view can be
externally maintained or internally generated. Once allotted, it
cannot be changed.

For external, you can maintain any alpha-numeric entry with at

least one numeric value. You cannot have numeric values for
external item ID.

For internal, system assigns ascending numeric values according

to the sequence the items are entered.
In case of external item IDs, since they are maintained manually,
there can be duplicate values. This indicator controls whether
system will allow duplicate values or not.
If unchecked, system throws the following message:

Otherwise, when checked, system allows the same.

Note, system will not however, allow the same during creation. It
is only applicable when you change the BOM with a change
number. Then you can allow the same Item ID used earlier.

General Settings:

Unit 'Piece':
For the header of the BOMs like Equipment BOM (IB01
transaction), Functional Location BOM (IB11 transaction) etc. this
UOM is used. This comes as default, and this is not changeable.

For the components with item category text item, document item,
or non-stock without material master, this is the default UOM
used.

CAD Active:
This indicator is only relevant for material BOMs and it shows that
the BOMs can be generated from a CAD system.
The field is shown in the components detail Basic Data tab CAD
indicator, and the header data Further Data tab CAD indicator.
There are various CAD integrators available and offered by SAP.
PDM integration for AutoCAD is one of the used techniques;
please follow the links shared below to explore the same:
http://help.sap.com/saphelp_46c/helpdata/en/16/26fad26a6d11d3
955700a0c92f024a/frameset.htm
http://www.sap.com/solutions/businesssuite/plm/featuresfunctions/cad/index.epx

Common OS27 Setting:

Also, it is advisable to take a dump from TCS03 table in a

spreadsheet.
SAP provides IMG documentation for each and every field that we
configure. The person going through the standard configuration or
best practice configuration guides should read this documentation
to understand each and every detail to gain knowledge of the
impact of these configurations.