Optional Merge Behavior in Bulk Creation of Sales Documents
Contract Group Code field available on maintenance contract headers with automatic validation
Validates 14 key fields (Customer No., Contact, Billing, Location, Posting Description, Salesperson, Currency, Language, Your Reference) when assigning Contract Group Code
Validation at three points: Contract Group Code assignment, Calculate Sales Documents, and Release Contract
Collected error messages show all field mismatches at once
Optional contract grouping during batch sales document creation (enabled by default)
Contracts with same Contract Group Code and same Suggested Sales Document Date combine into one sales document
Each contract appears as separate sales line with its own amount
Posting description shows "Multiple Contracts" for grouped sales documents
Enhanced summary reporting shows grouped versus individual sales documents created
+How It Works+
Setting Up Contract Groups:
Open a maintenance contract and assign a Contract Group Code. System automatically validates that all key fields match other Released contracts with the same group code. If validation fails, review collected error messages and adjust field values. Repeat for all contracts to group together.
Batch Creating Grouped Sales Documents:
Navigate to Batch Create Sales Documents report. Set Starting Date and Ending Date filters. Ensure "Group Contracts" option is enabled (default). Run the report. Contracts with same Contract Group Code and Suggested Date combine into single sales documents, while others process individually.
Grouping Requirements:
Contracts must have same Contract Group Code (blank codes process individually)
Contracts must have same Suggested Sales Document Date
All standard filters apply: Released status, no existing Sales Document No., not marked Skip Charge
Single contract in group processes individually with its own posting description
Contract details respect individual contract settings regardless of grouping
+How It Does NOT Work+
Validation Limitations:
❌ Validation does NOT compare against Open or Closed contracts - only Released contracts
❌ Blank Contract Group Code does NOT trigger validation
❌ Validation does NOT occur continuously - only at three specific points
❌ Cannot assign Contract Group Code without matching field values in the group
Grouping Limitations:
❌ Does NOT group contracts with different Suggested Sales Document Dates
❌ Does NOT group contracts with blank Contract Group Codes
❌ Does NOT group contracts that don't meet standard eligibility (Released status, no existing sales document, not Skip Charge)
❌ Single contract in group does NOT get "Multiple Contracts" posting description
❌ Disabling "Group Contracts" does NOT preserve any grouping - processes each contract individually
Field Validation:
❌ Does NOT validate against Open or Closed contracts - only Released contracts in same group
❌ Does NOT automatically fix mismatched fields - manual correction required
❌ Does NOT allow partial matches - all 14 key fields must match exactly
❌ Different date ranges do NOT bypass validation - group validation always applies if Contract Group Code is assigned
+Upgrade Impact+
No data migration required - Contract Group Code is optional
Existing contracts continue to work without changes
Group Contracts option defaults to disabled on Batch Create Sales Documents report
Users can optionally assign Contract Group Codes to existing contracts
No setup changes required - existing permission sets are sufficient
Existing batch processing behavior unchanged when grouping is disabled
Error Messages:
"Field [Field Name] does not match other contracts in group [Group Code]..." → Update field to match other contracts in group or assign different Contract Group Code
Multiple error messages collected and displayed together → Review all listed mismatches and update fields
"Starting Date and Ending Date must be specified." → Enter both dates before running report