A material specification in SAP Quality Management (QM) serves as a simplified inspection plan, defining the inspection criteria directly for a material. The core components used to build a material specification are fundamental QM basic data objects. These include:

1. Master Inspection Characteristics (A): Defines what quality attribute to inspect (e.g., length, color, viscosity). This is the primary object.

2. Sampling Procedures (C): Determines how many units or samples to inspect from an inspection lot.

3. Inspection Methods (E): Specifies how an inspection for a characteristic should be carried out, providing detailed instructions or referencing a standard operating procedure.

These three elements form the essential framework for any inspection defined within a material specification.

B. Dynamic modification rule: This is an optional rule to alter the inspection scope based on historical quality results; it is not a mandatory or fundamental component of the basic specification structure.

D. Selected set: This is a subset of catalog codes used for recording results for qualitative characteristics. It is typically assigned within the master inspection characteristic itself, not as a separate, primary object in the material specification.

1. SAP S/4HANA Help Portal - Material Specification: "In a material specification

you can... store inspection specifications for a material... You edit the material specification by assigning master inspection characteristics to a material and adding specifications (for example

target values

and limits)." This confirms the central role of Master Inspection Characteristics (A).

Source: SAP SE

SAP S/4HANA Documentation

"Quality Management (QM) > Quality Planning > Inspection Planning > Material Specification".

2. SAP S/4HANA Help Portal - Processing of Inspection Characteristics in Plans: "For each inspection characteristic in an inspection plan

you can... assign an inspection method... assign a sampling procedure or a sampling scheme." This documentation

applicable to all plan types including material specifications

confirms that Inspection Methods (E) and Sampling Procedures (C) are directly assigned to characteristics within the plan.

Source: SAP SE

SAP S/4HANA Documentation

"Quality Management (QM) > Quality Planning > Inspection Planning > Editing Inspection Plans > Processing of Inspection Characteristics in Plans".

3. SAP S/4HANA Help Portal - Inspection Method: "You can assign an inspection method to a master inspection characteristic or directly to an inspection characteristic in an inspection plan." This explicitly supports the use of Inspection Methods (E) within a plan structure like a material specification.

Source: SAP SE

SAP S/4HANA Documentation

"Quality Management (QM) > Quality Planning > Basic Data > Inspection Characteristic > Inspection Method".