The Quality Info Record for Procurement (transaction QI01/QI02/QI03) is the specific master data object used in SAP Quality Management (QM) to control the relationship between a material and a supplier. It allows the quality department to define a release status and a "release until" date. This configuration directly determines whether purchasing documents, such as purchase orders, can be created for that specific material-supplier combination. If the material is not released in the quality info record, the system can be configured to block the procurement process, thus enforcing a quality release.

A. Business partner: The business partner master data contains general supplier information but does not control the procurement release for a specific material.

B. Material master: The material master's QM view defines quality parameters for the material itself, independent of the supplier from which it is procured.

C. Inspection plan: An inspection plan details how an inspection is performed (e.g., characteristics, methods) but does not control the initial procurement release for a supplier.

1. SAP S/4HANA 2023 Documentation

SAP Help Portal: Quality Info Record in Procurement. This document states

"In the quality info record

you can store QM-specific data that has been ascertained for a specific combination of material and supplier... You can set a 'release until' date for a material. This means that the material can be procured from this supplier until the specified date."

2. SAP S/4HANA 2023 Documentation

SAP Help Portal: QM in Procurement. Under the "Master Data for QM in Procurement" section

the Quality Info Record is identified as the key object for managing the supplier-material relationship. It details how the record's status profile and release criteria influence the creation of purchasing documents.