Summary:

This article describes a common problem when a purchasing category is not automatically assigned in AP Automation when transferring items from Basware Marketplace or an external webshop. This problem exists if you or your users have ordered items from Marketplace, created a purchase requisition in AP Procurement, and one or more items do not have purchasing categories assigned.

 

Instructions:

If an item ordered from Basware Marketplace or an external webshop does not have a purchasing category, it is likely because the cross-references are not set up correctly. Purchasing category is mandatory data when creating purchase requisitions, so you cannot order items successfully without first fixing this issue.

Verify the setup of purchasing categories in AP Automation and Procurement:

1. Go to AP Automation > Data Management > Purchasing categories.
2. If you need to make changes to your purchasing categories, edit the categories directly or update them with an Excel import.

Check product classifications in Marketplace:

1. Go to Marketplace > Product Manager > Agreements, then select the agreement that the item is on.
2. Open the agreement that the affected item is on. 
3. Go to Items > . 
4. Click the name of the affected item. The classification is shown in the Additional information section.
   
   • Typically, items in Marketplace use a UNSPSC code for their classification. 

Check the setup of cross-references in Data Management:

Cross-references map Marketplace and external webshop product classifications to the purchasing categories you have set up in AP Automation. Typically, many classification codes are mapped to one purchase category. It is possible to add multiple cross-reference mappings. The mappings can be inherited from higher-level organizations or created on a single organization level.

1. Go to AP Automation > > Data Management > Cross-references.
2. Check that the correct cross-references are set up and set as Active. 
   • For the cross-reference that applies to your affected item, the item classification should be in the Cross-reference source code field. The desired purchasing category code should be in the Cross-reference target code field.
   • If you need to edit cross-reference items, you can do so directly or export the existing cross-references to Excel, edit the data, and import the edited file.

Additional Information:

Purchasing categories can be imported, exported, and updated in AP Automation. The purchasing category structure must be imported to AP Automation but the data within the categories (account data, supplier restrictions, review task management) can also be maintained manually if needed.

Export Purchasing Categories

Import Changes for Purchasing Categories