Generate Document numbers without Gaps / Number Range Buffering

By Sumit Joshi, L&T InfoTech

This document gives a detailed description on what is the concept of number range buffering and how to activate or deactivate this. Buffering is something that advised by experts for performance but in certain cases, deactivating the number range buffering may only be required for certain countries or sales organizations.

Applies to:

SAP SD, SAP ECC 6.0.

Document Objectives

This describes how you can deactivate the buffering of number range object 'RV_BELEG', if you need to make sure that there are no gaps in the document numbers in certain areas of Sales and Distribution (for example, delivery or billing document).

In legacy system, generally the sales orders and invoices have the same number and since the documents are created locally for the orders and invoices, each country is responsible for creating the documents at the local level. The numbers are also assigned externally by the users using a pre-defined sequence. 

It is required in certain countries, by law to have sequential invoice number generation and utilization. The numbers should be generated/ created without any gaps and if there are any gaps the company has to give a written explanation why the gaps occurred

Number Range Buffering

Through transaction SNRO we can see the buffer status of the object RV_BELEG (Number ranges for SD documents). This is activated and value of buffer is 10 here.

Now we go to transaction VOFA and see the number range assigned to Billing type ZF2 is 19.

An entry in VN01 for number range 19. Here the current number showing is 90009128.

Now if we create an invoice the invoice number created will be less than 10 from current number and that will be 90009118. This is because of the buffer.

Processing steps:

• Creating an invoice

• System creates a document number

• Read its buffer value

• Read its current number

• If this is same then increment the value of the current number by 10

• If it is less than current number then assign a number next to last assigned and the current number will be same.

Now if some another user log in to system and create an invoice, the current number will increase by 10 and a document number create with gaps with previously created number.

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