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Individual account vs. contact person

Former Member
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Hi everyone,

Why is an individual account created automatically when you create a contact person in SAP CRM? It's confusing for the sales reps. that they can find the contact persons under account but as individual accounts. We don't use these individual accounts at all. Can someone explain the purpose and maybe a solution if you don't use individual accounts?

Thank you in advance!

Best regards,

Hannes de Richelieu

Accepted Solutions (1)

Accepted Solutions (1)

VishnAndr
Active Contributor
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Hello, Hannes.

In general there is no difference between contact person and individual account. All personal information is stored in BUT000 table (and related) for both cases.

The only difference as far as I know is: contact person will have a link to corporate account (actually there can be cases when individual would be a contact person for individual also).

Also you may consider the note 1117424 - Contact Person-role not created for Contact Persons.

In section "Reason and prerequisites" it's clearly stated:

In standard, a Contact Person is defined as an Individual Account having a relationship to an Account "Is Contact Person For".

As mentioned above you can filter out this individual accounts from the search based on the role assigned.

Former Member
0 Kudos

Hi Andrei,

Thanks for your reply.

I have already maintained so contact person role will automatically be added for each new contact person. I understand what you mean that you can filter to avoid to get matches for these individual accounts. Just think it's weird that I get an individual account for each new contact person I create. We only use the cooperate accounts and contact persons. Don't understand why we should use individual accounts?!

Are you with me? SAP need to have some kind of thought with these individual accounts?

Thank you in advance!

VishnAndr
Active Contributor
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Hannes.

Actually, you do not need to use 'individual accounts'. What you see is a business partner with category 'Individual'.

As I stated above. There is no separate object 'Contact person'. Point. Even if we would imagine this then there would be no need to have two duplicate objects: one for individual accounts and one for contact persons. Because they are very similar. Don't you agree? So it have been chosen to keep only one object. Guess which one? Correct. The one which has broader concept. Individual business partner.

Surely, I can only guess what was the reason. But I believe that I'm not far away from the decision-makers thoughts here.

To make your users' life easier I'd also suggest to adjust the account search page to make them search only for corporate accounts there. You can reduce the category dropdown list in BP_HEAD_SEARCH/MainSearchShuffler in get_v_category method.

Former Member
0 Kudos

Hi again Andrei,

Our users have been told to not use BP Individual Account, they should only use the BP Contact Person. But users will forget and sometimes they will add information to the individual account instead of the contact person. Next time the enter the contact person they claim that the information they have been added (on the individual account) is missing. Actually it's there but on the individual account. I think I'm missing the point with having the individual account in the system.

However, your solution to make my life easier, it's sounds like a great plan. Big issue, I can't program on my own and I guess "reduce the category dropdown" can't be made by configuration?

Thank you very much for all of your help! I'm a rookie so therefore "stupid" questions sometimes.

Best regards,

Hannes de Richelieu

VishnAndr
Active Contributor
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Glad to help.

My suggestion needs to be developed. It's quite easy.

I think I'm missing the point with having the individual account in the system.

Once more. Business partner as a technical object stores all data you're entering in Contact Person. Business partner with category 'Individual' = Individual account. But business partners with category 'Individual' can be used themselves (B2C). So if you need to use only B2B - go ahead and adjust accordingly. Or ask your users to work only with CP (just remind them once more ).

Former Member
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I understand but you need to know something about programming to be able to do it even if it's easy. I have no knowledge at all! But I want to learn

Are you saying that if I change business category to B2B I will get rid of the individual accounts? Or did I misunderstand you completely?

VishnAndr
Active Contributor
0 Kudos

Individual accounts will exist. They will be there, whether you want it or not.

But with my suggestion your users will not be able to use Account search to find Individual accounts.

It's very good that you want to learn.

Here the steps need to be done.

1. Enhance BP_HEAD_SEARCH component in BSP_WD_CMPWB

2. Enhance view BP_HEAD_SEARCH/MainSearchShuffler.

3. Enhance context node SEARCH in it.

4. Redefine GET_V_CATEGORY method there.

5. You can copy-paste the code from the standard implementation adjusting it as follows (only part of the code but all other code are the same):

.......

*   Get BP categories

     CALL METHOD cl_crm_uiu_bp_cust_get=>get_values_for_field

       EXPORTING

         iv_fieldname   = 'CATEGORY_SRCH'

       RECEIVING

         rt_value       = lt_ddlb

       EXCEPTIONS

         error_occurred = 1

         OTHERS         = 2.

* -> Differences with standard code starting here

* We do not need "All account options", so comment below

*    ls_ddlb-value = cl_wd_utilities=>get_otr_text_by_alias( 'CRM_UIU_BP_SEARCH/SEARCH_ALL' ).

*

*     INSERT ls_ddlb INTO lt_ddlb INDEX 1.

* Delete not needed categories

      DELETE lt_ddlb WITH KEY key = '1'. "Individual accounts

      DELETE lt_ddlb WITH KEY key = '3'. "Groups

*

* <- Standard code continued below

     gr_ddlb_category->set_selection_table( it_selection_table = lt_ddlb ).

*   Get  initial BP category .This is required if there is a requirement to  delete any of the standard categories.

*   note 1308330

       READ TABLE lt_ddlb INTO ls_ddlb INDEX 1.

         gv_initial_category = ls_ddlb-key.

.....

How to enhance component, view and context node you will find on SCN. There is plenty of information.

Hope this will help you.

Former Member
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Really appreciate all of your help! Thanks a lot!

Answers (3)

Answers (3)

ashik_k2
Contributor
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Hello Hannes,

One difference I can see is,

When you open BP as a contact person there are some restricted features like you cant delete a relationship  by deleting a work address. If you want to delete a relationship you have to delete it from Corporate  Account or Individual account. From contact application you can delete only work addresses.

Regards,

Ashik

ocpjcp
Active Participant
0 Kudos

Hello Hannes,

In IMG go to 

Cross-application components

          ->Sap Business partner

                         ->Business Partner

                                        -> basic settings

                                                       -> Business partner roles

                                                                      ->defines BP roles.

Select role 'BUP001'.Double Click on this. What is the category maintained in this.

Can you see any entries for "the roles available for this category table"?

 

SM 34:

BUPA_TB003

BUPA_TB003G

Hope this helps.

Parveen Kumar

Former Member
0 Kudos

Hi Parveen,

I couldn't find anything, take a look at the print screens I took:

Can you find anything intresting?

Thank you in advance!

Regards,

Hannes de Richelieu

ocpjcp
Active Participant
0 Kudos

Hello Hannes,

Can you please get one such contact+account ID and go to transaction SE16.

Open table BUT100 and put the id to check what all roles are getting created for the ID.

From the customizing mentioned above , there is a  node for BP role grouping. Please check if the roles getting created for the contact+account ID are part of any group.

Regards,

Parveen

Former Member
0 Kudos

Hi again Parveen,

See below picture with one contact person (BUP001), this ID is the same for the individual account. A normal account (cooperate account) get code CRM000 as you also can see in below picture. Does this information says anything to you?

Thanks once again!

Regards,

Hannes

ocpjcp
Active Participant
0 Kudos

Hello Hannes,

From the snapshot I understand that the table BUT100 is having only one entry for ID : 414375.

This is the contact person record. IF This partner ID does not have any other entry in this table , then it is clear that only the contact person role is getting assigned to the partner , there is no individual account role assigned to this partner.

I think the problem might be with the enhancement in the search where the contact person is also being fetched and shown as individual account.

Please check the customizing in the transaction : CRMC_IC_BPPROFX.

For your scenario , you can also maintain a filter for the "Account Role" which will stop pulling up the contact person in the search results.

Hope this helps.

Parveen

Former Member
0 Kudos

Hi Parveen,

But still I get an individual account for each contact person!?

The transaction didn't helped me so much, didn't understand what to do?

The filter you talked about, can you explain a little bit deeper how the solution will be and how to maintain it?

Thank you in advance.

Regards,

Hannes de Richelieu

Former Member
0 Kudos

Hi Hannes

A contact in the SAP CRM Context by it's very definition is a contact to another BP, which is why SAP Expects there to be another Business Partner linked to the Contact.

To have a Contact without a linked Business Partner, implies they're a contact of nobody.

Hope that clarifies the purpose of a Contact.

Regards

Arden

Former Member
0 Kudos

Hi Arden,

Ok but another Business partner should be a cooperate account. If a contact person is missing the link to this BP I can agree that "they're a contact of nobody".

But still don't understand why the individual account is creating when you create a contact person. It should only be Cooperate accounts and contact persons.

Is it something that I miss?

Regards

Hannes

Former Member
0 Kudos

Hi Hannes

From what I've seen it's not SAP Standard behaviour for any account to be created immediately as linked to the contact, therefore I suspect that there is configuration in place behind this.

Regards

Arden

Former Member
0 Kudos

Hi Arden,

Sounds strange due the consultant that implemented SAP CRM in our company didn't have any answers regarding that. He just said that it's confusing but you have to live with it. Do you know where you can configure this part?

Regards,

Hannes