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What Is A CMIR In SAP?

Published Aug 29, 2025 5 min read
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A Customer-Material Information Record (CMIR) in SAP is a master data record in the Sales and Distribution (SD) module that links a company's internal material number with a customer's specific material number and description.

This record helps streamline order processing, reduce errors, and improve customer satisfaction by allowing sales representatives to use the customer's familiar terminology when creating sales orders. The data stored in a CMIR is given the highest priority and can override information from the Material Master and Customer Master records during sales order creation.

The core function and importance of CMIR

The primary purpose of a CMIR is to bridge the gap between a company's internal product numbering system and a customer's purchasing system. This is particularly critical in business-to-business (B2B) environments where large customers may use their own part numbers and descriptions for the products they buy from their suppliers.

Consider a scenario where:

  • Your company's SAP Material Master identifies a product as "PROD-001."
  • Your customer, ABC Corp., refers to the same product in their purchasing system as "ABC-WIDGET-A."

Without a CMIR, your sales staff would have to manually translate the customer's purchase order number ("ABC-WIDGET-A") to your internal material number ("PROD-001") for every order. With a CMIR, the system automatically recognizes and maps the customer's material number to your internal one, saving time and eliminating the potential for manual data entry errors.

CMIR data and its hierarchy

A CMIR contains a range of data that is specific to a single customer-material combination. When a sales order is created, the system uses a data hierarchy to determine which master data record to prioritize. The CMIR sits at the top of this hierarchy.

Data maintained in a CMIR

  • Customer Material Number and Description: The core of the CMIR, this is where you enter the customer's unique identifier and description for the material.
  • Delivering Plant: You can specify a default plant from which the material should be delivered to this particular customer. This will override any plant specified in the customer master or material master.
  • Delivery Priority: Set a specific delivery priority for the material when ordered by this customer.
  • Partial Delivery Agreements: Define whether partial deliveries are permitted, and if so, the maximum number allowed.
  • Delivery Tolerances: Establish the maximum allowed overdelivery or underdelivery quantities for this material and customer.
  • Minimum Order Quantity: Specify a minimum order quantity that applies only to this customer.
  • Customer-Specific Texts: Add specific sales texts that should appear on sales orders or other documents for this customer.

Data determination hierarchy

When creating a sales order, the SAP system looks for data in the following sequence to determine the values for an item:

  1. Customer-Material Information Record (CMIR): Values maintained here have the highest priority.
  2. Customer Master Record: If a value is not found in the CMIR, the system checks the customer master record.
  3. Material Master Record: Finally, if the value is not present in either the CMIR or customer master, the system uses the default value from the material master record.

CMIR in business processes

CMIRs play a vital role in several key business processes within SAP Sales and Distribution.

Sales order processing

The most direct use of the CMIR is during sales order entry using transaction code VA01.

  • A sales representative enters the customer's own material number from their purchase order.
  • The SAP system automatically performs a lookup in the CMIR.
  • It populates the sales order with the company's internal material number, the customer-specific description, and any other defaults defined in the CMIR, such as the delivering plant.

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)

For businesses that exchange data with customers via EDI, the CMIR is essential. An EDI process receives a customer purchase order containing the customer's part number. The SAP system uses the CMIR to automatically translate this external number into the correct internal material number, ensuring a seamless and automated flow of information.

Reporting

By using CMIRs, companies can run reports that reference either their own material numbers or the customer's material numbers. This provides a more flexible and robust reporting capability, especially for sales analysis and customer-specific metrics.

How to create and manage a CMIR in SAP

Creating and managing CMIRs is a straightforward process handled by master data or sales support teams. The main transaction codes are:

  • VD51: Create Customer-Material Information Record.
  • VD52: Change Customer-Material Information Record.
  • VD53: Display Customer-Material Information Record.

The standard process involves these steps:

  1. Access the transaction: Go to VD51.
  2. Enter key data: Provide the Customer, Sales Organization, and Distribution Channel.
  3. Link the materials: Enter your company's Material number and the customer's Customer Material number.
  4. Maintain details: Specify any other customer-specific data, such as Delivering Plant, Delivery Priority, and Partial Delivery options.
  5. Save: Save the record. It is now active and will be used by the system during future sales order creation for that customer and material.

The benefits of using CMIRs

The proper use of CMIRs provides numerous advantages for businesses using SAP:

  • Increased efficiency: Sales order entry is faster because sales representatives can use the customer's familiar material numbers. Automated processes like EDI are also accelerated by seamless data mapping.
  • Improved data accuracy: By automating the lookup process, the risk of manual data entry errors is significantly reduced. This leads to more accurate orders, fewer returns, and fewer customer complaints.
  • Enhanced customer satisfaction: Customers appreciate the flexibility of using their own material numbers. This personalized approach reduces confusion and builds confidence in the ordering process.
  • Flexibility and control: Companies can define specific sales and delivery behaviors for individual customer-material combinations, overriding the standard rules from the broader master data records.
  • Scalability: For companies with a large and diverse customer base, CMIRs allow for granular control over customer-specific requirements without cluttering the main material or customer master records.

Summary: A strategic asset in SAP SD

In conclusion, the Customer-Material Information Record (CMIR) is more than just a data field; it's a strategic tool within the SAP SD module. It acts as a bridge between a company's internal logic and a customer's external perspective, ensuring accuracy, efficiency, and excellent customer service. For any organization with a diverse customer base and customized ordering processes, the CMIR is an indispensable part of a well-configured and highly functional SAP system.

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