Transaction Variants in SAP: What Are They and How Can You Use Them?

Transaction variants are a powerful tool in SAP that can be used to restrict the display of fields for a particular screen, based on which users are accessing the data.

Structure of Transaction Variants

This is what the structure of transaction variants looks like in an SAP system. The user group contains different users who have different screen access. The transaction variant contains any number of screen variants for a particular transaction code. The screen variant allows the control of fields.

Prerequisite: Enable Variant Setting

Note that transaction variants can only be created for transaction codes with the standard variant setting enabled. You can see the checkbox for this setting in the figure below.

Use Case: Hiding Tabs in Transaction MIRO for a Specific User

In this blog post, I will explain how you can control the fields displayed on the screen for transaction code MIRO. For instance, say a business wants to hide the G/L account and Material tabs for transaction code MIRO for a particular user (CJOSHI) only.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Transaction Variant

In order to hide these tabs, you can follow these steps.

1 Create a Screen Variant

It is necessary to know the program name and screen number for creating a screen variant. In our case, we will use program SAPLMR1M and screen number 6010.

2 Use Transaction Code SHD0

Enter all the necessary information as shown in the figure below and click on “Create” to proceed.

Once you’ve entered all the required fields and pressed Enter, the system will display the following pop-up, which allows you to control fields.

Here, the G/L account and Material tabs can be set as Invisible. Check those options. Then click “Exit and Save.”

Next, enter the description of the screen variant and click “Save.”

Next, assign screen variant ZTABMIRO to the transaction variant.

3 Assign the Screen Variant to a Transaction Variant

After entering the transaction variant name, click on the change icon and then click on the plus icon in order to assign a screen variant.

Save the assignment.

4 Create and Assign a Variant Group

Next, create variant group ZFI1 and assign the user (in our case, CJOSHI) to the respective group.

Create the variant group.

First, assign user CJOSHI to group name ZFI1 and then click “Set Proposal.”

5 Activate the Standard Variant

Next, activate the standard variant. This will stop the user from displaying G/L account and Material tabs for transaction code MIRO.

Allowing Full Access for Other Users

Once you set this up, the screen variants will also stop other users from displaying the tabs you hid. In order to enable those tabs for other users to see (for example, user SAKET), follow this procedure.

1. Create a standard variant by copying the standard variant MATERIAL_BUCHEN. Transaction variant MATERIAL_BUCHEN is a standard variant that allows all fields to be displayed.

2. Create variant group ZFI2 and assign it to standard variant ZFI2MIRO.

3. Assign user SAKET to variant group ZFI2 and click “Set P”

4. Activate the standard variant ZFI2MIRO.
5. Execute transaction code MIRO from user ID SAKET. As you can see in the next figure, the tabs appear for this user’s screen.

Please note that transaction variants must be created in combination with a variant group name and transaction code.

Conclusion

Transaction variants in SAP offer a flexible way to tailor screen layouts based on user-specific needs. By combining screen variants, transaction variants, and variant groups, you can easily hide or display fields and tabs within a transaction such as MIRO. However, care must be taken to ensure that other users retain necessary access by assigning them to different variant groups. When set up correctly, this functionality enhances user experience, supports compliance, and simplifies user interfaces based on job roles.