In SAP Quality Management, an inspection type determines how an inspection is performed. It is assigned to an inspection lot origin, and the inspection setup for a material controls which inspection types are relevant and active for that material.
Start with the business event
Quality inspections happen because something occurs in the business: goods arrive from a supplier, production is underway, finished goods are received, stock is transferred, a customer return arrives, or a recurring inspection becomes due. SAP represents these broad triggers through inspection lot origins and connects inspection types to them.
Common standard examples
| Inspection type | Typical standard scenario |
|---|---|
| 01 | Goods receipt inspection for a purchase order. |
| 03 | In-process inspection for a production order. |
| 04 | Goods receipt inspection from production. |
| 06 | Inspection for a customer return. |
| 08 | Inspection for a stock transfer. |
| 09 | Recurring inspection of batches. |
| 14 | Inspection in Plant Maintenance. |
These are standard examples, not a complete list. SAP provides additional origins and inspection types, and organizations can define additional inspection types where their process requires them.
Inspection lot origin vs inspection type
The inspection lot origin describes the broad source or business context of the inspection. The inspection type refines how that inspection is processed. More than one inspection type can be assigned to an origin, which allows process variants under the same broad event.
For example, SAP Learning describes how procurement can distinguish a regular goods-receipt inspection from a first-article or model inspection even though both relate to goods receipt.
The material inspection setup matters
For many material-based QM processes, the relevant inspection type must be assigned and activated in the Quality Management view of the material master. SAP states that simply assigning an inspection type without activating it does not allow inspection lots to be created for that material/type combination.
Do not begin with the inspection-type number.
First ask what business event should trigger quality, which material and plant are involved, whether the inspection should affect stock, what specifications should be used and what decision must follow. Then map that requirement to the appropriate inspection setup.
How does SAP choose an inspection type?
For automatically created inspection lots, SAP uses the inspection lot origin plus configuration and material inspection setup. Where several inspection types are available, default or preferred inspection-type logic can influence the selection. Some origins have additional determination rules tied to their business process.
What should a beginner remember?
- Inspection lot origin represents the broad trigger or context.
- Inspection type controls how the inspection is performed and processed.
- An origin can have more than one inspection type.
- Material-level inspection setup determines which types are active for a material.
- Always understand the business trigger before memorising type numbers.