Invoice split criteria in billing document

Symptom
Key word: Invoice split
From a number of deliveries or sales orders more than one billing document is created.
Additional key words
Invoice split
Invoice separation
Billing document split
Split criteria
Header partner
Header fields
Split
VF01, VF04, VF06
Cause and prerequisites
The invoice split may have been carried out for the following reasons:
a) Explicit setting in Customizing
b) Different header partners
c) Different header fields
d) The billing date of all documents is equated in a data transfer routine (for example,
by VBRK-FKDAT = SY-DATUM). This works when you are billing using VF01; a
single billing document is generated. However, if you use VF04 or in case of a batch,
several billing documents might be generated.
Solution
Please check the causes mentioned above:
1. Explicit setting in Customizing:
On the detail screen of the document flow table (TVCPF) in the entry field 'DATEN
VBRK/VBRP' (as of Rel.2.2..: 'Data transfer') the routine '003' (single invoice) was
entered and thus an invoice split was created.
2. Different header partners
The header partners in the billing documents created are not identical which causes an
invoice split. With regard to partner processing, an invoice split also occurs if the entries
in the partner table of the reference document and the billing document also differ only in
one field (!) for the partner functions of the billing document header (in the standard
system, these are SP, BP and PY).
3. Different header fields
The header fields in the billing documents created are not identical which causes an
invoice split.
Attention: Not all header fields in the billing document are visible on the header detail
screen of the billing document.
To analyze the cause of the split, as of Release 3.0 you can use the 'Split analysis' function
in the Environment menu when displaying or creating the billing documents.

Before Release 3.0, you can proceed as follows:

Display the two billing documents that you want to combine in two windows

Move to the header detail screen in both windows

Use debugging mode in both windows

Enter VBRK as the variable and press 'Choose' in both windows

Now compare all VBRK fields with the exception of

VBRK-KNUMV
VBRK-NETWR
VBRK-MWSBK
VBRK-VBELN
VBRK-RFBSK
VBRK-ERNAM
VBRK-AEDAT
VBRK-ERDAT
VBRK-ERZET.
These fields should not cause a split. You can find the source code relevant for this in program
LV60AF0X, FORM routine XVBRK_BEARBEITEN.
4. When using transaction VF04 or Billing (background) the date of the billing document
(e.g. the current date) must be entered (In VF04: settings, default data. In VF06 or
background: variant with parametrization) to avoid an unwanted split due to the billing
date.
5. To avoid a split due to different header fields - except for the fields listed above - you
have the option of using customer-specific data transport routines in the copying control
of the relevant document types which initialize the corresponding fields. However, the
information contained in these fields is then lost in the billing document.