SAP MARA
MARA is a key SAP table in MM (Materials). It stores general material master data, the client-level attributes of a material that are the same across all plants and organizational levels.
MARA is the anchor of material master data; join it with MARC/MAKT/MBEW etc.
- MATNR is the primary key.
- MATNR, material number (key).
- MARC, plant data for a material.
- Watch out: MARA is client level, and anything plant specific is in MARC and may not exist there.
What it stores
It stores general material master data, the client-level attributes of a material that are the same across all plants and organizational levels.
Key fields
- MATNR, material number (key).
- MTART, material type.
- MBRSH, industry sector.
- MEINS, base unit of measure.
- MATKL, material group.
Keys and relationships
MATNR is the primary key. MARA holds the client-level (general) data; plant-, sales-, and storage-specific data live in related tables keyed by MATNR plus the organizational level.
Working with it
MARA is the anchor of material master data; join it with MARC/MAKT/MBEW etc. for the full picture, or use the material CDS views in S/4HANA. View its structure in SE11 and its data (with authorization) in SE16N.
Common pitfalls
- Reading tables directly instead of using CDS/reports where appropriate.
- Ignoring header/item relationships.
- Performance: querying large tables without indexed selection.