How to Block or Delete a Vendor in SAP FICO: FK05
Mason Garcia
⚡ Smart Summary
Blocking a vendor in SAP stops new postings against the account, while flagging a vendor for deletion marks the master record for archiving. Transaction FK05 blocks, and transaction FK06 sets the deletion indicator.
A vendor account is rarely removed the moment a supplier relationship ends. SAP separates the two decisions: a block stops further activity on the account, and a deletion flag hands the record over to archiving.
What Blocking and Flagging for Deletion Mean in SAP
Both actions look almost identical on screen, because each one is a small set of checkboxes on a master data transaction. What they do afterwards is not the same at all.
A block is an operational control. It prevents new documents from being posted to the vendor, so an account under dispute, under audit, or simply dormant cannot receive a fresh vendor invoice by accident. Nothing is removed, and existing open items stay exactly where they are.
A deletion flag is a housekeeping marker. It tells the system that the master record is a candidate for archiving, and it is the prerequisite the archiving programs look for. Until an archiving run actually processes the record, the vendor still exists in the database.
| Aspect | Block (FK05) | Deletion flag (FK06) |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Prevents new postings against the account | Nominates the master record for archiving |
| Effect on existing open items | None, they remain open and payable | None, but they must be cleared before archiving |
| Reversible | Yes, deselect the indicator in the same transaction | Yes, until the archiving run has removed the record |
| Typical trigger | Dispute, audit hold, temporary suspension | Duplicate record, supplier permanently retired |
| Deletes data | No | No, only the archiving run does |
How to Block a Vendor in SAP Using FK05
The accounting block is set per company code, so the vendor number and the company code are both needed before starting.
Step 1) Enter transaction code FK05 in the SAP command field. The same activity sits in the SAP Easy Access menu under Accounting → Financial Accounting → Vendors → Master Records → FK05 – Block/Unblock, highlighted below.
Step 2) On the Block/Unblock Vendor: Initial Screen, enter the following, as marked below.
- Enter the vendor ID that is to be blocked.
- Enter the company code whose company code data is to be blocked.
Step 3) On the details screen, select the posting block indicator for the data that is to be blocked. The Posting Block group offers two choices, shown below: All company codes blocks postings to the vendor everywhere, while Selected co. code blocks only the company code entered in the previous step.
Step 4) Press the ‘Save’ button on the standard toolbar, shown below, to apply the block.
The transaction is Block/Unblock rather than block only, so releasing the vendor later means returning to FK05, deselecting the same checkbox, and saving again.
How to Delete a Vendor in SAP Using FK06
Flagging a vendor for deletion follows the same rhythm, with one important difference: the checkboxes are deletion flags, not posting blocks.
Step 1) Enter transaction code FK06 in the SAP command field. In the menu the entry appears as Master Records → FK06 – Set Deletion Indicator, highlighted below.
Step 2) On the Flag for Deletion Vendor: Initial Screen, enter the following, as marked below.
- Enter the vendor ID that is to be flagged for deletion.
- Enter the company code whose company code data is to be flagged.
Step 3) On the details screen, select the deletion flag for the data that is to be deleted. The screen carries two groups, shown below. Under Deletion flags, All areas marks the entire master record and Selected company code marks only the company code segment. The Deletion blocks group underneath does the opposite: it protects the record so that an archiving run cannot remove it.
Step 4) Press the ‘Save’ button, shown below, to store the deletion flag.
The vendor is now marked, not removed. Users who open the account see a warning that it is flagged for deletion, and the record waits for the archiving run described further below.
Vendor Block and Deletion T-codes and the Fields They Update
FK05 and FK06 are the accounting views of a wider set of transactions. The F prefix works at company code level, the M prefix at purchasing organisation level, and the X prefix centrally across both.
| T-code | Description | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| FK05 | Block/unblock vendor (accounting) | Posting block, per company code or all company codes |
| FK06 | Set deletion indicator (accounting) | Deletion flag, per company code or all areas |
| MK05 | Block vendor (purchasing) | Purchasing block, per purchasing organisation |
| MK06 | Flag for deletion (purchasing) | Deletion flag on the purchasing segment |
| XK05 | Block vendor (centrally) | Accounting and purchasing together |
| XK06 | Mark vendor for deletion (centrally) | General, company code and purchasing data |
| FK04 / XK04 | Display vendor changes | Audit trail of who set or removed an indicator |
Choosing the wrong transaction is the usual reason a block appears not to work. A vendor blocked with FK05 can still be used on a purchase order, because purchasing reads its own indicator. Blocking both sides at once is what XK05 is for.
Each checkbox writes to a named field, which is why blocked and flagged vendors can be listed from the standard FI tables rather than screen by screen.
| Table | Field | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| LFA1 | SPERR | Central posting block covering all company codes |
| LFA1 | SPERM | Central purchasing block |
| LFA1 | LOEVM | Deletion flag on the general data segment |
| LFA1 | NODEL | Deletion block that prevents archiving |
| LFB1 | SPERR | Posting block for one company code |
| LFB1 | LOEVM | Deletion flag for one company code |
| LFB1 | ZAHLS | Payment block key, applied at payment time |
| LFM1 | SPERM | Purchasing block for one purchasing organisation |
A payment block and a posting block are frequently confused. The payment block in LFB1-ZAHLS leaves invoice entry untouched and only holds the outgoing payment, which is the softer option when a supplier is simply under review.
What Happens After a Vendor Is Flagged for Deletion
The deletion flag does not delete anything on its own. Removing the master record is an archiving activity, and it runs through transaction SARA with the archiving object FI_ACCPAYB for accounts payable master data.
Several conditions have to be satisfied before that run succeeds.
- Flags set everywhere: The deletion flag has to exist in every area the vendor was used in, which usually means the purchasing segment as well as the accounting segment.
- No deletion block: The Deletion blocks checkboxes on the FK06 screen must be clear, otherwise the record is deliberately protected.
- No open items: Outstanding invoices and credit memos in accounts payable have to be cleared first.
- Transaction data archived: Documents referencing the vendor are archived before the master record, because archiving checks those dependencies.
The archiving run itself has two halves. A write run copies the eligible records into an archive file, and a separate delete run removes them from the database once the file is verified. Both are normally executed as a test run first, and the master record only disappears after the delete run has completed successfully.
In SAP S/4HANA the picture changes, because suppliers are business partners. FK05 and FK06 are no longer available as standalone maintenance transactions, and blocking or flagging is done in transaction BP on the business partner carrying the supplier role, with the same company code and purchasing organisation distinction underneath. The vendor account group survives as a business partner grouping, and archiving still applies once the record is flagged. The customer side of accounts receivable uses the mirror transactions FD05 and FD06, and collective records such as a one-time vendor are blocked in exactly the same way as any other account.
