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How to Display Material Documents with MB51 in SAP S/4HANA

This guide explains how to display material documents with MB51 in SAP so you can look up materials spent on a cost center. Using the Material Document List transaction, you can filter by plant, storage location, movement type, and posting date, then drill down into totals for a specific cost center.

SAP S/4HANA 10 steps 6 screenshots 631 words Source video 3:21 Generated cost $1.40

Video: SAP - MB51 - Material Document List - How to Look Up Materials Spend on a Cost Center by Elite Vision Technology (2019). All credit for the demonstration goes to the creator; watch the original on YouTube. The written guide below was generated from this video by Docsie. Creator? Request a change or removal.

This guide explains how to display material documents with MB51 in SAP so you can look up materials spent on a cost center. Using the Material Document List transaction, you can filter by plant, storage location, movement type, and posting date, then drill down into totals for a specific cost center.

Prerequisites

  • Access to the SAP GUI with valid login credentials.
  • Knowledge of the relevant plant number, storage location, and movement type for your search.
  • The posting date range you want to review.
1

Open SAP Easy Access

Launch the SAP GUI and log in to your SAP system. Once logged in, you will see the SAP Easy Access screen.

SAP Easy Access screen with menu and background image
SAP Easy Access screen with menu and background image
2

Navigate to the MB51 transaction

Click on the command field at the top of the SAP Easy Access screen. Type MB51 into the field and press Enter on your keyboard to open the Material Document List transaction.

SAP Easy Access screen with focus on the command field at the top
SAP Easy Access screen with focus on the command field at the top
3

Enter selection criteria

On the Material Document List screen, fill in the following fields under Item Data:

  • Plant: Enter your plant number (for example, 1700).
  • Storage Location: Click the selection button next to the field to open the list of storage locations, then choose MA10 (Maintenance 10), the maintenance MRO storage location.
  • Movement Type: Click the selection button next to the field to open the list of movement types, then select 201 (Goods Issue for Cost Center).
Material Document List screen with storage location selection popup showing MA10 highlighted
Material Document List screen with storage location selection popup showing MA10 highlighted
4

Set the posting date range

In the Header Data section, enter the desired posting date range:

  • From: 01/01/2018
  • To: 12/30/2018

This limits the results to material documents posted within 2018.

Material Document List screen with all fields filled: Plant 1700, Storage Location MA10, Movement Type 201, Posting Date 01/01/2018 to 12/30/2018
Material Document List screen with all fields filled: Plant 1700, Storage Location MA10, Movement Type 201, Posting Date 01/01/2018 to 12/30/2018
5

Execute the report

Press Enter or click the execute button (green checkmark or clock icon) to run the report. Wait for the system to load the results.

6

Review the results

The system displays a list of all materials spent by cost center for your specified criteria. Review columns such as Plant, Material, Material Description, Amount, Posting Date, Cost Center, User Name, and Movement Type.

7

View total yearly expenditure

After executing your MB51 report, scroll all the way down to the bottom of the results list. You will see the total amount spent for all materials within your selected criteria, such as for the entire year. Totals are typically highlighted in yellow for easy identification.

Material Document List screen showing the bottom of the report with yearly totals highlighted in yellow, including total amount spent and summary lines
Material Document List screen showing the bottom of the report with yearly totals highlighted in yellow, including total amount spent and summary lines
8

Filter results by a specific cost center

Locate the Cost Ctr (Cost Center) column in your results and find the cost center you want to analyze. Right-click on the desired cost center value in the list, then select Save Filter (or a similarly named option, depending on your SAP version) from the context menu. Confirm the filter by clicking the checkmark. The report refreshes to show only the entries for the selected cost center.

9

Review the filtered results

After applying the filter, review the list to see only the material expenditures associated with the chosen cost center. Scroll to the bottom of the filtered list to view the total amount spent for that specific cost center. This filtered total is also highlighted in yellow at the bottom of the report.

Interpreting the results

Use the displayed totals to understand how much was spent on materials for the entire year or for a specific cost center. Review individual line items for details such as material description, posting date, user name, and movement type.

What's next

If you need to analyze another cost center, repeat the filtering steps in Step 8 and Step 9 with a new cost center value. You now know how to display material documents with MB51 in SAP, review total yearly expenditures, and filter results down to a specific cost center for detailed analysis.

Screen displaying the "EVE" logo with a blue digital pattern and the text "Elite Vision Technology" on a black background. No user actions are being performed; this is a credits or branding screen.
Screen displaying the "EVE" logo with a blue digital pattern and the text "Elite Vision Technology" on a black background. No user actions are being performed; this is a credits or branding screen.
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Generated by Docsie Video-to-Docs on 2026-10-02 from a 3-minute video. Screenshots are frames from the source video and belong to their creator, Elite Vision Technology, whose original is embedded above. If you own this video and want the guide removed or credited differently, contact us and we will act within one business day.

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