Where can I view purchase orders placed in the system and how are they stored? Tables EKKO and EKPO where we can see and filter by different orders and fields we find stored in the system.

As we've seen on more than one occasion, we have purchase orders segmented by header and item data within the EKKO and EKPO tables. The EKKO corresponds to the data we've included in the header, and the EKPO filters by order-item.

To view the table within the SAP system, we have to access it with transaction SE16N

Once inside the transaction, we will have to tell the system which tab we want to view:

At the top, we enter the table name. If we have a display option, we indicate it. Finally, we enter the maximum number of hits we want the system to display. The higher the number, the more searches the system must perform.

By giving it the name of the EKKO table and pressing Enter, we have enabled the fields that the table itself contains.

You can see that we have green fields (due to parameterization in our system, the color can be modified) and these are called Key fields.

This means that when searching our databases, the first fields we see or the system displays are these key fields, so that it works faster. Therefore, it is recommended to fill in these fields when searching for purchasing documents, so that the results can be filtered more quickly and do not affect system performance.

If we know, for example, the different orders we want to analyze or find within the system, we can include them all on the right side, next to the technical name of the field, and fill in the fields to filter so that it doesn't search all records, but rather something more limited.

On the right, we see the technical name for this table. This name is unique for that field. ABAP programmers use it when retrieving the field and adding it elsewhere.

Field names are identified by two different sources: the field name, Client, Material, Created on..., and the technical name SAP uses for that field.

Once we have made our selection, we press F8 or execute and a new window will open where the extracted data is analyzed:

In this view you can see the first field, which is the order number.

If we run the EKPO we see how the order number is repeated and changes position:

Each order line can be viewed in a separate window. We would have lines 10, 20, and 30 for these cases. The header data, which would be the EKKO table, would only have a single line.

We can then export this table to Excel, a file, or anything else in case we need to print it or use it in another way. This SAP feature is very useful for running a business.

We use the Export function and it opens how to download that extraction that we have filtered.

We indicate that the EKKO – EKPO table is a standard Dictionary table, it is a table that cannot be modified under any circumstances, since it has multiple implications. The information in this table can be managed by transactions such as SE11 or SE80 but they must be carried out by qualified personnel.

Within the table view, you can create different layouts, modify columns, change the layout, perform column summations, etc. This allows you to create small layouts and save them as a variant, so that later, when any user logs in and out, the table configuration they saved will be saved.

These fields are the most significant of the EKKO table itself, technically speaking.

Those of the EKPO:

Conclusion

The purchase orders in SAP They are managed and stored in the standard system tables, in the tables EKKO and EKPO. Your consultation is mainly done through the transaction SE16N, where we can filter, sort and view information with the help of the key fields to optimize search performance.

While EKKO displays a single record per order with general information, EKPO It details each associated line item, allowing for more granular analysis. Additionally, the data can be easily exported to Excel or other formats, making it easy to use in internal company processes.

It is important to remember that both tables are part of the SAP Standard Dictionary and should not be modified, as they are critical for the correct management of purchasing documents.

In short, the tables EKKO and EKPO provide the structural basis for viewing, analyzing, and managing purchase orders in SAP., combining technical precision with flexibility in data exploitation.