Lesson Overview
The basic prerequisites and procedure for executing production planning in PP/DS are explained.
Lesson Objectives
After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
• List the planning prerequisites
• Use planning procedures
Business Example
The basic settings must be saved for the production planning.
Figure 76: Models and Planning Versions in APO
The Supply Chain Model (abbreviated as model) represents the entire supply chain network ranging from suppliers to production and distribution sites, all the way to the customer. It contains locations, transportation lanes, products, resources, and production process models or production data structures. The Supply Chain Model, which contains master data only, is therefore used as a basis for all planning functions in APO.
Master data from the SAP ECC system is automatically assigned to the active model (model 000) during the transfer to SAP APO. The active model represents the supply chain actually used in the company. In this way, all the transferred
master data is automatically available for operational planning in model 000. Any master data that you create manually in SAP APO must be explicitly assigned to a model.
For simulation purposes, you can create several planning versions for each supply chain model. However, only model 000 and planning version 000 are active.
The planning version contains master data and transaction data. In an inactive planning version, you can, for example, simulate increased planned independent requirements and plan production based on an increased demand. You cannot transfer the planning results from the inactive planning version to the active planning version. You must repeat the planning in the active planning version.
You can use version management to copy models and planning versions, or create them manually. They must be uniquely identifiable, however, which means that two planning versions in different models must have different names. Active planning version 000 only exists in model 000.
Figure 77: Prerequisites for Production Planning
The master data required for planning in SAP APO is generally transferred from SAP ECC to SAP APO. For example, you have to transfer all the materials that you want to plan in SAP APO, as well as the master data for all of their components.
The data is then available in active model 000 in active planning version 000.
In SAP APO, you can use number ranges (optional) to assign an internal number to orders created in SAP APO. As soon as an order is transferred to SAP ECC via the CIF, it is assigned an order number in SAP ECC based on the SAP ECC number range. The SAP ECC order number is then returned to SAP APO, so that the order is displayed in SAP APO with this SAP ECC order number. Orders are therefore only assigned an SAP APO order number in SAP APO if they are not transferred back to SAP ECC (for example, in simulated planning versions), or if they have not yet been transferred back to SAP ECC (for example, if they
SCM250 Lesson: Prerequisites and Basic Settings
You use strategy profiles to control detailed scheduling (for example, “Infinite Planning” and planning direction “backwards with reverse”.) You maintain strategy profiles for interactive planning, planning in the planning run, CTP planning, the conversion of SNP planned orders, and for orders transferred from SAP ECC.
The categories for PP/DS are used to define the description of the receipt and issue elements in the evaluations in Production Planning and Detailed Scheduling.
Since SAP APO is already configured for SAP ECC, you only have to enter categories for an execution system if it is not an SAP ECC system. You maintain the categories in Customizing for the Global Availability Check (Global ATP Check) under General Settings.
Figure 78: MRP Procedures
In MRP, a distinction is made between material requirements planning and consumption-based planning. Unlike in SAP ECC, no distinction is made between both procedures in an individual field in the material or product master in SAP APO. In SAP APO, material requirements planning is always used if no special heuristic has been entered in the SAP APO product master for reorder point planning. In SAP ECC, the material master for SAP APO-relevant material should contain an MRP type (“X0”) that deactivates planning in SAP ECC.
In material requirements planning that is consumption-based, replenishment is triggered based on consumption values. These procedures are characterized by their simplicity. The external procurement of materials is often represented using material requirements planning that is consumption-based.
The manual reorder point planning can be mapped in SAP APO using a relevant heuristic. A reorder point is defined for a product. As soon as the available stock goes below the reorder point, procurement is triggered. The reorder point is specified in the product master.
The consumption-based procedures of forecast-based and time-phased planning are not supported in SAP APO. Forecast-based planning can be mapped in SAP APO using make-to-stock production.
Figure 79: PP Planning Procedure
The PP planning procedure in the product master describes how a product is to be planned. For example, you can plan a product in the planning run and only write planning file entries if there are planning-relevant changes (this is the same as material requirements planning in SAP ECC). Alternatively, you can carry out immediate planning of a product in particular cases (automatic planning immediately). The recommended default setting is “Planning in Planning Run”.
You can select from several different planning procedures that must be defined in Customizing for PP/DS. These procedures defines the system behavior in response to different events. A heuristic is also saved here and must be used during automatic planning.
Note that in general, settings for automatic planning always deplete performance.
You should therefore only ever choose this setting for good business reasons (for example, as part of a CTP planning). It should be limited to the minimum number of necessary products only.
SCM250 Lesson: Prerequisites and Basic Settings
Figure 80: Planning in the Planning Run
If you select planning procedure 4 “Planning in Planning Run” for a product, the system will create a planning file entry for every planning-relevant change (you can adjust the events). The product is then planned in the next planning run, using the heuristic entered in the product master if applicable. If you have not defined any heuristics in the product master, the heuristic defined in Customizing in the planning procedure is used.
The “Planning in Planning Run” should be the standard setting for products in APO, as it does not unnecessarily impair performance (unlike automatic planning).
This setting is particularly useful for planning a large number of products. You use this setting, for example, if you do not want to trigger production from the ATP check in the CTP scenario for this product (for fewer critical products and generally to restrict the number of products in the CTP scenario).
Note in general that it is not just products with the setting “Planning in Planning Run” that are planned as such: products with “Manual Planning” (procedure 1 and 2) and “Cover dependent requirements immediately” (procedure 3) are processed in the production planning run because this procedure also allows planning file entries to be created. You can therefore use the production planning run to plan any product that does not have a “Procurement planning: external” status in the product master.
Figure 81: Cover Requirements Immediately (Automatic Planning) Using planning procedure 3 “Cover dependent requirements immediately”, you specify that products in PP/DS be automatically planned as soon as planning-relevant data is changed (new sales order or changed master data, for example). Events can be adjusted.
When automatic planning is started immediately, the system first checks whether the new requirement can be covered by existing receipts. If there is an outstanding requirement, new receipt elements are created to cover this.
In Automatic Planning Immediately, planning is carried out for a finished product for which a new sales order has been created, for example. Any heuristics entered in the product (for example, optimization procedures) are taken into consideration.
Assemblies with a change in requirements that is mainly due to a new dependent requirement are planned in the same way. A planning heuristic may then be predefined in the planning procedure.
You use planning procedure 3 in the case of products for which production should be triggered immediately from the ATP check if they are not available in the sales order (CTP scenario, which may be multilevel).
SCM250 Lesson: Prerequisites and Basic Settings
Figure 82: Manual Planning with or Without Availability Check
Use planning procedure 1 to have the availability checked for an assembly in PP/DS if a new dependent requirement is generated (because an order has been created for a product using the assembly). This planning procedure is therefore only useful for components.
There are two types of manual planning: “Manual Planning with Availability Check” (procedure 1) and “Manual Planning Without Availability Check”
(procedure 2). If Manual Planning with Availability Check is set, the system searches for a suitable receipt element, when there is a product shortage for the component. If none is available, the superior order is not created before the dependent requirement of the component is covered by a receipt. You may first have to create a receipt for the component before you can create the superior order for the required date at all. In manual planning without an availability check, the component is always taken to be available, although an alert is issued if there is a product shortage.
In manual planning, planning file entries are written so that these products are also usually included in a planning run.
Lesson Summary
You should now be able to:
• List the planning prerequisites
• Use planning procedures
SCM250 Lesson: The Planning Process