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Variant
Variant
Configuration
Configuration
Variant Configuration
Variant Configuration
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Market Competitiveness demands Products to be
Market Competitiveness demands Products to be
customized to the customers specific needs.
customized to the customers specific needs.
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The Product needs to be
The Product needs to be
delivered in the shortest possible
delivered in the shortest possible
lead time at the most competitive prices
lead time at the most competitive prices
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Customized products with complex and varying
Customized products with complex and varying
specifications.
specifications.
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Products & services which are offered with both standard
Products & services which are offered with both standard
specs and with additional features.
specs and with additional features.
The customer determines the features of the product.
The customer determines the features of the product.
Purpose
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Variant Configuration
Material is created with
Material Type-KMAT
Variant Configuration
Materials of other material types can be made configurable. To do this, set the Material is configurable indicator in the B a s i c d a t a of the material master record.
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Variant Configuration
If you want to configure a material, you must
create it with a material type that has the Classification view
defined as allowed in Customizing.
Variant Configuration
You use central maintenance functions to create material master records for configurable materials. There is some data that you need to maintain specifically for configurable materials:
Basic Data Sales
MRP
Configurable Indicator X
Material Master data Settings
Item Category Group 0002 or 0004 Strategy Group 25 (PP Demand
Management) MRP Type PD not ND MRP Lot Size EX
Availability Check 02 Individual/Collective Req.. 1
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Variant Configuration
Variant configuration is integrated in the following applications:
SD Sales and Distribution - Order Entry & Pricing Conditions
MM – Purchasing
FICO – Costing
PP – BOM, Production Orders, Task Lists, Routings, MRP
ClassificationYou can configure the following objects:
Materials
Standard networks in the Project System.
PM General maintenance task lists
Model service specificationsVariant Configuration
The bill of material (BOM) of a configurable material contains all
the components that are required to manufacture the material.
The BOM contains components that are only used for specific
variants
BOM also contains components that are used in all variants.
(non-variable parts)
This is why BOMs for configurable materials are known as super
BOMs.
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Variant Configuration
One Configurable Material can be used to cover all variants.
No need to create separate Material Master for every variant of
the product.
Online Integration of all Modules
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SD/MM/PP/FICO at the time
of creating the order.
Product Configuration in the order, MRP for BOM components,
Cost determination, Creation of Routings & Task Lists for PP
etc
.Variant Configuration
Characteristics:
Characteristics are used to define the features of the c onfigurable material.
Characteristics Values:
Characteristics Values specify the characteristics. For Example:
A PC may have the following Characteristics and Characteristics Values
Features
Characteristics Characteristics Values Motherboard 1. Intel 2. Gigabyte Processor 1. Pentium IV 2.8 Ghz 2. AMD 2800 + RAM 1. 256 MB 2. 512 MB
The Product can be customized by assigning the characteristics values to the Characteristics as desired.
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Variant Configuration
Class:
In variant configuration, a class of class type 300 is
used to hold the characteristics that describe a configurable
material. By classifying the Configurable Material with the class the
Material Lends itself to configuration based on the characteristics
held by the class.
Configuration Profile:
Each configurable object must have a configuration
profile. You maintain configuration profiles to define central settings
for configuring the object. The configuration profile for a material
controls the configuration process in the sales order.
Variant Configuration
Dependencies:
Dependencies control the combinations of features.
Describe the interdependencies between
Characteristics & Characteristic values.
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Variant Configuration
Preconditions:
To hide characteristics and characteristic values that are not allowed.
Ensure that the configuration of an object is consistent.
Example:
You want to hide the Characteristics Value AMD 2800 + if Intel
Mother Board is selected because they can not go together.
Precondition must be maintained for Characteristics Value – AMD 2800 + :
Motherboard = ‘Gigabyte’
‘AMD 2800 +’ would show as a possible selection only if ‘Gigabyte’ is
selected for Mother Board.
Variant Configuration
Selection Conditions:
You can use selection conditions to ensure that all the objects relevant to a variant are selected:
Selection conditions determine which variants require a specific component or operation
Selection conditions determine when it is mandatory to assign a value to a characteristic15
Example for Selection Condition for Characteristic selection:
Under normal conditions RAM need not necessarily be selected. It is
optional. However, if ‘Intel’ is selected for Motherboard then RAM becomes a Mandatory selection.
Selection condition must be maintained for Characteristic – RAM :
Motherboard = ‘Intel’
This ensures that a Value is selected for RAM if ‘Intel’ is selected for
Motherboard for the Configuration to be consistent.
Dependencies
Selection Conditions
Variant Configuration
Example for Selection Condition for BOM Items:
Selection condition must be maintained for BOM items: For BOM item - Intel - Selection condition would be :
Motherboard = ‘Intel’
For BOM item - Gigabyte - Selection condition would be : Motherboard = ‘Gigabyte’
And so on…for all variant parts in the BOM.
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Variant Configuration
Classes may also be maintained as BOM items :
Classes must be of Class type 200 or 300 only & must be allowed to be used as BOM items in the additional data tab of the Class.
All Characteristics Values under the class must be classified as such.
All Characteristics Values which have been classified as above need not be maintained as BOM items. It is sufficient to maintain only the Class as a BOM item.
The same Value as the variant item must be assigned to the Characteristic in the Material Master of the Item.On selection of the Value during configuration, the class item in the BOM is replaced by the Item itself and hence appears in the BOM explosion.
Variant Configuration
Procedures :
Used to infer values for characteristics.
They are extensively used in Pricing. You can assign procedures to the following objects:
The characteristic value that triggers the procedure
The characteristic that triggers the procedure
The configuration profile of the configurable object
BOM items – to change the component quantity, for exampleProcedures are processed in the sequence in which they are maintain for the object.
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Variant Configuration
Example for Inferring a Characteristics Value using a procedure: The Value for Characteristic RAM must be inferred as 256 MB if the Motherboard is ‘Intel’.
Following Procedure may be maintained in the Configuration Profile:
$self.RAM =256MB if Motherboard = ‘Intel’
This ensures that RAM is set to 256MB on ‘Intel’ being selected for Motherboard.
Variant Configuration
Reference Characteristics:
The configuration of a material may also depend on certain fields in the R/3 system apart from user selections.
A Characteristic becomes a Reference Characteristic when it refers to a Field in a Table/Structure.
This feature can be used to dynamically change certain data during configuration.They can also be used to change the quantities in a BOM ( STPO – MENGE).
Reference Characteristics are used for Pricing & Costing also.21
Variant Configuration
Constraints:
They are mainly used to check the consistency of configuration.
They may also be used to infer values for Characteristics.
They are maintained in dependency nets.
Dependency nets are allocated to the configuration profile.
The timing and sequence of processing a constraint is not
relevant.
Variant Configuration
Structure of a Constraint
OBJECTS:
PC IS_A (300) PC
WHERE C = CASING;HD = HARD_DISK.
CONDITION:
PC. CPU = ‘586’
RESTRICTIONS:
HD IN (‘1275’, ‘1620’, ‘2000’) IF C = ‘Tower’.
INFERENCES:
HD.
Dependencies
Constraints
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Variant Configuration
Variant Tables:
Tables are used to store combinations of values for different characteristics.
Tables are an aid to entry for dependencies. You call the table function in a dependency.
The system uses the table to infer and check values for configuration consistency.
If the interdependencies between characteristics change, you change the table entries, not the dependenciesVariant Configuration
Use of Variant Tables in constraints
OBJECTS:
PC IS_A (300) PC
where HD = Harddisk; MB = Motherboard; CAB = Cabinet.
RESTRICTIONS:
TABLE PC_TAB
(Harddisk = HD, Motherboard = MB, Cabinet = CAB).
INFERENCES:
FH.
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Variant Configuration
Variant Conditions:
You can use variant conditions to define surcharges or discounts for a variant.
A reference Characteristic referring to SDCOM-VKOND is maintained as a characteristic in the class. This is a multi value characteristic.
Variant conditions are maintained in Condition types VA00 & VA01 in Standard SAP.
The configurable material & the Variant Key are key fields in the condition table to determine a discount or surcharge for the variant.
Variant Configuration
Variant Conditions: contd …
The variant key may be assigned to the Characteristic value
either directly thru Configuration simulation or dynamically at the
time of configuration thru Procedures or Constraints.
The system populates the SDCOM structure with the variant
keys against each value assigned
The keys populated in the structure are used to find condition
records to be brought into the order.
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