Document Release (Approval) Procedure

SAP AG

SAP AG

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Document Release Procedure: Unit Objectives

At the end of this unit, you will
know how the release (approval) procedure

for requisitions and external purchasing

documents works
be able to release (approve) requisitions

and external puchasing documents

understand how to define release criteria

and how to customize the release

procedure

SAP AG

SAP AG

TAMM30 4.0B

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Release Procedure: Business Scenario

You wish to ensure that purchase

requisitions that exceed a certain value

limit (among other criteria) are approved by
various persons before the requested
materials can be ordered. You also wish to
have purchase orders above a certain
maximum value approved before being
issued to vendors. The release procedure
enables you to achieve these goals.

SAP AG

SAP AG

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General Business Scenario

Optimized Purchasing
Approval of
requisition
Materials
planning
User dept.

PReq.
Material
Quantity
Deliv. date
(Source)

Conversion

Approval of
purchase order

Pur. order
Vendor
Material
Quantity
Delivery date

Pur. order

Transmission
to vendor

Price
Automatic
source
determination
Source list

Source of supply
Info
Contract
record
item

Quota
arrangement

Scheduling
agmt. item
R

SAP AG

SAP AG

TAMM30 4.0B

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Release (Approval) Procedure

Purchase requisitions (with/without classification)
Requisn.

Approval

Item 10
20
30

(o.k.)
o.k.
(o.k.)

PO
RFQ

()

Item 10
20
30

Other purchasing documents (with classification)

PO
Item 10
20
30

PO

Approval
o.k.

SAP AG

For purchase requisitions you have the choice to use the procedure with classification or the procedure
without classification. This choice is valid for all requisitions.
The procedure with classification offers more possibilities.
Using the procedure with classification you may control, if a purchase requisition will blocked/released
on item level or on document level (depending on the document type of the requisition).
Using the procedure without classification the blocking/releasing will be on item level in any case.
For other purchasing documents is only the procedure with classification.
This chapter is concerned with the procedure with classification only.

SAP AG

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Release Procedure for Purchase Requisitions

SAP Rel. 3.X
Requisn.
Doc. type
Item 10
20
30

Pur. order
Approval
o.k.
o.k.
o.k.

SAP Rel. 4.0

Requisn.
Doc. type
Item 10
20
30

RFQ
Item 10
20
30

Pur. order
Approval
o.k.

RFQ

SAP AG

If a purchase requisition (an internal document) or an external purchasing document (such as a purchase
order) fulfills certain conditions, it may be necessary for the document to be approved before it can be
processed further. This approval (clearance or authorization) process is replicated in the SAP System by
the release procedure.
By the release of a purchase requisition we mean the process of approval of (or giving the "green light"
to) the items of the requisition for the purpose of issuing RFQs or POs covering the relevant materials or
services. The purpose of this approval procedure is to check the data on the materials, quantities, and
delivery dates for correctness and to ensure that the right account assignment and source of supply have
been specified.

As of SAP Release 3.0, you have the option of setting up release (approval) strategies for purchase
requisitions on the basis of freely definable classification characteristics or on the basis of predefined
criteria. If you set up the release procedure with classification for purchase requisitions, the procedure
without classification is deactivated.
Up to SAP Release 4.0, purchase requisitions could only be released (approved) on an item-wise basis.
As of SAP Release 4.0A, you can also release (approve) a complete requisition. This can be useful in
the case of requisitions whose individual items all relate to a requirement that should be viewed as a
whole. Whether a requisition has to be released item-by-item or in its entirety is determined via the
document type. In the latter case (i.e. if the requisition is subject to overall release), item-wise release is
not possible. For the purpose of determining a release strategy, the data from the items is aggregated.

SAP AG

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Release of Requisitions
Individual release

PReq.
Item 10

Starting situation

Strategy S1
blocked

PReq.

Release point
o.k.

o.k.

Effect releases (signify approval)

o.k.

Release
point 2

+ o.k.

Release
point 3

+ o.k.

Convert requisition
into RFQ

Release point

Item 10

Release
point 1

PReq.
Item 10

Collective release

Release
point 4

+ o.k.

Convert requisition
into PO

SAP AG

Purchase requisitions can be released (cleared, or approved) individually or collectively. If you use the
collective procedure, you process all the requisitions awaiting release via your release code on the basis
of a list. This method is recommended for frequent releases.

The release (clearance, or approval) of purchase orders, contracts, scheduling agreements, etc., is
effected from a list.
Only those documents that satisfy the release prerequisites can be released.

Each release point involved in the release procedure must approve a document that is subject to release.
In the course of the approval process, the release status of the document changes. This status is shown
by the release indicator, which also governs the further processing of the requisition. You can also make
field selection control dependent on the release indicator.

You can cancel a previously effected release and reset the former release status.
You can display the release status of a document to obtain details of the name of the release strategy,
releases effected to date, and the release codes with which the document has to be released.
You can simulate which release status a document would have if you released it with a certain release
code. This enables you to determine how the document can be processed further after you have released
it.

SAP AG

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Release Procedure for External Purchasing

Documents
RFQ
Sch. agmt.
Contract

Message

Pur. order
Item 10
20
30

Approval
o.k.

SAP AG

By the release of external purchasing documents (purchase order, contract, scheduling agreement, RFQ,
and service entry sheet) we mean the process of checking the correctness of the document data and
approving the documents prior to their transmission to vendors. The objective of this approval procedure
is to replace a manual system of authorized signatures by an electronic one.
Each purchasing document is checked for relevant conditions. A strategy is automatically assigned to a
document if the conditions are fulfilled.
External purchasing documents are released at header level. Item-wise (i.e. item-by-item) release is not
possible.
External purchasing documents can only be released using the release procedure with classification.

SAP AG

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Release Procedure: Overview

Classification:
Definition
Release criteria

Value
Plant

Customizing:
Definition
Release strategy

Create requisn.

Strategy S1

Requisn.

Value from 10,000

Item 10

Plant 1000

Strategy S1
blocked

Release points Release status

1. Engineering
Blocked
2. Purchasing
Released for RFQ
3. Controlling
Release code
Release indicator

Released for PO
= Release point
= Release status

SAP AG

The release strategy defines the release (clearance, approval, or authorization) process. The strategy
specifies the conditions under which a requisition or external purchasing document must be approved,
the individuals or departments who must approve it, and the sequence in which the approvals have to be
granted.

The assignment of a release strategy to a purchase requisition is carried out automatically and is based
on the release conditions. In the case of the procedure with classification, the conditions are defined via
characteristic values and stored in Customizing. If a requisition or an external purchasing document
fulfills the conditions, the document has to be released in accordance with the release strategy.
Each individual or department who is required to approve a requisition within the framework of a
release strategy represents a release point. A release strategy can include up to eight such release points.
A release point is identified by a two-character key, the release code. Each person involved in the release
procedure signifies approval (gives the "green light") using his or her release code. You can also cancel a
previously effected release (i.e. reset the original release status) using this code.
The release indicator reflects the current release status. It is determined automatically and defines
whether, for example, an RFQ or a PO can be created with reference to the item in question.

Release strategies, release codes, and release indicators are defined in Customizing.

SAP AG

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Customizing the Release Procedure

1

Definition of release codes

Rel. group
01
01

Rel. code
CO
TK

Workflow Description
Controlling
Technical

Definition of release indicators

Rel. ind.
1
2
...

Description
Not released
Fixed

RFQ

PO Field ref. Chgbl.

x

Definition of release strategy

Release group 01, strategy S1

a Release codes: CO, TK
b Release
c Release
prerequisite
statuses
Code/prerequisite
CO TK
CO
x
TK

Val. chg.

F203

CO TK
x
x

d Classification
Rel. ind.
1 Not released
1 Not released
2 Released

Char.
PLANT
VALUE

Value
1000, 2000
> 1000
R

SAP AG

You define release codes, release indicators, and release strategies in Customizing for Purchasing,. A
prerequisite for customizing a release strategy is the definition of release classes with release
characteristics.
The release code is a two-character key identifying a release point. Each person involved in the release
procedure signifies approval in a release transaction using his or her release code.
The release indicator reflects the current release status. Depending on the release indicator, you can
specify whether it is possible to change documents that have been partially or completely released, or
whether a document must pass through the release procedure all over again if it is changed.
The release strategy defines the approval process. The definition of a release strategy comprises
specification of the prerequisites for release points (i.e. the order in which the release points must signify
approval), the release status, and the release conditions in the form of characteristic values for
classification.
Release strategies are uniquely identified via a four-character key. The first two characters of this key
denote the release group, the last two the strategy. A release group must be assigned to a release object
(e. g. 2 = purchasing documents) and a release class.

SAP AG

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Definition of Release Criteria

Dictionary

Classification

Customizing

Definition of
characteristic

Definition of class

Charact. PLANT
Communication
structure
Plant
Mat. group
Item category
Acct. assgt. cat.
Value
...

Multi-value x
Ref.
table field
Unformatted x

Class

FRBANF

Class type 032

Charact- : PLANT
eristics : VALUE

Release Rel.
Release
group
obj.
class
01
PReq. FRBANF

Charact. VALUE
Multi-value x
Ref.
table field
Unformatted x
Interval values
allowed
x

Definition of
release group

SAP AG

To be able to work with the release procedure with classification, you must create a release class with
characteristics in addition to making the other Customizing settings. You set up a release class with
characteristics via the classification system.
The communication structures CEBAN (for purchase requisitions) and CEKKO (for external
purchasing documents) contain all the fields that can be defined as release characteristics. If you have
additional requirements, take advantage of the user exit made available by SAP.
All release conditions must be defined as classification characteristics. Part of the characteristic
definition is a link to a field of the communication structures CEBAN or CEKKO. The classification
characteristics should have the attribute multi-value, so that you can not only maintain the
characteristic values as single values but can enter several values if necessary. For characteristics of the
data type NUM or CURR, you should also allow interval values.
You group together all characteristics that you wish to use in release strategies for purchase requisitions
or external purchasing documents in a class. The class must be assigned to the class type 032. You can
define a class for purchase requisitions, a class for external purchasing documents, and a class for
service entry sheets. The release class is assigned to the release object in Customizing (1 = purchase
requisition, 2 = external purchasing documents, 3 = service acceptance).

SAP AG

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User Authorizations and Release Procedures

Controlling
Department

Technical Services
Department

PReq

Release CO

Release CO
TK

Meyer

Release TK
Smith

User
authorizations

User
authorizations

Authorization object
M_EINK_FRG
Value: CO

Authorization object
M_EINK_FRG
Value: TK

SAP AG

The authorization object "release code and group" in Purchasing (M_EINK_FRG) determines which
users can release requisitions and external purchasing documents with which release code.
If you use the release procedure for purchase requisitions without classification, you must create
authorizations for the authorization object "Release code in purchase requisitions" (M_BANF_FRG).

SAP AG

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Document Release Procedure: Summary

A requisition or external purchasing

document must be released (approved) if the

document fulfills certain conditions that are
defined in Customizing.
The release (approval) procedure is defined

through the release strategy.

By releasing a requisition, you give the

green light to go ahead and order the

requested material.
By releasing an external purchasing

document, you enable this document to be

outputted as a message (e.g. letter, fax, EDI)
to the vendor.
R

SAP AG

SAP AG

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