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419032 - Characteristics planning as of Release 4.5

Version 3 Type SAP Note
Language English Master Language German
Priority Recommendations / Additional Info Category Consulting
Release Status Released for Customer Released On 16.07.2001
Component PP-MP-DEM ( Demand Management )

Please find the original document at https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/notes/ 419032

Symptom

As of Release 4.5, the characteristics planning requires maintaining the planning tables. In the
characteristics planning, changes to characteristics or values within a class are no longer taken into
account automatically.

Other Terms

MDPH, MDP6, RM60XPRA_STAMM

Reason and Prerequisites

Upgrade from a release <= Release 4.0 to a release >= Release 4.5

Solution

This note describes the new function for characteristics planning as of Release 4.5.
As of Release 4.5, you can execute the planning based on a combination of characteristics. You can
combine characteristics the contents of which are linked to each other (correlate) and assign a
common usage probability.
Up to Release 4.0, the system regarded all characteristics as independent so that it always calculated
the probability of a logical AND link of characteristics using multiplication of the individual
probabilities. Thus the system could not map correlations. This missing function is implemented in
Release 4.5.
However, this new function requires different planning objects as of Release 4.5. The individual
characteristics with their values are no longer taken into account but the system links characteristics
in planning tables to form combinations. This means that the system combines correlating
characteristics in a planning table. For this purpose, the system assigns the required value
combinations.

Another functional enhancement is related to the linking of object dependencies during BOM
explosion. Up to Release 4.0, the individual dependency in the BOM item was evaluated in BOM
explosion with characteristics planning and the resulting usage probability was multiplied by the
quantity which had already been calculated from the explosion levels of this component. If, however,
the same dependency or probably dependencies excluding each other were entered on several BOM
levels, then this was not taken into account since there was no logical link (logical AND) between the
object dependencies of the BOM levels. This is taken into account as of Release 4.5.

Example: You combine the characteristics COLOR (with the values RED, BLUE, BLACK) and
ENGINEPOWER (with the values 90PS, 120PS, 180PS) in the planning table COLOR_ENGINEPOWER
(you can choose the name of the planning table). The following planning table lines are possible and
usage probabilities could be assigned to these lines.
COLOR_ENGINEPOWER

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RED 90PS (10%)
RED 150PS ( 5%)
RED 180PS (10%)
BLUE 90PS (15%)
BLUE 180PS (13%)
BLUE 150PS ( 7%)
BLACK 150PS ( 4%)
BLACK 180PS ( 8%)
BLACK 90PS (28%)

However, you do not have to include all possible combinations (as shown in the example) in a
planning table. Even when maintaining the usage probabilities in the configuration supporting point
of MD61, MD62, the total does not have to be 100% as in the example above.

The system now uses the line of the planning table as a planning object within the characteristics
planning.
In order to provide this data for the characteristics planning, you have to carry out the following
steps:

1. Create planning table and assign characteristics (Transactions MDP1, MDP2, MDP3).
2. Fill lines with values (combinations) (Transaction MDP4).
3. Create planning profile for a KMAT by assigning the desired planning tables to this profile and
setting the desired lines to "relevant for planning" (Transaction MDPH).
4. In a profile, a characteristic may occur once only, that is, you cannot add different planning
tables all of which contain a specific characteristic to a planning profile.
5. Assign the probabilities to the planning profile in the configuration supporting point
(Transactions MD61, MD62), that is, the combinations relevant for planning (lines).

If you do not want to use combinations because there might be no correlating characteristics, for
each characteristic that is used in the characteristics planning, you have to create a planning table to
which only this characteristic is assigned. This corresponds to the processing logic up to and
including Release 4.0.

These planning tables are therefore independent of the classification system and the characteristics,
that is changes (enhancements) to the characteristics or within a class do not automatically affect
the planning tables. In the same way, you can ignore the change management of the characteristics
and classes for the planning tables.

Therefore, if you add or delete characteristics in a class, you have to carry out manual changes (as
described above) so that these changes also affect the planning profile.
If you add a new characteristic you have to create a new planning table (to which the new
characteristic is assigned) and assign this table to the corresponding planning profile.
If you delete a characteristic, you just have to delete the existing planning table from the profile.

Using Transaction MDP6, you can automatically generate planning tables for all characteristics of a
class. These planning tables are also assigned to the planning profile of a material if there is no
planning profile for this material yet. However, this transaction is only a create transaction which
means that only new planning tables and profiles are created from the characteristics or new
planning profiles for the characteristics of the class are created using already existing planning
tables. However, this transaction is not used for changing existing profiles. This means that you have
to delete already existing planning profiles before executing Transaction MDP6 again.
You can only delete planning profiles when there are no planned independent requirements for
materials that are assigned to the planning profile.
By deleting the planning profiles you will also probably lose the usage probabilities of the
configuration supporting points.

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SAP currently does not plan to support the automatic update of planning profiles when changing
characteristics within a class.

If you execute an update from a release <= Release 4.0 to a release >= Release 4.5, according to
Note 140639, the system automatically converts the characteristics and values in planning tables and
generates planning profiles using Report RM60XPRA_STAMM. The system also converts the existing
usage probabilities using Report RM60XPRA_BEW.

Software Components

Software Component Release

SAP_APPL 45A - 45B

SAP_APPL 46A - 46B

SAP_APPL 46C - 46C

SAP_APPL 470 - 470

SAP_APPL 500 - 500

SAP_APPL 600 - 600

SAP_APPL 602 - 602

SAP_APPL 603 - 603

SAP_APPL 604 - 604

SAP_APPL 605 - 605

SAP_BASIS 46D - 46D

This document refers to

SAP Note/KBA Title

772859 FAQ: Characteristics planning

This document is referenced by

SAP Note/KBA Title

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772859 FAQ: Characteristics planning

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