Author(s): Rajesh Azmeera
The SAP Supply Chain Management is one of the key modules in SAP ERP and controls Production Planning, business forecasting and demand planning. It helps the organization to manage their supply chain process in a dynamic environment. SAP SCM is a complete software to cover key processes such as supply chain networking, supply chain planning and coordination, and supply chain execution. This article describes different case studies with solid results for demand planning bucket profiles, characteristic values, Mass processing, planning books etc.
The Demand Planning process component supports demand planners in creating a forecast of the demand for their company's products to be sold in a target market. Demand planning is used to create forecasts for finished products or for dependent demand for the components of a product. The result of demand planning is the demand plan. For more information about demand plans, see the Demand Plan business object.
The planning process in Demand Planning includes at least the
following steps:
Create a demand planning scenario using already existing key figures,
characteristics, one or more planning periods, unit of measure, and
optionally an existing time stream (see also Demand Planning
Scenario business object). To create a demand planning scenario,
a preconfigured demand planning scenario template can be used
as a template to facilitate the creation (see also Demand Planning
Scenario Template business object). Create the characteristic
value combinations in demand planning, based on characteristics
defined in the demand planning scenario (see the Demand Planning
Characteristic Value Combination business object).
Create a demand plan as a container for planning data (see the
Demand Plan business object).
Assign at least one planning version, which already exists in the
back-end system, to the newly built demand plan.
Use a demand plan selection for building a subset of all characteristic value combinations (see the Demand Plan business object).
The planning process is cyclic as the results from PP/DS are also respected in TS Supply. This means, planners get feedback on their production planning from PP/DS and can directly analyze the effects on their supply plan within one system
The following section describes the complete settings for this building block. These settings can be divided into three main groups:
Prerequisite settings that have to be checked and which were delivered by SAP (as part of the standard delivery)
The term Check refers to these prerequisite settings.
Settings defined by the customer (in the customer namespace and
customer-specific):
The system uses automation to request individual customer settings
during the personalization process. These settings can be initial
or reused from existing SAP ERP layers and are indicated in the
text by
Additional settings that need to be made, covered either by
automation or manual configuration (in the customer namespace)
The term Create refers to these additional settings in t
A storage buckets profile defines the time buckets in which data based on a given planning area is saved in Demand Planning or Supply Network Planning. You need a storage bucket profile before you can create a planning area. You need to define a storage bucket profile before you can create a planning area. Access the activity, use one of the following navigation options: Transaction code, /SAPAPO/TR32 SAP SCM Menu, Demand Planning ® Environment ® Current settings ® Periodicities for Planning Area The screen Maintain Periodicity is displayed. Enter the following values:
Time bucket profiles define the historical or future time horizon for Demand Planning or Supply Network Planning, specifically which time buckets are used for planning, how many periods of each time bucket are used and the sequence in which the time buckets appear in the planning table.
Access the activity, use one of the following navigation options:
Transaction code, /SAPAPO/TR30. SAP SCM Menu, Demand
Planning- Environment - Current settings - Maintain Time
Buckets profile for Demand Planning and Supply Network
Planning.
Define the following profiles:
Time buckets prfl ID YDP_MON24 the horizon spans 24 months.
Description 24 Months
A planning area is the central data structure of Demand Planning. It groups together the parameters that define the scope of planning activities. It also determines where and how the planning results are saved in liveCache.
To access the activity, use one of the following navigation options:
Transaction Code /SAPAPO/MSDP_ADMINSAP SCM Menu
Advanced Planning and Optimization a Demand Planning -
Environment -/SAPAPO/MSDP_ADMIN - Administration of
Demand Planning and Supply Network Planning
Right-click the Planning areas folder and choose Create planning
area. In the dialog box Create Planning Area, enter the following
data:
Choose Enter.
In the Change Planning Area window, choose the Key figs tab
page and transfer the required Key figs from the right part (Copy
Fr.) to the left part (Planning Area) of the screen.
On the Key Figs tab page, choose button Details. Maintain the fields as follows:
To use the locking logic in conjunction with the macros used for the planning cycle for local and central planner, settings need to be maintained on the locking logic tab page. Choose Save and return to the planning areas overview list.
To run a forecast, a profile needs to be set up. This contains a reference to the key figure corrected historical on which a forecast can be generated and a target key figure where the forecast results can written to. In this configuration guide an automatic forecasting model will be chosen based upon the historical data. To Access the activity, use one of the following navigation option: Transaction code /SAPAPO/MC96B SAP SCM Menu Advanced Planning Optimization Demand Planning Environment Maintain Forecast Profiles On the Maintain Forecast Profile screen, choose the Master prfl. tab page and make the following entries:
The diagnosis group contains the threshold values, which trigger an alert when they are exceeded.
Choose Save single profile, and then choose Adopt. The Univariate profile has been assigned to the master profile.
• Choose the Mater Prfl. tab page, choose Save. The master
forecast profile has been created.
Creating the Diagnosis Group
The diagnosis group contains the threshold values, which
trigger an alert when they are exceeded.
• To Access the activity, use one of the following navigation
option:
• Transaction code /SAPAPO/MC96B
• SAP SCM Menu Demand Planning Environment
Maintain Forecast Profiles
• Input YDP_PA in Planning Area the field, on the Master
Prfl. Tab page.
• Choose the Univariate Profil. tab page, select your Univariate
Profile by input help.
• Then choose Maintain diagnos. Group in the Model
Parameters section.
• In the dialog box Maintain Diagnosis group, maintain thevalue as follows:
• Choose Save Group to save the diagnosis group.
• On the same screen, choose Adopt values. The defined
Diagnosis Group has been assigned to the Univariate Profile.
• On the Univariate Forecast Profile screen, choose Save Single
Profile.
• Characteristic Values:
• The purpose of this activity is to determine the master data •
on which you want to create the demand pans, a necessary
prerequisite of demand planning.
• Access the activity, use one of the following navigation
options:
• Transaction Code /SAPAPO/MC62
• SAP SCM Menu Advanced Planning and Optimization
Master Data Application Specific Master data Demand
Planning ® Maintain Characteristic Values
• On the Maintain Planning-Relevant characteristic
combinations view, enter the following data:
• Master Planning Object Structure YDP_POS In the Maintain
Characteristic Combinations section, choose Create
Characteristic Combination.
• On the Create Characteristic Combinations screen, create
the following entries:
You have generated the master data for demand planning. You can check the characteristics combination you have just generated by using the Display characteristics combinations option in the Maintain Planning-Relevant characteristic combinations view.
A planning book defines the content and layout of the interactive planning screen. You use planning books in Demand Planning and Supply Network Planning. They allow you to design the screen to suit individual planning tasks. A planning book is based on a planning area.
You create one or more data views for the planning book. You need at least one view in order to use the planning book.
In Configuration, you can assign planning books and data views to users; you can also define whether or not a user is able To access other planning books and data views. Typically, a view is used by one demand planner or by a group of demand planners with a common business goal. In the data view you specify the planning horizon, which means that planning horizons can be user-specific. You can create several user-specific data views in a planning book based on the same data.
Here we will create three Planning Books each with one or multiple data views for different planning activities.
This planning book is used for system background job, which can be scheduled to run during non-working period, for example during night. It includes 4 data views. To create planning book execute the following steps:
The Proportional factor APODPDANT key figure is automatically added to your planning area when you create the planning area. You do not have to add this key figure yourself and assign it to the planning book in this step. When you create the respective view, this key figure will be automatically there for your selection.
• Choose Continue to go to the Characteristics tab page.
• On the Characteristics tab page, assign the following characteristics from the Planning Area at the right side to the Planning Book at the left side via drag and drop:
This data view is used to calculate the key figure Historical Sales without additional demand by subtracting Additional demand from Sales Quantity 1; the key figure Historical sales without additional demand will then be used as the base for statistical forecast run.
Choose Continue to go to the Key figures tab page and assign the following key figures from the Planning Book area at right side to the Data View area at the left side via drag and drop:
This data view is used to determine the statistical forecast based upon the historical sales without additional demand key figure.
This data view is used to consolidate all input to get the final
demand plan which can be released to ECC or SNP for further
planning
The Proportional factor APODPDANT key figure is automatically
added to your planning area when you create the planning area.
You do not have to add this key figure yourself and assign it to
the planning book in this step. When you create the respective
view, this key figure will be automatically there for your selection.
• Choose Continue to go to Characteristics tab page.
• On the Characteristics tab page, assign the following characteristics from the planning area to the planning book via drag and drop:
• This data view in the planning book Central Planner is used to review and to maintain the historical sales data.
The Proportional factor APODPDANT key figure is automatically added to your planning area when you create the planning area. You do not have to add this key figure yourself and assign it to the planning book in this step. When you create the respective view, this key figure is automatically there for your selection.
• Choose Continue to go to Characteristics tab page.
• On the Characteristics tab page, assign the following characteristics from the planning area to the planning book via drag and drop:
This data view is used to review and to maintain the local forecast adjustment and additional demand key figures.
Choose continue to go to the Key figures tab page and assign the following key figures from the planning book area at right side to the data view area at the left side via drag and drop:
On the Characteristics tab page, assign the following characteristics from the planning area to the planning book via drag and drop
In this article able to describe few case studies, methodologies and results related to Process flow, Bucket Profile in Demand Planning, Planning Area, Planning Book and Data View and Forecasting. SAP Supply Chain Management, Demand planning, Forecasting will have more number of case studies and methodologies. We’ll cover few more in next article [1-25].
