Master Data question - Resource Master

[scm_09]

Hi,

Got some master data related questions on Resource master. I am kind of relatively new to APO and trying to understand master data fields and functionalities. Can someone please explain me in layman terms with a small easily understandable example,

1) What is the difference between time continous capacity and bucket capacity?

2) What and where do we use u201Cexternal capcityu201D? I read somewhere that if we check box the external capacity, then APO uses capapity from R/3. What difference does it make if capacity used from R/3 or bring it over to APO and use it from APO? When u check box the u201Cexternal capcityu201D you are already bringing the resource to APO. So what is the use of using the capacity from r/3?

3) A Multi activity resource has a capacity of 8 hrs per day. For example a resource has 5 lathes and u can carry 5 different activities/operations at the same time on this resource. So every lathe has 8 hrs of capacity, that means the overall capcity is 5*8 = 40 hrs???? and where are we specifiying number of lathes u201C5u201D in the resource master?

4) What is the advantage of deriving bucket capacity from time continous, than directly defining bucket capacity?

Thanks

Appreciate your help..

[scm_09 · Accepted solution]

Bump for help please

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

SCM,

I will today work on your question 1. As time permits, if Sri Mathur cannot respond, I will then attack the another question later.

1) what I am trying to understand here is..bucket capacity is 1 day minimum. that means 24 hours of capacity????? if yes, then time continuous capacity can be equal to bucket capacity if no breaks. if breaks are there then it is less than bucket capacity? 
If one operation takes 2 hrs then that means, 1 SNP bucket capacity can hold 12 such operations??? Really confused. 

Buckets can have any amount of capacity. For instance, if you define a capacity as a Daily bucket, you can further define it to have less than 24 hours of capacity. The difference is that the system manages this capacity as a single chunk.

Lets say I have a time-continuous capacity, which starts at 8:00 and ends at 16:00. It has 8 hours of capacity available. If I am consuming capacity with, say, a planned order operation, the system will check whether the capacity is available, and when it is available. So, the first planned order op that begins capacity consumption at 8:00 AM and consumes one hour of capacity will normally use the 8:00A-9:00A block of capacity. If I am capacity leveling and dispatching, then no other order will be allowed to consume capacity during this time period (8A-9A).

Now let us consider the same resource, but configured as a single day bucket. I still have 8 hours of capacity. However, when I create a planned order to consume capacity, it only checks whether I have enough available left in the entire bucket. The same first planned op order mentioned above, could be scheduled for 8A-9A, and would also consume 1 hour of capacity. This cap consumption is not 'from 8A to 9A', but is '1 hour out of the bucket of 8 available'. The next production order could also be scheduled for 8A-9A, and pass a capacity availability check, because there are 7 hours still available in the bucket. 8 1-hour planned order ops could be scheduled from 8A-9A, and still pass the cap check.

Time continuous cap consumption becomes very important if you are doing detailed sequencing of your orders, as is normally done in PP/DS. SNP, which is usually less detailed, is more likely to use bucketed caps (with many exceptions!!).

Rgds,

DB49

[scm_09 · Accepted solution]

Awesome..Thanks a lot for the explanation.

so for summary on question 1, an 8hr snp bucket capacity can only hold 8 "1-hr" planned order operations (all operations need not be from a same planned order). If there is a 9th 1-hr planned order operation, then it will be scheduled on next day or next bucket. Is this right?

Thanks again for detailed explanation. When time permits, could u please answer the other 2 questions.

Edited by: SCM0925 on Apr 2, 2010 8:26 PM

[Former Member]

Hi ,

Regarding your subsequent queries, please find below the responses

1) As explained by DB49 also, bucket capcity is a discrete bucket capacity whereas time continuous capacity goes continuous in time and used for detailed scheduling. bucket capacity is either used for rough cut planning or for resources which uses capacity as a chunk e.g. warehouse storage capacity.

Yes. when the 9th planned order for 1 hr duration comes for a 8hr bucket capacity then it will be scheduled in the other bucket but which bucket depends on the strategy maintained. In heuristics it would be intitally scheduled in the same bucket as capacity is infinite but during the capacity levelling , it would be adjusted.

2) it is recommended to use the external capacity indicator in apo even after the initial transfer of the resource capacity from R3 if you would like to use the capacity variants as shift timings , breaks etc to be used from R3 only in future for detailed scheduling of orders and not to consider any capacity variants maintained in APO.

3) Yes, you are right that in single activity resource, at a time only a single activity can be done whereas on multiactivity there can be different activity types scheduled on parallel capacities depending of the stage of the order scheduled.

4) Regarding your 4th question,its not that single activity resource cant have the time continuous capacity. time continuous and bucket capacity are two different types of capcities whereas single and multi mainly refers to no of activities that can be parallell performed.there can be any combinations among the two.

e.g. i would say that in the case of short term planning you need to have a detailed schedule of ordes upto minutes ans seconds and hence time continous capacities are used whereas in long term planning you only need to have a rough cut plans and hence the bucket planning is used. Also another example could be that ifyou would like to map the Warehpouse storage capacity then the bucket capacity type storage resources can be used.

let me know if it helps

regards

Gaurav

[scm_09]

Gaurav really helpfull answer. Theoritically I got it, but I am looking for an easily understanble example..

[scm_09]

Bump for dogboy49 if you got some time... thanks

[Former Member]

SCM,

?? I thought Guarav did an excellent job coverering all of your topics. What specifically is your question?

Rgds,

DB49

[scm_09]

Hi DG49,

I am trying to understand the following question with some number crunching example.if you can..

4) What is the advantage of deriving bucket capacity from time continous, than directly defining bucket capacity?

Thanks

[Former Member]

Hi SCM,

Without the number crunching example,

It can be said that the derivation of bucket capacity from time continuous capacity lies in the fact that it helps in the aggregation & disaggregation when the system calculates the capacity

Reduces the effort in maintaining detailed capacity from bucket capacity

Master data maintenance for the PDS / PPM & Resource

-team acceval-

[scm_09]

bump

[Former Member]

Hi,

Please find below the responses to your queries

1) Time continuous capacity is basically the capacity which is infinite continuous duration in time and you can define the shift intervals and breaks to adjust as per business process e.g. everyday 8 hrs or 16 hrs capacity with lunch time and breaks in between whereas bucket capacity is a discrete capacity and is specified bucket wise. Bucket capacity can be in PPDS as well as SNP. In PPDS it is used specifically for CDP planning or block planning. In SNP it can be used for bucket capacity references as Transport resources, storage resources , bucket planning etc

2) External caapcity is used when the capacity ,shift interval and break durations of a resource needs to be used from R3 and as such no capacity variants are maintained in APO or used from APO. You tick the use external capacity flag in R3 and hence APO resource always use the capacity and shift interval details from R3 while scheduling of orders. It is quiet handy when the changes to R3 capacity gets automatically picked by APO while scheduling the orders in APO else the changes needs to be either replicated or maintained in APO seperately.

3) In a multi activity resources, no of caapcities is specified in no of individual capacities field under the capacity header in R3 and APO. The overall capacity is standard capacity multiplied by no of individual capacities multiplied by utilization % rate.

4) The advantage of determining bucket capacity from Time continuous is that for Mixed resources or resources used in SNP also, you can derive the capacity from R3 using external capacity flag else for a mixed resource it wont be possible. Also as most production lines have the time continuos capacities so for doing the bucket planning in SNP it makes sense to easily derive from the time continupous capacity rather than defining seperately. However for transport or storage resources , it is seperately define with no reference to time .

Award points if it helps

Regards

Gaurav

[scm_09]

Guarav, Thanks for the reply.

1) what I ma trying to understand here is..bucket capacity is 1 day minimum. hat means 24hrs of capacity????? if yes, then time continous capacity can be equal to bucket capacity if no breaks. if breaks are there then it is less than bucket capacity?

If one operation takes 2 hrs then that means, 1 snp bucket capacity can hold 12 such operations??? Really confused.

2) I think I understoood this one. but if we transfer changes from r/3 to apo, then we dont need to use external capcity box right?

3) My question is, in a single activity resource only one activity can be done. That means only one of setup,produce,teardown can be done. but In multi activity resource, u can do all set up, produce and teardown activities. am I right?

4) can u explain more with an example? why multi mean continous and single mean bucket? why cant a single activity resourec have time continous capacity?

Thanks