Sample size / results recording on goods receipt and not on batch

[Martin_H]

Dear all,

currently we are doing goods receipt with one large batch(hole GR quantity), inspection lot is created for this batch and sample size is calculated for this whole batch. Later this batch is splitted an processed further.

As a logistic requirement the goods receipt quantity is now splitted directly at the goods receipt. This means that there is now not one inspection lot, but several (one for each batch). It would be still helpful to have the possibility to calculate the sample size and do the results recording on the goods receipt and not on the individual inspection lots that now are created for each batch.

Is this somehow possible? So far I was not very successful finding anyone that had the same requirement. We thought about using skip lots, but this is a bit like working around the intended usage of the system.

Regards
MH

[Martin_H · Accepted solution]

I just noted that maybe I have searched using the wrong text...at least when I reformulated my issue with "one inspection lot for several batches" I found the following thread:

http://scn.sap.com/thread/1871521

Basic outcome of that post is that this is not possible within the standard. Can anyone confirm that?

Regards

MH

[former_member42743 · Accepted solution]

If I understand your posting, you want to have a PO for say 100 tons.  You want to receive these using multiple receipts and batches and create one inspection lot for each batch received under this PO. But you want the sample size requirements to be based on the receiving of the 100 tons and, I guess, sample size allocated to each inspection lot/batch by what?  Proportion?

If so, than no.  you can't do that with standard functionality.

It might be possible to create your own sample determination module to do this however.

QM-->Quality Planning-->Basic Data-->Sample, SPC-->Define Sample Determination

Select "Adapt Rules for Sample Determination".

In here you can define your own and add a FM.  You would have to write the FM of course.

FF

[Martin_H · Accepted solution]

Fire Fighter wrote:
If I understand your posting, you want to have a PO for say 100 tons.  You want to receive these using multiple receipts and batches and create one inspection lot for each batch received under this PO. But you want the sample size requirements to be based on the receiving of the 100 tons and, I guess, sample size allocated to each inspection lot/batch by what?  Proportion?

Almost correct: We are doing the Goods receipt based on the PO. The system is automatically creating the batches for the PO based on the delivered amount (fixed batch size, so the more delivered the more batches are created). This result in the creation of one inspection lot per batch. I would need to have one inspection lot for the PO (lets say: 10% of received amount), independent of the batches/with all the batches assigned to.

The background is that the sample is taken from the whole goods receipt amount and not specially from one batch. The batches are in this case not important for QM and are only required by the other logistic departments.

I was also thinking of early lot creation, but as far as I know this is only possible for production orders and not for purchase orders. Partial lots most likely will also not work, right?

Regards

MH

[former_member42743 · Accepted solution]

Are the batch numbers actually assigned in the PO at the time of PO creation?  Or automatically created and assigned to the GR when the when the GR is done?

FF

[Martin_H · Accepted solution]

The batch numbers are automatically created and assigned when the GR is done.

Regards

MH

[former_member42743 · Accepted solution]

Cool.. Then I might have an idea for you to try.  Set up your material for source inspection.  You'll need a Material info record.(QI01, QI02).  On the second tab of the info record specify the inspection type and click on the Source insp. indicator.  Set the lead time for whatever is appropriate. 

When you run the source inspection program, (QI07 to manually run, can be automated in batch), sepcify in the program "Inspect W/O batch".

In the material master, use a procurement control key that specifics that no new inspection lots are to be created at GR.

See this link: http://help.sap.com/saphelp_46c/helpdata/en/2d/351115448c11d189420000e829fbbd/content.htm

In the inspection plan, create one required short-term MIC.  Something like "Process Lot" or whatever you want to cal lit.  It's basically just a do-nothing characteristic.  Make it a simple  PASS/FAIL.  You'll always record this as PASS.

Create the tests you really want as long-term inspection characteristics and add them to the plan.

Create a special selected set for this inspection type.  Three codes.  PASS, FAIL, INPROCESS

Now.. the following should happen.

1 - create PO

2 - run source inspection program, QI07, this creates an inspection lot

3 - Record a pass value for the one short-term characteristic

4 - Record a UD for the lot. Record UD INPROCESS which should have an evalution of accepted.

5 - Your GR's should not result in any inspection lots.

6 - When you get done whatever it is you need to get done, go back to the inspection lot and record your long-term characteristic values.  Shoudl be only lot with a UD code of INPROCESS on it.  You can create worklist variants for QA32 to find them easily.

7 - Once LT inspections are done, change the UD to PASS or FAIL as required.

Of course, this process does not control stock.

FF

[former_member42743 · Accepted solution]

I don't know if trhis helps or not but you might also be able to use inspection points in your plan.

Put the short-term-characteristic in one operation by itself.

Put the long-term ones in a second operation.

You might now be able to manually create a new inspection points for the second operation for ach GR you do if you want to have individual results recorded for each GR.  As part of the inspection point idnentifier, the batch number could be included.

I don't know if you can create new inspection points after the UD has been done, but if they are all LT inspection characteristics, who knows?  I've never tried that!  If you really wanted to get slick, you coudl use the inspection point FM's to pre-create the correct number of inspection points for you based on the PO size and maximum batch size.  Shouldn't be too hard.

FF

[Martin_H · Accepted solution]

Wow, this sound like an interesting idea. I might need some time to check it though 😉

As you write, really no chance to get this also into controlling the stock? This would be the swiss army knife...

I did some research and found the following post(relevant is the last comment by "Craig"): http://www.sapfans.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=299434 --> how about using this to create one source inspection lot (for doing the sampling/results recording) and in parallel the normal(stock relevant) inspection lots (one per batch) that are stock relevant? If this works it might be a solution, but I am not sure if I got this right out of this post, or if they are talking about two source inspections (then both would not be stock relevant).

Regards

MH

Message was edited by: Martin Hinderer

[former_member42743 · Accepted solution]

If you want stock controlled inspection lots, then set up the procurement control key to create inspection lots at GR.  I didn't think you wanted lots for the individual batches.  (yeah.. that Craig is a pretty smart guy.   )

Also, since you specify the inspection type in the source lot creation program, I beleive you'll be able to have two different inspection types.  i.e. one for the source, (no batch) lot and the standard 01 type for the regualr GR's.  This of course can allow you to use different inspection plans since the inspection types can be mapped to different plan usages.

FF

[Martin_H · Accepted solution]

I managed to get it partly working, but I have issue with the stock relevance...this is what I did so far:

• One inspection plan with usage 01, material master having the inspection type active
• Setup quality info record with source inspection 01 and did not activate the "source inspection - no GR" flag --> system issues a warning message telling me that this might result in two inspection lots, which is exactly what I want
• Executed QI07 and create the source inspection lot for the PO (not stock relevant, as expected)

Now I did two different tests.

• 1st test: GR posting without touching the source inspection lot
• 2nd test: Closure of source inspection lot(UD made), then GR posting

Result: with both tests I get the second GR inspection lot, but it is also not stock relevant. Why is that?

Regards

MH

[former_member42743 · Accepted solution]

Stupid question but I have to ask it.  For 01 is the post to inspection stock active?

FF

[Martin_H · Accepted solution]

Yes, that is the case. This is also working correctly: when I remove the entry in the quality info record and then do a normal PO/GR, I get the standard inspection lots which are stock relevant.

MH

[former_member42743 · Accepted solution]

"Yes, that is the case" = yes that was the problem and it's fixed?

Or

"Yes, that is the case" = yes the indicator was set so that didnt' solve the problem?

If it is the second interpretation, the only other options I can think of is

1) to experiment with the control inspect lot settings and see if changing that has any impact

2) use a user exit and first have a programmer see if the post to QI is set when the the program comes into the user exit.  If it is not set, you might be able to use the exit to set it and make it stock relevant.

QAAT0001	Inspection type determination different from variant 01
QAAT0002	Control of acceptance lots/goods receipt

FF

[Martin_H · Accepted solution]

Yes, the indicator was already set...sorry for the misleading reply *g*

So to summarize the general SAP logic seems to be: once you activate source inspection, both/all inspection lots for the material/plant/vendor combination will be not stock relevant. Correct?

I will see if your proposal 1 will result in any different behavior...

Regards

MH

[Martin_H · Accepted solution]

Regarding your proposal 1 I got the following system behaviors:

• Control inspection lot "X": no second inspection lot created at GR
• Control inspection lot "1": second inspection lot created at GR (non-stock relevant)
• Control inspection lot "2": no second inspection lot created at GR
• Control inspection lot "blank": second inspection lot created at GR (non-stock relevant)

So I am afraid that this request cannot be solved with SAP standard and programming has to be used here...

Regards

MH

[former_member42743 · Accepted solution]

One last possibility. Create your PO with a generic batch number in it that you won't use.  Like 9999999.

Follow the same steps as before.  I.e. Create the source lot.  (you may need to click off the w/o batch indicator in the source lot inspection program.  Process it as you normally would. Now receive in a different batch number and see if that insp lot is stock relevant. 

You never do a GR for batch 9999999 so it should never show any inventory.  In fact, I don't even think a batch header is created.

FF

[Martin_H · Accepted solution]

I did some rework/reset of my test data(sometimes worth the effort *g*), and could now successfully do the following:

• Create PO (without any batch number) for material that is batch managed
• Create Source Inspection lot (not stock relevant)
• Either complete source inspection lot or not (doesn't matter for next steps)
• Book GR (with batch split, e.g. to 3 batches, or also only to one batch)
• Respective inspection lot(s) are created, and are stock relevant

So this looks quite good so far! I used control inspection lot "blank" setting in material master.

Regards

MH

[former_member42743 · Accepted solution]

So any idea why in the first test the GR lots were not stock relevant? And why on the second test they are?

Just curious,

FF

[Martin_H · Accepted solution]

Well, for my first test I used a material that was not batch managed (because I thought I reduce the complexity at beginning to make it easier understanding the system behavior).

So it seems that only batch managed materials will result in a stock relevant inspection lot in case source inspection is active.

MH

[former_member42743 · Accepted solution]

This isn't all that surprising.  A lot of the source functionality involves batches.  So it doesn't surprise me that some of the logic may not be taken into account for non-batch managed materials.

FF

[Martin_H · Accepted solution]

It somehow makes sense, although at least I did not find any documentation about that system behavior.

At least my problem is solved now.

Thanks

MH

[former_member42743 · Accepted solution]

Martin,

Glad it worked out for you!

I always look forward to your postings.  When you pose questiosn there is good detail to get an understanding of the issue; you always research your issues before hand; and you're obviously QM savvy already.

You respond in a timely fashion and actually test scenario's and even do further testing.  And you always properly close out your threads.

I always learn something new myself when working on your issues.  I never feel like I'm wasting my time responding to something that can often be found in the help files, a google search or just a little bit of testing in a sandbox.

I wish all the postings here coud be as productive as your's.

Thanks!!

FF