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Batch number generation question

0 Kudos

Hello,

I would like to reach out and pose a question within the Mill products forum regarding Batch number generation process.

First let me say, I recognize this is a general question but I would like to get some mill community member feedback as to their respective experiences.

Question - in SAP mill products implementations where SAP-ECC is interfacing with an external MES system, which one of the following processes for batch number creation do you commonly see

1) MES system creates an external batch number (based upon agreed SAP standards) and sends that batch # to SAP (ie EXTABC0001) OR

2) MES system sends its internal unique ID # (ie MESABC0001) and then SAP creates its own batch # using internal number ranges (ex INTABC0001) during inbound iDoc processing (example Production order Goods receipt process)

We have model 1 currently implemented for some of our locations however some new locations planned to be deployed to SAP have been requesting model 2. Obviously we want some design consistency but would like to reach out and get some broader community feedback as to what are some of the more common implementations scenarios and the reasons why.

Thank you

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Haags
Advisor
Advisor

From a logical view, there might be not the one and only solution. 1. Concerns might be about the consistency of numbering. In case of several MES software products (maybe also from different software vendors) integrated to SAP ERP the integrity (number uniqueness) needs to be ensured. a) organizational: you need to define unique number ranges for each MES (plants…) software b) technical: can every MES system "customize" the range and maybe c) does the field length harmonize ?  2. If you do not want to manage the criteria in 1), then you might go with SAP ERP internal number assignment. You transfer the MES external batch number and an external system ID (MES) to SAP ERP, into an additional field.

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1 REPLY 1

Haags
Advisor
Advisor

From a logical view, there might be not the one and only solution. 1. Concerns might be about the consistency of numbering. In case of several MES software products (maybe also from different software vendors) integrated to SAP ERP the integrity (number uniqueness) needs to be ensured. a) organizational: you need to define unique number ranges for each MES (plants…) software b) technical: can every MES system "customize" the range and maybe c) does the field length harmonize ?  2. If you do not want to manage the criteria in 1), then you might go with SAP ERP internal number assignment. You transfer the MES external batch number and an external system ID (MES) to SAP ERP, into an additional field.