Critical Issue: Availabilty check & alternative BOM selction issue

[former_member691657]

During the upgradation project I'm working facing the following critical issues:

1)While creating the sales order, system carries out the availability check in APO.In material master checking group Z5 is defined.

Actually I want to know hw the system carries out the search in APO & what are the settings in R/3 or APO we have to make?

2)Suppose there are 3 alternative BOM's of a finished product.A requirement is while creating the sales order availabilty check should be carried out & system should check the availability of components on the required date.If the component is not avalable system should go & check the second alternative...third alternative until it gets the confirmation of component availability.

How we can set this functionality & what are the prerequisites or customisation settings we needs to make?

Would appreciate providing your inputs on this critical issue.

Thanks,

Nilesh<b></b>

[Former Member]

Regarding Question 2: NIlesh need answers from you before I can proceed.

(1) I believe you will be doing the availability checking only at the component level.

and not at the Header level( Finished Product)

(2) Has the SD team configured the BOM Header and Component Item Categories in R3.????

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You will have to use the RULES BASED ATP Check.

I suggest you read the following int he mean while

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_scm41/helpdata/en/26/c2d63b18bc7e7fe10000000a114084/frameset.htm

[Former Member]

HI,

You will require to explore more on GATP's following components

- Rule Based ATP Check

- Multilevel ATP

I am sure you will able to achive your gole using GATP functionality.

[former_member691657]

Earlier this functionality (Alternative BOM selection) was not implemented & its a new requirement which has came.

Thanks,

Nilesh

[Former Member]

Nilesh,

The functionality you are requesting is called as PRODUCT SELECTION or can be called as Product Substitution in R3.

Like I said earlier I will get back to you on what has to be done in APO. May not be the complete steps, however I can point you to the right direction and I believe you can pick up from there.

Regards

Kumar

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Harish,

I have done some extensive research on the time zone issue which is prevalent in the market today and there seems to be no possible solution whatsoever.

Even SAP is still pursuing this issue.

This issue is prevalent in some MNC's as well. However the level of impact varies as this issue comes up only for certain conditions..

Thanks and Regards

Kumar

[Former Member]

Hi Nilesh,

As you mentioned, you are working on upgrade project... is your query is regarding upgrade? i.e. means in earliar version (before upgrade) BOM was selected properly and after upgrade it is not working same as before upgrade?

Please confirm.

[Former Member]

Kumar

Thats a nice bit of detail and explanation in the Blog

Am jus wondering if the issue of planning in UTC in APO can be avoided by changing the setting in the Model version management to use Local time zone.

Nilesh

If you have the BOMs in APO as PPMs I suppose you can create a rule for PPM Substitutions and use the levels to sort

You can see the setting in /SAPAPO/RBA04.

Check the link below for some details

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_scm50/helpdata/en/60/a47139d1f89a0ce10000000a114084/content.htm

[former_member691657]

Thanks Kumar for your reply to my query.

Working on the same as per your reply.

Would appreciate your inputs on the second query.

Regards,

Nilesh

[Former Member]

Before you understand how the APO Availability Checking concept works, I would suggest you understand about the regular R3 availability checking. As this is the core for the SD and APO GATP. Refer help.sap.com

Question 1:

<b>Settings in R3:</b> You have the ATP integration model in CFM1 transaction. You need to activate this just one time and never again. what this does is basically transfer all your availability checking customizing to APO.

All the settings for the Availability Checking group ( Z5, etc) are already maintained in R3 and they get transferred to APO by the integration model. You donot need to anything else.

<b>Settings in APO:</b>

If you are using <b>Product Allocation Concept</b>, You have to maintain the Check Instructions.... Otherwise there are no other settings in APO

<b>Availability Check in APO :</b>

( see the following blog for the requirements class( Name in R3) or check mode( Name in APO) determination http://solution-timezone-issue.blogspot.com/ )

The check mode and the business event( These are hardcode internally in R3 - For SD- A) are determined from the order and based on this in APO it follows the following order

(1) Reads the check instructions settings in APO

For example say the following have been determined from the SD Order : Check Mode 041 and Business Event A

Say we have maintained in APO that the first step is Availability Check and all the other two steps we havent maintained or left blank ( Product Allocation and Forecast)

• Look for the customizing in APO

SPRO>APO>GATP>General Settings>Maintain Check Instructions ****

(2) Carries out availability Checking same as in R3 and no different

From the masterial master considers the availability checking group ( Ex: Z1) and the business event( SD transactions- A)

• Very Important and the core of availability checking which is similar in R3 and APO***

Against these 2 combinations, the settings are checked which define what stock and in/outward movements are to be considered during the availability check

• For customzing settings in APO

SPRO>APO>GATP>Maintain Check Control>

For Customizing in R3

SPRO>Sales and Distribution>Basic Functions>Availability Check and transfer of requirements>Availability check with ATP logic or planning>Carry out control for availability check

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This is the answer to your first question.

Your second question would need some time and I will try to answer it as well.

Hope this helps you..