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SOP: Use of Application Link Enabling (ALE) with SOP ( RELN30A_PP_SOP_ALE )

SOP: Use of Application Link Enabling (ALE) with SOP ( RELN30A_PP_SOP_ALE )

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SOP: Use of Application Link Enabling (ALE) with SOP

Description

Application Link Enabling (ALE) is the technique by which data is exchanged between a central application and distributed applications running on different logical computer systems, sometimes in different countries, in a communications network.

Communication between applications is carried out via the medium of the IDOC (intermediate document). The configuration of all information structures is based on one central reference IDOC. An IDOC used for Sales & Operations Planning (SOP) has ten segments for key figures, one segment for characteristic values, and one segment for the planning version.

You maintain a distribution model for the IDOC of each information structure, in which you define the reference as the sender and the client as the receiver. You can then set up this distribution model such that organizational units (characteristic values) receive only data (key figures) which is relevant to them. For example, you specify that sales organization Florida is to be sent its own target sales quantities but not the target sales quantities of sales organization Texas, and not the total target sales quantities for all sales organizations. You configure distribution models in Customizing for Application Link Enabling (under "Distribution" in "Cross-application functions").

In order to be able to send the data of a particular information structure, you must have the system generate a message type for it. You do this in Customizing for Sales & Operations Planning (the step "Application Link Enabling" under "Functions"). This ensures that an IDOC containing planning data is transmitted to the receiver whenever the data of this information structure is saved. This may be a sales plan, a production plan, or any planning data saved in an information structure. Previous planning data at the receiver location is overwritten in this process. Thus, if the user wishes to resend data for any reason, he or she must call up the planning data and save it. All message types generated for Sales & Operations Planning have the format "LIPxxx" (xxx stands for the three figures after the leading "S" in the name of the information structure).

At the receiving end, the Workflow Management module records the arrival of an IDOC, checks its date, and ensures that the most recent data is saved. If subsequently it is decided that the older data is needed after all, it has to be sent again.

The attribute "not ready for input" can be assigned to a line in the planning table. It is therefore possible to set planning targets centrally such that they can be displayed but not changed decentrally.

Requirements

The information structure must be present both centrally and decentrally so that characteristic values can be recognized on both sides.

Example

  1. Sales plans are created decentrally by the company's sales organizations and passed to head office.
  2. Head office creates an overall production plan based on the cumulated sales plans, perhaps adjusting the targets set by the individual sales organizations, and then distributes production quotas to each of the company's plants.
  3. These, in turn, report their ability to meet these targets back to head office, which adjusts the production quotas as necessary. Reasons why production plants might not be able to meet the central targets include machine failure or a staff shortage.
The planning table contains a line showing the difference between the quotas set by head office and those set decentrally.
Note
Because the criteria which determine a sales plan are very different from the criteria which determine a production plan, there is no need for the sales planner and the production planner to communicate directly with each other. Sales and production are planned in separate information structures, with head office using SOP's key figure copy function to create the overall production plan in step 2.

Damage caused to data by errors

Software/hardware requirements

Effects on Customizing

You configure information structures for use in Application Link Enabling (ALE) in the Customizing step Application Link Enabling (ALE).

To use ALE for Sales & Operations Planning, you must also make a number of settings centrally in Distribution.

Effect on batch input

Changes to the Interface

Changes in procedure

Procedure for removing dataset errors

Dependent functions

Planning

Further notes






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