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Sales: Batch Processing in Sales and Distribution and Materials Management ( RELNSD_SLS_30CHARGENFIND )

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Sales: Batch Processing in Sales and Distribution and Materials Management

Description

The legislation concerning the food, pharmaceuticals and chemical industries is becoming more and more strict, demanding the use of integrated batch processing. The trend towards standardizing the legislation (within the EU, for example) is also shaping a standard concept for the management and processing of batches. Both commercial companies and manufacturing companies within the industry sectors mentioned above require this functionality.

A batch represents a non-reproducible quantity of a material. It is characterized by unique features. There are some reproducible features which characterize the material but do not necessarily form a batch for this material.

Batch processing can be carried out in all areas of logistics in the SAP R/3 System. In Release 3.0, batch processing allows integrated processing of batches throughout all logistics functions and modules. The function enhancements for Release 3.0 are described below.

You can set the batch area of validity in Customizing. There, you can define the level on which a batch is unique:

• A batch is unique on the material/plant level

The same batch number can be assigned for the same material in another plant. Obviously, the batches can differ in specification.

• A batch is unique on material level

A batch number can only be assigned once for each material.

• A batch is unique on client level

The batch number is unique within a client. A batch is allocated to one material only.

The batch status is a feature with possible values unrestricted use and restricted use. Batch status can be derived from other freely definable features, meaning that batch status can be derived from the characteristic value assignment of a batch.

The area of batch status management depends on the area of validity of the batch. If the batch is uniquely defined on material/plant level, then batch status management can be activated for each plant. If the batch is uniquely defined on material level, all of the client's batches are managed by status.

All the characteristic features of a batch (technical, physical and chemical specifications) can be represented as features of a class. The batches are allocated to these classes.

If the material and the batch are allocated to the same class, the features of the material can be passed on to the batch. When a batch is created, the material features are defaulted and a characteristic value assignment of the batch can be made immediately based on these inherited features. The characteristic value assignments are checked for their admissibility.

An example of a concrete application of the batch concept in R/3 is active substance processing. A material consists of a mixture of one or more active components and one or more carrier materials. In each case, the active substance content can be represented as a feature in the classification system.

Using the class characteristics for the material, the allowed interval area of the active substance content for this material can then be specified. Inventory management is only carried out on the level of the mixture. By maintaining the object dependency, formulas can be defined which make it possible to determine the active substance content from the quantity of the mixture and the carrier materials. Thus, the comparison of the quantity of the mixture and the quantity of the active components contained in it can be shown.

Batch determination can be carried out in the following logistics areas:

• Sales order

• Delivery

• Transfer order

• Production order and run schedule

• Goods movement

Batches can be determined as early as the sales order stage. To reduce material or capital lockup, you may wait and carry out batch determination in the delivery or - if there is a link to the SAP Warehouse Management System - in the transfer order. In the production order, a batch selection is feasible for the individual components of the product. Batch determination may be necessary for outward movements of goods. In each of these areas, batch determination functions according to the same principle, using the data available for the respective transaction.

Batch processing allows you to store flexible strategies for automatically selecting batches. This is explained in the example of batch determination in the sales order.

Within sales order processing, it is possible to choose batches according to requirements which were agreed to with the customer (expiration date, quality and viscosity). Selection criteria may differ from customer to customer. This information can be stored in the form of customer-dependent search strategies.

In this case, the search strategies can be accessed using the customer/ material number as a key (keys can be defined in Customizing). In the same way, a different search strategy can be found for each customer/material number. The selection criteria found can be very different for each search strategy.

In the logistics areas listed above, batch determination is carried out using the following steps:

1. Selecting the batches
2. Determining existing batches for the plant
3. Availability check
4. Sorting chosen batches
5. Quantity proposal

The order of the first three can be changed for each application.

A search procedure is determined depending on the transaction. The strategy types that it contains are linked with a search sequence. A valid strategy is determined from this search sequence. How the search procedure is determined is defined in Customizing.

The search procedure for the sales order can be determined on the basis of the organizational elements (sales organization, distribution channel, division) and the order type (search procedure -> strategy types -> search sequence -> definition of search strategy).

The search strategy found controls batch determination. It contains information on:

• Selection criteria which are used to select the batches

• the type of sorting of the batches found

• the type of the quantity proposal

• batch split allowed (yes or no)

• maximum number of batch splits

• dialog quantity proposal (yes or no)

• Default unit of measure in which the batches are to be displayed for selection
  

Selection criteria for batch selection are determined by means of the search strategy found. The search strategy found has, for example, the following selection criteria:

• Shelf life: 3 months

• Quality: average

• Viscosity: 20-30

The appropriate batches are chosen on the basis of these requirements. Selection criteria can be valuated dynamically.

A customer only accepts batches with a shelf life of 3 months from the delivery date. Batches must therefore be determined which are valid for at least 3 months from the delivery date at the customer. The delivery date is determined in the sales order. A date can be calculated from the delivery date + 3 months when batch determination is performed in the sales order. This date is then used as a selection criterion for the batches. Only batches which are valid on this date are determined.

From a technical point of view, the search strategy is stored in the form of a condition record. This condition record is, like the material and the batch, an object which can be classified. The characteristic value assignment of the condition record found using the condition technique is used as a default for selecting the batches. The same features must be allocated to the batches with their classification. A dynamic evaluation of search criteria can be made using the specified object dependency.

How an availability check is carried out and its scope are defined by the calling application. Information comes from the application about whether the availability is to be checked for a batch determined by batch determination.

A sort rule can be stored in the search strategy. This controls the sequence in which the selected batches are sorted. Customer-specific rules can be added to the standard sorting rules. Sort rules include:

• FIFO (first in, first out)

• LIFO (last in, first out)

• Quantities in ascending order

• Quantities in descending order
  

The search strategy provides the rules for the quantity proposal. These include:

• Batches proposed until target quantity achieved

• No proposal, user distributes the batches
  

The user can intervene manually after the system proposal. Quantities, sort rules and selection conditions can be changed.

The outcome of batch selection is transferred to the application (sales order, delivery ....). If several batches are chosen, these are represented as a batch split. However, only one batch is allowed for each order item in the sales order. In this case, a note is issued in the sales order that only one batch can be determined.

If no procedure is transferred to the batch determination, a standard default is used for batch selection. The displayed batches are sorted in ascending order by batch number and quantity.

Damage caused to data by errors

Software/hardware requirements

Installation information

Effects on System Administration

Effects on Customizing

Effect on batch input

Changes to the Interface

Changes in procedure

Procedure for removing dataset errors

Dependent functions

Planning

Further notes

For further information on configuring batch determination, see the Implementation Guide, Section

"Batch management".

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Length: 11535 Date: 20240523 Time: 043756     sap01-206 ( 210 ms )