Batch Determination

Purpose

Batchdetermination is a function in batch management that can be carried out atdifferent times in different applications (Sales and Distribution, MaterialsManagement, Warehouse Management, Production). Batch determination can be usedfor automatic batch selection based on batch classification (automatic batchdetermination) or, when entering a batch manually, for checking a batchaccording to defined criteria that are based on valuated characteristics(batch check).

Whensearching for batches, for example, the system checks for batches with a pHvalue of 4 to 6, or for this particular interval. This criterion is defined inthe form of a batch characteristic in a selection class. This batch must beassigned a batch class that contains the same characteristic with a valuebetween 4 and 6 if the system is to find a suitable batch or the batch thatwas entered manually corresponds to the criteria. This batch must exist in anavailable stock type if using automatic batch determination.

TheCustomizing for batch determination is based on condition technique. To selectsuitable batches from the stock, you must have defined conditions for therelevant accesses for each application. The condition technique provides thecombination at reference fields for selecting batches in the condition tables.This condition table is used for creating access sequences. Access sequencesare assigned 1:1 to a strategy sequence. You can also create a searchprocedure from one or more strategy sequences. The standard delivery includesstandard objects for all condition technique objects for each application.

If yourequire different selection conditions to standard objects, you can createuser-specific objects as a copy of standard objects, or create new objects.For more information ,see the documentation on batch management.

Batchdetermination is set up as follows:

      1.     Activatebatch search procedure (SAP standard search procedure); see Assign SearchProcedure to Process Order and Activate Check.

      2.     Createsuitable selection class (see below), and, if required, the sort rule (seebelow).

      3.     Createsearch procedure with reference to strategy type ( = condition type fromstandard proposals) in process industry.

On the SAP Easy Access screen, choose ®CentralFunctions ® BatchManagement® BatchDetermination ® BatchSearch Strategy ® For ProcessOrder®Create.(transaction: COB1 / COB2 / COB3).

You can assign selection classes and sort rules to strategy types inCustomizing, or to the search procedure in the application. To ensure maximumflexibility when setting up batch determination, you should always assignselection classes and sort rules to a search procedure in the application.Selection classes and sort rules can be transported via the transport system;however, you must create both in the IMG activities described below, and NOTin the SAP EasyAccess menu in batch management. You must also create selection classes and sortrules with identical IDs in the target system and target client.

Prerequisites

·       Batchclassification:

You mustcreate batch characteristics and classes. You must assign batch classes to thematerial components in the master record that are to be considered duringbatch determination. You can use free characteristics, referencecharacteristics, and standard characteristics of batch management.

·       Theavailability check should be set up as the availability check is carried outwith reference to the checking rule in the affected application (PP) in batchmanagement.

·       The batchcharacteristics for the batches to be considered in batch determination mustbe valuated.

·       For materialcomponents and batches, the stock that is to be considered in the availabilitycheck for the stock types must be posted in the relevant production storagelocations that are defined in the material list of a productionorder.

·       You mustactivate batch status management if the stock type Restricted-use is included in the scope ofthe availability check, and the standard batch characteristic LOBM_ZUSTD is tobe used.

·       If you wantto trigger batch determination in the process order automatically forcomponents when releasing the process order, then you must have chosen theoptionAutomatic batch determinationupon release of order in the WorkScheduling orMRP view for eachcomponent in the material master record for controlling batch entries. You canalso make the following settings:

¡       Manual batchdetermination required upon release of order to rejectthe release of an order if no component batches were assigned.

¡       Batch forGoods Receipt, No Confirmation Required to assignbatches in goods receipt posting.

When usingthe option Batches not required inProduction/Process Order, Confirmation Required, batches must not beassigned for the released, but before the goods receipt posting in the order.This setting refers to picking with warehouse management staging. Batchdetermination is carried out via transfer order processing. The batches aresaved again in the order.

Process

Customizing Settings for BatchDetermination:

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      1.     DefineProcess Order Condition Tables:

You cansetup customer-specific condition tables in the namespace starting at 501 upto 999. You can setup a condition table from a combination of fields that youcan select from a pool. The field sequence of a table runs from general fieldsto specific fields, that is, first item is Plant, second item is Order Type, and so on.

All ordertypes in a plant must be considered. The standard condition tables forproduction process industries is 30-31

InCustomizing, choose Logistics - General® Batch Management® Batch Determination andBatch Check ® ConditionTables ® DefineProcess Order Condition Tables(transaction OPLB, OPLC, OPLD). For more information on setting up conditiontables, see the documentation on batch management under batchdetermination.

      2.     DefineProcess Order Access Sequences:

The accesssequence can be made up of several condition tables. The SAP standard accesssequence is CO01/CO02. When creating your own access sequences, the sequenceof condition tables must run from specific to general, such as table: ordertype/plant, then table: plant. When carrying out batch determination, thesystem first looks for batches with stock for the combinationOrder Type/Plant; if the system does not findany, it continues searching for suitable batches using the criterionPlant.

InCustomizing, choose Logistics - General® Batch Management® Batch Determination andBatch Check ® AccessSequences ® DefineProcess Order Access Sequences.

      3.     DefineProcess Order Strategy Types:

A strategytype is assigned 1:1 to an access sequence. In the strategy types, you defineallowed entries for controlling batch determination in the application, suchas production; for example, you can define if batch determination is carriedout online or how large the number of allowed batch splits is. These criteriaare proposed if the search procedure in the application (production forprocess industries) was created with reference to an order type/plant orplant, for example.

These default values can be overwritten for each search procedure. This meansthat you can assign a different selection class or sort rule, and define validvalues for control parameters for batch determination; you can do so for eachstrategy type and specified key combination for the access sequence from theaffected strategy type (order type/plant or plant). The standard strategytypes are CO01 and CO02.

In Customizing, choose Logistics - General® Batch Management®Batch Determination andBatch Check ® Strategy Types ® Define Process Order Strategy Types. For more information on strategy types, see the documentation on batchmanagement under batch determination.

      4.     DefineProcess Order Search Procedure:

You cancombine several strategy types in a hierarchy in the search procedure. Duringbatch determination, the system runs through all strategy types defined in abatch search procedure one after another until it finds a suitable strategyrecord with a suitable field combination. The relevant batch can then bedetermined in the stock for this strategy record. Due to performance reasons,you should not set up a batch search procedure with strategy typesunnecessarily. The standard search procedure is CO0001.

InCustomizing, choose Logistics - General® Batch Management® Batch Determination andBatch Check ® BatchSearch Procedure Definition ® DefineProcess Order Search Procedure.

      5.     AssignSearch Procedure to Process Order and Activate Check:

You carryout batch determination for process order processing in the process order(material list). The search procedure is activated with reference toapplication-specific parameters such as a plant and order type. If a batchsearch procedure from Customizing was assigned only to a plant and an ordertype, then batch determination is carried out automatically in the processorder. To activate the batch check, you must theCheck Batch indicator.

Theprerequisites for using this function are the same as described in points 1 to2 in batch determination.

InCustomizing, choose Logistics - General® Batch Management® Batch Determination andBatch Check ® BatchSearch Procedure Allocation and Check Activation ® AssignSearch Procedure to Production and Activate Check ® AssignSearch Procedure to Process Order and Activate Check(transactionCORC).

      6.     DefineSelection Classes:

Depending onthe batch level, you create selection classes with reference to class type 023or 022 in Customizing under Logistics - General® Batch Management® BatchDetermination and Batch Check ® DefineSelection Classes (transactionCL01 to CL03).

Characteristicssuch as standard characteristics LOBM*, user-defined characteristics, andreference characteristics that are used in a selection class must be containedin the batch class. An exception is a selection class for determining batchesthat have not expired: The standard characteristics LOBM_RLZ, LOBM_LFDAT orLOBM_MBDAT and LOBM_VFDAT must be included in the selection class where thestandard characteristic LOBM_VFDAT must be included in the batch class. Formore information on setting up selection classes for determining batches witha valid expiration date, see the SAP Front End notes.

For batchselection, you define value threshold values for each characteristic in theselection class or in the search procedure after the selection class isassigned to the strategy type.

      7.     Define SortRules:

You createand manage sort rules in Customizing under Logistics -General ® Batch Management ® BatchDetermination and Batch Check ® Define SortRules(transaction CU70 to CU72). All characteristics with the exception of thestandard characteristics LOBM_LGORT and LOBM_MENGE that are to be used for anincreasing or decreasing sort order must be contained in the batch class. Thesort values are issued one after another in the batch determination results soyou must note the sequence of the sort characteristics when creating the sortrule.

      8.     UpdateStandard Characteristics:

Standardcharacteristics with the naming convention LOBM* are characteristics that areused in batch management. These characteristics can also be used in batchdetermination. To do so, you must copy them from client 000 with reportRMMCC01, and update them with transaction BMSM.

InCustomizing, choose Logistics - General® Batch Management® BatchValuation ® UpdateStandard Characteristics.

Create Batch Search Strategy for Process Order

See theexample using the standard strategy type CO01 that is assigned to the standardsearch procedure CO0001 for more information on how to create batch searchstrategies.

In the SAP Easy Access menu, choose Logistics ® Central Functions® Batch Management® Batch Determination ® BatchSearch Strategy ® For ProcessOrder ® Create(transaction:COB1 / COB2 / COB3):

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      1.     Selectingstrategy type CO01

      2.     Select keycombination OrderType/Plant/Component from the key combinations offered:Order Type/Plant/Component or Order Type/Plant. This key corresponds to the fieldsfrom the condition tables and are offered in the sequence with which thecondition tables were assigned the access sequence. The access sequence isassigned 1:1 to the strategy type in Customizing.

      3.     You now mustmake the following entries for the key combination Order Type/Plant/Component:

¡       Order typeto be created for a process order in which batch determination is to becarried out

¡       Plant inwhich the process order is to be opened

¡       Componentmaterial in material list of the process order for which the batches availablein the stock are to be found

      4.     In thedetail view for the batch search strategy, the system displays the controlparameters for batch determination, copied from Customizing for the strategytype. Here, you can make changes to the setting.

      5.     You mustassign the selection class and sort rule to the batch search strategy via thefunctionsSelection Criteria and Sort Rules, if you have not alreadydone so in Customizing for the strategy type.

      6.     Use thefunction Assign SelectionCriteria/Selection Classes to assign the selection class, and specify thecriteria, such as threshold values, that are to be used for selecting batchesvia batch determination. For numeric characteristics, you can also specifyoperators, such as >, <, =  , for example, if only batches with a pHvalue of 5 are to be found. You do not need to make any further valuations tothe selection characteristics if using the Customizing settings describedunderDefine Selection Class(contains the characteristics for determining batches that have notexpired.

To change aselection class in a search strategy, you can change the validity period ofthe search strategy, and assign the new class for the next validityperiod.

      7.     You canassign the specified sort rule via the Assign Sort Rule function. You can alwayschange or delete the sort rule assignment to the batch searchstrategy.

Batch Determination for BOM Components

It ispossible to choose selected components for batch determination, based on BOMs.In contrast to the search procedure with batch search strategies, you candefine criteria for batch determination for each BOM and component, and notonly for a component that can be assigned several different BOMs.

You musthave made the Customizing settings described above for batch determinationusing BOMs. The search procedure is not maintained in the application.Instead, you assign a selection class in BOM maintenance for each component,and define allowed entries for the valuation for each characteristic whendefining the selection criterion.

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      1.     To do so,choose Logistics ® Production –Process ® Master Data® MasterRecipes ® Recipe andMaterial List ®Change in theSAP Easy Accessmenu.

      2.     In thematerial list menu, choose Goto®BOM.

      3.     Select asuitable BOM item.

      4.     Choose Extras ® BatchClassification.

      5.     Specify aselection class for the class type 022 or 023.

If required,delete the assigned batch class for this item.

Results

You can nowdecide if you would like to use batch determination for processing the processorder, using the Customizing steps described above.

Thevaluation (batch classification) of batch characteristics for process orderprocessing, for goods movement, and when creating new batches can becontrolled and automated via the Customizing settings in batch management. Inthe latter case, you can use any relevant customer enhancements. For moreinformation, see the basic settings for batch management and the documentationon batch management in Customizing.