ERPtips SAP Training Manual SAMPLE CHAPTER From Variant Configuration

This segment from our 461 page Variant Configuration manual is being made available as a sample of our training
manuals. Please contact David.Haynes@ERPtips.com if you have any SAP training needs, or visit www.ERPtips.com for more information.
Written by Jocelyn Hayes Published by Klee Associates, Inc.
Copyright Klee Associates, Inc., 2010
Unit 3: Variant Configuration Master Data

In Unit 1, Variant Configuration Overview, we briefly covered the master data used to support the Variant Configuration process. In this unit, we will perform a deeper dive as well as get some hands-on practice in building our own master data.
We will review, demonstrate, and create the following master data:
Material Master Super Bill of Material Super Routing
Material Master
In this section, we will perform the following: Display the Material Master and Discuss Key Fields used for VC Demonstrate how to Create a Configurable Material Master Perform an Exercise to Create a Configurable Material Master
Let's review the scenario for when it makes sense to use a configurable material versus creating a unique material master record for every possible configuration of your product.
Consider an automobile that can have literally hundreds of variations based on engine, trim, color, make, model, audio options, navigation options, and so on. Many of those options are dependent on each other. For example, if you choose a specific trim package, certain colors may not be available for the interior of the automobile. Variant Configuration allows you to 'code' dependencies based on other decisions to restrict the user from selecting an option that is not available.
Variant Configuration
SAPtips Sample Variant Configuration Material Master
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Klee Associates, Inc.
You can also drive characteristics to be chosen based on other selections. For example, if the user chooses the CD audio package, they may also be asked if they want a premium sound system or not, whereas they may not have that option if they chose the stock radio that does not have a CD. All of these decision trees can be developed into the system using variant configuration.
Demonstration: Display Material Master Configurable Material

In this step, we will revisit displaying the material master and the key fields used for variant configuration and configurable materials.
To display the material master, follow these steps:
1. Execute the Display Material Master Transaction Menu Path: Logistics Sales and Distribution Master Data Products Other Material Display
Transaction Code: MM03
2. Enter the following on the Display Material: Initial Screen and press Enter.
Field Material
Value T-VPC99
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3. Select the following views and press Enter:
4. Enter the following organizational levels and press Enter:
Variant Configuration ECC 6.0
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5. Review the fields in the Basic Data 1 view:
Field General Item Category Group
Use Used to determine the item category on the sales order. If this value is also maintained on the Sales Org 2 view at the distribution channel level, it overrides the value maintained on the Basic Data view.
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Let's revisit the concept of Item Category. Item Categories control whether a sales order line item: Has pricing Is billable Posts to inventory Transfers requirements to MRP
The screen shot below illustrates where you can find item category on the sales order:
A bill of material for a configurable product can have materials that are finished products and trading goods and have their own material masters and their own item category groups, which determine whether these subordinate items are pricing relevant or they transfer requirements to MRP.
We will not go into great detail in this class about the many scenarios you can have with configurable materials and their BOMs, but the key point here is that the combination of the superior configurable item category and item category group, along with the item categories and item category groups of the subordinate items, determine whether the individual components and header items will be pricing relevant and whether they transfer requirements to MRP.
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Field Configuration Strategy
Use Allows you to override the standard call of the value assignment interface, or develop your own custom code to fine tune the checks performed during configuration. Controls the systems reaction to found material variants. Allows an Available to Promise check for found material variants. Controls BOM explosion. The standard option, D, allows the configuration profile to determine the extent of BOM explosion. Activates material variant matching.
Material Variant Action ATP Material Variant Structure scope
Variant Matching
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6. Press Enter and review the fields in the Basic Data 2 view:
Field Cross-plant CM Material is configurable
Value Used when creating a material variant. Indicates that this is the configurable material. Do not check this box if this is a material variant. Check this box if you are creating a material variant. Click this button to maintain the configuration of the material variant.
Variant Configure Variant button
We will review material variants in more detail in the unit on that topic.
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7. Press Enter and select the Class type for Variants.
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8. Press Enter and review the fields in Classification view:
Field Class Type
Value Class 300 is used for variant classes. Class 200 is used for class items, which allow you to assign one value on the classification screen, which will select the variant part from the BOM. This will be covered in more detail in the section of this unit on BOMs. Defines the class that holds the characteristics that will define the configuration of the material.
Class
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9. Click
to navigate to the next view.
10. Review the fields on the Sales Org. 1 view:
None of the fields on the Sales Org. 1 view are relevant for Variant Configuration.
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11. Press Enter and review the fields on the Sales Org. 2 view.
Field Gen. Item cat. Grp Item category group
Value Copied from the Basic Data view Used to determine the item category on the sales order. If left blank, SAP uses the Gen. Item cat. Group to determine the item category for the sales order item.
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12. Press Enter and review the fields on the Sales General Plant view:
None of the fields on the Sales General Plant view are relevant for Variant Configuration.
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13. Press Enter and review the fields on the MRP 1 view:
Field MRP Group
Value The MRP group is used to define planning parameters for the material to be used during Material Requirements Planning. This is further defined in the sub-section below. Determines how the product will be planned during MRP. Examples include Forecast Based Planning, Reorder Point Planning, or traditional MRP, based on requirements for Sales and Production orders.
MRP Type
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Field Lot Size
Value For make-to-order products, you should select EX, or Lot-for-lot order quantity, which means SAP will suggest you produce or order exactly the number required by the order requirements.
MRP Group
The MRP group combines various parameters used to control how SAP plans a material during MRP. If a material does not have an MRP group assigned, SAP will use the settings defined for the plant. Many of these settings can be maintained specific to the material master on the MRP views; for example, the Strategy Group assigned on the MRP 3 view will override the Strategy Group maintained for the MRP Group on the material.
The following screen shot illustrates the various settings controlled by the MRP Group:
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Strategy Group
The first setting is the strategy group. A planning strategy group is assigned to the MRP Group as shown below:
The planning strategy group combines possible planning strategies that can be assigned in the material master.
The following screen shot shows all the possible planning strategies defined for Planning Strategy Group = 25.
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Planning Strategy
The planning strategy represents the procedure used for planning a material. It is defined by a requirements type, which can be based on a sales order or demand management (sales planning).
The configuration settings for the planning strategy are shown here:
Requirement Types
The requirements types for which this planning strategy applies are assigned here. Notice that this example planning strategy for make-to-order configurable materials does not have a requirements type for independent requirements. Independent requirements come from sales plans, not specifically from a sales order or a customer requirement, and since this is for a make-to-order item, it does not make sense to tie it to an independent requirement.
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Requirements Class
The settings that are grayed out in the screen shot above come from the settings on the requirements class, 046. The configuration for the requirements class is shown in the next screen shot:
As we learned in unit 1, Requirements Classes contain settings for: Planning indicator Consumption indicator Configuration allowed/required Configuration consumption Requirements reduction indicator Requirements type
The requirements class is derived from the planning strategy from the material master and the requirements type. The requirement type comes from the
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combination of the item category of the sales order line item and the MRP type of the material master.
The Requirements Class controls: Whether there will be an availability check and requirements transfer for a transaction Whether the requirement is relevant for MRP How customer requirements consume independent requirements Whether an item will be posted to an auxiliary account assignment
Transfer of Requirements to MRP is based on: Requirements Type Requirement Class Check Group Schedule Line Category
Review of Settings
Let's work backwards from the sales order and review all of these settings we have discussed.
1. Sales Order item category = material master item category group + order type 2. Requirements type = sales order item category + material master MRP type 3. Requirements class = material master planning strategy + requirements type 4. Material Master Planning Strategy (included in) Strategy group 5. Strategy group (assigned to) MRP Group (assigned to) Material Master
Now that we have completed our deep dive into material master settings relevant to configurable materials and side-stepped from the Display Material Master demonstration, let's return to where we were (Step 13, above).
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None of the fields on the MRP 2 view are relevant for Variant Configuration.
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Field Strategy Group
Value Defined earlier
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Field Individual/collective
Value Select 1 for configurable materials.
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17. Press Enter and review the fields on the Work Scheduling view:
Field Overall Profile
Usage To enable order change management, you need to define a profile that allows overall change (standard value is PP0001). This basically drives what can be changed in the production process and when it can or cannot be changed.
Exit the transaction.
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Demonstration: Create a Configurable Material Master

Now that we have completed the deep dive of the material master, let's create one. In this demonstration, we will copy from an existing material that was created for the purposes of this class.
The material we are creating is a generic configurable material that has 3 configurable selections. The first selection is the color, the second is the model, and the third is the optional equipment. The material will always be built with a base component (Z_BASE) which we will discuss when we build the Bill of Material in the next step. The material will select a specific routing based on the color, and the optional equipment will select specific BOM components.
In this step, we will revisit displaying the material master and the key fields used for variant configuration and configurable materials.
To create a material master, follow these steps:
1. Execute the Create Material Master Transaction Menu Path: Logistics Sales and Distribution Master Data Products Other Material Create
Transaction Code: MM01
2. Enter the following on the Create Material: Initial Screen and press Enter.
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Field Material Industry Sector Material Type Copy From
Value <leave blank, system will assign> M KMAT Configurable Material 2294
Material Type
In this demonstration, we select material type KMAT, which is a standard SAP configurable material. It is also possible to select other material types, such as trading goods or finished products, and select the 'Configurable Material' indicator on the Basic Data 2 view. If you wish to stock the material or create a material variant of the material, you will need to use a material type other than the configurable material type that includes the Plant/Storage views and Accounting views. The following screen shot is for reference purposes to show the configuration for the KMAT material type:
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3. Select the following views and press Enter:
4. Enter the following organizational levels and press Enter:
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5. Review the fields in the Basic Data 1 view and press Enter:
Field Description
Value Test Configurable Material YXX
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6. Review the fields in the Basic Data 2 view and press Enter:
Field Material is configurable
Value Notice you cannot change this setting. This is because the material type is a KMAT.
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7. Select the class type for variants 300 and press Enter.
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8. Remove the class copied from the 'copy from' material by selecting the row with the class name and clicking the Delete icon.
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9. Enter the class you created in the previous unit and click the next view.
to navigate to
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10. Review the fields on the Sales Org. 1 view and press Enter:
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11. Review the fields on the Sales Org. 2 view and press Enter.
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12. Review the fields on the Sales General Plant view and press Enter:
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13. Review the fields on the MRP 1 view and press Enter:
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17. Review the fields on the Work Scheduling view and press Enter:
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20. Select Yes on the following screen to save your material master record:
Record your Material Master number here: _______________
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Exercise: Create a Configurable Material Master

Follow the demonstration steps to create a Configurable Material Master.
Copy from the material as shown in the demonstration. Be sure to check that you create the material in the correct plant and sales area.
Record your Material Master number here:
___________________
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Purchase of this book or acquisition at an ERPtips class, constitutes an implied agreement by the purchaser to a limited, license granted to the purchaser by Klee Associates, Inc., specifically for purposes limited to improving your personal knowledge of SAP software which does not in any way compete with Klee Associates. This manual is protected by copyright law, and is sold or is part of an ERPtips class with the following conditions: The manual will be used for your personal professional development. The manual will not be physically copied for distribution to other individuals or converted to an electronic copy for distribution to other individuals, unless copyright permissions for copying have been acquired from Klee Associates, Inc. The manual will not be used to conduct training classes by you or other individuals, without the written permission of Klee Associates, Inc. Inclusion of the concepts in this book in any internal client training material is allowed if the source of the concepts is acknowledged as follows:
Copyright 2010 All rights reserved. Used with permission. Klee Associates, Inc.
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NO WARRANTY: This documentation is delivered as is, and Klee Associates makes no warranty as to its accuracy or use. Any use of this documentation is at the risk of the user. Although we make every good faith effort to ensure accuracy, this document may include technical or other inaccuracies or typographical errors. Klee Associates reserves the right to make changes without prior notice. ERPtips is a valued resource for thousands of clients and consultants worldwide. Visit our web site for more information about upcoming training, books, and newsletters. www.ERPtips.com
ERPtips is a registered trademark of Klee Associates, Inc. No Affiliation: Klee Associates, Inc. and this publication are not affiliated with or endorsed by SAP AG. SAP AG software referred to on this site is furnished under license agreements between SAP AG and its customers and can be used only within the terms of such agreements. SAP AG is a registered trademark of SAP AG. All other product names used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
SAPtips Sample Variant Configuration Material Master
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This segment from our 461 page Variant Configuration manual is being made available as a sample of our training

Unit 3: Variant Configuration Master Data

We will review, demonstrate, and create the following master data:

Material Master Super Bill of Material Super Routing

Unit 3: Variant Configuration Master Data

Klee Associates, Inc.

Demonstration: Display Material Master Configurable Material

To display the material master, follow these steps:

Transaction Code: MM03

Klee Associates, Inc.

Unit 3: Variant Configuration Master Data

3. Select the following views and press Enter:

4. Enter the following organizational levels and press Enter:

Variant Configuration ECC 6.0

Unit 3: Variant Configuration Master Data

Klee Associates, Inc.

5. Review the fields in the Basic Data 1 view:

Field General Item Category Group

Klee Associates, Inc.

Unit 3: Variant Configuration Master Data

Variant Configuration ECC 6.0

Unit 3: Variant Configuration Master Data

Klee Associates, Inc.

Field Configuration Strategy

Material Variant Action ATP Material Variant Structure scope

Klee Associates, Inc.

Unit 3: Variant Configuration Master Data

Field Cross-plant CM Material is configurable

Variant Configure Variant button

Variant Configuration ECC 6.0

Unit 3: Variant Configuration Master Data

Klee Associates, Inc.

7. Press Enter and select the Class type for Variants.

Klee Associates, Inc.

Unit 3: Variant Configuration Master Data

8. Press Enter and review the fields in Classification view:

Field Class Type

Variant Configuration ECC 6.0

Unit 3: Variant Configuration Master Data

Klee Associates, Inc.

to navigate to the next view.

10. Review the fields on the Sales Org. 1 view:

Klee Associates, Inc.

Unit 3: Variant Configuration Master Data

Field Gen. Item cat. Grp Item category group

Variant Configuration ECC 6.0

Unit 3: Variant Configuration Master Data

Klee Associates, Inc.

Klee Associates, Inc.

Unit 3: Variant Configuration Master Data

Field MRP Group

Variant Configuration ECC 6.0

Unit 3: Variant Configuration Master Data

Klee Associates, Inc.

Field Lot Size

Klee Associates, Inc.

Unit 3: Variant Configuration Master Data

Variant Configuration ECC 6.0

Unit 3: Variant Configuration Master Data

Klee Associates, Inc.

Klee Associates, Inc.

Unit 3: Variant Configuration Master Data

Variant Configuration ECC 6.0