SAP SCM APO – PPDS Production Planning and Detailed Scheduling – Introduction To Basic Concepts

The mySAP SCM is one of the mySAP Business Suite solutions to manage Supply Chain Management in
an efficient and effective way which brings efficiencies to the supply chain. In this blog, we present the
high-level role of SAP PPDS (Production Planning and detailed scheduling) within SAP SCM suite.

SAP Production Planning and Detailed Scheduling (SAP PP/DS) is used for short-term planning with exact
times in the production plant including in-house production and external procurement. Production
planning covers requirements by generating planned orders (to plan in-house production) as well as
purchase requisitions or schedule lines (to plan external procurement).

In contrast to medium-term planning in SAP SCM SNP, production planning in the plant is detailed and,
in particular, uses exact times. Exact production times for the production of materials are therefore
determined.
In material requirements planning within SAP SCM PP/DS, assemblies and components procurement
dates are determined considering actual requirements dates of the finished product.

MRP and capacity requirement planning (CRP) can be executed in simultaneously as opposite to
planning in SAP ECC. In SAP ECC, two separate steps are needed for MRP and CRP.

When planning is done in SAP PP/DS (i.e. creation of planned order/purchase requisitions or schedule
line), it is further sent to ECC6.0 for execution via Core Interface (CIF) .
Whenever some activities are executed in SAP ECC like confirmation of operation, goods issue etc, and
then latest status of production is transferred online to APO in order to maintain planning consistent;
this cycle of transferring status/data continues till production order gets finished.

Planned independent requirement is starting point for PPDS which can be derived in SAP ECC (Demand
Management) and then transferred to APO PP/DS if PIRs are not created in APO DP.
Sales order is also created in SAP ECC which is customer requirement of finished products and also
transferred to APO via CIF as customer requirement. Detailed scheduling can then take place using
background planning runs, or interactively using the DS planning board.

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Production Planning and Detailed Scheduling (PP/DS) is a module in SAP Advanced Planning and
Optimization (APO) that is used by organizations for short-term planning. PP/DS is largely divided into
two core areas – Production planning and detailed scheduling. This module is related to lean
manufacturing practices because it concerns carefully analyzing the variables that affect production. It
helps identify gaps in production by examining variables such as lead times and resources that are
available in depth. PP/DS essentially involves a range of functionalities, including

Internal production planning, external procurement planning, resource scheduling, and sequence
optimization.
Since production planning is used for short-term planning, it covers requirements by creating planned
orders and purchase requisitions to plan internal production and external procurement.

In comparison with SAP APO Supply Network Planning (SNP), internal production planning, which
happens in the plant, is detailed and makes use of exact times. This enables organizations to determine
exact times for production of materials.

PP/DS is the only module in SAP APO that has the most integrations between SAP APO and the ERP
system, which enables real-time data to travel back and forth between the system. 

PP/DS examines how products are manufactured, where gaps can occur, how long machines and work in
progress stay idle. As a result of this, it increases production without having to increase resources.

PP/DS was created with the intent of planning complex products, such as products that have long
delivery times or products that have to be created using critical machines. PP/DS helps organizations
create production plans that are executable

Decreased delivery and lead times

Improved delivery reliability

Reduced inventory costs

Improved coordination between purchasing (procurement), production (planning), and machines

Streamline the complete production planning processes, including raw materials, product packaging,
and delivery

Our team is comprised of supply chain experts who have been associated with the definition and design
of SAP’s Advanced Planning and Optimization (APO) since its inception. With Intrigo’s industry expertise,
deep product knowledge and close SAP Collaboration, we can help companies increase the usability of
SAP APO for improved visibility into planning information. We foresee changing market dynamics and
help APO customers adapt to this market by switching to SAP’s new demand-driven strategy.
Collective team experience of over 150 implementations globally

Strong relationships with SAP teams worldwide – product, solutions management, and sales

A recognized leader in the space and SAP Supply Chain Management

Core team working with APO since Version 1

Designed and implemented all components of the SCM suite

Expertise in all aspects of the implementation lifecycle

Own application instances with integration to other systems

Development and training templates and methodologies to drive rapid value realization