Table Description

MAST Material BOM

STKO BOM Header

STOP BOM Positions

PLKO Routing Group Header

PLSO Routing Group Sequence

PLPO Routing Group Operations

AFKO Production Order Header

AFPO Production Order Position

How to View SAP PP Tables in SAP ERP System?

Step 1 − In ERP system, use T-Code: SE16.

Step 2 − Go to SAP Applications.

Step 1 − Click the ‘+’ sign and you can see the list of all tables in ERP as shown in the
following screenshot.
Retroactive Billing
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 Created by Christian Rosa on Jun 15, 2014

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Purpose
This article presents Retroactive Billing functionality and most common issues found during the
process.
Overview
It is used often on schedule agreements but it can also work as way to provide discounts or even
charge plus for a customer which already have its invoice billed. So basically credit or debit memos
are created if the condition record gets value updated via an specific Retro-billing transaction.

Customisation
It is required that Order Reason gets set relevant for Retro-Billing. It is set in transaction OVAU.  

Retrobilling creation steps

Basically VFRB transaction will only list invoices that have conditions that got changed after their
creation. In this example I changed a surcharge condition type in VK12 subtracting some cents.
1. Run VFRB transaction, the first screen (see below) selects the reference documents.

 
2. In VFRB the second screen allows you to choose the listed documents.

3. Still in VFRB  a third screen (not here) informs how many documents were successfully
created or failed, later you can see in the document flow with original invoice and its
 retroactive billing document (in this case a credit memo).

 Jump to a section:

 SAP Manufacturing and SAP Leonardo

 What is SAP Manufacturing?

 Digital Manufacturing with the SAP Manufacturing Suite

 SAP Leonardo Innovation Platform

  Why partner with SYSTEMA?

What is SAP Manufacturing?

SAP Manufacturing solutions enable your company to integrate and embed
intelligence in manufacturing processes facilitating Industry 4.0 principles with
a single-source of real-time information. They provide the data required for
optimal coordination of resource planning and production execution, covering
all aspects of the manufacturing cycle from production order to order
fulfillment and beyond. Digitization of your manufacturing processes allows
you to increase manufacturing efficiency and agility and leverage the
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Furthermore, SAP Manufacturing ensures
transparency at the component and material level at all times.

SAP is the only company that provides a fully integrated solution from
machine level to ERP all-in-one. If your company is already running on SAP
S/4 HANA and you are looking to fully integrate your supply chain and get
more out of your production, SAP offers a variety of solutions for digital
manufacturing.

PDF

Best Practices: SAP Metal Manufacturing |

SYSTEMA
View more

Phase 1
MES with
Manual Interactions
 Operator driven workflow
 Minimal traceability
 No equipment integration
 Manual data collection
Digital Manufacturing with the SAP Manufacturing
Suite
The modular structure of the SAP Manufacturing Suite powered by SAP
Leonardo  allows you to scale a solution tailored towards your specific needs.
Whether your needs range from basic MES functionality with a focus on
effectively controlling work-in-progress (WIP) processes, to “paperless
manufacturing” by automating communication and decision-making regarding
the execution of production processes, to more advanced automation
capabilities where the operator oversees production processes which execute
through limited or no human intervention – it is possible to identify the
modules, methods, and SAP products necessary to meet the unique needs of
your production environment.

 SAP Manufacturing Execution (SAP ME)

SAP ME is a complete, configurable MES system for discrete
manufacturing which enables you to manage and control manufacturing
and production operations. 
 SAP Manufacturing Integration and Intelligence (SAP MII)
SAP MII is the proven solution for the process industry. In addition to
being able to monitor production in near real-time, it offers extensive
data analysis tools. Data from a wide range of systems can be
integrated, combined with data from business systems and necessary
actions can be executed automatically or manually.
 SYSTEMA’s SAP Manufacturing Accelerator Suite (MAX Suite)
SYSTEMA’s SAP Manufacturing Accelerator Suite is a rapidly
deployable, modular solution that can be quickly implemented to provide
MES-like services.
 SAP Plant Connectivity (SAP PCo)
SAP PCo enables data transfer between production level with SAP
Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) and SAP ERP.
 SAP Digital Manufacturing Cloud (DMC)
SAP DMC, improves with near real-time data and analytics. Execute
manufacturing processes, analyze manufacturing and business data,
and integrate systems with a cost-effective, high-quality, and resource-
efficient method based on Industry 4.0. 
 SAP HANA Cockpit
SAP HANA Cockpit ensures manufacturing IT systems’ availability and
optimizes computing power.
  SAP OEE Package Solutions
Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) measures of the true
performance of manufacturing productivity by evaluating equipment
availability, production performance, and product quality factors.

PDF

Best Practices: SAP Electronics Manufacturing |

SYSTEMA
View more

SAP Leonardo Innovation Platform

SAP Leonardo is the digital innovation platform from SAP. It combines
technologies, software and micro services that enable customers to leverage
technologies like the Internet of Things, machine learning, Blockchain,
analytics, and big data. SAP Leonardo integrates new technologies on the
SAP Cloud Platform to fast-track your digital transformation initiatives. Use the
system to rapidly adopt new business models and capabilities – and add
future technologies as they emerge. Within the SAP Leonardo portfolio
SYSTEMA is focusing on the manufacturing relevant topics like:

 Predictive Analytics
Big data and powerful algorithms within the SAP Cloud platform enable
advanced analytics capabilities and AI-driven insights such as predictive
quality and predictive maintenance.
 Machine Learning and Edge Computing
SAP Leonardo Machine Learning combines intelligent applications and
services like the use of the Predictive Analytics Library (PAL) and
services offered through the SAP Leonardo Machine learning
foundation.

Why partner with SYSTEMA?

SYSTEMA was one of the first companies to become a preferred SAP
Manufacturing Service Partner when SAP began offering shop floor solutions
and MES initiatives more than a decade ago. For more than 25 years,
SYSTEMA has been providing manufacturers with a full range of IT-consulting
and best practices to help maximize performance within their production
environments.

SAP Manufacturing Consulting and Services

 Analysis and optimization of manufacturing processes
 Architecture and process consulting for manufacturing execution
solutions
 Design and implementation of automation solutions
 Integration of standard SAP MES solutions
 Customized extensions for SAP MES solutions
 Equipment integration services (more than 10,000 equipment
integrations worldwide)
 Execution of international projects from small to large scale
 Support for SAP MES implementations with 24/7 support operating 365
days a year
Use

A packing instruction serves as a template for the creation of a handling unit. In a packing
instruction, you define the materials and packaging materials to be packed in a handling unit.

This enables you to reproduce specific customer packaging requirements in the system. You can
also automate the packing process by creating a proposal for a handling unit, based on a packing
instruction.

Features

 Materials

The packing instruction specifies which materials in which quantities are to be packed in one
handling unit.

 Multi-level packing instructions

The are two types of packing instructions: single-level, which describe only one packing
level, and multi-level, which describe several packing levels ("nested" handling units). Multi-
level packing instructions, therefore, contain subordinate packing instructions. If you want to
create handling units with labels (identified HUs) for each packing level, you require one
subordinate packing instruction per packing level.

 Using one packing instruction for several materials

Many parts are packed in a similar way. If certain materials differ in only one characteristic
(for example, color), having to maintain a packing instruction for each of them results in a
considerable workload. Therefore, you can maintain a packing instruction in the material
 master which is used by several different materials. This reduces the amount of data to be
maintained and also saves you a lot of time.

 Dimensions, weight and volume

The dimensions, weight and volume of the handling unit are entered in the packing
instruction. You can copy these entries to the HU proposal.

Caution

The system copies the dimensions from the material master record and uses these values to
calculate the weight and volume for the HU in the packing instruction. You now have the option of
changing the calculated values. If you change the weight and volume data, the system copies them
to the HU proposal as fixed values, without checking them. If you do not change the values, the
system calculates the weight and volume entries for the HU proposal dynamically.

 Documents and short texts

The packing instruction can be linked to documents in the Document Management System
(DMS), enabling you to provide packing personnel with a detailed description of the packing
procedure. Shorter descriptions can be entered as text items in the packing instruction.

 Items not relevant for HU

Any item that you want to appear in the HU proposal but not in the final HU can be flagged
as "Not relevant for HU". You use this flag, for example, when a material is only relevant for
packing information and not for the HU itself, but its consumption must be mapped in the
system.

 User-defined fields

On the Administrative data tab page in the packing instruction, there are 5 user-defined

fields, which also appear in the HU proposal and later in the HU. These fields are also
included in the print program for the HU label, so that a certain value in a certain field triggers
a certain action, for example, an asterisk on the printed label.

 Multi-level packing instructions

 There are two types of packing instructions: single-level, which describe only one packing
level, and multi-level, which describe several packing levels ("nested" handling units). Multi-
level packing instructions, therefore, contain subordinate packing instructions. If you want to
create handling units with labels (identified HUs) for each packing level, you require one
subordinate packing instruction per packing level.

 Status management

You assign a packing status check profile to a packing instruction. In this check profile, you
assign packing statuses to the possible ways in which an HU proposal can vary from the
packing instruction. For each individual way that an HU proposal can vary from a packing
instruction, you can define whether handling unit creation is permitted with this variance
(variance from the target quantity, for example).

Confguration or
Automatic packing in
Outbound Delivery
Let me introduce you
to the basics required
to understand the
Automatic packing
concept in outbound
delivery.1.Packing
Materials are material
that can be used to
pack or transport
goods.2.Items from an
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packed into a packing
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process in %AP is 
EY and SAP create and deliver innovative intelligence-based solutions to help clients
transform their enterprise and fuel business performance. Underpinned by new and
emerging digital technologies, our solutions help make all areas of a business more
intelligent, resilient and agile—from finance, supply chain and risk to people and
customer.

Together we help organizations become more agile, more resilient, overcome

challenges and achieve better, faster results within the digital economy.
But are they interconnected and work seamlessly together? Most likely not. And you are
not the only one struggling to create a unified business ecosystem that can meet all
your current needs. According to a  , the average enterprise uses:

 90 cloud services for HCM functions;

 60 tools for finance/accounting;
 43 tools for CRM/sales;
 41 services for software development.

The numbers may seem staggering, but think about it this way – each department has
purchased and/or developed its own software solutions and operates independently
from other departments. Within departments, there may be separate software for certain
functions – software that is not integrated with the rest of the setup.

Perhaps it’s time to audit your toolkit and consider a comprehensive ERP solution,
specifically a suite of modular apps that will collect and integrate various operations of
your business. And those modular apps can be integrated through the implementation
of SAP software.

Why Would a Business Want to Implement SAP: One

Example
Consider just one massive challenge that a product business may face.

Within the area of logistics, there are multiple functions – material management, sales
and distribution, warehouse management, customer service, and fleet management, to
name just a few. Each of these departments may have its own technology for its
operation. But how do these departments communicate with one another, so that data is
integrated and analyzed and sound business decisions can be made based on that
data?

An SAP solution that integrates all of these functions provides that data, along with
access of stakeholders to that data. Once all of these functions are integrated, it is
easier to make decisions that will result in:

 Single integrated platform implementation & TCO reduction for business applications full
support;
  Fewer stock outages and resultant reduction in loss of sales (increased revenue);
 More efficient and reliable materials purchasing with resultant cost-savings and fewer
production delays;
 Improved customer satisfaction due to fewer delays in product delivery;
 Reduced distribution and freight costs.

Your business may not be in a manufacturing niche, but there are SAP modules for
virtually every business operation that will improve the flexibility and full integration of
those operations and provide both efficiency and cost savings on every stage of
product’s lifecycle.

And the beauty of SAP software is that only those modules that a business may need
can be secured and implemented – providing customized solutions.

What Solutions Does SAP Offer?

A full SAP system includes the following major modules, in addition to the logistics
module described above. Each will address challenges of specific business operations,
although there are also  :

 Enterprise Resource Planning;

 CRM for Sales and Marketing;
 Sales and Distribution;
 Financial Management;
 Human Resources;
 Asset Management;
 Product Lifecycle Management;
 Supply Chain Management.

SAP provides industry-specific solutions for almost all niches – manufacturing,

pharmaceuticals, healthcare, insurance, security, finance, etc. This, along with the
ability to purchase only those modules which are a “fit” are clearly two of the biggest
advantages of SAP for businesses of all types and sizes.
Who Uses SAP Solutions?
Almost 200,000 businesses use some or a full set of SAP modules, in more than 150
countries. While it is often a common belief that only large enterprises make use of SAP
software,   are on board as well.

Success of SAP solutions, of course, is measured by a company’s bottom line. And that
bottom line is the result of greater efficiency, better business decisions, and more
streamlined operations.

For a mid-sized company such as Schoolhouse Electric and Supply, producer and
retailer of home goods and lighting,  . According to Chris Tufts, VP of Operations and
Finance, “Without it (SAP) we simply wouldn’t have competitive lead ties and wouldn’t
be able to fill orders as fast as we do. It does more than enable growth. It makes a
business model like ours possible.”

  is a large enterprise that provides technology solutions to a variety of industries –

construction, energy, healthcare, transportation, to name a few. Its challenges were to
consolidate and simplify complex and disjointed processes within its organization.
Executives also wanted to speed up their processes and access to information that
would inform their decision-making.

Siemens turned to SAP solutions and, more recently migrated to the SAP HANA
platform that can be paired seamlessly with Microsoft Azure for additional benefits.
According to Andreas de la Camp, Head of Line Europe, Center of ERP Divisions, SAP
has enabled the enterprise to enjoy much increased productivity through more rapid
processes and real-time data insights, has lowered their costs for both hardware and
data-processing centers, and has improved business integrations and continuity.

He states, “SAP HANA has transformed the way we work and given us the agility and
processing power we need to make the most of new opportunities in the digital world.”
In terms of improved operations,   a 24% reduction in the size of its database, a 60%
increase in productivity and as much as 90 times faster reporting performance.

If you want to understand why do companies use SAP, these reported stats should
provide the full answer.

Implementation of SAP: The Key to Success or Failure

Obviously, once the decision is made to incorporate any of the SAP software solutions,
implementation is a process that does not occur overnight. Attempting to implement and
deploy too quickly and without expertise is a recipe for failure.

Consider the two different   – Cadberry, a UK chocolatier, and Hershey, an American

candy corporation. Both identified SAP as its solution for a variety of issues – primarily
warehouse and inventory issues, logistics, especially distribution to retailers, and
generally slow business processes.

Cadbury launched its project for SAP ERP integration over a five-year period, resulting
in a new warehouse management system and improved structure to its distribution
centers.

While the recommendation for Hershey was a five-year implementation, the company
insisted upon 2.5 years, thus compressing the timeline by half. To accomplish this, they
sacrificed systems testing and cutover activities. And they planned the cutover during
their busiest season – a huge mistake. As a result, distribution suffered, and Hershey’s
reputation declined, resulting in a drop in its stock value.

Implementation is clearly critical. The right expertise must be found, and careful
consultation based on company needs and goals must occur before any implementation
plan is put into motion.

In general, consider the following implementation phases of the project lifecycle:

Pic 1. Deploying SAP S/4HANA with SAP Activate.

SAP Activate is the new methodology for deploying SAP S/4HANA systems. It has
inherited certain processes from the older Accelerated SAP and SAP Launch
methodologies, but it also contains new accelerators for each implementation phase
and work stream. SAP Activate fine-tuned and smoothened the implementation
approach for cloud, on-premise, and hybrid deployments – a setup most companies
now have. The implementation occurs in the following six phases:

1. Discover.
At this stage, you are actively encouraged to investigate the solutions capabilities;
establish the business value and the benefits it can generate for your business. Both C-
level executives and managers, along with those responsible for implementation will
have to establish common grounds and develop an adoption plan and roadmap.

SAP allows you to take advantage of SAP S/4HANA free trial to explore the solutions
capabilities and offers a number of excellent tools for decision making such as  , , .

2. Prepare.
Prepare stage involves executing the initial planning and preparation for the
implementation process. It’s the time you should allocate for finalizing plans; assigning
responsible teams and provisioning the starter system.
Encourage your team to go through a few iterations to fine-tune the project plans and to
make sure that those are aligned with respective project activities including:

 Confirmation of project goals;

 High-level scope;
 Clear definition of project roles and responsibilities;
 Strong governance to steer the project lifecycle.

Effective planning is the backbone of the implementation success. Make sure that your
project plans account for the possible risks that may affect the implementation.

At this stage, you should request the Starter System for the SAP S/4HANA Cloud
customers and create user IDS for all the team members. Make sure that your team
further completes the onboarding session.

3. Explore.
During Explore stage, you are expected to perform a fit-to-standard analysis to validate
the solution functionality listed in the project scope and to confirm that the business
requirements can be met.

The Fit-to-Standard analysis is scheduled as a series of workshops with SAP

consultants and fosters a productive discussion about validating the predefined
scenarios, outlined earlier and explore additional enhancements/configurations that may
be required. Learn more about this stage  .

4. Realize.
Once all the scenarios and process requirements are identified, it’s time to deploy a
series of Agile sprints to configure, build and test the new integrated business and
system environment. At this point, your team should also start loading the data into the
system, outline the adoption activities and develop cutover plans.

The next activities typically take place during this stage of the project lifecycle:

 Configure the solution in the quality environment using Agile iterations and the backlog
created during the Explore phase;
 Make sure that the solution process have been configured to meet your business
requirements;
 Execute data migration loads into the quality environment;
  Conduct full end-to-end testing of the system;
 Integrate the system with other SAP products and legacy systems, if needed;
 Continue with project team implementation of key concepts and system operations;
 Prepare cutover plan and plan change management;
 Receive quality and production environments.

You can learn more about this stage from  .

5. Deploy.
Deploy stage assumes the setup of the production system and confirmation of the
company’s readiness to migrate business operations to the new environment. The
project manager still remains in charge of crossing out all the tasks from the list; and
providing risk and issue management.

The key deliverable of this stage is end-user learning and preparation for onboarding. A
specific learning plan must be defined. The cutover plan must be in place as well,
outlining the key tasks to be performed such as go/no-go decision points,
migration/creation of data, and non-transportable object setup. After the cutover
execution has been completed, you can set the SAP S/4HANA Cloud system to a Run
status. This stage ends with the formal closure of the project.

6. Run.
Now it’s time to continue the adoption and the implementation of your new solution
across the entire company. Start adding new users; encourage them to execute
business transactions and activate additional software functionality if needed. The
development team should be running regression testing in the background for the
quarterly upgrades to ensure you have the latest version of the system.

A Real SAP HANA Implementation Case by Infopulse

Customer generates reports 90x faster with a centralized Data
Warehouse on SAP HANA
Our customer, a Big 4 consulting company (USA), maintained critical business data of
numerous BI systems in multiple sources. It slowed down their key business processes,
e.g., generating reports took up to 15 hours. Infopulse implemented a centralized 10 TB
Data Warehouse on SAP HANA, seamlessly integrated with all of the existing BI
systems.
As a result, we helped our customer decrease time for building reports by 90X (now it
takes just up to 10 minutes!), reduced data management and maintenance costs,
improved real-time data availability and simplified its accessibility for over 200,000
employees on a daily basis. On top of that, we developed an ecosystem of BI
applications based on the SAP platform to optimize management of crucial business
systems.

Read the full SAP HANA Implementation case here.

Conclusions
The benefits of SAP for business operations are numerous and they can be customized
for each business or enterprise.

If you have been asking yourself what is SAP software used for, you now have your
answer.

So, what are your business operations needs? How can you see solutions that come
from the benefits of SAP?

If you are ready to explore all of your options with SAP, then Infopulse is ready to
discuss them with you. We are international experts on the implementation of SAP
solutions for businesses of all sizes and in a variety of sectors.