Automate Purchasing Approval

Dos and Donts When Designing

and Implementing SAP Release
Strategy
Isaac Mazliach
S.D.M. Israel
2007 Wellesley Information Services. All rights reserved.

What Well Cover

Release Strategy what is it?
Classification system: Search, select, and

define parameters
Which parameters to use and which NOT to use
A simple Workflow customization
Wrap-up

Release Strategy What is It?

Release Strategy is SAPs process to approve

purchasing documents from the early releases of SAP

R/3 up to the latest releases of ECC
IMG link:
IMG > Materials Management > Purchasing > Purchase

Requisition > Release Procedure

IMG > Materials Management > Purchasing > Purchase Order >
Release Procedure for Purchase Orders
IMG > Materials Management > Purchasing > Contract > Release
Procedure for Contracts
IMG > Materials Management > External Services
Management > Define release Procedure for Service
Entry Sheet
3

Release Strategy Configuration

Release Strategy is not so difficult to configure as

long as maintaining it is taken into consideration at the

design phase
We will talk about:
Classification in Release Strategy
Which fields should be used and which ones should not
How to easily introduce Workflow into the process

Release Strategy Implementation

Release Strategy may be implemented for the

following documents:
Purchase Order
Purchase Requisition
Contracts
Service Entry Sheet

What Well Cover

Release Strategy what is it?
Classification system: Search, select, and

define parameters
Which parameters to use and which NOT to use
A simple Workflow customization
Wrap-up

Classification What is It?

Classification is a general method in R/3 and ECC to

search and select objects

It is part of the cross application component

The classification system allows you to use

characteristics to describe all types of objects and to

group similar objects in classes to classify objects, so
that you can find them easily
SAP has predefined a number of object types (for
example, materials and equipment)
The settings for these object types have already been defined

during customization, so you can start to set up your

classification system for these object types without defining
further settings
7

Steps to Use the Classification Mechanism

SAP also uses the classification mechanism to define the

parameters of the Release Strategy

Use characteristics to describe the properties of objects

Create characteristics centrally in the SAP R/3 system

Create classes to classify objects
Classes must be set up
Assign characteristics to the classes
Assign objects to the classes you require for classification
Use the characteristics of the class to describe the objects
you classify

Release Strategy uses class

type = 032
8

Communication Structures Characteristics

Characteristics for Release Strategy use the following

communication structures:
Purchase Order and Contracts: CEKKO
Purchase Requisition: CEBAN
Service Entry Sheet: CESSR

Purchase Order and Contracts use the

same class in Release Strategy. Therefore,
analyze them both when you design the
Warning
characteristics values!
9

Classification Create Class and Assign Characteristics

SAP Menu > Cross-Application Components > Classification

System > Master Data > Characteristics

Data type
assigned
from
reference
field data

Make sure
these
parameters
are correct to
your needs

Enter the table

name (e.g.,
Purchase Order
data = CEKKO)

Enter the field name

(from the table).
See all table fields in
txn SE11.

10

Classification Create Class and Assign

Characteristics (cont.)
SAP Menu > Cross-Application Components >
Classification System > Master Data > Classes

Class type for

Release
Strategy
must be 032
Assign the
characteristics to
the class

11

Classification User Exit Enhancement

In the case that the standard fields in CEKKO, CEBAN,

CESSR are not sufficient, use your own logic to enhance

these communication structures with the following
user exits:
M06B0001: Changes to communication structure for release

of requisitions
M06B0005: Changes to communication structure for overall
release of purchase requisitions
M06E0004: Changes to communication structure for release of
purchasing document (Purchase Orders and Contracts)
SRVREL: Changes to communication structure for release

12

Options to Use Release Strategy

There are two options: With or without classification
Option 1 Without classification
An overly simplified solution
Includes constant parameters (e.g., price)
Option 2 With classification
Characteristics
Class (class type 032)
Allows much more functionality than without classification
Very flexible
Allows fine-tuning with user exit

13

How Does it Work?

When one creates a document, SAP checks if it

corresponds to a Release Strategy and applies the

Release Strategy to it automatically
Assign the authorization M_EINK_FRG to the persons
who are to be involved in the release procedure

Q: What happens when no corresponding

Release Strategy is found?
A: The document is released immediately!

14

Purchase Order with Release Strategy

There is a Release
strategy tab; therefore
the Purchase Order
is subject to
Release Strategy

15

Purchase Order Without Release Strategy

There is no Release
strategy tab; therefore
the Purchase Order
is released

16

Release Strategy Setup

The process:

Create Release
Codes

Create Release
Indicators
Combine all
above in Release
Strategies

Choose
parameters
Define
characteristics
Define
class
Assign
characteristics
to class
Assign class
to Release
Group

17

Important Release Strategy Setup Tips!

Classification data is treated in SAP as Master Data
Therefore it is not transferred with Transport Request Use
Application Link Enabling (ALE) for that purpose
Use the following paths:
BD91 - SAP Menu > Tools > ALE > Master Data
Distribution > Logistics > Classification >
Characteristic > Send
BD92 - SAP Menu > Tools > ALE > Master Data
Distribution > Logistics > Classification > Class > Send
BD93 - SAP Menu > Tools > ALE > Master Data
Distribution > Logistics > Classification >
Classification > Send

18

Release Strategy Classification Setup

1.1 Define

Characteristics
(txn CT04)

1.2 Define Class and

assign Characteristics
(txn CL02)

19

1.3 in IMG for Release Group

Assign the class you created

20

1.4 Create Release Codes

A 2-digit identifier of a person to release a document

21

1.5 Create Release Indicator

1-digit identifier

of the release status

(e.g., not released,
partially released,
released)

22

1.6 Create Release Strategies

Combine all of the previous Release Strategies:
List the Release Codes per specific Release Strategy
Create the Release Sequence
Per each Release, define its relevant Release Indicator
Assign the values of the assigned characteristics
(e.g., value 0 $10,000)

23

Release Prerequisite and Status

Release prerequisite:
These settings mean that
the order of release is MR,
then SM, and last MN

Release statuses:
These settings mean that if
not released, the indicator
will be 2
If MR released, the indicator
will be 4 and so on

24

Release Strategy Classification

These settings mean that MR, SM,
and MN will release the orders
that have the characteristics:
Company code = 1000
Order type: NB
Purchasing organization =
1000
Order value > $200,000
Purchasing group = 101

25

What Well Cover

Release Strategy what is it?
Classification system: Search, select, and

define parameters
Which parameters to use and which NOT to use
A simple Workflow customization
Wrap-up

26

Which Parameters to Use

The following points should be considered when

deciding which parameters to use:

Parameters needed by the organizations rules

Mostly document value (price quantity) is used

Use range
Do not override values
Make sure no ranges are missed (e.g., 0-100, > 100)
If both contracts and POs are implemented use document
type or document category as one of the parameters
Add parameters that do not change often, such as plant,
company code, account assignment category, item
category, etc.
Why? Because when the parameter changes the release
strategy will have to be modified.

27

Which Parameters NOT to Use

Consider the following points when deciding on

parameters not to use:

Do not use parameters that may change too often, such as cost

center, purchasing group, material group, etc.

Why? If a release strategy is not found the document is
immediately released.
For example: A cost center is used, and a new cost center
is added the new requisition to this cost center may be
released immediately!

28

What Well Cover

Release Strategy what is it?
Classification system: Search, select, and

define parameters
Which parameters to use and which NOT to use
A simple Workflow customization
Wrap-up

29

Release Strategy or Workflow?

Release Strategy
Works on pull strategy, i.e., the user should enter a
transaction, enter his/her Release Code, and receive a list of the
appointed documents waiting to be released
Workflow
Works on the push strategy, i.e., a document that is waiting to
be released is sent via email to the persons mailbox. After
releasing the document, it is sent to the next persons mailbox.

Important
Workflow is built on the ground of the
Release Strategy; first you create
the Release Strategy, then you add the Workflow to it
30

Workflow is it Complicated?
Many SAP customers think that Workflow is very difficult

to configure and set

It may be true only if Workflow is implemented from
scratch ... this process may take a few months
BUT
SAP provides a simple Workflow in Release Strategy to
be used without any programming
This Workflow may be implemented faster and easier!

31

Workflow Activation
Before implementing the Release Strategy Workflow,

Workflow must be activated

Txn SWU3

32

Workflow Activation (cont.)

Txn SWETYPV
For PO enable (activate) event BUS2012
For PR enable (activate) event BUS2009

33

Workflow Activation (cont.)

Txn PFTC
Task type: Workflow template
Task (PO release): 20000075 display

34

Use the Following Link (e.g., Purchase Order)

IMG > Materials Management > Purchase Order > Release

Procedure for Purchase Order > Define

In the opened window choose Release Codes and enter
1 in the Workflow field

35

Use the Following Link (e.g., Purchase Order) (cont.)

IMG > Materials Management > Purchase Order > Release

Procedure for Purchase Order > Define

In the opened window, choose Workflow and enter the
relationship between a Release Code and an SAP user
Result: All releases will be directed to the user email

36

What Well Cover

Release Strategy what is it?
Classification system: Search, select, and

define parameters
Which parameters to use and which NOT to use
A simple Workflow customization
Wrap-up

37

Resources
www.workflowbook.com
Assign agent to task
Activate events

38

7 Key Points to Take Home

Release Strategy uses the pull strategy as opposed to

Workflow, which uses the push strategy

Select parameters that do not have too many values or
change too often this will reduce your maintenance
If a purchasing document did not find a suitable
Release Strategy it will be released automatically
When standard parameters are not enough use user
exits to enhance your release selection options

39

7 Key Points to Take Home (cont.)

Make sure there are no redundancies you may end up

with unexpected results

Avoid going live with Workflow. Use Release Strategy
first, allow the system to be stabilized, and then
introduce Workflow.
Design is the key. Good design will reduce your
maintenance efforts long into the future.

40

Your Turn!

How to contact me:

Isaac Mazliach
isaac@sdm-c.com
41