Release Procedure

Release Procedure.
You use this component if you wish to set up approval procedures for purchase requisitions or other
purchasing documents. Under such a procedure, if a purchase requisition or external purchasing
document fulfills certain conditions (e.g. the total order value exceeds $10,000), it has to be approved (by
the cost center manager, for instance) before it can be processed further. This process of approving
(clearing, or giving the "green light" to) a proposed item of expenditure is replicated in the SAP System
by the "release procedure".

It is sensible to define separate release procedures for different groups of materials for which different
departments are responsible, and to define separate procedures for investment goods and consumption
goods.

Features

Each person involved in the release procedure effects release (signifies approval) via a release
transaction, using his or her release code. Once effected, a release can also be cancelled with the same
code (that is to say, the original status is reinstated).

Which Documents Can be Released (Approved)?

Release procedures can be defined for the following documents:

Purchase Requisition
The external purchasing documents purchase order (PO), contract, scheduling agreement, request for
quotation (RFQ), and service entry sheet
Release Procedure for Purchase Requisitions:
Two different procedures are available for requisitions:
With classification:
With this procedure, requisitions can be released both at item level (i.e. item-by-item) and in total. The
latter approach is also termed "overall release".
Without classification:
With this procedure, requisitions can only be released at item level.
The two procedures are mutually exclusive (that is to say, you must decide in favor of one of them only -
you cannot use both).
Release Procedure for External Purchasing Documents:
External purchasing documents (i.e. purchasing documents other than requisitions) are released at
header level. Item-by-item release is not possible. These documents can only be released using the
release procedure with classification.

Release procedure with classification (Purchase Reqs./Ext. Purchase . Docs.) :

The aim of this procedure is to replace manual written authorization procedures using signatures by an
electronic one, while maintaining the dual control principle.
The person responsible processes the requisition or other purchasing document in the system, thereby
marking it with an "electronic signature" which can give the document legal force.
This release procedure can be used to approve requisitions and the external purchasing documents RFQ,
PO, contract, scheduling agreement, and service entry sheet.

Purchase requisitions are released either at item level or in total. There is no provision for item-wise
release (i.e. partial approval) in the case of the external purchasing documents. The latter can only be
released in their entirety.
If you set up the release procedure with classification for purchase requisitions, the procedure without
classification is deactivated
Prerequisites:
The release procedure with classification must have been set up in Customizing for Purchasing. In
addition, a class with characteristics must have been created for each document (requisition, purchase
order, etc.).
If you wish to set up both the overall release procedure and the item-wise procedure for requisitions, you
must create one class for each procedure

Operation of Release Procedure w. Classification:

The characteristic values from a requisition or external purchasing document are passed on to the
classification system.
The system checks whether the values correspond with release conditions. If so, it assigns a release
strategy.
The persons responsible for the release codes process the document in the sequence defined in the
release strategy.
The following graphic illustrates the process, taking a requisition item that is subject to the release
strategy S4 as an example
Release Procedure for External Documents

The “release of external purchasing documents” (purchase order, contract, scheduling agreement,
RFQ and service entry sheet) means the process of checking the correctness of the document data
and approving the documents prior to their transmission to vendors. The objective of this approval
procedure is to replace a manual system of authorized signatures with an electronic one.
Table for Purchase Order
EKKO-Purchase Order Header data
EKPO-Purchase Order Item data
Release Procedure for Purchase Order-
CEKKO
Field:
Document Type-BSART,
Purchase Organization-EKORG
Purchasing Group-EKGRP,
Material Group-MATKL
Total Order Value-GNETW.
Definition of Release Criteria

The communication structures CEBAN (for purchase requisitions) and CEKKO (for external

purchasing documents) contain all the fields that can be defined as release characteristics .
Characteristics (CT04)
Property for describing and distinguishing between objects, such as length, color, or weight.
Criterion used to group together data, such as “Purchase Organization", "plant" or "material".
Each characteristic has characteristic values. For example, the characteristic “Purchase Organization"
might have the value “Domestic Purchase Organization" or “Foreign Purchase Organization".

Enter Characteristic number, Click on create icon.

Single value:
Indicator that determines whether only one value can be assigned to this characteristic.

Multiple Value:

Indicator: More Than One Value Allowed for Characteristic If there is an indicator in this field, more than
one value can be assigned to a characteristic.

Interval values allowed:

This indicator defines whether you can enter an interval as a value for a numeric characteristic.

Value with plus or minus sign:

Defines whether negative values can be assigned to a characteristic.

Indicator: restrictable characteristic

This indicator shows that the allowed values of this characteristic can restricted during Variant
Configuration, depending on the configuration environment.
Note:

You can only use this indicator in constraints. This indicator is not relevant to classification.
In “additional data” enter relevant table and field name

Enter Value related to release procedure

Follow same procedure for remaining characteristics
This is for total order value
Create Class ( CL02)
Group of characteristics that can be attributed to a product. A class is a grouping of similar objects
according to common characteristics.

Enter class number and Class type-032

Click on create Enter description,
Select “Characteristics” tab
Enter all characteristics in characteristics filed.
Press enter
Save.
Define Release Procedure for Purchase Orders
( IMG-MM-Purchasing-purchase Order-Release Procedure for Purchase Order).
Creation of Release Group
New entry
Enter release Group and Class what u made earlier, Press enter and save.

Release Code
The release code is a two-character ID allowing a person to release (clear, or approve) a requisition or an
external purchasing document. Who may work with which release codes is basically controlled via a
system of authorizations .
In addition, the assignment of release code to individual processor (processing staff member) is defined
according to organizational requirements - that is to say, the various departments specify which users
will be working with which release codes
Release Indicator:
When a requisition or an external purchasing document has been processed via a release code, a release
indicator is assigned to it.
When the system sets which release indicator is defined in the Customizing facility for Purchasing (in the
release strategy via the release statuses).
What does the release indicator determine?

Requisitions... External purchasing documents....

Whether the item may be changed by Purchasing Whether the document may be changed by Or
Materials Planning and Control after the start of Purchasing after the start of the release
procedure
the release procedure

Whether a new strategy is determined and whether
whether
existing releases must be cancelled in the event of
changes
Whether an RFQ or a PO may be created with
reference to the item
Whether a new strategy is determined and
existing releases must be cancelled in the event
of changes
Whether the purchasing document is released for
transmission
Release Strategy
The release strategy defines the approval process for purchase requisitions or external purchasing
documents. The strategy specifies the release codes necessary and the sequence in which releases have
to be effected. You can define a maximum of eight release codes.

The assignment of the release strategy to a requisition or a purchasing document is based on the release
conditions.

Release Prerequisites
The release prerequisites indicate the sequence in which a purchase requisition or an external
purchasing document must be approved via the release codes.
The release prerequisites are defined in the Purchasing Customizing facility (in the release strategy).
The approval procedure for purchase requisitions in an enterprise may be set up in such a way that a
department manager must approve a requisition item before the next level of authority (e.g. the cost
center manager). In this case, approval by the department manager is a prerequisite for approval by the
cost center manager.

Select Relevant value for Release strategy

Create Purchase Order (ME21N)

Individual Release (ME29N)

Enter PO number, press enter, release Purchase Order one by one and save it.
Collective Release of Purchase Order(ME28)
Individual Release (ME29N)
Decide whether you wish to release all items or complete Purchase Order at once or release - and
possibly change - individual items.
– All :
Choose Edit Select  Select all.
– Individual:
Select the item and choose Go to Individual release.
The item detail screen is displayed.
At this point, you can make changes.

Enter Release Code, Release Group, Purchase Order ranges. Press Execute(F8)
Select Purchase Order
Click on Release + save.