Planning Area Administration

Planning Area Administration

Purpose

The setup of Demand Planning is the key to a successful implementation of the system. The first process in the setup is planning area administration.

Prerequisites

You have understood the differences between the different storage methods in Demand Planning and Supply Network Planning, and know which functions are supported by which storage methods. For more information, see Data Storage in Demand Planning and Supply Network Planning.

You have understood the role and purpose of the following:

• 
  
Key Figure
• 
  
Characteristic
• 
  
Attribute
• 
  
Master Planning Object Structure
• 
  
Aggregate
• 
  
Storage Buckets Profile
• 
  
Planning Area

Process Flow

1. Decide which key figures you want to use for Demand Planning and where you wish to store them. Typically you store actual data for Demand Planning in an InfoCube, along with old planning data; and you save current planning data for Demand Planning in liveCache time series objects.

You will need a key figure for each department and/or business partner that will create a forecast.

For each key figure that you intend to forecast (for example, demand quantity), decide whether you will also need key figures for corrected history, corrected forecast, promotions, ex-post forecast, and/or ex-post MLR forecast.

Decide whether you need key figures in which to store forecasts from previous periods and/or quarterly or other cumulative subtotals.

For any key figure whose fixed values you wish to save, you will need a second key figure in which the fixed values will be stored.

Do not include " spare " key figures because they take up storage space. If you later decide that you need an extra key figure, you should add it then. Be aware, however, that you will need to delete the time series objects of your planning area, which will delete your data, so you must first make a backup (for more information on data backups, see Extracting Data from a Planning Area). For the extended planning area, you will need to create new time series objects.

2. If the key figures that you want to use for planning do not already exist in the system, create them by choosing Tools ® Edit Info Objects in the Administrator Workbench.

Standard SNP key figures come predefined with APO. You do not have to create them.

If the system asks you to choose between an APO key figure and a BW key figure, choose APO key figure. This allows you to use the APO functions for key figures such as fixing.

When creating a key figure for values, select Amount, choose the data type CURR and enter the unit/currency 0STAT_CURR or 0Currency. For quantities, select Quantity, choose the data type QUAN and enter the unit 0BASE_UOM or 0Unit.

If you wish to be able to fix (that is, lock) the values of a key figure in interactive planning, both the key figure to be fixed and a key figure in which the fixed values are stored need to exist in the system. First create the key figure in which the fixed values should be stored. Then create the key figure you want to fix and in the field Fixed key figure attach the storage key figure. You find this field on the tabstrip Type/unit.

3. Decide which
characteristics you want to use as planning levels and which characteristics you want to use only for selection and navigation. To find out what the difference is between these two types of characteristic, see Attribute.
4. In the Administrator Workbench, check to see if these characteristics already exist in the system. For example, the standard APO system comes with the characteristic 9AMATNR for product and 9ALOCNO for location.

Note: If you cannot see these standard characteristics, run program /sapapo/ts_d_objects_copy to create them in your system.

See also the information on the integration between Demand Planning and Supply Network Planning in Data Storage in Demand Planning and Supply Network Planning.

5. If the characteristics delivered with the system are not sufficient for your needs, create them by choosing Tools ® Edit Info Objects in the Administrator Workbench.

1. Create the characteristics you want to use as planning levels.
2. Create characteristics that will be used for selection and navigation.

6. Assign navigational attributes to the characteristics you want to use as planning levels. For more information, see
Attribute.
7. If you intend to store one or more key figures in an InfoCube, create the InfoCube(s) in the Administrator Workbench. You store sales history and other actual data, as well as old demand plans, in InfoCubes. You access the Administrator Workbench via Demand Planning current settings or in Customizing. Create BW InfoCubes, not APO InfoCubes. APO InfoCubes are used internally. You never actively create an APO InfoCube.

For more information on how to create an InfoCube, see:

Creating InfoCubes for Use in Demand Planning

For information on how to store different versions of the same key figure in different places, see Data Storage in Demand Planning and Supply Network Planning.

8. Load actual data into the InfoCube(s). For more information, see
Upload Process

9. Create storage bucket profiles by choosing Periodicities for Planning Area from the current settings for Demand Planning. For more information, see
Storage Buckets Profile.
10. Create planning bucket profiles by choosing Define planning bucket profiles from Customizing for Demand Planning. For more information, see
Planning Buckets Profile.
11. Create the APO versions that you want to use for Demand Planning, and assign these versions to a supply chain model.

This step may also be come earlier in the administration process.

The concept of versions is different than in previous releases. In Release 2.0A there were two kinds of versions: demand planning versions, which were saved in InfoCubes, and APO versions, which were assigned to models and saved in liveCache. As of Release 3.0A there is only one kind of version: the APO version. The APO version is used in all applications including Demand Planning.

Data in Demand Planning and Supply Network Planning is now divided up according to planning area, a further subdivison of which is the version. Consequently, the data you save to APO version 1 in planning area 1 does not overwrite the data in APO version 1 in planning area 2.

For information on how to store the same key figure in multiple versions, see Data Storage in Demand Planning and Supply Network Planning.

12. Create and activate a master planning object structure. Start by choosing Adminstration of Demand Planning and Supply Network Planning from the Demand Planning current settings, choosing Planning object structures from the pull-down menu on the top left, right mouse clicking the Planning object structures folder and choosing Create master planning object structure.

Include only the characteristics that you intend to use as planning levels. The characteristics that will be used for navigation and selection appear later automatically when you set up the DP master data.

For more information, see Master Planning Object Structure and IMG.

13. Create the aggregates in which you wish to save data by right mouse clicking the master planning object structure and choosing Create aggregate. For a definition of an APO aggregate, see
Aggregate.
14. Create a planning area by choosing Adminstration of Demand Planning and Supply Network Planning from the Demand Planning current settings and choosing Planning area from the pull-down menu on the top left. For more information, see
Planning Area and IMG.
15. Customize the forecast settings of the key figures in the planning area by right mouse clicking the planning area and choosing Forecast settings. For more information, see IMG.
16. Set up your master data for Demand Planning, either by having the system generate it from past data or by creating it manually. For more information, see
    
Characteristics Combination
Generating Master Data for Demand Planning
Creating a Single Entry in the Master Data.
17. Initialize the planning area by right mouse clicking the planning area and choosing Create time series objects.

If you need to re-initialize a planning area after an update to your master data or in order to extend the planning horizon, you do not need to delete the old time series objects before you can create new ones. The system recognizes where new characteristic value combinations or new time series exist, and creates time series objects only for the new master data. As a result you only need to initialize aplanning area for the period that currently interest you. If then for instance, at the end of the month you want to extend the palnning period a month into the future and remove the first month of the history from the time series, you simply re-initialize entering the new dates.

You delete the time series objects if, for example, you have five versions and you only need to keep two of them. You delete the other three versions from Demand Planning by deleting their time series objects.

See Planning Area Functions in S&DP Administration

Effects on Existing Data

If you currently use Release 2.0A of Demand Planning, you need to perform certain conversions in order to upgrade to a 3.0A environment. For more information, see note 301488.