Release Strategies

7/29/2019 Release Strategies

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Klee Associates Unlocking The Value Of Your SAP Investment

Release Strategies for

Procurement Made EasyContent excerpted from our SAP

Materials Management andPurchasing courses


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Speaker Introduction - Jocelyn Hayes

Heads up our SAP consulting and trainingpractice.

Brings almost 14 years of SAP experience,plus a great deal of passion andenthusiasm

Enjoys the challenge of solving problemscreatively and collaboratively.

Worked for a big 4 consulting firm as a Sr.SAP Consultant and then moved intoindependent consulting.

Primarily involved with the Logisticsmodules of SAP and migrating clients tomore business process oriented andintegrated applications using SAP's mostadvanced solutions.

Jocelyn can be reached [email protected] or by phoneat 1.855.ERPtips (377.8477) ext 122.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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3

Release Strategies for Procurement

Made EasyLearning Points

During this session, we will cover a four step process tosetting up release procedures for Procurement in SAP: Step 1: Corporate Purchasing Approval Matrix

Step 2: Configuration Step 3: Security

Step 4: Transports

At the end of the session, you will walk away with some tipson working with your business owners on setting up the

approval levels, configuration techniques, guidelines onsecurity settings, and the requirements for transporting theconfiguration and classification objects.


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Step 1: Determine Corporate Purchasing Approval

Matrix

Determining the Corporate Purchasing Approval Matrix is adifficult step in any organization because manydepartments believe their approval process must be uniqueand is different.

ERPtip: Keep it Simple Encourage purchasing policy makers to keep it simple.

Have a goal to make the approval process simple to make iteasier for your requistioners to know who must approve therequisition.

Selling Point: If it is easy for the users, they will follow the policy.If you make it too complex, they will find a way to bypass theprocess and complain about how cumbersome SAP is.


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Matrix

The table below represents the scenario wewill be configuring for this demonstration:

Department Position Approval Limits101 Operations Manager Up to $10K101 Operations Director Up to $50K101 Operations Vice President Up to $100K101 Operations Chief Financial Officer Everything over $100K201 Finance Manager Up to $5K201 Finance Controller Up to $200K201 Finance Chief Financial Officer Everything over $200K


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Matrix

The release strategy has three key values that are used to determine the

level of approval and who approves the requisition.

Purchasing group

Overall value of purchase requisition

Account Assignment Category (K cost center for both departments)

Department Position Approval Limits901 Operations Manager Up to $10K901 Operations Director Up to $50K

901

Operations Vice President Up to $100K901 Operations Chief Financial Officer Everything over $100K902 Finance Manager Up to $5K902 Finance Controller Up to $200K902 Finance Chief Financial Officer Everything over $200K


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Matrix

The Release procedure example presented in this demonstration is for an

Overall Release procedure, which means that the person approving the

requisition approves the entire requisition, not each line.

This simplifies the action required by the approver, who has only to

approve once; however, this does restrict you from allowing your users

to combine purchase requisitions across departments.



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Step 2: Configuration

These 7 tasks are performed in configuring arelease procedure:

1. Create characteristics

2. Create class (assigning characteristics to class)

3. Create release groups4. Create release codes

5. Create release indicator

6. Create release strategies

7. Workflow: Assign release codes to a release point

Note: In this demonstration, we are presenting PURCHASE REQUISITION releasestrategy configuration. The exact same steps can be used for any purchasingdocument type (Purchase Orders, Contracts, RFQs, Scheduling Agreements)


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1. Create Characteristics

In Step 1: Determine the Corporate Purchasing ApprovalMatrix, you could have developed your approval

matrix in Excel or on a napkin. Now you need to

translate that release strategy. Ask, What parameters

determine who approves?


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In the approval matrix table scenario, the parameters thatdetermine the approval person are: Department requesting the purchase

Overall amount of the purchase Account Assignment Category

These three parameters equate to characteristics that mustbe represented by values entered in the purchasing

document. In this scenario, the characteristics are: Purchasing group (representing the department)

Overall value of requisition

Account Assignment category (representing the lines are forexpense items, in this case, to a cost center)


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To determine what parameters are available as characteristics,run transaction SE11 and view table CEBAN. This table

stores the fields that are available in the release strategydetermination. The Characteristics screen shows where tocorrelate the characteristic from the CEBAN table to thefield used for determination.

Note: Use CEKKO for POs, and other Purchasing DocumentTypes

We will now demonstrate how to view this table.


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ERPtip: User Exits for Custom Release Strategy Fields

If the field you want to use for the release strategy

does not exist in the CEBAN communication structure

(a custom field, for example), you can use the

following user exits: M06B0003 For item-wise release

M06B0005 For overall release


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2. Now that you have determined which fields will drive therelease strategy, you need to create the characteristics.

3. Navigate the create characteristics transaction using thefollowing IMG menu path: Materials Management Purchasing Purchase Requisition Release Procedure Procedure with Classification EditCharacteristics

Or transaction code: CT04

4. We will now display the characteristics that have beencreated for this demonstration.


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Here are a couple ERPtips on creating characteristics:

If you are working in a release Pre-ECC, notice that the box Not

Ready for Input is checked in the Procedure for ValueAssignment area. If you do not de-select it, it stops assignmentof a value to your characteristic causing your release strategy tofail!

SAP carries over default values from the field definition in theCEBAN table to the value assignment portion (shown on the

Basic Data tab). Pay close attention to whether SAP allowsintervals (needed for a range of values, like value of requisition)and whether it allows multiple values (needed if you plan to useone release strategy for multiple departments or purchasinggroups).


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2. Create Class

Now that you have created your characteristics, youmust assign them to a class.

To create a class, follow the menu path in the IMG: Materials Management Purchasing Purchase

Requisition Release Procedure Procedure withClassification Edit Classes

Or Transaction Code: CL02.

We will now display the class that has been createdfor this demonstration.


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Step 2: Configuration3. Create Release Group

A release group has the same release levels and strategy. The scenario

illustrated in the table below needs two release groups because the

approval interval values are different between the two departments.



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3. Create Release Group

Navigate to the IMG and follow the menu path:

Materials Management Purchasing Purchase Requisition

Release Procedure Procedure with Classification Set up

Procedure with Classification

We will now display the release group that has been created for this

demonstration.


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3. Create Release Group

ERPtip: One Class per Release Type

You can only have a single class per release type.

Release type is defined as overall release or item-wise release.

This can be quite limiting if you have a complex approval structure.

You can have characteristics that are assigned to the class but not

utilized in the release strategy.


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4. Create Release Codes

A release code is an identifier that is associated with the person

responsible for approving the purchase requisition.

Navigate the IMG and follow the menu path:




We will now display the release codes that have been created for this

demonstration.


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4. Create Release Codes

ERPtip: Generating Workflow Information for the Approver

You can utilize a customer user exit for purchase requisitions,

M06B0001, to define the workflow and generate notification andwork list objects for the person responsible for the approval.


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5. Create Release Indicator

A release indicator shows the release status of a purchase requisition.

In the standard system, a purchase requisition release status is either

Blocked or RFQ/Purchase Order. The RFQ/Purchase Order status indicates that the purchase requisition was

fully released and now can be converted into an RFQ or purchase order.

You can use the standard release indicators provided in your release

strategy or perform the following to maintain the release indicators.


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Navigate to the IMG and follow the menu path:




We will now display the release indicators that will be used for this

demonstration.


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ERPtip: Allow Changes after Release / Do Not Trigger New Release

If you want to allow changes to certain fields during or after a release, youcan modify the field selection key. To modify the Field Selection Key, follow

the menu path in the IMG: Materials Management

Purchasing

Purchase Requisition Define Screen Layout at Document level.

The standard field selection key is FZ01. You can copy it and maintain yourchanges. Once you create a custom field selection key, you should alsocreate a custom release indicator by maintaining a new entry in the CreateRelease Indicators screen.

In the standard system, SAP will not allow changes to the quantity, unit ofmeasure, or price when an approver is executing the release transaction. Ifyou require that other fields, such as delivery date, plant, etc., not bemodified via the release transaction, configure a custom field selection.


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6. Create Release Strategies

A Release Strategy is a combination of the Release Group and Release

Code. The release group combines the release codes (think of them as

release levels); each combination is then assigned a release strategy.

Release Group + Release Code = Release Strategy

Release Group = Department

Release Code = Level of approver

For each release code (or level), you define the prerequisites required to

get to that release level, which includes the release status and the

characteristic values that place the release into that release level.


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To configure the Release Strategy, Navigate to the IMG and follow the

menu path:

Materials Management Purchasing Purchase RequisitionRelease Procedure Procedure with Classification Set up

Procedure with Classification.

We will now display the release strategies that have been configured for

this demonstration.


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ERPtip: Entering Correct Characteristics Value Assignments

Be sure you entered the correct characteristics value assignments. You

must allow an interval value for the Total value of requisition amountto enter a range in the characteristic value assignment.


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7. Workflow: Assign Release Codes to Release Point

Workflow is another component of SAP that allows you to assign tasks to

users. Those tasks appear in the user's workflow inbox and are executable

items. A standard workflow exists in SAP to put a work item in the inbox to

trigger the approver to approve a purchase requisition. Only perform this step if you wish to link this release procedure to

Workflow and you are not using customer exit M06B0001.


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7. Workflow: Assign Release Codes to Release Point

The task flow for creating a workflow is:

1. When you save the purchase requisition, SAP determines which typeof release is required for the document type. In this case, the

document type is NB and it is flagged in configuration for Overall

release.

2. Next, SAP determines what class to use for this type of release.

3. The characteristics assigned to the class are then associated to the

values in the purchase requisition.

4. With the data up to this point, SAP determines which release strategy

to invoke and then follows through with any workflow activities.

BONUS if time, create a requisition for Release Group 99 and

demonstrate workflow.


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Step 3: Security

Security can be the most time consuming activityin developing release strategies, particularly ifyou have multiple characteristics defining yourrelease strategies along with multiple release

levels. Here is where our recurring theme Keepit Simple counts.

You may want the job security for your BasisSecurity Administrators, but you also want the

change process to be simple so you can reactquickly when that all too common companyreorganization happens.


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Step 3: Security

ERPtip: Sarbanes-Oxley (SOx) Compliance

For Sarbanes-Oxley (SOx) compliance, do not usethe * function, which gives access to all objects,to define the roles in security. Using * may give

approval authority to some folks who should nothave it.

You should set up a role for each releasegroup/release strategy combination. For greater

security, include the restriction for other valuesthat you have assigned as characteristics, such aspurchasing group, when defining this role.


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Step 4: Transport Classes and

Characteristics This is the most overlooked step in the Release

process. The transport you created in Step 3 inyour Gold SAP Configuration client does notinclude the values you associated to thecharacteristics.

Transport classes are stored in characteristic

value tables that must be moved through yourSAP environments via the Application LinkEnabling (ALE) function.


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Step 4: Transport Classes and

Characteristics ERPtip: Move your Characteristics and Classes after your Configuration

Transport

Remember to request your ALE with your transport.

Here is a sample spreadsheet of transaction codes, which you can provide

to your Basis team.

Object Transaction Check (Target) Message Type(BD64) Notes

Characteristics:PURCHASING_GROUPPR_VALUE

BD91 CT04 CHRMAS Dont worry about IDOC errormessage Object S2L3(T16FS) not found.

Class:PR_RELEASEClass Type:032

BD92 CL03 CLSMAS

Class:PR_RELEASEClass Type:032

BD93 CL03 CLFMAS


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Best Practices

That was easy! (Compliments of the Staples

button)

KEEP IT SIMPLE.


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Key Learnings

This presentation laid the groundwork and

provided some good tips to SAP MM

Configurators to use in their journeys to

developing a purchasing approval solution.Purchase requisition release strategies rank

high on my list oftricky configuration

challenges.


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Other Learning Opportunities

Webcasts

Public Workshops onsite or virtual

Onsite Workshops

Journal

Blog

ASUG Annual Conference (May 16 19 inOrlando) ERP Training Lifecycle and

Customer Events contact Jocelyn for more

info
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Release Strategies