C_TS422_2023 Questions and Answers

Material numbering is the process of assigning unique identifiers to materials in the system. Material numbering is defined at the client level, which means that the same material number can be used for different materials in different clients. However, within a client, the material number must be unique for each material. The material number can be either external or internal. External material numbers are entered manually by the user, while internal material numbers are generated automatically by the system. The maximum material number length is 40 characters for external numbers and 18 characters for internal numbers. The material number length can be customized in the configuration app Define Material Number Lengths1. The material number can also be formatted with prefixes,suffixes, and templates in the configuration app Define Material Number Formats2. References: Define Material Number Lengths | SAP Help Portal, Define Material Number Formats | SAP Help Portal

Lead time scheduling is a method of scheduling production orders that calculates the start and finish dates of each operation based on the operation duration, interoperation time, and other time elements. The time elements that are relevant for lead time scheduling of a production order are:

Setup time: The time required to prepare the work center for the operation, such as changing tools, adjusting machines, or cleaning the work area.

Processing time: The time required to perform the operation, such as machining, assembling, or testing the product.

Teardown time: The time required to restore the work center to its original state after the operation, such as removing tools, resetting machines, or disposing of waste.

Interoperation time: The time between two consecutive operations, such as transportation, waiting, or inspection time.

Float before production: The time buffer before the scheduled start date of the production order, which can be used to compensate for delays or changes in the production plan.

Float after production: The time buffer after the scheduled finish date of the production order, which can be used to compensate for delays or changes in the production plan.

The opening period and the total replenishment lead time are not relevant for lead time scheduling of a production order. The opening period is a parameter that defines the earliest possible start date of a production order, based on the material availability date and the planning time fence. The total replenishment lead time is a parameter that defines the total time required to procure or produce a material, from the time the requirement is identified until the time the material is available for use.

References: [Production Planning with SAP S/4HANA], pages 177-179; [SAP Help Portal: Lead Time Scheduling].

Phantom assemblies are assemblies that have their own product structure, but whose assembly does not actually physically exist. The components of the phantom assembly are incorporated directly in the superordinate product. The product structure of the superordinate product contains a reference to the phantom assembly. You can use phantom assemblies for the following purposes:

To simplify the structure of bills of material: Phantom assemblies allow you to group components that belong together logically or functionally, without creating an additional level in the product structure. This can make the product structure easier to maintain and understand.

To reduce the number of material masters: Phantom assemblies do not require a material master record in SAP S/4HANA, as they are not physically produced or stored. This can save storage space and reduce the effort of creating and updating material masters.

To reduce the number of changes required in bills of material: Phantom assemblies can be used to represent common subassemblies that are used in multiple products. This way, you only need to maintain the product structure of the phantom assembly once, and any changes will be reflected in all the products that reference it.

Phantom assemblies do not increase the number of planning levels, as they are not considered as separate planning objects. They also do not make the assignment of components easier, as the components are assigned to the superordinate product, not to the phantom assembly. References: Phantom Assembly | SAP Help Portal, Phantom Assembly | SAP Help Portal, Planning Phantom Assemblies | SAP Help Portal.

Alternative item strategies are used to define how the system selects the alternative items in a BOM during the planning run or the order creation. The following alternative item strategies are available in SAP S/4HANA:

Manual maintenance: The system does not select any alternative item automatically. You have to manually select the alternative item in the BOM or the order. This strategy is useful when you want to have full control over the alternative item selection and when the selection depends on factors that are not known to the system1

100% check: The system checks the availability of all alternative items and selects the one with the highest priority and sufficient stock. If none of the alternative items has enough stock, the system selects the one with the highest priority and the smallest shortage quantity. This strategy is useful when you want to optimize the material availability and reduce the procurement costs2

First in First out (FIFO): The system selects the alternative item with the highest priority and the earliest availability date. If several alternative items have the same availability date, the system selects the one with the highest priority. This strategy is useful when you want to use the oldest stock first and avoid obsolescence3

Simultaneous: The system selects all alternative items simultaneously and distributes the requirement quantity among them according to the usage probability. The usage probability is a percentage value that indicates how often an alternative item is used. This strategy is useful when you want to balance the demand and supply of multiple alternative items and when the usage probability is known.

References:

Alternative Item Group - SAP Help Portal

Alternative Item Group - SAP Help Portal

Alternative Item Group - SAP Help Portal

[Alternative Item Group - SAP Help Portal]

The material type is a key attribute that classifies materials according to their characteristics and determines how they are processed in the system. The material type influences the following aspects of material management:

Which material master screens appear and in which sequence: The material type controls which fields are required, optional, or hidden in the material master record. It also determines the order in which the screens are displayed when creating or changing a material master record. Different material types may have different views and fields depending on the business requirements. For example, a raw material may have a purchasing view, while a finished product may have a sales view.

Whether the material is produced in-house, procured externally, or both: The material type defines the procurement type of the material, which indicates how the material is procured. The procurement type can be in-house production, external procurement, or both. The procurement type affects the planning and execution of the material requirements. For example, a material with in-house production procurement type will generate planned orders, while a material with external procurement type will generate purchase requisitions or schedule lines.

The material type does not influence the following aspects of material management:

Which document types and class categories are allowed: The document type is a key attribute that classifies documents according to their business purpose and determines how they are processed in the system. The document type controls the number range, field selection, and status profile of the document. The document type is independent of the material type and can be used for any material type. For example, a purchase order document type can be used for any material type that is procured externally. The class category is a key attribute that classifies classes according to their application area and determines how they are processed in the system. The class category controls the characteristics, object types, and inheritance rules of the class. The class category is independent of the material type and can be used for any material type. For example, a material class category can be used for any material type that has characteristics.

Which plant-specific and plant-independent statuses are allowed: The status is an attribute that indicates the current condition of an object in the system. The status can be plant-specific or plant-independent, depending on whether it applies to a specific plant or to all plants. The status is independent of the material type and can be used for any material type. For example, a material can have a plant-specific status of blocked for quality reasons, or a plant-independent status of discontinued. References: Material Type | SAP HelpPortal, Material Master (LO-MD-MM) | SAP Help Portal, Document Types | SAP Help Portal, [Class Category | SAP Help Portal], [Status Management | SAP Help Portal]

 Dependent requirements are the requirements for components that are derived from the requirements for the finished product or assembly. They are created when an independent requirement is created for the finished product or assembly, such as a planned independent requirement, a sales order, or a stock transport order. They are also created on assembly level during the planning run, when the system explodes the bill of material (BOM) of the finished product or assembly and calculates the requirements for the components based on the BOM structure and quantity. Dependent requirements can be created for multilevel or single-level BOM structures, depending on the planning strategy and the BOM explosion level. References: Dependent Requirements | SAP Help Portal, Material Requirements Planning (PP-MRP) | SAP Help Portal.

Backward scheduling is a method of determining the order dates for components from dependent requirements by starting from the requirement date of the finished product and working backwards through the production structure. Backward scheduling considers the following time elements:

Operation duration: This is the time required to perform an operation on a resource, such as a work center or a machine. Operation duration is influenced by various factors, such as the quantity, the lot size, the setup time, the processing time, the teardown time, and the operation scrap. Operation duration is subtracted from the requirement date of the finished product to determine the start date of the operation.

In-house production time: This is the time required to produce a material in-house, from the start of the first operation to the end of the last operation. In-house production time is influenced by various factors, such as the routing, the work center, the production version, and the scheduling margin key. In-house production time is subtracted from the start date of the first operation to determine the order start date of the material.

Backward scheduling does not consider the following time elements:

Total replenishment lead time: This is the time required to procure a material externally, from the creation of the purchase requisition to the receipt of the goods. Total replenishment lead time is influenced by various factors, such as the planned delivery time, the goods receipt processing time, the release time, and the scheduling margin key. Total replenishment lead time is used in forward scheduling, not backward scheduling, to determine the order dates for externally procured materials.

Planned delivery time: This is the time required to deliver a material from the vendor to the receiving plant. Planned delivery time is maintained in the purchasing info record or the material master record. Planned delivery time is a component of the total replenishment lead time, which is used in forward scheduling, not backward scheduling, to determine the order dates for externally procured materials. References: Backward Scheduling | SAP Help Portal, Scheduling | SAP Help Portal, SAP S/4HANA Production Planning and Manufacturing Certification Guide, page 77-78.

A multiple bill of material (BOM) is a type of BOM that allows for different combinations of components or raw materials for the same assembly or subassembly. The reason for different combinations of components in a multiple BOM could be the manufacturing date or the lot size. The manufacturing date determines the validity period of the BOM, which means that different BOMs can be valid for different time intervals. For example, a BOM can be changed due to a design modification or a change in the availability of components. The lot size determines the quantity-dependent explosion of the BOM, whichmeans that different BOMs can be used for different production quantities. For example, a BOM can be optimized for different batch sizes or different production methods. References: Multiple BOM, BOM Explosion

 Planned independent requirements (PIRs) are demand elements that represent the sales or production program for a material. They are used to plan the production or procurement of finished products or assemblies in advance, based on the expected demand from customers or internal sources. Some benefits of planning with PIRs are:

Reduced delivery times: By planning with PIRs, you can ensure that the required materials and capacities are available when the actual sales orders arrive. This reduces the lead time for fulfilling the customer orders and improves the delivery performance.

Option to forecast planning for production resources: By planning with PIRs, you can use forecasting methods to estimate the future demand for a material based on historical data and trends. This allows you to adjust the production or procurement plan accordingly and optimize the utilization of production resources, such as machines, labor, and materials. References: [Production Planning with SAP S/4HANA], page 144; [SAP Help Portal: Planned Independent Requirements].

The system checks the master data selection settings during the creation of planned orders and production orders in the following places:

In the bill of material (BOM), the system checks the selection ID, which determines which alternative BOM is selected for the material. The selection ID can be maintained in the material master or in the production version.

In the routing, the system checks the selection ID, which determines which alternative routing is selected for the material. The selection ID can be maintained in the material master or in the production version.

In the production version, the system checks the validity period, the lot size, and the selection profile, which determine whether the production version is valid and applicable for the material. The production version combines the BOM and the routing for a material and can be maintained in the material master or in the production version master data. References: SAP S/4HANA Manufacturing for Planning & Scheduling - Implementation Guide, page 16; [SAP S/4HANA Production Planning and Manufacturing Certification Guide], page 75.

A reduction strategy is a method of shortening the lead time of an order by reducing certain time elements in the order scheduling1. The time elements that can be reduced by a reduction strategy are move time, wait time, and queue time2. Move time is the time required to move a material from one operation to another. Wait time is the time between the end of an operation and the start of the next operation. Queue time is the time before an operation can start at a work center due to the work center’s capacity utilization3. These time elements can be reduced by a percentage or a fixed value in the reduction strategy. References: 1: Reduction Strategy | SAP Help Portal(https://blog.sap-press.com/4-strategies-for-make-to-stock-production-with-sap-s4hana) 2: 4 Strategies for Make-to-Stock Production with SAP S/4HANA(https://blogs.sap.com/2022/03/22/highlights-for-manufacturing-in-sap-s-4hana-2021-part-2-production-planning-engineering-operations/) 3: Scheduling | SAP Help Portal(https://blogs.sap.com/2022/04/26/manufacturing-in-sap-s-4hana-cloud-planning-strategies/).

 If the operation of a production order is dispatched, the DSPT Dispatched status is set for the operation. This means that the operation has been assigned to a resource and scheduled with a start and end date and time. The options to reschedule the operation are as follows:

You can reschedule the operation using finite scheduling in a planning table. Finite scheduling considers the capacity availability of the resources and the dependencies between the operations. You can use the planning table to manually drag and drop the operation to a different time slot or resource, or use the automatic dispatching function to optimize the scheduling of the operation. Finite scheduling updates the DSPT status and the dates and times of the operation.

You can reschedule the operation in the Manage Production Operations app. This app allows you to view and edit the production orders and operations in SAP S/4HANA. You can change the start and end date and time of the operation, as well as the resource, in the app. However, the app does not check the capacity availability of the resources or the dependencies between the operations. Therefore, you need to ensure that the changes are feasible and consistent. The app updates the DSPT status and the dates and times of the operation. References: Identifying the Basic Principles and Tools of Capacity Planning; SAP Help Portal

 To set up a make-to-order planning scenario for a finished material, you need to choose planning strategy 20 (Make-to-Order) and select the corresponding Individual/Collective indicator for the components in the bill of material. This way, you can control whether the components are procured individually or collectively for the sales orders. The following steps explain how to achieve this:

In the material master record of the finished material, you need to select the MRP type PD (MRP) and the strategy group 20 (Make-to-Order) in the MRP 1 view. This means that the finished material is planned based on the sales order requirements and not on the forecast12.

In the bill of material of the finished material, you need to select the Individual/Collective indicator for each component. This indicator determines whether the component is procured individually for each sales order or collectively for all independent requirements. For the component that should be procured for each sales order individually, you need to select the indicator 2 (Individual requirements only). For the component that should be procured jointly for all independent requirements, you need to select the indicator 1 (Collective requirements only)3 .

When you create a sales order for the finished material, the system generates a sales order item and a planned independent requirement for the finished material. The planned independent requirement is used as a planning element in MRP and triggers the procurement of the components according to the Individual/Collective indicator. For the component with indicator 2, the system creates a dependent requirement that is linked to the sales order item. For the component with indicator 1, the system creates an independent requirement that is not linked to the sales order item .

References:

1: SAP Help Portal: Make-to-Order Production

2: SAP S/4HANA Production Planning and Manufacturing Certification Guide, Chapter 2: Demand Management

3: SAP Help Portal: Individual/Collective Requirements

: SAP S/4HANA Production Planning and Manufacturing Certification Guide, Chapter 3: Material Requirements Planning

: SAP Help Portal: Requirements Planning

: SAP S/4HANA Production Planning and Manufacturing Certification Guide, Chapter 4: Advanced Planning

You can set up the supply source for the Kanban process in SAP S/4HANA by using different replenishment strategies, depending on whether the material is procured internally or externally. For internal procurement, you can use run schedule quantities, which are calculated based on the Kanban quantity and the number of Kanbans. For external procurement, you can use purchase orders, which are created automatically when a Kanban status changes to EMPTY. For stock transfer, you can use stock transfer reservations, which are also created automatically when a Kanban status changes to EMPTY and trigger a goods movement from the supplying plant to the receiving plant. References: Replenishment Strategies, Stock Transfer with Kanban, External Procurement with Kanban

The subitems of a bill of material (BOM) are the components that make up the product or assembly. You can maintain the following data for each subitem:

Quantity: This is the number of units of the component that are required for one unit of the product or assembly. You can specify the quantity in different units of measure, such as base unit, order unit, or alternative unit. You can also use variable quantities, such as percentages or formulas, to calculate the quantity dynamically based on the product or assembly characteristics.

Scrap percentage: This is the percentage of the component that is expected to be wasted or lost during the production or assembly process. You can specify the scrap percentage for each component to adjust the quantity accordingly. For example, if the quantity of a component is 10 and the scrap percentage is 5%, the system will increase the quantity by 0.5 to account for the scrap.

The installation point (A) and the item type (B) are not data that you can maintain in the subitems of a BOM. The installation point is a field in the equipment master record that indicates where the equipment is installed. The item type is a field in the sales document item that determines the processing and pricing of the item. These fields are not relevant for the BOM subitems. References:

https://sapstack.com/pp/bom-in-sap-bill-of-material/

https://skillstek.com/bill-of-material-in-sap/

A production planning run in Advanced Planning (PP/DS) is a process that optimizes the supply and demand situation for a set of materials and locations within a given planning horizon. The possible results of a production planning run are:

Planned Order: A planned order is a proposal for internal production or external procurement of a material. A planned order can be converted into a production order or a purchase order, depending on the source of supply. A planned order can also be firmed, which means that it is not changed or deleted by subsequent planning runs.

Production Order: A production order is a document that defines the operations, materials, resources, and costs required to produce a material. A production order is created from a planned order or directly by the user. A production order can be released, confirmed, and settled as part of the production process. References: [SAP S/4HANA Production Planning and Manufacturing Certification Guide], page 181; [SAP Help Portal: Production Planning Run].

You can exclude a material from the MRP run by using a specific material status or a specific MRP type. A material status is a user-defined indicator that can be assigned to a material master record to control the procurement and planning activities for the material. For example, you can define a material status that blocks the material from being planned by MRP. An MRP type is a parameter that defines how a material is planned by MRP. For example, you can use the MRP type ND (No Planning) to exclude the material from the MRP run.

References: [SAP S/4HANA Production Planning and Manufacturing Certification Guide], page 87; [SAP Help Portal: Material Status] and [SAP Help Portal: MRP Type].

 The alert monitor in Advanced Planning allows you to monitor and analyze the planning situation and identify any problems or deviations from the desired state. To use the alert monitor, you need to configure the following elements:

Overall profile: This defines the scope and content of the alert monitor, such as the planning objects, the alert types, the alert categories, and the alert levels. You can assign one or more alert profiles to an overall profile to specify the alerts that you want to monitor.

Alert profile: This defines the criteria and parameters for generating alerts, such as the time horizon, the planning version, the planning mode, and the alert threshold. You can create different alert profiles for different planning scenarios or objectives.

Authorization profile: This defines the access rights and restrictions for the alert monitor, such as the planning objects, the locations, the products, and the resources that a user can view or edit. You can assign an overall profile to an authorization profile to control which alerts a user can see or process.

Therefore, to set up the alert monitor, you need to assign the alert profile to the overall profile (B) and assign the overall profile to the authorization profile (D). Creating an object selection variant for priority-category-related alerts (A) or production-planning-related alerts © is not a configuration step, but a selection option in the alert monitor to filter the alerts by different criteria. References:

The MRP planning file is a list of all materials relevant to the planning run. The system sets an entry in the planning file for a material when there is a change that affects the material requirements planning, such as changes to stock, requirements, receipts, or MRP data in the material master. The following processes lead to an entry in the MRP planning file:

Changing the procurement type in the product master, which determines how the material is procured (internally or externally) and affects the MRP procedure and lot-sizing procedure.

Changing the stock in inventory management, which changes the stock/requirements situation of the material and triggers a net requirements calculation.

Changing the purchasing contract in materials management, which creates a purchase requisition as a receipt element and affects the availability of the material. References: Planning File, Planning File Entries for MRP Areas, SAP Exam C_TS422_1909 Topic 10 Question 10 Discussion