Variant Configuration Sales & Distribution and Production Planning

Variant Configuration

Index

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY VARIANT CONFIGURATION ........................................................................................................... 2

1. VARIANT CONFIGURATION............................................................................................................................................................... 2
2. ADVANTAGES OF VARIANT CONFIGURATION .................................................................................................................................. 2
3. WHAT IS CONFIGURABLE MATERIAL? ............................................................................................................................................. 2
4. MASTER DATA USED FOR VARIANT CONFIGURATION .................................................................................................................... 2
4.1 Material Master Record ............................................................................................................................................................. 2
4.3 Super Routing ............................................................................................................................................................................. 3
4.4 Class Characteristics .................................................................................................................................................................. 3
4.5 Variant Class .............................................................................................................................................................................. 4
5. CONFIGURABLE PROFILE ................................................................................................................................................................. 4
STEP I – CREATE CLASS CHARACTERISTICS (CT04) ................................................................................................................ 5
STEP II – CREATE CLASS (CL01) ...................................................................................................................................................... 8
STEP III – CREATE MATERIAL MASTER RECORD (MM01) ................................................................................................... 14
CREATE MMR FOR FERT MATERIAL AS COMPUTER WITH ASSIGN CLASS TYPE 300................................................................. 23
STEP IV – CREATE CONFIGURABLE PROFILE (CU41) ............................................................................................................ 30
STEP V – ASSIGN CONFIGURABLE PROFILE IN MATERIAL MASTER RECORD (MM02) ............................................. 32
STEP VI – CREATE SUPER BOM (CS01) ........................................................................................................................................ 34
STEP VII – CREATE SALES ORDER (VA01).................................................................................................................................. 37
STEP VIII – CREATE PRODUCTION ORDER WITH REFERENCE TO SALES ORDER (CO08) ........................................ 40

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What do you mean by Variant Configuration

1. Variant Configuration

Variant configuration is for manufacturing complex products in which customer determines the features of the
product. Objective of variant configuration is to react quickly to customers’ requirements.
Here it needs not to create separate material for each variant of a product. When companies introduce variant
configuration this often goes beyond a business process re-engineering project. Variant configuration offers an
opportunity to restructure product structures for which then processes are defined. This has a direct impact to
the core areas such as marketing and product data management

2. Advantages of Variant Configuration

1. No need to Create separate material master for each variant combination.

2. Super BOM and Super Routing is enough for representing all possible Variants and Operations.
3. Able to react more flexible to customer demands.
4. Increase Information exchange between sales, engineering and production.

3. What is Configurable material?

1. A material with different features or characteristics and options is known as configurable material. Example:
PC, Car.
2. Configurable materials are either created in a material type that allows the configuration (n the standard
system, the material type KMAT) or they are given the indicator Configurable in the material master record.

4. Master Data used for Variant Configuration

Following Objects are used as Master data for Variant configuration.

1. Material Master Record

2. Super BOM
3. Super Routing
4. Class Characteristics
5. Class

4.1 Material Master Record

Material master should be with configurable profile. There should be strategy 25,Genral Item category should
be 0002

4.2 Super BOM

Super BOM Contains all the components for producing configurable product. It contains both variant as well as
non-variant parts required for producing configurable product.

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4.2.1 Super BOM configuration

Super BOM can be created either one of the following methods.

· Create BOM with class Item of 200-class type that contains all characteristic of a configurable material.
· Create BOM with all possible materials as its components. Then assign /define dependencies to each
component.
The different between this two method is
· BOM with class item, no need to assign or define object dependencies. Instead of that each material is
classified in material master itself using class 200.
· For both cases all characteristics are assigned to class 300 which is again assigned to KMAT material in order
to trigger configuration in configuration profile.

4.2.2 Super BOM with Material component

This bill of material (BOM) of a configurable material contains all the components that are required to
manufacture the material. The BOM contains components that are only used in specific variants (variant parts),
as well as components that are used in all variants (non-variable parts).

4.2.3 Steps involved in super BOM with Material Components

Define all Characteristics and its values assign it to Class with type 300.
1. Assign Class with configurable material in Configuration profile.
2. BOM is created with all variant and non-variant items.
3. Define interdependency between objects by using Object Dependencies.
4. Assign class 300 with configurable product using configuration profile.

4.3 Super Routing

A configurable routing describes the production process for all variants of a product. Instead of creating a
routing for each variant of a product, you can create operations for one routing, or a "super" routing.
It is possible to maintain Object dependencies for following in super routing:
· Sequences
· Operations/sub-operations
· Production resource/tool assignments
The routing is configured by system, when order is created for KMAT material.

4.4 Class Characteristics

Characteristic is used to define the features of a configurable material. To enable to use characteristics to
configure a material, assign the material to a class of class type 300. The customer can choose from among
different options for each characteristic.
· Characteristics describe the properties of objects. The values of a characteristic specify these properties.
· Value assignment to characteristic may be single value or multiple value with required entry or restrict able
entry.
· In characteristic it is also possible to use table name and its field name in order to change the Object quantity
or values. I.e. BOM item quantity or Operation time, which is known as ?reference characteristic?.
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· In Restriction screen allowed Class types are entered i.e. for what are the class this characteristic may used. In
general for Variant configuration class 200 and 300 are used.
· It is also possible to assign Dependency to characteristic values maintained in Characteristic.

4.5 Variant Class

1. In Variant configuration, Class is used to hold the characteristics that describe about configurable material.
Class type to determine which object types can be classified.
2. Class is used in variant configuration if the class has a class type that supports variant configuration. In
Customizing for Classification, the Variant class type indicator must be set for the class type. In the standard
system, this is class type 300.

5. Configurable Profile

The configuration profile for a material controls the configuration process in sales order. Configurable profile
also used to define central settings for configuring the object. Using this profile it is possible to hide some of the
characteristic value defined during characteristic creation. We can assign any number profile for a configurable
material in which selection is based on either priority or manual selection during configuration.
By defining a filter in the configuration profile, possible to determine the scope of the BOM items to improve
system performance when exploding the BOM. The filter is active in high-level configuration, in result-oriented
BOMs, and in SET processing.

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Step I – Create class Characteristics (CT04)

2. Create

1. Insert name of class characteristics

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5. Select Value tab

1. Insert Description

2. Status as Released

3. Select Numeric Format

4. Insert UOM as GB

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2. SAVE

1. Insert Value range

Note: Typically create Class Characteristics as HARDISK_GB

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Step II – Create Class (CL01)

Note: Create class as class type 200 which is assigned to ROH material master & with class type 300 which is
assigned to FERT material master

Create two class for class type 200 with class characteristics RAM_GB & HARDDISK_GB respectively

3. Select Create

1. Insert name of Class

2. Insert Class type 200

3. Select Char. Tab

1. Insert description of class

2. Status as Released

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2. Enter

3. Select Addnl Data Tab

1. Insert earlier created characteristics

4. SAVE

1. Activate check box Allowed in BOMs

2. Insert UOM (Base unit of measure of

material master wherein this class is
assigned

3. Maintain Item category as L

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Note: Typically create class with class characteristics HARDDISK_GB

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Note: Create class with class type 300

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Step III – Create Material Master Record (MM01)

Note: Classification view must be maintain

4. Select Views(S)

1. Insert material code to be created

2. Select Industry sector

3. Select Material Type as ROH

1. Select Organizational levels

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1. Select Plant & Storage loc

1. Insert Description of material

2. Insert Base Unit of Measure

3. ENTER on Keyboard

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3. ENTER on Keyboard

1. Select Class Type as 200

2. Insert Class

3. ENTER on Keyboard

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2. Select Next screen

1. Insert Value of RAM as 1

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Yes

Note: Typically create Material Master Record (MMR) as below.

Material code Characteristic value in Classification view

RAMSIZE2GB 2 GB
RAMSIZE3GB 3 GB
RAMSIZE4GB 4 GB
HARDDISK80GB 80 GB
HARDDISK100GB 100 GB
HARDDISK250GB 250 GB
HARDDISK500GB 500 GB

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Create MMR for FERT material as COMPUTER with assign class type 300

Imp note:

Make setting in material master as below:

In Basic Data view : Tick mark for material is configurable, Assign configurable profile

Sale data : Gen Item category group – 0002 Configuration

MRP 3 View : Strategy group – 25 Make-to-order for configurable material

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1. Activate check box for Material is configurable

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2. ENTER on Keyboard

1. You will see this message

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Note: Maintain all necessary views.

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Step IV – Create configurable profile (CU41)

1. Select Object Material

2. ENTER

2. ENTER

1. Insert FERT material code

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4. SAVE

3. Status as
Released
2. Class as 300
1. Insert name
of profile as
material code

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Step V – Assign configurable Profile in Material Master Record (MM02)

1. Assign
2. Enter on Keyboard
configurable profile

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1. You will find material marked for Variant

Note : When you create sales order, sytem will ask for variant for customer

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Step VI – Create Super BOM (CS01)

1. Enter

1. Insert Item category as K

2. Enter on Keyboard

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ENTER

1. Insert Item category as K

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ENTER

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Step VII – Create Sales order (VA01)
Note: Please take help of SD consultant to create sales order

6. ENTER

1. Insert Sold to Party

2. Insert Delivery date

3. Insert material code

5. Insert Plant
4. Insert Quantity

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2. Select next screen

1. Insert your variant

1. Select Continue

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1. SAVE

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Step VIII – Create Production order with reference to Sales Order (CO08)

5. ENTER

1. Insert sales order no. with Item no.

2. Insert Material code

3. Insert Plant code

4. Insert Order Type

2. Select BOM component

1. System copied data from sales order

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2. Save order

You will see that system has picked BOM component fro Super BOM as per customer variant in sales order

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