Variant

Configuration

March 13, 2017 1

 Variant Configuration
Purpose

Market Competitiveness demands Products to be

customized to the customers specific needs.
The Product needs to be delivered in the shortest possible
lead time at the most competitive prices
Customized products with complex and varying
specifications.
Products & services which are offered with both standard
specs and with additional features.

The customer determines the features of the product.

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 Variant Configuration
Defining a material as a configurable material

Material is created with

Material Type-KMAT

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 Variant Configuration
Defining a material as a configurable material contd

Materials of other material types can be

made configurable. To do this, set the Material is configurable
indicator in the Basic data of the material master record.

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 Variant Configuration
Defining a material as a configurable material

If you want to configure a material, you must

create it with a material type that has the Classification view
defined as allowed in Customizing.

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 Variant Configuration
Material Master data Settings
You use central maintenance functions to
create material master records for configurable materials. There is
some data that you need to maintain specifically for configurable
materials:
Basic Data Configurable Indicator X

Item Category Group 0002 or 0004

Sales
Strategy Group 25 (PP Demand
Management)
MRP
MRP Type PD not ND
MRP Lot Size EX
Availability Check 02
Individual/Collective Req.. 1

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 Variant Configuration
Integration
Variant configuration is integrated in the following applications:

SD Sales and Distribution - Order Entry & Pricing Conditions

MM Purchasing
FICO Costing
PP BOM, Production Orders, Task Lists, Routings, MRP
Classification

You can configure the following objects:

Materials
Standard networks in the Project System.
PM General maintenance task lists
Model service specifications

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 Variant Configuration
Super BOM

The 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 for specific
variants

BOM also contains components that are used in all variants.

(non-variable parts)

This is why BOMs for configurable materials are known as super

BOMs.

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 Variant Configuration
Features

One Configurable Material can be used to cover all variants.

No need to create separate Material Master for every variant of the

product.

Online Integration of all Modules SD/MM/PP/FICO at the time of

creating the order.

Product Configuration in the order, MRP for BOM components,

Cost determination, Creation of Routings & Task Lists for PP etc .

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 Variant Configuration
Features
Characteristics:
Characteristics are used to define the features of the configurable material.
Characteristics Values:
Characteristics Values specify the characteristics.
For Example:
A PC may have the following Characteristics and Characteristics Values

Characteristics Characteristics Values

Motherboard 1. Intel
2. Gigabyte
Processor 1. Pentium IV 2.8 Ghz
2. AMD 2800 +
RAM 1. 256 MB
2. 512 MB
The Product can be customized by assigning the characteristics values
to the Characteristics as desired.

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 Variant Configuration
Features
Class:
In variant configuration, a class of class type 300 is
used to hold the characteristics that describe a configurable
material. By classifying the Configurable Material with the class the
Material Lends itself to configuration based on the characteristics
held by the class.

Configuration Profile:
Each configurable object must have a configuration
profile. You maintain configuration profiles to define central settings
for configuring the object. The configuration profile for a material
controls the configuration process in the sales order.

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 Variant Configuration
Dependencies

Dependencies:

Dependencies control the combinations of features.

Describe the interdependencies between

Characteristics & Characteristic values.

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 Variant Configuration
Dependencies Preconditions

Preconditions:

To hide characteristics and characteristic values that are not allowed.

Ensure that the configuration of an object is consistent.

Example:
You want to hide the Characteristics Value AMD 2800 + if Intel
Mother Board is selected because they can not go together.

Precondition must be maintained for Characteristics Value AMD 2800 + :

Motherboard = Gigabyte
AMD 2800 + would show as a possible selection only if Gigabyte is
selected for Mother Board.
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 Variant Configuration
Dependencies Selection Conditions

Selection Conditions:

You can use selection conditions to ensure that all the objects relevant
to a variant are selected:

Selection conditions determine which variants require a specific

component or operation

Selection conditions determine when it is mandatory to assign a

value to a characteristic

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 Variant Configuration
Dependencies Selection Conditions

Example for Selection Condition for Characteristic selection :

Under normal conditions RAM need not necessarily be selected. It is

optional. However, if Intel is selected for Motherboard then RAM becomes
a Mandatory selection.

Selection condition must be maintained for Characteristic RAM :

Motherboard = Intel

This ensures that a Value is selected for RAM if Intel is selected for
Motherboard for the Configuration to be consistent.

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 Variant Configuration
Dependencies Selection Conditions

Example for Selection Condition for BOM Items:

Selection condition must be maintained for BOM items:

For BOM item - Intel - Selection condition would be :

Motherboard = Intel

For BOM item - Gigabyte - Selection condition would be :

Motherboard = Gigabyte

And so onfor all variant parts in the BOM.

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 Variant Configuration
Classes as BOM items

Classes may also be maintained as BOM items :

Classes must be of Class type 200 or 300 only & must be allowed to be
used as BOM items in the additional data tab of the Class.

All Characteristics Values under the class must be classified as such.

All Characteristics Values which have been classified as above need not be
maintained as BOM items. It is sufficient to maintain only the Class as a
BOM item.

The same Value as the variant item must be assigned to the Characteristic
in the Material Master of the Item.

On selection of the Value during configuration, the class item in the BOM is
replaced by the Item itself and hence appears in the BOM explosion.

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 Variant Configuration
Dependencies Procedures
Procedures :

Used to infer values for characteristics.

They are extensively used in Pricing.

You can assign procedures to the following objects:

The characteristic value that triggers the procedure

The characteristic that triggers the procedure
The configuration profile of the configurable object
BOM items to change the component quantity, for example

Procedures are processed in the sequence in which they are maintain for
the object.

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 Variant Configuration
Dependencies Procedures

Example for Inferring a Characteristics Value using a procedure:

The Value for Characteristic RAM must be inferred as 256 MB if the

Motherboard is Intel.

Following Procedure may be maintained in the Configuration Profile:

$self.RAM =256MB if Motherboard = Intel

This ensures that RAM is set to 256MB on Intel being selected for
Motherboard.

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 Variant Configuration
Reference Characteristics
Reference Characteristics:

The configuration of a material may also depend on certain fields in the

R/3 system apart from user selections.

A Characteristic becomes a Reference Characteristic when it refers to a

Field in a Table/Structure.

This feature can be used to dynamically change certain data during

configuration.

They can also be used to change the quantities in a BOM ( STPO MENGE).

Reference Characteristics are used for Pricing & Costing also.

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 Variant Configuration
Dependencies Constraints
Constraints:

They are mainly used to check the consistency of configuration.

They may also be used to infer values for Characteristics.

They are maintained in dependency nets.

Dependency nets are allocated to the configuration profile.

The timing and sequence of processing a constraint is not

relevant.

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 Variant Configuration
Dependencies Constraints
Structure of a Constraint
OBJECTS:
PC IS_A (300) PC
WHERE C = CASING;HD = HARD_DISK.

CONDITION:
PC. CPU = 586

RESTRICTIONS:
HD IN (1275, 1620, 2000) IF C = Tower.

INFERENCES:
HD.

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 Variant Configuration
Dependencies Variant Tables
Variant Tables:

Tables are used to store combinations of values for different

characteristics.

Tables are an aid to entry for dependencies. You call the table function
in a dependency.

The system uses the table to infer and check values for configuration
consistency.

If the interdependencies between characteristics change, you change

the table entries, not the dependencies

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 Variant Configuration
Dependencies Variant Tables

Use of Variant Tables in constraints

OBJECTS:
PC IS_A (300) PC
where HD = Harddisk; MB = Motherboard; CAB = Cabinet.

RESTRICTIONS:
TABLE PC_TAB
(Harddisk = HD, Motherboard = MB, Cabinet = CAB).

INFERENCES:
FH.

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 Variant Configuration
Variant Conditions
Variant Conditions:

You can use variant conditions to define surcharges or discounts for a variant.

A reference Characteristic referring to SDCOM-VKOND is maintained as a

characteristic in the class. This is a multi value characteristic.

Variant conditions are maintained in Condition types VA00 & VA01 in Standard
SAP.

The configurable material & the Variant Key are key fields in the condition table
to determine a discount or surcharge for the variant.

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 Variant Configuration
Variant Conditions

Variant Conditions: contd

The variant key may be assigned to the Characteristic value

either directly thru Configuration simulation or dynamically at the
time of configuration thru Procedures or Constraints.

The system populates the SDCOM structure with the variant

keys against each value assigned

The keys populated in the structure are used to find condition

records to be brought into the order.

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 Variant Configuration
Material Variants

Material Variants:

For variants that are required

frequently, you can create material variants,
which can be produced without a sales order
and kept in stock. When you receive a sales
order, you can check whether the variant
required is in stock, so that you can deliver
immediately.

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 THANK YOU
March 13, 2017 28