This document provides an agenda for training on variant configuration in SAP. It will cover an overview of variant configuration, how it integrates across modules, the process steps, required master data including characteristics, classes, and configuration profiles, configuration simulation, object dependencies, and include time for Q&A. The target audience is primarily SAP SD and PP consultants, solution architects, and other SAP consultants and delivery teams. The training will demonstrate how variant configuration is used to efficiently configure products with multiple part combinations like computers and cars.
5. VARIANT CONFIGURATION OVERVIEW
Variant configuration is useful if you have large number of
combination of parts that go into a product. It means different
permutations and combinations of the parts of the same material
Example:
A Customer ordering a computer can choose different
combinations of monitor ,CPU, keyboard.
A customer ordering a car can choose different
combinations of accessories and colors.
6. VARIANT CONFIGURATION-OVERVIEW
Variant Configuration is a tool which improves information exchange
between sales,engineering and production.
Variant configuration helps sales person to put together specification for
the product, so that product can be produced from these
specifications.
Variant configuration is for manufacturing complex product which
contains various characteristics and variants
8. Wrist
• Wrist IW 49 II
• Wrist IW 90 II
Enhancements
• YES
• NO
Arm Type
• Arm type 30-K/1
• Arm type 60-K/1
• Arm type 60L45-K/1
Type of Intermediate Plate
• Intermediate plate with pin
• Intermediate plate w/o pin
Power Supply
• 160 V
• 230 V
• 430 V
No. of Employees to be
Trained
• 3
• 5
• 15
EXAMPLE FOR VARIANT CONFIGURATION
12. MASTER DATA FOR VC
Super BOM
Super Routing
Characteristic and Values
Classification
Object Dependency
Configurable Profile
Configuration stimulation
SD Condition Records
14. KMAT VS FERT?
FERT KMAT
Non-Variant
Parts
Non-Variant
Parts
Variant
Parts
15. PROCESS STEPS
Process steps
1 Creating Sales Order
2 Checking Requirements using MRP
3 Requirements Planning
4 Converting the planed order into a Production order
5 Confirming the production order
6 Checking the production order settlement
7 Creating the delivery
8 Creating the billing document
16. CONFIGURATION OF VC
Create a Material - KMAT type with Item category (002)
Create characteristics
Assign Characteristics to class
Assign the class to material master
Creating a configuration profile
Configuration stimulation
Assign object dependences
17. Master data settings:
Basic data 2 : Set Material is Configurable indicator
To determine item category TAC in sales order, maintain the
suitable item category such as 0002
MRP 2 View: set Procurement type E
MRP 3 View :Set strategy group 25: Make to order for
configuration
MRP3 :set Availability check 02 ;Individual Requirement
Class view ; Attach the variant class
Master data settings for VC
29. CHARACTERISTIC AND
VALUES
Characteristics describe the properties of objects.
The values of a characteristic specify these properties.
Example
Material - PC
Chracteristic Values
RAM 256 MB,512 MB, 1 GB
Hard Disk 80 GB,120 GB,160 GB
Chracteristic Value can be Numeric ,Characters,Date and Time and
Currency format.
It can be single or multi value or restrict value.
31. Reference characteristics are characteristics that refers to tables &fields
Tables and structures whose fields values can be changed by
dependencies
SDCOM-Communication between the SD and Variant configuration
VCSD_UPDATE: Table for updating sales documents from the
configuration
Reference Characteristics
36. CLASS AND CLASS
TYPE
A Class is used to hold the characteristics that describe about
configurable material.
Class type used to determines which object types can be classified.
Class types 200 and 300 are defined for material which are used in
variant configuration/Classification .
42. CONFIGURATION
PROFILE
Configurable Profile is used for assigning one or more variant classes
to configurable material.
A configurable material has several profiles.Profile is selected during
configuration or according to priority.
It also possible to define central settings for Configurable Object.
51. CONFIGURATION SIMULATION
Configuration simulation to check configuration model.
In the configuration simulation, one can test whether it has created the
objects correctly and whether dependencies work.
63. DEPENDENCIES
Super BOM contains all the required and Variable items. From the variable items required
items will be selected which are Matching the characteristic value.
64. DEPENDENCIES TYPE
The following types of dependencies are available in VC
Preconditions
Selection conditions
Actions
Procedures
65. DEPENDENCY - PRECONDITION
Preconditions are used to hide characteristics and characteristic
values that are not allowed.
Example: Material Bicycle ( Configurable Material)
Characteristic
Value Precondition
Model Racing
Standard
Mountain Gears 10
12
17
model eq ‘racing’
72. DEPENDENCY- SELECTION CONDITIONS
Selection conditions can be allocated to the following objects:
Characteristics
BOM items
Operations in task lists
Sub-operations
Sequences of operations (Alternative or Parallel)
Production resources/tools (PRTs)
A selection conditions describe which BOM components or Routing Operations has
to be copied during configurations.
Example: Material Personal Computer 1 PC
Component Quantity selection condition RAM-
256 1 RAM-512
1 RAM 1 GB
1 Hard_disk GE 80GB
75. DEPENDENCY - PROCEDURE
Procedures can be assigned to the following objects:
The characteristic value
The characteristic
The configuration profile
BOM items – to change the component quantity
Operations in task lists – to change the standard values
Example Bicycle - Configurable material
BOM Components Qty. Procedure Brake
2 Quantity = 3 if Backpedal
When Backpedal option is selected by customer system automatically propose
3 qty of brake instead of 2.
Syntax: $SELF.QUANTITY = 3 if BACKPEDAL = 'Yes’
76. DEPENDENCY - PROCEDURE
Characteristic Values Condition
Characteristic Values Weight calculation
WEIGHT -
(3 figures, 1 decimal place)
FRAME Aluminum 10 kg
Steel 14 kg
EXTRAS (multiple-value) Mudguard 0.5 kg
Luggage rack 1.0 kg
77. DEPENDENCY - PROCEDURE
1. Create a procedure for the weight of the BIKE, depending on the frame.
This procedure has the following source code:
$SELF. WEIGHT = 10 if FRAME = ‘Aluminum’,
$SELF. WEIGHT = 14 if FRAME = ‘Steel’.
3. Allocate the procedure to the configuration profile of material
78. DEPENDENCY - ACTION
The following Objects can assign to action:
The characteristic value that triggers the action
The characteristic that triggers the action
The configuration profile of the configurable object
Configuration profile
BOM items – to change the quantity
Operations in task lists – to change the standard values
Since Action is lead to serious system performance problems, it replaced by
Procedure and Constraint.
Actions are used to infer characteristic values. An action is processed as soon
as the characteristic to which it is assigned has a value.
It is not possible to overwrite the characteristic values that are set by an action.
80. If the value ‘Racing’ is set for MODEL, the value ‘Leather’ is
automatically set for SADDLE, because racing bikes are always
supplied with a leather saddle.
Procedure
1. Create an action.
2. Enter the following source code in the dependency editor:
$SELF.SADDLE = ‘Leather’ if MODEL = ‘Racing’
3. Allocate the action to the configuration profile of material BIKE.
Result
If the value ‘Racing’ is set for MODEL when you configure the BIKE, the
value ‘Leather’ is automatically set for SADDLE.
Dependency - Action
83. TRAINING MANUALS
User Manual: It contains
•Overview
•Step by Step guide – Transactional
•Material Master creation
•BOM Creation
Configuration Manual: It contains step
by step guide for Variant configuration