Knowledge Management

Question:
Hi Masters
We use 4.7.
I am seeking your advice on configuring release strategy for PO in following business scenario -
For a specified valuated material - the release strategy gets applied when PO is created.
After it is released, there can be increase or decrease in value to the extent of (say) 10% of the original.
We wish to achieve - that it should not be subjected to release strategy again if the change in price is within +/- 10% band.
This should be possible only for one material. For all remaining materials (which are approx. 500) - the release strategy should GET applied for any change in the value.
I attempted to enter 10%value in field Chgable in IMG>MM>PO>Release Procedure>Define Release Proc. for PO >Release Indicator.
But this % then gets applied to all materials whereas we wish to apply it only to one material.
How can we go about?
Thanks in advance.
Abhiman
Answer:
Hi Abhiman,
PO release is always a header level. So you can not have different release strategies at line item level unlike PR.
so the change indicator will be applicable for the whole document always and not a specific line item.
cheers
Answer:
Thanks ASP
I can write a user-exit to ensure only one item (this material) in the PO.
Nevertheless how can I avoid release strategy getting applied if price change (ME22N) is within +/- 10% band - only for one material?
Regards
Abhiman
Answer:
Hi,
The only way is to make your material a different purchasing grour or material group and don't have a release strategy for that key.
Nifty
Answer:
Thanks Nifty for your suggestion.
Still solution appears away. We do not want the PO to be out of purview of release strategy lest the users get a free hand to change it to whatever they want.
We wish to have 'No strategy' if change in price is within 10% band'. We can alter our reqt from +/- 10% to +10% i.e. the strategy should get applied (after first release- if PO is modified), if price change is >10%.
Regards
Answer:
Hi,
Perhaps, I would like to include my comments on what I think it should be handled in this partcular case. But first, let be clarified one thing that it is not necessary to activate the User Exit in this setting except for maintaining the more complicated release strategy to cover all scenarios instead of making such system restriction since it goes without saying that IT should simplify business operations rather than creating additional burden to end users. First of all, let assume that we have split our materials into two groups - Normal Material Items (Group A) and special items (Group B). As far as I am further concerned, there have been totally five business scenarios you have to deal with on the daily basis -
1) PO with only one line item of normal group (Group A)
2) PO with only one line item of special group (Group B)
3) PO with multiple line items of the same normal group (Group A)
4) PO with multiple line items of the same special group (Group B)
5) PO with multiple line items of different groups (both Group A and B).
Before giving you my recommendation on how to tackle each and every scenario, you are required to accept the preconditional settings -
a) Use either Purchasing Group or MRP Controller as part of the Release Characteristics. Since as I have said that I would not encourage any User Exit implementation, I would strongly recommend you of choosing purchasing group. In this case, assuming that for normal group (Group A), the Purchasing Group A1 is used and similarly A2 was defined for special group (Group B).
b) Set up the replication of release strategies by copying the existing release strategies into the new set of similar ones except for one particular difference where this Purchasing Group shall be defined in the new set as 'BLANK' and I will let you know why in my solution afterwards. Let assume that the first release strategy is AA with its replicated one as BB.
c) Last but not least, create four release indicators among which two will be for 'Block' status of PO (named as X and Y) and the remaining two for 'Release' status of PO (named as 1 and 2) and the 'Changeability' indicator shall be properly set with appropriate 'Value change %' entry. Here is my solution
For first scenario: Use the standard setting in the orginal set of release strategy (with Purchasing Group A) with Release Indicator X (Block) and 1 (Release). In this case, you can be able to control whether end user can be able to change the PO after release.
For second scenario: Similarly, use the standard setting in the original set of release strategy (with Purchasing Group B) with Release Indicator Y (Block) and 2 (Release) and you can be easily set that if any value change within permissible tolerance limit of 10%, then no release strategy reset is foreseen.
For the third scenario: Use the solution as the first one.
For the fourth scenario: The similar solution as stated in Second scenario should be implemented.
For the fifth scenario: In this case, the second set of release strategy (with 'BLANK' Purchasing Group) shall be used with Release Indicator Y and 2.
Let me know again how it goes.
Cheers,
HT
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Answer:
A great solution as allways from Ha Tran
An interesting by line also by Ha Tran.
May be some one in this forum who can help could take a look into that too as I am sure he would be a valuable resource for any organisation in any place
Regards
Matt
Answer:
I agree 100% with Matt's view.
My best wishes to HT.
Abhiman
Answer:
Excellent excellent solution from HT
I have similar kind of requirement in our project where we have a release strategy with classification and also use some special user exit(Like it checks certain pricing value and depend on difference between PO price and original contract price it trigger different release strtaegy)
To be in sync with current market price we update price in contracts and contract release order POs at a regular interval (via MEKR,MEI1)
What client is looking for is to bypass release strategy if we are updating price via these price update programs i.e after this price change release status won't be changed for contracts /contract release orders.If they are already on approve status they willstill be approved and if they are unapproved they should stick that release level.This make sence as business is pointinh out that as a known mass price change and for that why people relrelease all purchasing docs.Other than this price mass update (via MEKR and MEI1) for any other price change system should trigger release strategy which is doing currently
I can meet this requirement by enhancing existing user exit but is there any other way to meet this currently I am changing changability value for the release indicator before mass update to bypass relesae strategy but looking for a permanent solution
Thanks
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SAM
Answer:
Hi SAM,
I think I would be able to find the solution for you without using the User Exit. However, further clarification is required on whether for a certain particular material ID, or material group, there is only one way of updating the PO price - either from combination of MEKR and MEI1/MEI2 or manually through ME22/ME22N.
Cheers,
HT
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