Reduce complexity

The demand behavior of customers and consumers is changing rapidly. Manufacturing companies are therefore constantly expanding and changing their product and model ranges. Even in the standard version of Computers, cars or machines, there is a wide range of configuration options. As a rule, the only limits to customer wishes are where a particular variant is not possible for technical or sales reasons.

In the area of product configuration, companies that use SAP ERP often use the SAP–Variant configurator (LO-VC), which is part of the ERP-system. This powerful tool can be used to map all the characteristics of the different variants of a product with their interrelationships; at the same time, it supports the processes in procurement, logistics, product development, production and sales. On the basis of a predefined set of rules, the SAP-relationship knowledge, the technical feasibility of a variant, its price and the date of delivery can be determined.

Maintenance of the rules and regulations

For the care of the SAP-For the creation of object dependencies, LO-VC provides the Object Dependency Editor. This can also be accessed via transaction PMEVC, an environment for product modeling (Product Modeling Environment for Variant Configuration), which contains the dependencies required for a Configuration relevant objects together. In the editor, the set of rules of the Configuration mapped in many object dependencies, which sometimes contain numerous lines of code. This makes the management and maintenance of object dependencies confusing and takes up a lot of time.

In addition, since the construction of new sets of rules takes place in its own syntax, only trained specialists usually take over the maintenance of the model in companies.

Companies therefore need a solution with which sets of rules and variant tables can be displayed transparently in a central user interface and modeled and managed easily, quickly and efficiently. Only this enables the maintenance of SAP-relationship knowledge as if from a single source.

To enable several end users to access and edit object dependencies simultaneously, the tool should also have an intelligent locking concept. This allows tasks that arise in the context of variant configuration to be completed more quickly and subsequent processes in product development and manufacturing to be triggered promptly.

Less complexity

These and other requirements can be met by a Add-on-This is the task of a solution such as it.configure from Itelligence AG, which will be shown to a large audience for the first time at CeBIT in Hanover in 2014. The solution enables rule sets to be managed centrally, standardized and optimized in a single transaction and on a single user interface. The IT tool is seamlessly integrated into SAP-standard objects that are relevant for product configuration. These include configuration profiles in LO-VC, bills of materials, and routings.

In the Add-on the rules are hierarchically ordered, from the general definition of a standard at the top level to the definition of Exceptions at more specific levels. A general rule is only valid until it is overwritten by a more specific rule. In this way, the number of data records in the set of rules can be reduced and, at the same time, the set of rules can be processed more efficiently because only the Exceptions are to be maintained: For example, if a value is set at the lowest level, it overwrites all value settings in the levels above.

Features hierarchically organized

This is possible because the SAP-standard features or the combinations of individual features in the Add-on technically as Key are declared and organized hierarchically. The definition of the dependencies is done according to the "if-then" principle: At an Key conditions are maintained that describe the "if-part" of a rule. It can be flexibly supplemented and extended by further individual conditions such as the dependence on additional characteristics or characteristic values.

Each "If" part has a "Then" part in which the selection conditions, formulas, characteristic values, value restrictions or default values are defined. Since the if- and then-part are displayed to the end-user in one and the same user interface, both can be edited comfortably. The Key and the associated rules are in turn organized in an ID, which is specified in SAP-systems is transportable. Several IDs can be assigned and stored in one SAP-clients are processed.

Configuration Practice

A practical example can be used to demonstrate the benefits of this approach in concrete terms: For the Configuration of a car, for example, is considered the most general Key "Model" defined. It forms the top level. This is followed by the somewhat more precise Key "equipment" and finally, at the lowest level, a combination of the Key "Model" and "Equipment", which contains many details. Basic equipment features are bindingly defined on the general "Model" level.

At the Configuration of a car can then be used in the Key "Model" the installation of fabric seats should be defined as standard, which also applies to the basic equipment. The situation is different for the luxury equipment. Here the Key "Equipment" maintained a rule that leather seats are installed. Most special Key In addition, it can be a rule that the leather seats of the top model of a series are already installed as part of the comfort equipment.

Edit sets of rules

With it.configure, all users who know a product can focus entirely on maintaining this Exceptions focus. The Add-on offers numerous features: Functions for searching, variable and contextual feature display, dynamic filtering of rules by different options, display of change history or for tracking applied rules.

An F4 value help also simplifies the setting of characteristic values in the then part. This relieves the end user in his daily work, since he does not need to know technical names or values as in the Dependency Editor.

For rules that are defined under a Key are defined, further restrictions can be defined as conditions and then copied and edited via drag and drop. In addition, for the same characteristics it is very easy to define a defaultInheritance can be set up. The simulation of the product configuration, which takes place in transaction CU50 of LO-VC and tests whether objects are created correctly and the object dependencies work, can be started directly from the add-on's desktop. The rules are stored in only a few database tables.

Convert data model step by step

Powerful rule maintenance reduces the time required to create and maintain configuration master data. Since the rules are also managed in a hierarchical structure, this increases the master data quality and transparency in the Configuration. Also need SAP-Customers switching to it.configure do not have to change their existing data model in one fell swoop, but can do so step by step. SAP-Object for SAP-object.

The solution can thus be installed on an existing SAP-system successively - for example, for all new developments, model by model, or for individual model areas. In this way, the classic SAP-relationship knowledge, the maintenance of which takes place in the editor, can be replaced step by step.