You can use PI sheets to exchange data between the partially or completely manually operated production level and the R/3 System (PP-PI). In manually operated production lines, this usually involves a process operator who uses the PI sheet to transfer production-relevant actual data to the R/3 system and receives data from the R/3 System.

You can describe the entire production process of a product or only part of it in a PI sheet. If the PI sheet only represents part of the production process, you usually need several PI sheets to manufacture a product. You can, for example, define control and picking information for the individual production steps in the PI sheets. The PI sheet is used to inform the process operator about the individual production steps that need to be performed. He or she can interactively maintain the R/3 PI sheet according to the phase sequence.

Apart from control information, the PI sheet can contain input fields and pushbuttons. You can, for example, define fields into which you want the process operator to enter the quantity of material components consumed for a phase. The material withdrawals must then be posted as goods issues in inventory management. You can use process messages to automatically carry out this function.

The process operator can use pushbuttons navigate to other R/3 applications to make entries and then return to the PI sheet. You can, for example, define a pushbutton for quality inspections during production. The process operator can then use this button to navigate to quality management, record inspection results, and then return to the PI sheet.

As of Release 4.6C, you can create two different types of PI sheets:

Install this component in process manufacturing companies.

In the PI sheet, you can:

• Display control information such as instructions for the process operator on how to carry out the production step
• Display additional notes, such as notes on specific rules that must be kept for dangerous goods
• Use process messages to report current process data directly from the shop floor to the order (such as, post goods receipts and issues, perform time ticket confirmation)
• Use dynamic function calls to:

• Call R/3 applications outside PP-PI directly from the PI sheet, make entries there, and return to the PI sheet
• Display document from the document management system in the PI sheet
• Perform calculations (such as, calculate dates of time intervals)

• Use user-defined function modules to start a dialog or retrieve data from internal or external applications

You can use predefined process messages to trigger the following business transactions directly from the PI sheet and report process data:

• Post goods issues
• Post goods receipts
• Create batches
• Assign values to batch characteristics
• Confirm time events for the phases of an order
• Confirm time events for the secondary resources of an order
• Update the user status of an operation or a phase
• Update the control recipe status
• Update the order status according to the control recipe status
• Confirm time tickets for the phases of an order
• Confirm time tickets for the secondary resources of an order
• Report maintenance data to plant maintenance
• Post material flows between process orders