Process Parameters 

Use

You use process parameters to specify the process flow in greater detail. Process parameters can be, for example, boiler pressure, oven temperature, energy, time, and velocity.

You can assign process parameters to the following objects:

●     Recipe

●     Equipment requirement

●     Process

●     Stage

●     Operation

●     Action

●     Trial

Prerequisites

You have processed the following IMG activities in Customizing for Recipe Management and also made the settings in the classification system described there:

●     Specify Process Parameter Types

●     Specify Attributes for Process Parameters

●     Set Up Columns and Fields for Process Parameter Data

If you want to define a calculation rule in a process parameter for an object, you need the relevant authorization for the specification type of the object (authorization object: C_RMSR_CR_ calculation rules in process parameters).

Features

You create the process parameters that you want to assign to the individual objects in Recipe Management. When you do this, you must assign each process parameter a process parameter type. This assignment controls which fields are available in the process parameter for data entry: The fields available in the process parameter are the characteristics of the class that you assigned to the process parameter type in Customizing and that you set up in Customizing in the IMG activity Set Up Columns and Fields for Process Parameter Data. For data entry in the fields, the settings apply that you defined for the characteristics in characteristic management, for example, the format you set there.

You create the process parameters Oven Temperature and Boiler Temperature. You assign the process parameter type Temperature to them. In Customizing, you assigned this process parameter type a class with the following characteristics:

●      Target Value

●      Minimum and Maximum Value

You can then specify target values and minimum and maximum values in the process parameters Oven Temperature and Boiler Temperature.

In an object, you can assign the process parameters to the actual object or to one of its lower-level objects, for example, in the recipe, you can assign and set values for a process parameter for a specific stage, action, or equipment requirement. This helps to avoid any possibility of confusion in complex processes. The system displays the process parameters of a lower-level object in the lower-level and higher-level object; you can change or delete the process parameters in both places.

You can assign and set values for each process parameter several times for an object, that is, you can create as many entries (process parameter items) as you like for each process parameter. Here, you can specify different sort sequences and long texts, for example, to describe when the value of a specific process parameter item, such as a temperature, should be reached.

Process Parameter Calculation

The system can calculate the value of a process parameter item from the values of other process parameter items. You can define calculation rules for this. You can assign variables to the process parameter items that the system is to use for the calculation. You can then use these variables in the calculation rules to calculate other process parameter items.

Note the following when defining the variables:

●     The following characters are permitted: uppercase letters from A to Z, numbers, and underscores.

●     You cannot use any special characters, such as §, $, %, or &.

●     Do not use mathematical character strings, such as SIN, COS, or LOG because these might be used as operators in the calculation rules in later releases.

●     Each variable has to start with a letter and can be a maximum of 10 characters long.

Note the following when defining calculation rules:

●     The following elements are available in the calculation rules:

○     The defined variables

○     Numerical values, for example, as constants or factors

○     The operators +, -, *, and /

○     Parentheses on several levels

○     Periods as decimal separators

No other decimal separators or thousand separators are allowed.

You calculate the process parameter PARAMETER 1 from the total of process parameters PARAMETER 2 and PARAMETER 3. Make the following entries, for example, so that the system can calculate PARAMETER 1:

●      Assign the variables A or B to PARAMETER 2 and PARAMETER 3. Do not assign any variables to PARAMETER 1.

●      Enter A+B as the calculation rule for PARAMETER 1.

●     You can also use values of process parameter items calculated by other calculation rules in a calculation rule. To do this, you have to assign a variable to the calculated process parameter item and specify this variable in the calculation rule.

●     You can use all variables you have defined for other process parameter items of the object and all lower-level objects in the calculation rules of a process parameter item. This means you can use the process parameter items of the process as well as all stages, operations, actions, and equipment requirements of the process when calculating a process parameter item for a process. However, you cannot use variables from other objects, such as process building blocks, recipes, or trials. Furthermore, you are not allowed to define variables for values from formulas (for example, input and output quantities) or from quality assurance for use in the calculation rules.

●     In the calculation, the system does not convert units of measure into one another, but uses the values as they are. Therefore, you have to ensure that the values that the variables stand for and the values to be calculated have the same unit of measure. The system does not warn you when you change the unit of measure of a value that is used for calculating other values.

●     You can enter a maximum of one calculation rule for each process parameter item.

●     If you create a calculation rule for a process parameter item, in which you have already entered a value, you have to decide whether the system can delete the value that was entered and replace it with the value that was calculated. If you decide that the system cannot do this, the system deletes the calculation rule that was created.

●     If you change a calculation rule and then confirm your entry, the system deletes the value it calculated beforehand. The system adds the newly calculated value once you start the calculation.

●     You can only specify variables and calculation rules in process parameter items, in which the fields that contain the values for the variables or whose values are to be calculated, have a numerical format.

The following applies to the calculation of process parameter items:

●     The accuracy of a calculated value is defined by the characteristic whose value is to be calculated.

●     The system rounds the calculated values up or down according to the accuracy that was defined.

●     The system replaces the variables with the following values and calculates the following values in the calculations:

Object in which the process parameter item is calculated	Value that replaces the variables	Value that is calculated
Recipe and process building block and the objects dependent on them (equipment requirement, stage, operation, and action)	Target value	Target value
Trial and the objects dependent on it (equipment requirement, stage, operation, and action)	Actual value	Calculated result You can transfer this to the actual value of the item.

 

When you copy an object, the system also copies the variables and calculation rules from the source object to the target object, as it does in the following cases also:

●     When you create a recipe with the data for a process building block

●     When you create a process building block with the data for a recipe

●     When you assign a recipe to a trial

In the target object, the system displays the variables and calculation rules and performs the calculations.

In general, it is not possible to delete a lower-level object (for example, a stage) in an object (for example, in a recipe) if it contains process parameter items with variables or calculation rules. In this case, you first have to delete all relevant process parameter items before you can delete the lower-level object.

It is possible to start the calculation of process parameter items using the  function with the quick info text Execute Calculation Rules in all objects, for example, to check the values that have been calculated after changing the target or actual value.

In the recipe, process building block, and in their lower-level objects, the system transfers a calculated value straight to the target values. In the trial, the system displays the calculated values under Calculated Result. You can then transfer the results that are displayed to the actual values of the trial using the  function with the quick info text Transfer Calculated Result. When you save a trial for which you have performed the calculation, but not yet transferred the results, a warning is displayed.

In recipes, process building blocks, and in their lower-level objects, the target values of process parameter items that contain a calculation rule are not ready for input. In trials, the fields for the target values and the calculated result are generally not ready for input and the fields for the actual values are generally ready for input.

When you start a calculation or save your entries, the system checks the calculation rules that have been entered and informs the user in the application log if any values are missing for calculations and if there are errors in the calculation rules. A value is missing if a process parameter item with a variable that is necessary for calculation rules does not contain a value. Errors in the calculation rules and missing values have the following effects:

●     The system deletes all values that were calculated by calculation rules containing errors, or where values were missing in the calculation.

●     You cannot save objects that have calculation rules containing errors. This ensures that only correct calculation rules are included.

●     If a value for a calculation is missing in an object, you can save the object.

The consistency checks for recipes do not take errors and missing values into account in the process parameter calculations. This means you can mark a recipe where the calculation of process parameter items contained errors, as consistent.

Activities

To create process parameters, proceed as follows:

...

       1.      From the recipe editing screen, choose Environment ® Process Parameters.

       2.      Choose New Entries.

       3.      Enter the required data and save your entries.

To enter process parameter data in an object, that is, to assign a process parameter to the object and create process parameter items, proceed as follows:

...

       1.      In the object or higher-level object, choose the  Process Parameters tab page.

       2.      Choose  with the quick info text Append Row.

       3.      Choose the process parameter you want to use under Process Parameter.

       4.      If you want to create the process parameter item for a lower-level object (stage, operation, action, or equipment requirement), enter the object.

       5.      Enter the required values, intervals, variables, and calculation rules.

       6.      Repeat the steps for all process parameter items you want to create and for all lower-level objects for which you want to create process parameter items.

       7.      Save your entries.

The system checks the calculation rules.