Entry of Dates

You can use this function to enter dates for a document item.

Integration

Dates belong to the planning-relevant data in ad, online, commercial, ad insert and distribution items. This is not the case for service items.

If you have entered planning-relevant data for a document item, the system can generate sub-items, schedule lines and billing datasets when you confirm the item data.

If you change the date of a document item, the system generates the sub-items, schedule lines and billing datasets again when you confirm the item data.

For more information, see the following documents:

Changing Publications

Additional functions are available to you, which you can use to change the publication data for ad items. For more information, see Change Publication for Ad Items.

Prerequisites

You have defined the publication frequencies in Customizing.

Activity	Menu Path
Define publication frequencies	SAP Media Advertising Management Sales Order Client-Specific Settings Define Publication Frequencies

If you want to define a default date category, you have made the following settings in the user parameters:

Activity	Menu Path
Define default date category in Customizing	SAP Media Advertising Management Sales Order Settings for Specific Sales Areas Make General Settings
Define default date category in the user parameters	System User Profile Own Data Parameters Parameter ID ; entry: `JHT`

If you want to select publication dates for an ad item from the publication calendar, you have specified the number of quarters in advance for which the system determines publication dates and displays these in the publication calendar in the product master data for the ad booking unit in the Calender Quart. field. You can specify a maximum of eight quarters in the booking unit. However, it is only possible to display more than four quarters in the publication calendar for copy numbers.

Features

Basic Principles for Entry of Dates

You can enter dates for a document item as follows:

You must enter at least one publication date for an ad item.
You must enter one publication date only for an ad insert or distribution item.
You must enter one publication period only for an online item.
You must enter at least one airing date for a commercial item.
You can only enter one publication date for a service item.

You can assign a date category to a date. The date category defines whether the entries in the date fields refer to a date, copy number, month or week.

Entry of dates is defined by the date format you selected in the user parameters. If for example you selected the date format DD.MM.YYYY in the user parameters, you must also enter dots to separate the date according to the date category involved.

You do not need to enter a year for a date. If the date is earlier than the entry date, the system enters the following year here. If the date is later than the entry date, the system enters the current year here.

If you want to enter a publication date or a publication period for a document item, you should also enter the date category, and the copy number, publication date or publication period in the fields that follow.

Publication Dates in Ad Items

You can also specify a date in ad items using a date type. The following date types are distinguished in the system:

Date Type	Use
Moveable date	Date that you can move within the period that you specified in the date fields without consulting the customer. A moveable date is usually less expensive for the customer than one that cannot be moved.
Standby Date	Date that you can move within the period that you specified in the date fields without consulting the customer. If the ad is published on the date requested, it is more expensive than publishing it on a different date.
Till forbid date	Date that specifies how many schedule lines are generated for an ad item that has a publication period without an end date. A customer indicates for example that they want to place an ad in every Thursday edition of a daily newspaper. It is unclear how long this is to be the case. You enter a start date and generate the first schedule lines when you save the item data. You generate all other schedule lines using a report. When you enter a requested date in the field that follows the date type field, you define the date on which schedule lines for the ad item are to be generated for the last time. For more information, see Generation of Till Forbid Schedule Lines.

Date Type

Use

Moveable date

Date that you can move within the period that you specified in the date fields without consulting the customer. A moveable date is usually less expensive for the customer than one that cannot be moved.

Standby Date

Date that you can move within the period that you specified in the date fields without consulting the customer. If the ad is published on the date requested, it is more expensive than publishing it on a different date.

Till forbid date

Date that specifies how many schedule lines are generated for an ad item that has a publication period without an end date. A customer indicates for example that they want to place an ad in every Thursday edition of a daily newspaper. It is unclear how long this is to be the case. You enter a start date and generate the first schedule lines when you save the item data. You generate all other schedule lines using a report.

When you enter a requested date in the field that follows the date type field, you define the date on which schedule lines for the ad item are to be generated for the last time.

For more information, see Generation of Till Forbid Schedule Lines.

If you want to enter several publication dates for an ad item, additional input options are available to you:

Prerequisite	Procedure
You want to enter several periodic publication dates within a defined period, such as every Monday and Friday in December.	You enter the start and end date of the publication period and select the weekdays required from the weekday string.
You want to enter several periodic publication dates as of a key date with a specific number of placements, such as as of March 1st, five times every Monday and Wednesday.	You enter the start date of the period and the number of placements in the field that follows the publication period. You then select the weekdays required from the weekday string.
You want to enter several non-periodic dates, such as Tuesday, December 1st, Wednesday, December 9th and Thursday, December 17th.	You enter every publication date individually. Choose the following: Publication Calendar Additional Dates
You want to enter several periodic publication dates and a non-periodic publication date, such as every Thursday in November and December with the exception of the last Thursday in December.	You enter the start and end date of the publication period, select the weekdays required from the weekday string, and deselect the last Thursday in December.

If you enter a publication date for an ad item, the system displays the dates on which the booking unit is published in the publication calendar. The publication period that is displayed corresponds to the publication period that was defined in the booking unit master data. If you have entered a combined booking unit, the system displays the publication dates for the reference basic booking unit in the publication calendar.

Entry of Additional Dates

If you enter a booking unit and one or more additional dates for an ad item, the system checks whether the booking unit is published on this date for each additional date.

If you have entered a basic booking unit and the additional date does not match the publication date, the system informs you that the schedule line cannot be generated.

If you have entered a combined booking unit, the system checks whether the reference basic booking unit is published on the additional date. The system responds as follows according to whether you have entered a booking unit combined by region or one combined by content:

If the reference basic booking unit for a booking unit combined by region is published on the additional date, the system determines the next publication date for each of the lower-level basic booking units even if this is not the same as the additional date. It also generates schedule lines for the dates determined.
Basic booking units are only considered here if they are published on the additional dates for booking units that are combined by content. The system ignores any restrictions to specific weekdays that you have made in the weekday string.

If you have entered a periodic publication date, such as every second week, the system now only searches for issues in every second week that are suitable for the booking unit booked and that have the respective issue variant type.

If you have entered a date combination, and then enter a date specification, the system informs you that this date specification does not apply to the additional dates. It generates additional schedule lines for the additional dates.

If you enter additional dates or dates from the publication calendar for till forbid items, this can cause problems during schedule line generation. The system informs you that this is the case.

Entry of Alternative Dates

The system uses the issue variant type to determine alternative dates in ad items. This means that the system only determines alternative dates during schedule line generation if the following prerequisites are met:

You have specified a publication period or a number of publications and selected a weekday indicator. The weekday indicator specifies the issue variant type.
No production unit has been generated for the publication date and issue variant type requested.

In all other cases, the system does not determine alternative dates when it generates the schedule lines, for example if you enter a publication period without a weekday indicator or an individual date.

For more information, see Creation of Alternative Dates.

Airing Dates in Commercial Items

You enter an airing date for commercial items. The airing date consists of the publication date, time slice, commercial cluster and position.

If you do not specify a position, the system enters 1 as a default position when you confirm the item data. This number describes the planned position for the commercial. You can change this default setting. The planned position for the commercial is not unique.

If you want to display the actual position of a commercial, switch to commercial planning. The sequence of commercials in a commercial cluster is described by the actual positions of the commercials. You can change these actual positions in commercial planning. The actual position of the commercial is unique.

For more information, see Planning of Commercial Items.

If you want to enter more than one airing date for a commercial, choose the button for Individual Dates. The following functions for entering airing dates are available to you on the commercial dates dialog box:

Function	Prerequisite	Procedure
Enter airing dates	You want to enter a commercial that is aired on various days in various time slices and clusters, such as a commercial that is aired on Friday at 4pm and Sunday at 8pm.	You enter a publication date, time slice, commercial cluster and position for each airing date in the table.
Copy airing dates	You want to enter a commercial that is aired on various days in the same time slices and clusters, such as a commercial that is aired every Friday and Saturday in December at 8pm. The airing dates are periodical.	Select an airing date and choose Copy Date. On the dialog box for entering dates, enter the dates on which the commercial is to be aired. The system copies the time slice, cluster and position.

Function

Prerequisite

Procedure

Enter airing dates

You want to enter a commercial that is aired on various days in various time slices and clusters, such as a commercial that is aired on Friday at 4pm and Sunday at 8pm.

You enter a publication date, time slice, commercial cluster and position for each airing date in the table.

Copy airing dates

You want to enter a commercial that is aired on various days in the same time slices and clusters, such as a commercial that is aired every Friday and Saturday in December at 8pm.

The airing dates are periodical.

Select an airing date and choose Copy Date. On the dialog box for entering dates, enter the dates on which the commercial is to be aired. The system copies the time slice, cluster and position.

If you have assigned more than one airing date to a commercial item, the Additional Dates indicator is selected on the Details tab page at item level.