Example: Object Determination

Starting Scenario

Your firm has two plants. Each one has its own warehouse with different processes for material movements. These processes use different resources and therefore have different costs. However, the process driver for both processes is the number of pallet movements. Therefore, the correct warehouse process must be automatically included in your production calculation. To this end, create a template which recognizes the correct warehouse process (depending on the plant) through the dynamic object search. Only one template row is required, in which a search method in the object column can be defined.

The following data is assumed to be created. The information in parentheses is for the data required by IDES.

  • The environment for production orders (001)

  • Two plants (1000 Hamburg, 1200 Dresden)

  • A business process for plant A warehouse (business process 300200 pallet movements at the Dresden plant)

  • A business process for plant B warehouse (business process 300300 pallet movements at the Hamburg plant)

  • A business process group that contains both warehouse processes (BP02 warehouse processes with business processes 300200 and 300300)

  • Material master record (R-4000)

  • Function SenderProcessPlant , plant of sender business process.

  • Function OrderPlant , plant of the production order; to be entered in Activity-Based Costing by choosing Start of the navigation path Business Process Next navigation step Individual Processing Next navigation step Create Next navigation step Organizational Unit. End of the navigation path

  • Function SenderProcess

  • Function ProcessesFromProcessGroup ; Processes of the specified process group

OrderPlant belongs to the Order node (function tree SAP1 for environment 001), the others to the Processes node. Arrange the assignment of plant-business process in business process master data under Organizational Unit , Plant .

Procedure

If you only wish to view the search methods in IDES, see section "View Search Methods in IDES".

Entering the Search Method

  1. In the Implementation Guide (IMG) of the Activity-Based Costing follow path Start of the navigation path Templates Next navigation step Maintain Template Next navigation step Create template End of the navigation path .

  2. Under Template, enter a name for the template.

  3. Under Environment enter 001 (environment material costing/production orders).

  4. Choose .

  5. Next to the template name, enter the name Pallet Movement .

  6. In the first column of the template table ( Type) , choose the Business Process entry.

  7. In the Name column, enter Pallet Movement .

Results of this Step

The initial data for the template has been entered. You have chosen the environment (001) and the template row type (business process).

Now define the requirements with which the template can find the correct business process, or the correct object.

  1. Double-click on a cell in the object column for the template table. In the Function Selection screen area (below right), all the available functions are displayed (based on the selected environment and row type). The editor (below left) is available for entries.

  2. In the editor, choose an opening parenthesis.

  3. Place the cursor in the function selection on the SenderProcessPlant function and drag the function to the left into the editor (Drag&Drop).

  4. In the editor, choose as the Comparison Operator .

  5. In the function selection, click on ( ) to display all the available functions.

  6. In the function selection, select the OrderPlant function.

  7. In the editor, choose a closing parenthesis.

Results of this Step

The first part of the search method is entered: the plant of the sender business process must be the same as the plant of the production order

Now you enter the second part of the requirement. Both parts are to be bound by a logical AND.

  1. Click in the editor on the AND button.

  2. In the editor, choose an opening parenthesis.

  3. In the function selection, click on ( ) to display all the available functions.

  4. Choose the SenderProcess function.

  5. Choose the ProcessesFromProcessGroup function.

  6. Enter the business process group for the storage process as a parameter value in IDES, for example, BP02.

  7. Choose from the parameter screen.

  8. In the editor, choose a closing parenthesis.

  9. Choose in the editor to format your entries.

  10. Choose to check the method.

  11. In the editor, choose Object .

  12. Save the template.

Result

You have defined the method with which the object (here, the business process) is dynamically determined. The method in this example consists of two comparisons which are bound through a logical AND. The comparisons operands are the functions of the environment 001.

The selection conditions mean: Find the business process in the warehouse process groups (in IDES for example, BP02) in which the plant of the sender business process is the same as the ordering plant.

View Search Method in IDES

  1. In the Implementation Guide (IMG) of Activity-Based Costing, choose Start of the navigation path Templates Next navigation step Maintain Templates Next navigation step Change Template End of the navigation path .

  2. Choose template T-PROD3 .

  3. Choose environment 001 (Environment: Material costing/Production orders).

  4. Choose Overview.

  5. Double click on column Object .

  6. The determination method is displayed in the editor.

  7. Leave the function without saving.

Checking and Testing Templates

You are in either screen Create template or Change template . To check the syntax of your entries, choose Template -> Check or .

Follow these steps to test the template:

  1. Choose Start of the navigation path Template Next navigation step Test Plan End of the navigation path or .

  2. Enter test parameters for OrderPlant <Number of Plant> ( 1200) , OrderMaterialNumber <Material Number> ( R-4000) and for OrderTotalQuantity <Quantity of Your Choice> (100) .

  3. Choose .

Template Evaluation

In the screen Evaluation template you are provided with a results structure. If you open the path displayed, you will see in row Object the business process for the plant that was specified. The IDES example should display the value 300200 . If you worked with your own data, then you need to display the business process (to which the plant entered in the master data was assigned).

Template Evaluation - Details

To see more details, double click on row Object . You receive the following information:

Formula/Methods : you will see the entered search method with the applied function (F1 = function with parameters; see function list).

Function List: You see name of the function with which the parameters work – ProcessesFromProcessGroup. You entered parameter BP02 in the search requirements. The second parameter belongs to type "invisible" (not visible on the template) and is automatically filled.

Both of the lower rows show the results of the function run; business process group BP02 includes processes 300200 and 300300.

Results : Only business process 300200 (controlling area 1000) belongs to business process group BP02 and is simultaneously assigned to the master data of plant 1200. Since this is also the entered plant of the order, process 300200 is chosen.

Field contents : you entered the plant of the order in the test entry screen.