Plan Characteristics and Planning Key Figures for Planning Steps (SAP Library

Plan Characteristics and Planning Key Figures for Planning Steps

Use

To execute manual or automatic planning, you require a database table (info structure) in which the planning data and actual data are stored. Before you start defining planning steps, create an info structure that contains the required characteristics and key figures for which you want to generate planning data.

You can define which of the planning levels and key figures in the info structure represent plan characteristics (for example, purchasing organizations, merchandise categories) and planning key figures (for example, sales, sales quantities) in Customizing for the planning step. Each plan characteristic represents only one planning hierarchy level. The hierarchical arrangement of the planning levels in the planning hierarchy is defined by the sequence of the planning characteristics in the planning steps.

Planning data is stored right down to the lowest planning level (planning characteristic) of the planning step. It is not stored automatically right down to the lowest planning level in the info structure.

You can assign database tables to more than one planning step.

You can also use the SAP Business Information Warehouse (SAP BW) for reading actual data. For more information on using SAP BW within Merchandise and Assortment Planning, see Connection to SAP Business Information Warehouse.

Selecting Plan Characteristics

Select plan characteristics by first highlighting a planning step in the network. Once you have defined or selected the basic settings (including planning step methods, database table, periodicity for data storage, fiscal year variants), navigate to the Planning levels tab folder. From there copy, one after another, the plan characteristics that you want to use in the planning step from the worklist of all the planning levels in the information structure. Note the order of the characteristics that the planning hierarchy determines. The planning hierarchy must be regular.

For more information, see Example: Regular and Irregular Planning Hierarchies

Defining Planning Attributes

You can display detailed information on a planning characteristic in a planning layout in manual planning.

Example

You are planning at store level and also want to show the state or region in which the store is located, however the state or region is not a characteristic that is to be planned.

To do this highlight the characteristic in the selection of planning levels and navigate to the detailed view. Choose one or more planning attributes from the worklist proposed and save your settings. The planning attribute is now available for defining the planning layout in the Report Painter.

For more information, see Defining Planning Layouts under Defining an attribute column – Master data attributes.

Selecting Key Figures

When you have selected the plan characteristics, navigate to the Key figures tab folder. From there, copy all the key figures that you want to plan in the planning step from the worklist. The order is insignificant. The planning attribute is now available for defining the planning layout in the Report Painter.