This variant can be used in several ways:

• You can construct a completely new shelf. In this case, either new or existing articles can be placed in this new shelf.

• You can place a new article in an existing shelf.

• An article already on a store shelf can be also placed in another shelf, so that the article appears in two different places (for example, on end caps to indicate special pricing, with further stock in its usual place in the middle of an aisle).

This variant is constructed in SAP Retail via Workflow.

• Assortment list

• Workflow for space management

• Importing data by calling the Read-BAPI or by extracting from Microsoft Excelã

• Possible highlighting of various parts of the shelf according to various key figures, such as sales volume, margin, etc.

• Various reporting functions
• Starting optimizing functions in the space management program based on key figures (such as sales volume)

• Executing the posting BAPI to export the optimized data to R/3

• If you are not using Microsoft Excelã, then the space management program calls the read BAPI Bapi_SiteLayMod_GetItems2 which imports the article data into the space management program.

• The space management program performs any necessary optimization tasks and changes shelf contents and configuration as necessary.

• The optimized article data is passed to interface's posting BAPI Bapi_SiteLayMod_Change which is then executed.

In this illustration:

1. First the external space management program is called. If there is only one planogram file, it is displayed. If there is more than one, you can select one from a list.

2. Bapi_SiteLayMod_GetItems2 is called. It reads the export data and transfers it to the external space management program.

3. Bapi_SiteLayMod_Change is called. It imports the data from the external space management program and posts it in R/3.

The read BAPI Bapi_SiteLayMod_GetItems2 can export data for one layout module to multiple sites (site groups, site hierarchies, or all sites) or to no sites. If you choose no sites, then only the master data will be exported.

The posting BAPI Bapi_SiteLayMod_Change has the following two indicators:

• A flag specifying whether listing conditions are to be created in R/3 for each combination of site and article.
• A flag that determines whether the system should check the assignment of layout modules to sites. Normally this should be set to yes. If not, then article movement data will be exported, even though the layout module (to which the articles are assigned) is not assigned to the site. This flag is also available for the read BAPI.

The posting BAPI also modifies the assignments of articles to the layout module version (that is, it can both add and delete articles).

• Modelling of the layout concept in R/3, with layout modules assigned to layouts and layouts assigned to stores

• Creation of layout modules in R/3 and assignment of articles to them

• Creation of a document in R/3 Document Management System, with a link to a planogram file which in turn is assigned to a layout module.

• In Customizing you must specify:

• Which information structures and which fields are to be used for goods movement data (such as quantities, revenue, and sales volume).

• Which data is to be selected for export.

• The selection period (timeframe) for determining movement data (daily, weekly, monthly).

• Which function module is to be used for data export. (The function modules serve only as templates for customer-specific modules, so you must insert the actual directory paths.)

• The specific local directory path where external programs such as the space management program are to be found.

• It is important that SAP Retail be the master system and the space management program as the slave. This means that only data recognized by SAP Retail can be posted. New articles which do not yet exist in SAP Retail, or price changes not reflected in SAP Retail, will be ignored. If you attempt to delete non-existent articles, the system will write error messages to an application log.

• It is not currently possible to take future layout module changes into account. Layout module changes will immediately affect the R/3 model, otherwise Workflow cannot be started. This can affect the contents of the assortment list. (Simple changes to the listing conditions, however, have no effect.)

• The system only recognizes newly listed or discontinued articles by either:

• Placement changes to the relevant layout module, or

• Execution of the manual shelf space maintenance program (Variant 4).