Optimization

Use

The aim of optimization in the component Transportation Planning/Vehicle Scheduling (TP/VS) is to assign orders to vehicles cost-effectively whilst taking into account certain constraints and to determine the sequence of deliveries and transportation dates.

Prerequisites

  • In Customizing for SCM Basis, you have defined the master data for the optimization (for example, network connections to optimizer server and the maximum number of users) under Start of the navigation path Remote Control and Communication Framework Next navigation step Edit Destinations End of the navigation path .

  • You have defined an optimization profile in Customizing for TP/VS under Start of the navigation path Optimizer Next navigation step Define Optimization Profile End of the navigation path . You define the settings for the optimizer in the optimization profile.

  • You have defined a cost profile in the SAP APO master data under Start of the navigation path Master Data Next navigation step Application-Specific Master Data Next navigation step Transportation Planning/Vehicle Scheduling Next navigation step Maintain Vehicle Scheduling Costs End of the navigation path . You define the costs that the system is to minimize in the optimizer in the cost profile .

  • You have created transportation lanes and made the settings relevant to TP/VS in the SAP APO master data under Start of the navigation path Master Data Next navigation step Transportation Lane Next navigation step Transportation Lane. End of the navigation path For more information, see TP/VS-Relevant Transportation Lane Settings .

  • In the case of multimodal shipments or transshipments, you have defined a transshipment hierarchy .

Features

The optimizer generates planned shipments from the optimization data (that is, orders, deliveries, and vehicles).When doing this, the optimizer processes planned shipments already available from a previous optimization run or manual planning.

The optimizer also generates additional planned shipments by using heuristic criteria to distribute the orders and deliveries to vehicles. When doing this, the optimizer does not take into account planned shipments that already exist. The best of these initial solutions make up the starting point of the search process.

The optimizer then modifies these initial solutions step-by-step, for example, by loading an order on to another vehicle or changing the delivery sequence of a vehicle. When doing this, the optimizer tries to minimize the total costs while adhering to the constraints.

At the end of the planning run, the optimizer returns the best solution found. For example, if the costs defined for non-delivery of an order are lower than the costs for shipping the order, the order will not be delivered.

Note Note

You can have the optimizer check if planned shipments that you have created manually adhere to the constraints. The optimization run is then ended after these planned shipments have been evaluated, that is, the optimizer does not generate any more planned shipments and does not modify the existing planned shipments.

End of the note.

For information about ending optimization runs before they are finished, see Optimization Run Termination .

Activities

You have two options for executing the optimization:

  • Interactively in the planning view

    For more information, see Executing Interactive Optimization .

  • In the background

    On the SAP Easy Access screen, choose Start of the navigation path Advanced Planning and Optimization Next navigation step Transportation Planning/Vehicle Scheduling Next navigation step Planning Next navigation step Planning in the Background Next navigation step Schedule Optimization Run End of the navigation path .