Creating an Order with Reference and Creating a Follow-On Order

When you create an order, you can use an existing order as a reference or template. The system creates the new order as a copy of the reference order. You can use checkboxes to specify which data should be copied to the new order in addition to the header data. The new order is stored in the system without establishing a relationship to the order you used as a template. If you want a relationship to be established between the new order and the reference order, create the new order as a follow-on order. You can display the relationship between the preceding order and the follow-on order as a list in the corresponding SAP GUI transactions.

Prerequisites

You have activated the business function Simplified Management of EAM Functions 3 (LOG_EAM_SIMPLICITY_3).

If you want to create new orders as follow-on orders, you must have activated the business function Simplified Management of EAM Functions 5 (LOG_EAM_SIMPLICITY_5).

You can only display the relationship between the preceding and the follow-on order if you have activated either the business function Enterprise Asset Management Part 6 (LOG_EAM_CI_6) or Enterprise Asset Management Part 7 (LOG_EAM_CI_7) and are thus using the enhanced document flow for maintenance orders.

Features

Creating an Order by Copying a Reference Order

You create orders using a reference order by entering the order number of the order you want to use as a template in the Create by Copying screen area. When you create a new order by copying an existing order, you can specify whether you also want to copy the operations, components, relationships, document links, settlement rules, and order descriptions to the new order.

If a task list is assigned to the reference order, the system copies the order items that originally came from the task list but does not copy the information about the task list itself as the source. The system does not copy any assigned service packages from the reference order to the new order either.

If you select the corresponding checkbox, the system copies all the direct relationships of the reference order to the new order. It does not copy relationships of any other orders.
If you specify that you want the document links to be copied from the reference order to the new order, the system copies the document assignments of the reference order at header level or operation level. However, document assignments can only be copied if you have specified in Customizing for Document Management that the object link to the order header (PMAUFK) or to the order operation (PMAFVC) is allowed for the relevant document type.
If you select the corresponding checkbox, the system copies the settlement rules that are assigned to the reference order at header level and operation level to the new order. However, settlement rules are only copied if the cost settings for the order type of the reference order are the same as those for the order type of the new order. When the cost settings for the order types are identical, the account assignment is either carried out for both orders at header level or for both orders at operation level.

Note
In the relevant SAP GUI transaction, on the other hand, settlement rules can only be copied if the account assignment is exclusively carried out at operation level (OLC).

End of the note.
If you specify that you want the order descriptions to be copied from the reference order to the new order, the system copies the language-independent description of the order, the order header long text, the operation long texts, and the material long texts.

Creating Follow-On Orders

Creating a New Order as a Follow-On Order

You can create a maintenance order as a follow-on order for an order or order operation. When you create a follow-on order, you establish a relationship to the reference order or operation. You can display this relationship in the document flow of the corresponding SAP GUI transactions. You can create follow-on orders either directly from the Work Overview (Create Order) or whilst you are displaying, changing, or confirming an order. You can display the relationship between the preceding order and the follow-on order as a list in SAP GUI.

To create a follow-on order for an existing order or order operation directly from the work overview, first select the Create Follow-On Order checkbox in the screen area Create by Copying. Instead of being independent of one another, the reference order then becomes the preceding order and the new order becomes the follow-on order. You then enter the preceding order to which the follow-on order should be referenced. You can create follow-on orders not only for entire orders, but also for order operations by entering the operation number in the field next to the order number. The system then creates a relationship between the new order and the preceding order, but it only copies the operation data to the new order if you also select the Operations checkbox. In the same way as creating with reference, you can use further checkboxes to determine which data from the preceding order should be copied to the follow-on order.

Note Note

You can only create follow-on orders for orders that have been released.

You can also create follow-on orders with the BAPI BAPI_ALM_ORDER_MAINTAIN.

End of the note.

Creating a Follow-On Order in an Order or Confirmation

You can also create a follow-on order directly for an order or operation that you are currently displaying or changing:

If you want to create a follow-on order for an order you are currently displaying or changing, choose Additional Functions Create Follow-On Order . The system then opens the Create Order application, selects the Create Follow-On Order checkbox, and copies the order number of the current order to the Order field.
If you want to create a follow-on order for an operation of the order you are currently changing or displaying, choose the Operation Data tab page, select an operation, and choose Create Follow-On Order from the context menu (right mouse click). The system then opens the Create Order application, selects the Create Follow-On Order checkbox, and copies both the number of the current order and the number of the operation you selected to the respective fields.

When you change or display an order, there are symbols that show you whether a follow-on order or a preceding order exists for the current order.
If you want to create a follow-on order for an order you would like to confirm, select the order in the Confirmation List and choose Edit and Confirm. The system opens a view in which you can change the planned data and confirm the job. To create a follow-on order, open the context menu (right mouse click) in the Operations screen area and choose Create Follow-On Order. The system then opens the Create Order application, selects the Create Follow-On Order checkbox, and copies the order number and operation number to the Order / Operation fields.

Note Note

If you wish to allow follow-on orders to be created during order confirmation, you have to create a new PFCG role based on the SAP standard role Maintenance Worker (SAP_COCKPIT_EAMS_MAINT_WORKER2) and add the object-based navigation target Create Order. You must also grant the respective users the authorization for creating orders so they can create follow-on orders in confirmations.

End of the note.

Displaying Preceding and Follow-On Orders in the SAP GUI Document Flow

When you change or display an order on the Web UI, there are symbols that show you whether a follow-on order or a preceding order exists for the current order.

You can display the hierarchical relationships between the preceding and follow-on orders in the corresponding SAP GUI transactions (order: iw32 and iw33; confirmation: iw41) by choosing the (Document Flow) pushbutton, which takes you to the application Display Document Flow. You can also open the document flow directly by calling transaction iw12. In the document flow, select the order or confirmation and choose Follow-On Orders. The system displays the relationship between the preceding order and the follow-on order in a list. This list displays at most one level above and one level below the selected order. In other words, only the orders directly preceding and directly following the order that you selected are displayed. If you have created follow-on orders for more than one order operation, the system displays all the follow-on orders that have been created for the selected order or its operations.

When you display or change an order in SAP GUI, the pushbuttons with the tooltips A preceding order exists for this order and A follow-on order exists for this order indicate whether the order has preceding or follow-on orders. In addition to this information, these pushbuttons also take you directly to the hierarchical list with the relevant preceding and follow-on orders.