Use of References for Creating the Demand Program 

Use

References are useful in the following cases:

Activities

You can create planned independent requirements directly in Demand Management in the item screen, or using references.

If you copy the planned results from Sales and Operations Planning, and a fiscal year variant is used as the planning period, or if you maintain planned independent requirements with reference to a fiscal year variant, you must maintain the fiscal year variant in the material master record (in the Forecast requirements section of teh material master record).
This also applies to cases where the planning calendar is used. You must maintain the planning calendar in the Scheduling section of the material master record.

To create planned independent requirements using references, see Creating Planned Independent Requirements with Reference.