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Process documentationDRP Approval

 

This process organizes the approval of the scheduling agreement delivery schedule lines, purchase requisitions, and purchase orders suggested by Distribution Requirements Planning (DRP).

Based on approval rules, the system either forwards the results of the DRP run after the mass approval to the supplier automatically, or it creates an alert. In the case of an alert, the DRP planner can change the planning results and then release or reject them manually.

Prerequisites

Business Intelligence

You have selected and activated the Business Content for DRP approval in the Business Intelligence system for SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (SAP APO). The Business Content for DRP approval is located in the SPP: DRP Approval InfoArea (9ADRPA). You have selected and activated the following objects in this InfoArea:

  • InfoCube SPP: DRP Run Ad Hoc Analysis (9ADRPA) with the corresponding InfoObjects

  • The following queries:

    • DRP Results (Active Version) (9ADRPA_Q0000)

    • DRP Results (All Versions) (9ADRPA_Q0001)

    • DRP Results (Acc. To Selection) (9ADRPA_Q0002)

    • DRP: Biggest Deviations (Active Version) (9ADRPA_Q0010)

    • DRP: Biggest Deviations (All Version) (9ADRPA_Q0011)

    • DRP: Biggest Deviations (Acc. to Selection) (9ADRPA_Q0012)

Customizing

  • You have scheduled the "SPP: DRP Approval Service" (SPP_DRP_APPROVAL) planning service in the Planning Service Manager (PSM). To do so, you have the following options:

    • You have set up the DRP approval as your own planning profile that the system executes according to the DRP run.

    • You have scheduled the DRP approval service in the DRP planning profile according to the DRP service.

    Alternatively, you have defined DRP approval as part of the DRP service. To do so, you have chosen the Integrated DRP Approval entry in the DRP Appr. field in Customizing for the DRP service profile. In this case, you do not have to schedule the "SPP: DRP Approval" planning service; it is sufficient to schedule the "SPP: DRP Service" (SPP_DRP) planning service.

    For more information about the DRP service profile, see Customizing for Advanced Planning and Optimization under Start of the navigation path Supply Chain Planning Next navigation step Service Parts Planning (SPP) Next navigation step Distribution Requirements Planning (DRP) Next navigation step Define Service Profile for DRP End of the navigation path.

    For more information about the PSM, see Use of the Planning Service Manager for SPP and PSM Services for Distribution Requirements Planning (DRP).

  • You have activated the required approval rules in Customizing for Advanced Planning and Optimization under Start of the navigation path Supply Chain Planning Next navigation step Service Parts Planning (SPP) Next navigation step Distribution Requirements Planning (DRP) Next navigation step DRP Approval Next navigation step Define DRP Approval Rules End of the navigation path.

    Recommendation Recommendation

    We recommend that you use the standard SAP settings.

    End of the recommendation.
SAP Easy Access Menu

You have defined limits for management approval on the Define Management Approval screen. You access this screen from the SAP Easy Access menu by choosing Start of the navigation path Advanced Planning and Optimization Next navigation step Service Parts Planning (SPP) Next navigation step Planning Next navigation step Distribution Requirements Planning (DRP) Next navigation step DRP Approval End of the navigation path.

Process

If the DRP results are available in the form of proposals for scheduling agreement schedule lines, purchase requisitions, purchase orders, and, if you use the repair-or-buy function, planned orders and subcontracting purchase requisitions, the approval of these results occurs in the following way:

  1. The system calculates approval rules for the DRP results in order to filter the DRP results with violated approval rules according to the mass approval.

  2. For the mass approval, the system prepares the DRP results to be evaluated by the DRP planner in SAP Business Intelligence in the "Ad Hoc Reporting". The DRP planner can then view the results of the last DRP run for which he or she is responsible at location and product level, for example, from the SAP Easy Access menu by choosing Start of the navigation path DRP Approval Next navigation step DRP Mass Approval End of the navigation path. For more information, see Displaying DRP Results.

    The DRP planner can either approve or reject the planning results for which he or she is responsible. This is not just a decision about the most recent DRP run results, but also about all results for which he or she is responsible according to the assignment of users to planners and location products. For more information, see Assigning Planners in Service Parts Planning.

    If the planner rejects the results, a new DRP run is triggered.

  3. The system applies the approval rules that were calculated previously to the results approved by the DRP planner during the mass approval. The following options are now possible:

    • If approval rules are violated, the system forwards the results to document processing and creates an alert for the DRP planner in the Alert Monitor. The DRP planner can call document processing either directly from the Alert Monitor or from the SAP Easy Access menu by choosing Start of the navigation path Advanced Planning and Optimization Next navigation step Service Parts Planning (SPP) Next navigation step Planning Next navigation step Distribution Requirements Planning (DRP) Next navigation step Scheduling Agreement Releases Next navigation step External Procurement - Delivery Schedule Maintenance End of the navigation path. There the planner can postprocess, manually release, or reject the results that are not approved.

      If the DRP planner rejects the results, he or she triggers a new DRP run.

      If the DRP planner postprocesses the results, they may vary from the original results by a value up to the limit that you defined on the Define Management Approval screen. If the postprocessed results exceed this limit, the system forwards the postprocessed planning to management approval.

    • If all approval rules are adhered to, the system approves the results of the mass approval for releasing.

Result

If the DRP planner has approved the planning results either by mass approval or manual approval, or if the manager has approved them, the system creates scheduling agreement lines or purchase orders and sends them to the respective suppliers.

For more information about DRP releasing, see Enhancements: Reconciliation of Cumulative Quantities, Release Creation, and Output.

For more information about scheduling agreements in SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (SAP APO), see Procurement Using an APO Scheduling Agreement.