Create Runtime Version 

Use

You can use this report to create runtime versions to transport SAP AFS-specific data to the Internet Pricing and Configurator (IPC). This data can then be used by SAP Customer Relationship Management (SAP CRM) and SAP E-commerce and SAP Mobile Sales for variant configuration (standard) to, for example, create sales orders and pricing for variants.

Prerequisites

·        You have installed SAP AFS 5.0.

·        You have established a connection to the SAP Internet Sales (ISA), SAP CRM, and the IPC.

·        You have implemented PI release 2004_1_5.

·         In Customizing, you have done the following:

                            a.      Choose Logistics – General ® AFS Interface ® General Settings.

                            b.      To activate the conversion, under Convert AFS Material, choose 7 or 8.

                            c.       To upload data to the IPC, enter the user for which you make the call from the IPC.

§         7 means there would only be one runtime version for an AFS material.

This value is used when connecting to ISA.

§         8 means there can be multiple runtime versions for an SAP AFS material.

The presizing information (distribution profile) for a material is also sent with this setting. A value of 8 means that the variant class, if it is not created manually, is created automatically during the process. This value is used to connect to the mySAP Business Suite 2005. Multiple runtime versions enable a date-specific validity of, for example, characteristic value combination.

Once the conversion has been activated, you cannot reset it.

·        You have created a new characteristic (SAP_RESTRICTION) in SAP AFS that is used to hold the sales area information.

This characteristic is of group /AFS/SAP, and the length attribute of the characteristic is 30.

·        You have created a new characteristic (SAP_SPREAD) in SAP AFS to hold the presizing information.

This characteristic is of group /AFS/SAP and is only required if the value of Convert AFS Material is set to 8. The length attribute of the characteristic is 30.

·        You have created the required characteristics.

·        You have created the required grids.

The indicator for configurable materials in the material master is not set for SAP AFS materials. A standard configuration cannot be carried out for SAP AFS materials.

·        You have created one characteristic class (class type 300) for all characteristics of a material. To maintain this, choose on the SAP Easy Access screen Cross-Application Components ® Classification System ® Master Data ® Classes.

You have created the following entries for each characteristics class:

¡        Class Type: 300 (for variants)

¡        Status: Released

¡        Group: /AFS/SAP (name, for example, SAP AFS classes for configuration)

¡        Characteristics tab page: You have entered all characteristics of the material, but no other characteristics.

The sequence of the characteristics determines how they are arranged in the mySAP Business Suite components.

If you do not create this manually, and in Customizing the setting for Convert AFS Material is 8, then the system creates this class automatically.

·         You have created SAP AFS materials with grids attached.

Features

Planning and Configuration Files

When a material is created, a planning file (/AFS/NDIF_ MATUPD) is set up which is a prerequisite to the configuration profile. The report /AFS/NDIF_MATERIAL_UPDATE uses the planning file to create the configuration profile and the knowledge base object once for each material. A record is also generated in the mySAP Business Suite planning file (/AFS/NDIF_GENOBJ). The entries in the planning file are used to transfer the data to for example, SAP SCM or SAP CRM.

When you create the material master for new materials, remember the following:

§         In the Basic Data 2 view, you cannot set the Material is configurable indicator.

§         You must set the SAP AFS status on the AFS Basic Data tab page.

§         The SAP standard variant configuration is not possible for SAP AFS materials.

§         The report /AFS/NDIF_MATERIAL_UPDATE works only for AFS materials.

The knowledge base object, configuration profile, and runtime versions for the SAP AFS materials are created. The runtime versions can then be used for variant configuration and grid function in external applications such as mySAP ERP, ISA, and SAP CRM.

You can also use this information for the new grid functionality developed in the IPC. This functionality is similar to the grid display in SAP AFS.

Standard Variant Configuration

The AFS material structure is different from the standard material structure. So the AFS material cannot be used in SAP CRM and ISA applications. But to achieve this purpose, variant configuration functionality can be used, which is provided by the standard ERP. Hence, you use this process to transfer the material as a configurable material and map the AFS data to the standard structures. This ensures that the configuration profile, knowledge base object and runtime versions can be created automatically for AFS materials.

With the standard information, some SAP AFS information such as, sales grid (time and sales area dependent), distribution profile, and size conversion are sent in the standard structures. The data transfer is based on the following standard features:

·        Characteristics

·        Classes

·        Configuration Profile

·        Variant Table

·        Dependency

·        Knowledge Base Object

·        Runtime Version

Activities

This function involves the following activities:

·        Run report /AFS/NDIF_MATERIAL_UPDATE

·        Enter the Material, Sales Organisation and Distribution Channel in the report

If no sales organization or distribution channel is specified, then the records are created for the material for all sales organizations and distribution channels.

·        The Product Catalog checkbox acts as a filter criterion.

If this checkbox is selected, the system runs this report for only those materials that are part of a product catalog. On the SAP Easy Accessscreen, choose Logistics ® AFS Central Functions ® AFS Interface ® Create Configuration Profile and Knowledgebase Objects (/AFS/NDIF_ MAT_UPD).

·        Schedule report /AFS/NDIF_RUNTIME_UPDATE for the data transfer

On the SAP Easy Access screen, choose Logistics ® AFS Central Functions ® AFS Interface ® Create Runtime Versions (/AFS/NDIF_ RUNTIME).

Always choose one plant for this report. The selection conditions in the report change depending on your Customizing settings of the Convert AFS Material indicator.

The created runtime versions have information on sales area validity, the valid characteristic combinations, and also information in which sales area(s) a particular characteristic combination is valid. This information is used to simulate the concept of a sales grid in the SAP AFS system. The following are the results of choosing the different values:

¡        For a value of 7, the report generates a runtime version with the version number AFS_RT for materials with entries in the mySAP Business Suite planning file (/AFS/NDIF_GENOBJ).

¡        For a value of 8, there is a selection option called Valid Date

A date range must be mentioned for the runtime version. This version is created for each of the condition records that exists (and is valid for the specified date range) for a material. The runtime version number, AFS_RT, is added to the date for which the runtime version is created. Therefore, the runtime versions created in this case are time dependent. The application can use the data that is valid at a specific time by using the appropriate runtime version. This is not possible if the value is 7, because only one runtime version is available.

SAP CRM requires the distribution profile information (quantity percentage, presizing) for each valid characteristic value combination (valid SKU). When used along with the sales area information (SAP_RESTRICTION) this will give the SPREAD information at the sales organization/distribution channel level. This information is available in the runtime version created.

A runtime version is created for each material (and not for each SKU). The runtime version also provides the size conversion information. For example, the size 28 in one country may be size Small in another country. This conversion information is stored in SAP AFS and is based on the conversion ID and language key.

In the runtime version, this conversion information is also sent for the language keys for which a conversion has been maintained. We recommend that all the conversions for a particular country be associated with one conversion ID so that country-specific conversions can be grouped. This process has the following activities:

                            a.      To define the conversion type, in Customizing, choose Logistics – General ® AFS Material Grids ® Conversion ® Define Conversion Types.

                            b.      To define the conversion for the characteristics, on the SAP Easy Access screen, choose Cross-Application Components ® Classification System ® Master Data ® Characteristics.

                            c.      On the Basic Data tab page, choose Conversion.

You can maintain the conversion for each characteristic value on the follow-up screen. Here you maintain the conversion ID that was defined earlier in Customizing. The characteristic value and its conversion must be visible in the Line Entry and the Grid Entry.

You can associate the language key with each entry to determine how the conversion must be completed for each particular language.

The follow-on activity involves the deletion of obsolete runtime versions. You can use the report /AFS/NDIF_MASS_REORG to delete the configuration data (base object, configuration profile, knowledge base object, dependencies and variant tables) for the materials specified. You can use an indicator to determine if only the runtime version has to be deleted.

The report also has a selection option of the date range, so that only the runtime versions for a given date range are deleted. For more information, see SAP note 853587.