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Object documentationPlaceholder Product Locate this document in the navigation structure

 

A placeholder product is a temporary product created as a preversion of a product that does not (yet) exist in the leading master data system, but is required for planning purposes.

 

The placeholder product master data is used to support planning, logistics, and reporting. For example, you can use the placeholder product to include a product that is not currently in the product list of your external master data system.

To use placeholder products, you must have made the relevant settings in Customizing under   Cross-Application Components   Demand Data Foundation   Basic Settings   Data Maintenance   Placeholder Products  .

You can do the following on the Placeholder Products screen:

  • Create a placeholder product with or without a reference product.

  • Display a placeholder product to view its details, assignments to product groups, distribution chain prices, and usage in offers and vendor funds.

  • Delete placeholder products.

  • Export a placeholder product to the master data system, where it can be converted into an actual product. Once this actual product is imported into Demand Data Foundation (DDF), the placeholder product is replaced with the actual product.

Placeholder Products in Unified Demand Forecast (UDF)

Production Forecasts

You can schedule the production forecast (production mode) for a placeholder product on the Schedule Model and Forecast screen. For more information, see Schedule Model and Forecast.

If the placeholder product has an assignment to a reference product and this reference product has demand data, UDF uses the historical information from the reference product in the production forecast for the placeholder product.

Note Note

  • If the reference product has been previously modeled, the forecast is scaled by the reference factor. You define the reference factor in the placeholder master data.

  • If the reference product has not been previously modeled, the forecast results are based on prior values.

  • If the reference product is invalid, the forecast results are based on prior values.

  • If the reference product has no demand data, the system does not generate the forecast.

End of the note.

What-If Forecasts

You can create the what-if forecast for a placeholder product in the consuming application of DDF.

If a placeholder product has an assignment to a reference product, UDF can use the historical information from the reference product in the what-if forecast for the placeholder product.

Note Note

  • If a placeholder product does not have an assignment to a reference product, the forecast results are based on prior values.

  • If the reference product is invalid, the forecast results are based on prior values.

End of the note.

Structure

The placeholder product master data contains information required to represent the placeholder product, such as the reference product, reference factor, placeholder product identifier, description, master data system, unit of measure, merchandise category, vendor, and status.

The Placeholder Product type code in the product master data defines a placeholder product.

The following statuses are provided:

  • Unreleased

  • Released

  • Transferred

  • Transferred with Errors

  • Deleted

Integration

A user creates a placeholder product in DDF and transfers it to an external SAP or non-SAP application.

Example

A merchandising specialist is tasked to create a placeholder product in the application and transfer it to SAP ERP. The merchandising specialist performs the following tasks:

  1. Creates the placeholder product in the Placeholder Products screen, for example. Placeholder products can also be created in other screens.

  2. Transfers the placeholder product from DDF to SAP ERP by choosing Transfer in the Change Status field on the Placeholder Products screen.