Set Up of Planning Architecture 

Purpose

In order to carry out planning you must first set up the planning architecture in the Planning Environment.

Prerequisites

When setting up the planning architecture note the following navigation principles:

·        Elements are created or changed using a context menu. To create an element, use the context menu of the superordinate node. To change an element, use the context menu of the relevant element. To carry out the function that is highlighted in the context menu, double click on the relevant element.

·        You select the planning area, planning level, and planning package for processing using the relevant menu function. In this way the related detailed information is shown on the right of the screen and the planning functions are shown on the bottom left. You can create and process planning functions with an activated planning level or an activated planning package. You can only carry out a planning function if you have already activated a planning package. This specifies the data area where the function is to be carried out. You activate a planning package by carrying out any menu function on it, or by double-clicking on it.

·        When maintaining the individual elements on the right of the screen you can also have the technical name displayed by choosing .

·        A newly created element is only included permanently in the tree if it has been checked and found to be defined in full. Then the element is available for the rest of the planning session. The check is carried out automatically when navigating to another element (at the latest before the element is saved). You can also carry out the check manually using .
You do not have to save newly created elements or changes to elements immediately. As long as you do not close the planning session all changes are retained automatically. To definitively save an element, use . This includes a check.

When saving, there is another alternative: With Planning ® Save model, you can save changes which you have made for example to planning levels, packages or functions in a planning session. However, the plan data is not saved here. In this way you can test changes to the planning objects without permanently saving the plan data that is changed.

·        To carry out a planning function you first activate a planning package. Then, from the context menu of a parameter group of the relevant planning function, choose Execute.

To carry out a planning function you must always select a parameter group first. A planning function cannot itself be executed itself directly.

·        To terminate processing of one element without saving the changes made, choose . Changes that you made previously to other elements are not affected.

Process Flow

Creating Planning Objects

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       1.      Create planning area

Create a new planning area to determine the data basis for all the following steps. Under BW Installation, choose the option Local if you want to plan with an InfoCube from the current system. If you want to plan with data from a different system choose Remote and enter the name of an RFC destination in the RFC Destination field. You can use this to access data from the other system. Then select an InfoCube from the other system.

An InfoCube can be assigned to only one planning area. If you select an InfoCube that has already been assigned to another planning area, the system notifies you of this. You can only assign basic InfoCubes to a planning area.

       2.      Create planning level

In one or more planning levels determine which characteristics are to be the bases for your planning, and which key figures you wish to plan. You can include any characteristics from the InfoCube characteristic list in your planning level. On the tab page Selection you decide if you want to define the selection conditions for a characteristic for each planning package or in the planning level. In this case, the selection applies for all planning packages that are subordinate to the planning level.

A planning level serves to specify certain planning topics and to make certain settings centrally for planning that will then be effective globally (for example, the period that is to be planned). For strategic and operational planning, for example, you can create distinct planning levels with different characteristics in each case. To determine planning content in more detail, for example if you want to tailor planning for the different people responsible, create different planning packages.

       3.      Create planning package

Based on the characteristics of a planning level, you select characteristic values to create one or more planning packages for the planning level. The planning package represents the level that the planning functions refer to.

The system automatically provides an ad hoc planning package for each planning level. However, the settings that you make for this package are only valid for the duration of the planning session. At the end of the planning session, the ad hoc planning package is reset to its standard settings.

       4.      Create planning function

You create planning functions for a planning level in order to carry out special planning tasks with the key figures of the planning level. The user-defined planning functions already contain certain default settings (for example, the selection of fields whose values are to be changed) but you cannot execute the planning functions directly. Additional parameters are required. You create these for the planning functions. Similarly, for the predefined functions, you must first create further objects with which to carry out planning (for example, planning layouts for manual planning).

       5.      Create parameter group

You apply the planning functions using a parameter group. You create this for the planning functions. In the parameter group you determine the parameters that are required to carry out the planning function, for example, the percentage by which plan values are to be revaluated.

Copying Planning Objects

According to the conditions in your company, you can save time by creating planning objects for a special planning task first and then copying the previously created objects to cover similar tasks, and modify them correspondingly. This procedure is particularly effective if you use the option of copying a planning object (for example a planning area) with the appropriate subobjects (for example planning levels and packages). You can copy the following object types of the planning architecture:

·        Planning area (with subobjects)

·        Planning level (with subobjects)

·        Planning package

·        Planning function (with subobjects)

·        Parameter group

To copy planning objects, proceed as follows:

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       1.      Choose Copy in the context menu of the object.

The system displays a dialog box in which you can enter further entries.

       2.      In each case enter a unique technical name in the dialog box for the copy to be created.

If you are copying a planning area note the following: As planning areas have a 1:1 relationship to an InfoCube they cannot simply be copied or two planning areas would reference the same InfoCube.   You have the following options for copying a planning area:

·         First create a new InfoCube that is structured exactly the same as the InfoCube that the planning area to be copied is assigned to. When copying the planning area, assign the copy to the new InfoCube.

·         You decide to create the copy as a Multi-Planning Area. When assigning the basic planning area, select the planning area that you want to copy.

       3.      With objects for which this is possible, decide whether the copy should also contain subordinate objects. If you set the indicator With subordinate objects you will get a list of the subordinate objects after you confirm your entries. All of the objects in the list are selected for copying by default. If you do not want to copy all subordinate objects, you can put together those objects to be copied individually.

In the selection of subobjects to be copied, it is enough to select the desired object – independently of which superordinate objects it depends on. Therefore, if you only want to copy a planning level with subordinate objects because you want to copy a certain parameter group to a planning function, you only need to select the parameter groups that you require in the list; the planning functions that belong to the parameter group are automatically copied as well.

Confirm your entries to create the copy.