Customizing with Reference to the Locking
Concept 
Note that when creating and designing planning levels several users will be planning simultaneously. Therefore you have to ensure in customizing that user-specific selections do not interfere with each other. As soon as a user executes a planning step and the system creates the corresponding locks, these locks remain in place until the end of the planning session. This is so that data consistency can be ensured. Note that the requested transaction data is normally connected in complex ways, even when data is being edited in a planning session with manual planning and planning functions in different planning levels. This means that you cannot normally only save and lock some data packages. The other data packages will also be locked.
You can alter this behavior by using the user parameter SEM_BPS_SAVE_UNLOCK. Using this parameter means that all edited data is saved and then locked. The detailed application that was active when data was saved is then instantiated again. This means that only data required for this detailed application is reselected and locked (in change mode). For more information, see SAP Note 635244.
The following sections contain notes that are to be taken into account with Customizing to avoid undesired lock situations.
Selections with no interference
To avoid users being hindered by other users, user-specific selections should not interfere with each other. The following rules apply:
· There is no interference between the selections if users are using different key figures. This is demonstrated by the table showing the sample data records in Locking Transaction Data: the colored regions derived from the examples have no overlap.
· As transaction data is always locked in the basic planning area, two selections can only interfere with each other if they access data from the same basic planning area. If different user selections are parts of different basic planning areas, or if the selection of at least one characteristic has no intersection, there is no interference between users.
With multi-planning areas note that locks will be implemented in those basic planning areas that are contained in the multi planning area in question.
· No lock entries are created if a planning layout is executed in display mode.
Selections with interference
There is interference between the selections if there is at least one common data record that is needed to create the result values. This is shown in the following example:
User A and user B want to perform manual planning. User A includes the characteristic year and the key figure revenue in their planning level. User B includes the characteristic year, customer group = IT and the key figure revenue in their planning level. The results are as follows:
Results table for user A
Year |
Revenue |
2004 |
10000 |
Results table for user B
Year |
Customer Group |
Revenue |
2004 |
IT |
3000 |
The records highlighted in red are used in both sets of results:
Year |
Customer Group |
Customer |
Revenue |
Costs |
2004 |
IT |
SAP |
1000 |
500 |
2004 |
IT |
IBM |
2000 |
1000 |
As these selections interfere with each other they cannot be used by two different users simultaneously. Accordingly the system produces a lock message.
Dealing with characteristics that are not contained in the planning level
The following rule applies: If a characteristic is not part of a planning level it can be considered with the selection ‘*’ (all values). SAP recommends that you perform a conversion in accordance with this rule as selections can then be compared more easily and potential locking problems are easier to identify.
Example: Conversion rule
As far as locks are concerned, the following selections are the same as all records are locked for the year 2004:
Characteristic: Key Figure:
Year = 2004 Revenue
and
Characteristics: Key Figure:
Year = 2004 Revenue
Customer group = *
Example: Determining an intersection
You have to determine the intersection of the two selections shown above:
Selection A:
Characteristic: Key Figure:
Year = 2004 Revenue
Selection B:
Characteristics: Key Figure:
Year = 2004 Revenue
Customer group = IT
Convert selection A in accordance with the rule mentioned above:
Characteristics: Key Figure:
Year = 2004 Revenue
Customer group = *
If you compare the selections according to the characteristics, you see the following intersection:
Characteristics: Key Figure:
Year = 2004 Revenue
Customer group = IT
Example: Checking whether selections interfere with each other
Selection A:
Characteristic: Key Figure:
Year = 2004 Revenue
Selection B:
Characteristic: Key Figure:
Customer group = IT Revenue
In order to compare selections they should contain the same set of characteristics. Based on our conversion rule, we add the year to the selection A and customer group to selection B. The result looks like this:
Selection A:
Characteristics: Key Figure:
Year = 2004 Revenue
Customer group = *
Selection B:
Characteristics: Key Figure:
Customer group = IT Revenue
Year = *
If you compare the selections characteristic by characteristic you see the following intersection:
Characteristics: Key Figure:
Year = 2004 Revenue
Customer group = IT
Budgeting as an example of this scenario
You want to implement a budgeting process and facilitate usage of a bottom-up and a top-down approach in parallel: The central planner enters the revenue values for all customers for the budget year. The person responsible for customer contacts enters the revenue values for their customers. The results are to be compared at group level.
The characteristics year, customer group and customers are added to the planning level. The revenue is stored with the key figure revenue.
The selection for the central planner is:
Characteristic: Key Figure:
Year = 2004 Revenue
The selection for the person responsible for customer contact to SAP is:
Characteristics: Key Figure:
Year = 2004 Revenue
Customer group = IT
Customer = SAP
As soon as both planners are working, the second planner will receive a message saying data is locked.
Proposed solution: To avoid this locking problem, the data model has to be changed so that both groups are working with independent data records. The following possibilities exist:
· Add a key figure: One key figure is used for the top-down direction, the other key figure is used for bottom-up.
· Add a characteristic (such as a budgeting version). This characteristic can be used as an indicator for the budgeting direction.
Comparison columns in the planning layout
The following table shows a simple planning layout in which data columns contain a combination from the key figure revenue and the characteristic values for the characteristic version (plan and actual). A comparison is to be performed for the ‘actual’ column.
Planning layout with a comparison column
Year |
Revenue |
|
|
Version = Plan |
Version = Actual |
2004 |
1000 |
2000 |
2005 |
2000 |
3000 |
2006 |
|
|
Although you are not able to change any of the actual values the system locks the data. This behavior distinguishes a planning layout from a planning function: Reference data is not locked with a planning function because here it is explicitly modeled. A comparison column only protects the column against changes made in manual planning. This means that different users cannot display the same reference data at the same time. This behavior corresponds to the behavior of data slices: The system also locks records that are protected against changes by data slices. Therefore SAP recommends you integrate reference data in a planning layout using a “reference planning area” within a multi-planning area (see the third point).
Proposed solutions:
· If you are storing reference data, for example, per profit center, include a separation characteristic. There will not be any locking problems then.
· If you do not really need reference information in a planning layout you can use a BW query instead of a planning layout.
· The plan data and the actual data can be saved in different planning areas. Then you only have to make sure that the data from the “reference planning area” is not locked. For more information, see SAP Note 555849.
· As no lock entries are created with a layout that is executed in display mode, you can copy the reference data to a separate output layout.