Allocation: Manual Creation of an Allocation Rule (SAP Library

Allocation: Manual Creation of an Allocation Rule

Use

The manual creation of an allocation rule is necessary when for example:

You want to create an allocation rule without reference to a merchandise category or article. In this case, allocation rules cannot be generated automatically.
You want to change manually an allocation rule that was generated automatically.
In this case, allocation rules cannot be generated automatically, as no data is available in the Retail Information System (RIS).
You want to create a model allocation rule.

When you manually create an allocation rule, you enter the site groups and, if necessary, the sites to which you want to allocate merchandise. If there is a large number of sites involved, SAP recommends you group the sites together in the Classification System. This enables the system to automatically determine the sites assigned to the site groups.

Integration

If a site group is created in the Classification System, the system automatically suggests the sites in the group.

Features
Definition of Site Groups and Sites

You can define the site groups or base site groups to which the allocation rule is to apply in a number of ways:

By entering the site group directly

After you enter a site group and press Enter, the base site groups and the associated sites in the group are copied from the Classification system and displayed in the relevant views.

By entering the base site group directly
You can enter the base site groups of the Classification system directly. The system breaks this down into the individual sites.
You can also group sites together as you require, irrespective of the Classification system. To do this, you first have to fix (or freeze) the allocation rule. Then you can enter a name for the site group (it must be different to the existing names for the site groups). You can then enter the sites in the site view.

Note

When you fix an allocation rule, the site hierarchy and the quotas allocated to each site are saved directly in the allocation rule document. If you use an allocation rule when you create an allocation table, the sites are determined via the allocation rule document and not via the Classification system (which is the case when the allocation rule is not fixed). Any changes that are made to the site hierarchy in the Classification system are not taken into consideration when the allocation rule used is not fixed. So if you wish to prevent changes in the site hierarchy in the Classification system affecting an allocation rule, all you have to do is set the "fix" indicator.

Definition of Quotas

You have to define quotas for every site in a base site group. These determine the ratios in which the stock is split up in an allocation table. The quota category controls whether the quotas are to be interpreted as ratios or as fixed quantities.

When the sites in a group have been copied from a base site group in the Classification system, the system automatically suggests splitting the stock up equally among the individual sites. The quota value set as a default ("1") can be changed in the base site group view for all sites in the group. If you wish to split up the stock in different proportions, you can overwrite the quota defaults. If any quotas are changed or any sites in a base site group added or deleted, a change indicator is automatically set in the site group view.

Since changes such as these then result in the link being broken to the Classification system, the allocation rule is automatically fixed.

Consistency Check

When you save any allocation rule, the system automatically checks for consistency. It checks whether:

at least one base site group has been entered
quotas have been entered for the sites
no site appears more than once
no sites have been entered for a model allocation rule

If an inconsistency is discovered, the system issues a message.