Setting a System Status by Automated Transactions 

Use

Transactions for setting the system status of the change header and the objects in an engineering change request (ECR) or engineering change order (ECO) can be set up to run automatically.

Checking Process

The check logic in the automated checking process is identical to the logic in the manual process. The sequence of the transactions is defined as follows:

·        Inspection request: Change request

This is the first transaction that can be executed in the change request.
If this transaction is defined as an automated process, it is set automatically as soon as the status Change Possible was set for an object.

The Inspection request: Change request transaction is the prerequisite for the Change Possible transaction to be executed at object level.

·        Object: Change Possible

·        Change Request: Complete Inspection

·        Approve Change Request

·        Convert Change Request

·        Object: Complete Change

One important step in the change process is the check to establish whether the change of an object is completed. This decision should be taken with care by the employees responsible so that time-consuming and costly reworks are avoided.

This transaction cannot therefore be executed automatically; you must set the object status Complete Change manually in the change order.

·        Complete Change Order

·        Object: Release Change

·        Release Change Order

Prerequisites

Implementation Guide (IMG)

In the Implementation Guide (IMG), you can define which system statuses are set automatically, by choosing Engineering Change Management → Change Type → Define Automated Transactions.

·        For the change header, this setting is defined for each change type.

You can make the settings for the individual transactions at the header level of the change request or change order.

·        For the change objects, this setting is defined for each object type.

For each change type, you can define a specific profile for each object type (such as material, BOM, or document). This profile relates only to the transactions at object level.

If a profile exists without a change type, this profile is used as a general profile for all change types without their own profile.

Transactions at object level can also be selected without reference to an object type. These settings then apply for all object types without their own settings.

Procedure

The automated process is started only when the user has set a status manually in the change request or change order. This explicit action is required before the system starts to check whether other transactions are to be executed automatically.

·        The check and automatic setting of the system statuses are performed in accordance with the settings in Customizing for the change type.

·        The system stops the automatic setting of a system status in the following situations:

¡        The system reaches a transaction in the sequence that is not defined as an automated transaction.

¡        The system cannot execute the transaction owing to the program logic.