Execution Steps (XSteps) 
Use
Using XSteps you can describe the precise execution of production processes and can group and structure this information in the form of modules. XSteps can be structured in hierarchical form. These form XStep trees.
You can use XSteps in the process industries and in shop floor control. For more information on XSteps in manufacturing, see XSteps in Shop Floor Control .
The production steps described in XSteps are grouped to form control instructions/recipes and sent to the production level. Production can then be executed either manually or automatically. In the case of manual production, the system generates interactive PI sheets/work instructions, which are then processed by the line or machine operator. In the case of automatic production, the production steps are executed by a process control system.
Prerequisites
Maintenance of XSteps in the Master Recipe
To ensure that you can maintain XSteps in the master recipe, you must create a recipe profile when creating the recipe group. In the standard system supplied, the new recipe profile PI01_XS: Profile for Process Industry XSteps is available for the maintenance of XSteps.
Go to Customizing for the Master Recipe and choose Settings for the Task List Type -> Define Profiles with Default Values .
No profile is necessary for the maintenance of XSteps in the routing.
Early Assignment of Order Number
In the standard system, it is not possible to generate an XStep tree in a process order or production order unless the relevant order has already been saved. You can also set that an XStep tree is generated, even if it has not yet been saved.
To do this, go to Customizing for Process Management and choose Execution Steps (XSteps) -> Set Early Assignment of Order Number .
Features
XStep Parameters
XStep parameters are central elements of XSteps. You use XStep parameters to model your data for an XStep module. The parameters describe the contents of the XStep module and are valid for one XStep module only. The data exchange between the XStep modules is also controlled using the parameter definitions. It is therefore possible to use identical variable names or inspection formulas in different XSteps within an XStep tree without conflict. Automatic valuations and generations are executed on the basis of XStep parameters.
For more information, see XStep Parameters .
Application-Specific XSteps
You define XSteps directly in an application, for example in the master recipe, routing, production order or process order. They generally contain data that is related to the particular application. These XSteps are generally implemented immediately.
For more information, see XStep .
Application-Independent Standard XSteps
You define standard XSteps as master data in the standard XStep repository (SXS repository). You can maintain the standard XSteps in the SXS repository using versions. If a version is correct and has been tested, you can release it for production. If an application has created a reference to a standard XStep (SXS reference) and this has been exploded, the system copies a valid version of the referenced standard XStep to the application. The originals in the standard XStep repository remain unchanged.
For more information, see Standard XSteps .
XStep Process Instructions
With the aid of XSteps, you define process instructions independently of the phases of a process order or planning recipe and independently of the operations of a routing or production order. You create XStep process instructions for an XStep or standard XStep. In doing so, you must specify the destination type or concrete destination for which the XStep process instructions are to be created.
For more information, see XStep Process Instructions .