Integration of Storage Location MRP Areas

Use

In the ERP system, an MRP area is an organizational unit within a plant for which you carry out separate material requirements planning and inventory management. An MRP area might consist of one or more storage locations (storage location MRP area) or a subcontractor (subcontractor MRP area). With MRP areas, you can execute material requirements planning specifically for individual areas in a plant. For example, you are able to do this for individual production lines or for a store for spare parts. This enables you to stage materials for the individual areas in accordance with date and quantity. Processing using storage location MRP areas is only possible for make-to-stock production. You only plan make-to-order or engineer-to-order production in the plant location.

You can use an integration model of the Core Interface (CIF) to transfer selected storage location MRP areas to the SCM system, where they are mapped automatically as independent locations. If you integrate not only the plant, but also the storage location MRP areas belonging to the plant with the SCM system, several locations are thus created in the SCM system: one location for the plant and one for each storage location MRP area that is transferred. The following graphic shows the integration of a plant that is subdivided into storage locations and MRP areas.

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text.

In the plant, there are the storage locations A to H. The storage locations D, E, and F make up the storage location MRP area 1, the storage locations G and H make up the storage location MRP area 2. The storage locations A, B, and C are not assigned to any MRP area. As a result of integration, there are three locations in the SCM system: the plant location and one location each for the storage location MRP areas 1 and 2.

On the basis of these locations, you can carry out a plant-internal supply chain planning in SAP APO, for example. You can use the products and sources of supply that were automatically distributed to the storage location MRP areas during the transfer of the storage location MRP areas from the ERP system for this purpose.

Prerequisites

In order that you can integrate storage location MRP areas, the systems involved have to fulfill the following prerequisites:

System	Release
ERP system	≥ SAP R/3 4.6C *
SAP R/3 Plug-In	≥ PI 2003.1
SCM system	≥ SAP APO 4.0

The main differences between the various ERP Releases are shown in the following table:

Function/Release	4.6C	4.70	4.70 + Extension 2.0
Mass maintenance for material master assignments to MRP areas	X	X	X
Change documents for material master assignments	X	X	X
System-supported restructuring of MRP areas	X	X	X
Stock transport orders between MRP areas			X

Features

Integration of Master Data

The following tables contain information on the integration of storage location MRP areas and master data, which is relevant to planning with storage location MRP areas.

Object	Integration
Storage location MRP area	A storage location MRP area of the ERP system is automatically created in the SCM system as a location of the type storage location MRP area (1007). The plant to which the storage location MRP area belongs in the ERP system is automatically entered in the location product master of the storage location MRP area in the SCM system. The link between the storage location MRP area and the plant thus also exists in the SCM system.
Storage locations	The storage locations of a storage location MRP area are automatically transferred to the location master of the storage location MRP area in the SCM system. You cannot change the assignment of the storage locations to the storage location MRP area in the SCM system. The receiving storage location of the storage location MRP area in the ERP system is automatically flagged as the leading storage location in the location master in the SCM system. In the graphic (see above), the receiving storage locations in the ERP system and the leading storage locations in the SCM system are marked with an asterisk (*). Further information is available in the SAP Help Portal under http://help.sap.com SAP Supply Chain Management SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization Production Planning and Detailed Scheduling (PP/DS) Supply Chain Planning Within a Plant Storage Location MRP Area in SAP APO.
Address of the storage location MRP area in SAP APO	The first address of the receiving storage location of the storage location MRP area in the ERP system is automatically transferred to the SCM system as the address of the storage location MRP area. If the receiving storage location does not have an address, the storage location MRP area in the SCM system acquires the address of the plant to which it belongs. Note In the ERP system, a storage location MRP area cannot apply to all plants, all countries, or all time zones. Therefore, the address of the receiving storage location has to be in the same country and the same time zone as the plant. End of the note.

Object

Integration

Storage location MRP area

A storage location MRP area of the ERP system is automatically created in the SCM system as a location of the type storage location MRP area (1007).

The plant to which the storage location MRP area belongs in the ERP system is automatically entered in the location product master of the storage location MRP area in the SCM system. The link between the storage location MRP area and the plant thus also exists in the SCM system.

Storage locations

The storage locations of a storage location MRP area are automatically transferred to the location master of the storage location MRP area in the SCM system.

You cannot change the assignment of the storage locations to the storage location MRP area in the SCM system. The receiving storage location of the storage location MRP area in the ERP system is automatically flagged as the leading storage location in the location master in the SCM system. In the graphic (see above), the receiving storage locations in the ERP system and the leading storage locations in the SCM system are marked with an asterisk (*).

Further information is available in the SAP Help Portal under Start of the navigation path http://help.sap.com Next navigation step SAP Supply Chain Management SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization Production Planning and Detailed Scheduling (PP/DS) Supply Chain Planning Within a Plant Storage Location MRP Area in SAP APO. End of the navigation path

Address of the storage location MRP area in SAP APO

The first address of the receiving storage location of the storage location MRP area in the ERP system is automatically transferred to the SCM system as the address of the storage location MRP area. If the receiving storage location does not have an address, the storage location MRP area in the SCM system acquires the address of the plant to which it belongs.

Note Note

In the ERP system, a storage location MRP area cannot apply to all plants, all countries, or all time zones. Therefore, the address of the receiving storage location has to be in the same country and the same time zone as the plant.

End of the note.

Object	Integration
Products	The materials of a plant in the ERP system that you have selected for transfer are automatically transferred to the plant location. Materials that are also assigned to a storage location MRP area in SAP R/3 are automatically transferred as location products to this storage location MRP area. Note If you have entered the special procurement type stock transfer from own plant to MRP area for a material in the storage location MRP area in the ERP system, a transportation lane between the plant location and the storage location MRP area is automatically created in the SCM system when the material is transferred. End of the note.
Sources of supply	On the basis of storage location information, sources of supply are automatically transferred to the locations (plant location or storage location MRP areas) for which they are relevant (see Distribution of Sources of Supply). If you are working with SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (SAP APO), the following applies: For a production process model or PP/DS runtime object, the issuing storage location for a component or the receiving storage location for a co-product or by-product is determined automatically during the transfer. The storage location is entered in the plan of the source of supply in SAP APO. Further information is available in the SAP Help Portal under http://help.sap.com SAP Supply Chain Management SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization Production Planning and Detailed Scheduling (PP/DS) Supply Chain Planning Within a Plant Integration of Storage Location MRP Areas Distribution of Sources of Supply and under Storage Location Determination in Source Transfer to SAP APO .
Resources	You define resources in the ERP system at the plant level. Therefore, they are always transferred to the plant location.

Object

Integration

Products

The materials of a plant in the ERP system that you have selected for transfer are automatically transferred to the plant location. Materials that are also assigned to a storage location MRP area in SAP R/3 are automatically transferred as location products to this storage location MRP area.

Note Note

If you have entered the special procurement type stock transfer from own plant to MRP area for a material in the storage location MRP area in the ERP system, a transportation lane between the plant location and the storage location MRP area is automatically created in the SCM system when the material is transferred.

End of the note.

Sources of supply

On the basis of storage location information, sources of supply are automatically transferred to the locations (plant location or storage location MRP areas) for which they are relevant (see Distribution of Sources of Supply).

If you are working with SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (SAP APO), the following applies:

For a production process model or PP/DS runtime object, the issuing storage location for a component or the receiving storage location for a co-product or by-product is determined automatically during the transfer. The storage location is entered in the plan of the source of supply in SAP APO. Further information is available in the SAP Help Portal under Start of the navigation path http://help.sap.com Next navigation step SAP Supply Chain Management SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization Production Planning and Detailed Scheduling (PP/DS) Supply Chain Planning Within a Plant Integration of Storage Location MRP Areas Distribution of Sources of Supply End of the navigation path and under Storage Location Determination in Source Transfer to SAP APO .

Resources

You define resources in the ERP system at the plant level. Therefore, they are always transferred to the plant location.

Integration of Transaction Data from SAP R/3 to SAP APO

The following applies only if you are working with SAP APO:

In the ERP system, transaction data is uniquely assigned to a plant and a storage location. In SAP APO, plant and storage location together uniquely define a certain location. The transaction data for a product is automatically transferred to the corresponding location if the following prerequisites are fulfilled:

The product is created in the location
If the location is a storage location MRP area, the storage location MRP area must be integrated with SAP APO

If these prerequisites are not fulfilled, the transaction data is automatically transferred to the plant location.

Integration of Transaction Data from SAP APO to SAP R/3

The following applies only if you are working with SAP APO:

In order that you can transfer orders with a receipt in a storage location MRP area from SAP APO to the ERP system, you must have created distribution definitions at plant location level in SAP APO in Customizing for Integration .

Activities

You use the process Initial Transfer of Storage Location MRP Areas to integrate storage location MRP areas and the assigned products and sources of supply with SAP APO. Further information is available in the SAP Help Portal under Start of the navigation path http://help.sap.com Next navigation step SAP Supply Chain Management SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization Production Planning and Detailed Scheduling (PP/DS) Supply Chain Planning Within a Plant Integration of Storage Location MRP Areas Initial Transfer of Storage Area MRP Areas. End of the navigation path

If you make changes to the MRP areas in the course of time (for example, deletion of the assignment of a material to an MRP area or assignment of the material to a different MRP area), note the following: In the case of all changes that you make to MRP areas in the R/3 or ERP system, the transaction data in the R/3 or ERP system is automatically adjusted to the changed situation. SAP APO does not automatically adjust the transaction data. The user must make the necessary data adjustments manually. Further information is available in the SAP Help Portal under Start of the navigation path http://help.sap.com Next navigation step SAP Supply Chain Management SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization Production Planning and Detailed Scheduling (PP/DS) Supply Chain Planning Within a Plant Integration of Storage Location MRP Areas Delete Assignment of a Material to an MRP Area. End of the navigation path