External Capacity 

Use

If you use SAP APO with SAP R/3, you can define that SAP APO directly uses the data defined in the external system to calculate the available time-continuous capacity of single, multi, line, and calendar resources as well as the relevant mixed types.

If you are working with the capacity data from the R/3 system, SAP APO does not take into account any other settings when determining the valid available capacity that affect the capacity with the exception of downtimes and the deviations defined in the capacity profile.

No capacity is available in downtimes.

Integration

The capacity can only be specified in SAP R/3 without a dimension, so the external capacity of multiresources is also always without a dimension.

In the case of mixed resources, the system generates the SNP bucket share of the capacity from the external capacity, if you specify for the resource that the bucket capacity is generated from the time-continuous capacity.

You define the usage for the external capacity in the Implementation Guide in the R/3 system under Integration with Other mySAP.com Components → Advanced Planning and Optimization → Application-Specific Settings and Enhancements → Settings for Resources → Set the Transfer of Resources to SAP APO.In the Use Ext. Capacity field, you can choose from the following options:

·        The available capacity is usually generated in SAP APO and not in SAP R/3.

·        The available capacity is generated using the capacity data in the R/3 system for all resources that were transferred from this R/3 system.

·        The available capacity is generated only for specific resources using the capacity data in the R/3 system.

If you choose this option, you must set the External Capacity indicator for the APO data in the capacity header of the work center. This determines that system generates the capacity of the work center in the R/3 system.

You also define the time period for which the external capacity is generated in SAP R/3 in this IMG activity.

Prerequisites

You have defined a capacity for a work center in SAP R/3 and transferred it to SAP APO by means of the SAP APO CIF.

Features

From the data in SAP R/3, an available capacity is generated in the database in SAP APO for each day within the validity period of a resource. The following data is taken into consideration when the available capacity is generated in SAP R/3:

·        Header data for the capacity

·        Reference capacity

·        Intervals, shift sequences, shift definitions, and break schedules

·        Factory calendar

The APO Core Interface does not support any change transfers for shifts, shift sequences, and breaks that you change in the R/3 system. SAP APO adjusts the available capacity of the resource to the data that was changed in the R/3 system. This means the available time is calculated again in SAP APO. SAP APO automatically schedules all orders that are affected by the changes made to shifts or breaks, for example.