Executive Summary What is SAP APO Add-Ins? What is the problem in getting reliable information on SAP APO Add-Ins? How do the Add-Ins position SAP Consulting in the future? The problem in testing SAP APO Add-Ins. Conceptually, should Add-Ins be sold separately? Introduction I was recently asked to evaluate two add-ins to APO. One being…
Executive Summary Favorite organization in SAP. Importing and exporting favorites. Introduction It’s common to see people use the favorites functionality within SAP. However, it’s much less common to see people use folders. I find folders to be very beneficial because first, it takes time to scan many favorites, and secondly, I end up creating so…
Executive Summary A question on filtration in APO. How the Alert Monitor restricts one’s options for what can be seen to a relatively narrow set. How most planning systems work in this regard. Introduction A big part of any planning system’s effectiveness and usability is focusing on specific products and product characteristics in the planner…
Executive Summary Why configuration is so problematic in APO. What are some of the major issues? How the configuration effort in APO compares to the best of breed solutions. A far superior approach to configuration, which could significantly improve implementations. Pre Reading The previous article I wrote highlights an issue I am increasingly noticing in SAP configuration….
Executive Summary Reducing Clunkiness of the SAP GUI When are Transaction Codes in APO Useful? Introduction I documented the IMG setups for SPP. In doing this, I have to go into and out of many screens; for this, it’s hard to beat keyboard shortcuts. I know most of us would like SAP to behave like…
Executive Summary The Storage Bucket Profile is assigned to the Planning Book. We cover the Planning Bucket and periodicities and how they are mixed. We cover when to use CTM. Introduction to Storage and Planning Buckets The Storage Bucket and Planning Buckets are used to control the timings within APO. You will learn the logic…
Well, it was a lot of work, but my new book is now available. Discover SAP SCM The book is titled Discover SAP SCM and is published by SAP Press. It provides an overview of the entire SAP SCM suite and is a good book for those new to SCM, for those who work in…
Executive Summary External planning has important distinct differences between planning and ERP. ERP is a transactional processing system with just a few planning procedures. SAP developed APO for surprising reasons. Introduction to ERP vs. Advanced or External Planning Understanding the difference between planning and execution is critical to implementing or managing these types of projects….
Executive Summary What is simulation? Simulation on separate hardware or the same hardware as production. Why simulation is so important. Is APO a naturally good simulation environment? How simulation is generally presented. How difficult is a simulation? What is a simulation archival blog? Tags and Categories for Simulation Runs Developing Simulation Prioritization How Prevalent is…
Executive Summary We cover the available to promise or ATP Group, Product Groups, and Product Group Types. We cover Product Groups in EWM. What Are They? Product Groups are a form of aggregation. Product Groups and Product Group Types are organization methods for products. However, this is differentiated from the “Material Group,” which does not…