Study Material Contributed by Ulhas Kavle 

Process Instructions of Type 1 explained in this section 

Type 1 – Process Parameters 

Can be used by the Control Recipe Destinations – 

“2” or “3” – Used in Process Control System Destinations

“1” or “4” – Used in Shop Floor Destinations (PI Sheets) 

Explanation –

Sends the required data for the operator or the external process control system (Control Recipe destinations) to initiate production, i.e., Sends Information and Control Notes in the form of Characteristic and values.

The assumption is that the information that is sent to production systems or shop floor is not available at the destinations and by sending this information in the form of notes/instructions the process instructions help the destinations with the required production related specifications which would help in the production of the process order. 

Example for Process Instruction Category of Type 1: 

SAP PPPI Process Instructions of Type 2 and Type 3 explained here: 

Type 2 – Process Data Requests & Type 3 – Process Data Subscription & 

Can be used by the Control Recipe Destinations – 

Process Data Requests of Type 2 can be used in: 

“2” or “3” – Used in Process Control System Destinations

“1” or “4” – Used in Shop Floor Destinations (PI Sheets) 

Process Message Subscription of Type 3 can be used in: 

“2” or “3” – Used in Process Control System Destinations 

Explanation – 

The Process control system receives the information on what is expected by them as an outcome of the manufacturing process carried out by using information in process instructions. 

A process data requests sends the actual data to the SAP Process management in the form of process messages which are eventually processed in SAP, whereas in process data subscription the process messages are sent every time an event occurs. In process message subscription, values are sent by the process control system and transferred from there to the process messages which are eventually processed in SAP. 

Process instruction of the type 3 would in general contain the following types of characteristics and data: 

• PPPI_MESSAGE_CATEGORY –

The value for these process instruction characteristics defines a Process Message Category for which you are requesting information for. 

• PPPI_REQUESTED_VALUE –

The process instruction characteristics – PPPI_REQUESTED_VALUE carries the process message characteristics, whose value is requested as an input value, to be entered by the control recipe destination (PCS) for example in a goods receipts data requests, inputs for operation, phase, goods receipt material and quantity can be requested. 

These inputs are clubbed in a process message category and are finally processed in SAP function modules or other process message destinations. 

• Cannot use the PI Assistant Wizard for PI Categories of Type 3 

This type of process instruction category is not used in the PI sheets, so one cannot use the PI assistant wizard to create the process instruction category.   

Example for Type 3: 

Very important Note – As seen below, the process instruction category carrying the process message categories (which is requesting data back to SAP), the value column would contain the process message categories or process message characteristics. 

Process instruction of the type 2 would in general contain the following types of characteristics and data: 

• PPPI_MESSAGE_CATEGORY –  

The value for these process instruction characteristics defines a Process Message Category for which you are requesting information for. 

• ü  PPPI_DATA_REQUEST_TYPE – 

If you are using PI sheets, then you have to choose the type of data requests. i.e. “Simple data request” & repeated data request. Simple data request allows only one message from a PI Sheet, for the given process message category, to be sent back to SAP (example only one goods receipt message for one GR posting per order or one value for a batch characteristics), “Repeated data requests” allows multiple messages to be sent back to SAP for a given process message category on a PI Sheet, for example multiple messages for phase confirmations category or for production order goods consumption category. 

Note - If you don’t see process instruction characteristics PPPI_DATA_REQUEST_TYPE, in the process instruction category of type 2, then that process instruction category is slated to be used for an external control recipe destination outside of SAP. 

• PPPI_MINIMUM_TABLE_SIZE & PPPI_MAXIMUM_TABLE_SIZE – 

In case the data request type is “Repeated data requests”, in PI Sheets, then you can define the minimum number of messages and maximum number of messages with the PI category as shown in the examples. In other words, you can define the number of rows for a given process instruction category. If you have data filled in 2 rows then 2 messages will be sent back to SAP for the given process instruction category and for the given PI Sheet.  

• PPPI_REQUESTED_VALUE – 

The process instruction characteristics – PPPI_REQUESTED_VALUE carries the process message characteristics, whose value is requested as an input value, to be entered by the control recipe destination (for PI sheet or PCS) for example in a goods receipts data requests, inputs for operation, phase, goods receipt material and quantity can be requested. These inputs are clubbed in a process message category and processed in SAP function modules or other process message destinations. 

• PPPI_INPUT_REQUEST & PPPI_REQUESTED_VALUE – 

When you are creating a process instruction category for use in PI Sheets, you would need to include the process message characteristics for which an input is required by the operator at the control recipe destination. 

The process message characteristics for which an input value is required so as to post the process message category successfully is included as a value to the process instruction characteristics PPPI_REQUESTED_VALUE. 

The heading describing the input requirements or the label, i.e., describing the process message characteristics is included against the process instruction characteristics PPPI_INPUT_REQUEST; this heading will be displayed in the PI Sheet to help the operator know about what value is required as an input. In other words, the “INPUT_REQUEST” instruction characteristics always carries a label that would be shown on the PI sheet so as to help the operator enter the respective value for the “REQUESTED_VALUE” instruction. 

For example, if the Input request is “New Batch:” and the requested value is the actual batch number that would be entered by the operator on the PI sheet, then an example PI Sheet (browser based Sheet) would look as below:

Note - If you don’t see process instruction characteristics PPPI_INPUT_REQUEST & PPPI_REQUESTED_VALUE, in the process instruction category of type 2, then that process instruction category is slated to be used for an external control recipe destination outside of SAP. 

• PPPI_OUTPUT_TEXT & PPPI_OUTPUT_CHARACTERISTICS – 

The output text or the output heading label, is provided under the process instruction characteristics PPPI_OUTPUT_TEXT and the PPPI_OUTPUT_CHARACTERISTICS is a process instruction characteristics that carries the process message characteristics. The value of this OUTPUT_CHARACTERISTICS can be maintained manually or automatically in the process order or in the recipe.

• Automatic Value assignment or Planned Values – 

Characteristics such as PPPI_PROCESS_ORDER, PPPI_PHASE, PPPI_OPERATION, PPPI_MATERIAL, PPPI_MATERIAL_PRODUCED (header material to be received), and PPPI_UNIT_OF_MEASURE can be planned characteristics whose values can be automatically entered during control recipe creation itself (in the process order). Though one can decide whether these values are to be automated or entered by the control recipe destination and if they are entered by the system then you should get them from the destination as PPPI_REQUESTED_VALUE. 

One could use Event date and Event time as the good receipt posting time and if you want to use the actual time and date of production, you could use these characteristics as input needed characteristics as PPPI_REQUESTED_VALUE and request their input values from the PCS or PI Sheets. 

Using the Wizard to Create the Process Instruction category for use in PI Sheets – 

Select the Process Instruction Category and press the PI assistant Button. Pressing this button would take you in to a wizard that would help you create the process instruction category step by step. 

Step 1:  Choose whether you want a single process message value for the process message category to be passed back to SAP or multiple process messages for the process message category to be passed back to SAP. If you choose repeated then you would have to choose th3 minimum and the maximum number of messages that would be allowed for the operator to enter values for. 

Once you are done, you can press the “next screen” button as shown in the screen below: 

Step 2:  This step allows you to choose the process message category. The process message characteristics for the process message category will flow in from the process message category configuration as shown below. This step will add the process instruction characteristics “PPPI_MESSAGE_CATEGORY” to the process instruction category along the actual name of the process message category (as its value)

Press the “next screen” button to configure it further. 

Step 3:  This step allows you to configure whether the process message characteristics (for a given process message category) should be allowed for input by the destination operator or you should make the operator available with the value by declaring it as an output characteristics. SAP also provides you a chance to enter more output variables by pressing the “add output variable” button at the bottom of the screen.  

All the other characteristics which are not defined as input or output will be declared as “Hidden” and its values would be populated automatically in the process order or through function modules. 

For process message characteristics, which are quantity based, the system allows you to select whether you want to involve the unit of measure in configuration of the same. The unit of measure is not shown in this particular example, but you can see that in standard process instruction category CONS_1 (as an example) so as to study the same.   

Press the “next screen” button to configure it further. 

Step 4:  This step allows you to configure the Headings or labels for the process message characteristics declared as input and/or output. It also allows you to define the sequence or the position of these characteristics. 

Press the “next screen” button to configure it further.

Step 5:  This step allows you to define the processing of process message characteristics. In other words, it allows you to define how the value of the process message characteristics will be entered in the PI sheet and also allows you to define the variables for them (if required). 

The process message characteristics which are included in the process message category will be defined as input characteristics, output characteristics or hidden characteristics. 

To move from one process message characteristics to the next, you would have to press the “next Entry” or “previous Entry” button.  

Configuring this step is a business decision. Follow the below table to check the configuration for each of the process message characteristics: 

For process a message characteristic which carries the formula, it would be labeled as a “calculated characteristics”. For this characteristic you would be asked to enter a formula. 

Step 6:  To simulate the PI sheet appearance and to check how the process instruction category configurations would make the PI sheet look like, Press the “ABAP List” or the “Browser” buttons to display the ABAP based PI sheet and the Browser based PI sheets respectively. Below is an ABAP based PI sheet for the process instruction category BATCH_CL. 

Step 7:  Press the copy button once you are satisfied with the configuration. This will create the process instruction category for a PI sheet. The created process instruction category will contain all the process instruction characteristics and the corresponding process message characteristics.  

Examples for Process Instruction Category of Type 2:  

Very important Note – As seen below, the process instruction category carrying the process message categories (which is requesting data back to SAP), the value column would contain the process message categories or process message characteristics.  

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