SAP SOP Creation of Planning Type

Once the planning hierarchy is created, one should maintain the planning types which become the underlying templates of the planning table. It is possible to create multiple planning types for a given information structure. 

When planners didn’t have intelligent planning systems, they solely relied on Microsoft excel sheets for planning, with formulas and embedded macros. The historical figures were manually pulled in the excel sheets (from other system or entered manually) and macros would work wonders for them. With the advent of ERP, and tools like SAP SOP and APO DP, it was made possible to pull in historical sales data from the integrated database in a layout much similar to excel and use tools such as forecast models; macros, events, rough cut capacity planning and deploy versions of these plans.  

Therefore to carry out the planning using the information structure, one should first create the skeleton framework called as the planning type, which would contain the involved key figures of the information structure. The planning type becomes the format/layout/template of the planning table with all the key figures arranged in the required way. 

One could relate the planning type to an excel file, where one can include the headings on the left-hand side of the sheet, and the data for the headings on the right-hand side of the sheet. 

The design of the excel sheet, can have you include formulas/Macros to convert/use data of certain key figures so as to arrive at data of other figures or change the data of the same key figure itself. 

You can create multiple planning types for a given information structure. One given planning type arranges the key figures of the information structure as required on a planning sheet/planning table and has its own macros to convert/translate the same available data of an information structure. Having multiple planning types and playing around the same data arranged in a different template, a different perspective would help a planner to arrive a feasible plan. Alternatively, if the planner is going to use only one planning type, he can save the data under different versions and then finalize on one version to be activated and transfer to demand management. 

The planning types are created with reference to an information structure and the name of the planning table should start with “Z, or Y”. The name of the planning type can be only 11 characters. Using the transaction code MC8A, you can create a planning type for a given information structure. Do remember to select the Line layout and Macros indicators. 

For getting in to the planning type Layout, you are asked to enter a few parameters, as shown by the figure below. Mostly importantly you should define the planning horizon by entering the planning start date, the future periods involved in forecasting, and the historical data that needs to be pulled in from the information structure. 

Illustration - The planning start date is the start date or the start period from which you would want to start the planning. This is the start of the future periods; i.e., if you have opted for “12” future periods starting from 01.01.2011 and the period are set as monthly periods in the configuration for information structure then the planning table would show 12 monthly columns starting from 01.2011 to 12.2011. Similarly if the historical data is set for 12 months the system would only pull in the historical data for the past 12 months, i.e., from 01.2010 to 12.2010. This historical data will be used to forecast for the future periods.   

You can also select whether you the planning type to handle a single level planning or dual level planning with planning of additional member. This selection is only in the case of level-by-level planning method. 

Inside the planning type transaction code, one can add or remove key figures to the planning type (as easy as doing in an excel sheet template) by pressing the “+Structure” Button to add the key figures, press the “+ Row” button to insert a blank row, press the “+Actual Data” to add a row that will bring in the actual data, in the planning table belonging to version “000” of the information structure. To have the actual data brought in for key figure, you should first keep your cursor on the key figure for which you want to have the actual data brought in, and then press the “+ Actual Data” button, for example, if you keep your cursor on the Order quantity key figure and then press the “+Actual data” button, the system would add a row called “actual Sales order quantity” below the sales order quantity key figure. The actual data row is a non-editable row, though one can use it in formulas (macros) to arrive at data of other rows. The actual data row is used to compare the actual data and the subsequently planned data. 

You also have options to bring in external data for a key figure using the user exit EXIT_SAPMMCP6_001. To create a row for the External data, you should first keep your cursor on a key figure and go to EDIT > User Exit data, which would add a row for the external data, for example, if you wish to pull in the external data for the key figure “Sales order quantity”, you should first keep you cursor on the key figure and then and go to EDIT > User Exit data, which would add a key figure called “External Sales order quantity” directly below it. 

After adding the key figures, you can double click on the key figures or select it and press “Row Attribute” button, to set the attributes of the key figures. You can mark them as a planning key figure (input required), or an output key figure (display only) or a text line (Information only Key figure) or auxiliary key figure (which would be used as a variable in Macros). You could also decide the aggregation type of the key figure.   

Standard SOP has been configured with three planning types, which are used automatically in standard SOP planning: 

SOPKAPA - Planning type for the planning of individual product groups.

SOPKAPAM - Planning type for the planning of individual materials.

SOPDIS - Planning type for the dual-level planning of product group hierarchies. 

You can also check the macros included in these planning types, to take a cue for building your own macros. 

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