Supply Protection of advanced ATP in SAP S/4HANA

[Kaz_Iwamoto]

Introduction

This blog is for SD consultants. This functionality can be used from SAP S/4HANA OP2021 FPS0 version. However, it also works with SAP S/4HANA 2022 onwards, and SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition.

What is Supply Protection

Supply Protection is for promised minimum selling quantities for each customer.

Pre-requisite

SAP S/4HANA OP2020 FPS00 or upper version. Fiori server must be installed. The user must have “SAP_BR_ORDER_FULFILLMNT_MNGR” role.

Customizing

IMG>Cross-Application Components>Advanced Available-to Promise(aATP)>Product Availability Check(PAC)>Define Availability Check Group

Advanced ATP is activated at "Availability Check Group".

 

IMG>Cross-Application Components>Advanced Available-to Promise(aATP)>Product Availability Check(PAC)>Configure Scope of Availability Check

“With Supply Protection for Specific Document Types” flag should be On

Setting

Execute App ID:F4569 “Manage Supply Protection”

Click Create button.

 

Set the mandatory fields.(Red * Marked)

Supply Protection is defined by Material and plant combination.

*“Consumption Based on” can be done as “Requested Delivery Date” from SAP S/4HANA OP2021.

 

Set planning Period Type, start date and end date.

 

Set Characteristic 1 is mandatory. You can define up to two characteristics for Core Protection ( Horisontal) .

You can add additional fields of Sales Orders and Stock Transfer Orders via "Characteristic Catalog" Fiori Apps.



 

Prioritized Characteristic is option. You can define over 2 characteristics, if you need.

Push create button and set characteristics.

 

Set Priority, the Characteristic Values and the Protected Quantity

Push Create button and set characteristics if you use Prioritized Characteristics.

And set protected Quantities for each period.

 

Push Create button.

Push Activate button.

 

Create Other Supply Protection objects for other Sales Offices as well in this case.

Case: no Prioritized Characteristics

 

Set protection group values

Finally I created 3 supply protection objects

Operation

Execute “Create Sales Orders VA01” Fiori Apps.

 

Set Sales Order Type, Sales Area and Sales Office.

 

Set sold-to party and Customer reference number.

 

Set material number and quantity.

 

Push enter key.

Then “Review Availability Check” (Only for Fiori Apps"Create Sales Orders VA01" From OP2021) screen appears, in this case confirmed quantity is 950 pcs. Push “>” button.

 

Then, click “Intermediate Results”.

 

Click

 

Click

 

Click “Show Details for Supply Protection”

 

You can see “Review Supply Protection Check Result”.

 

Let me explain why the confirmed quantity is 950 pcs.

Because confirmed quantity for Sales Office 170 and Customer Group 01 Sales Order

3000(inventory)- 1050(Sales Office 17A) - 1000(17B) = 950 pcs

 

Change sold-to-party from ZSUP_CUSA(Customer Group 01) to ZSUP_CUB(Customer Group 02).

 

Because confirmed quantity for Sales Office 170 and Customer Group 02 Sales Order

3000(inventory) - 500(170 & Customer Group 01) - 1050(Sales Office 17A) - 1000(17B) = 450 pcs

 

Change sold-to-party from ZSUP_CUSB(Customer Group 02) to ZSUP_CUSC(Customer Group 03).

 

Because confirmed quantity for Sales Office 170 and Customer Group 03 Sales Order

3000(inventory) - 500(170 & Customer Group 01) – 500(17A & Customer Group 02) - 1050(Sales Office 17A) - 1000(17B) = - 50 pcs

So, confirmed quantity is zero.

 

Caution

Supply protection protects related supply protection object total quantity. It defines minimum quantities. So, If every related supply protection objects total quantities can be kept, confirmed quantity is no upper limit until whole inventory consumed.

If you want to set upper limit, use the below "Production Allocation(PAL)".

 

Integration into Other Advanced ATP solution

Product Allocation (PAL)

Supply protection and product allocation (PAL) are complementary solutions. While with PAL an upper limit is defined, the logic of supply protection defines minimum quantities. For more information, see Avoiding Matches with Multiple Protection Groups.

Backorder Processing(BOP) , Alternative Based Confirmation, Allocation Run(ARun)

See Help

 

Conclusion

You understand how Supply Protection of advanced ATP works.

 

Appendix

Help:

https://help.sap.com/viewer/f132c385e0234fe68ae9ff35b2da178c/latest/en-US/c4b704762cbd4611a3ee2dc00c...

SAP Note:

3141787 - FAQ - Supply Protection (SUP) with advanced ATP

2993628 - Add "Manage Supply Protection" to FLP Space

3137858 - Availability Check Controls with no SUP flag set.

2963267 - Feature Control for BP Support

2971479 - ATP SUP Remaining Protection not displayed

2885961 - Restriction Note for advanced Available-to-Promise (aATP) in SAP S/4HANA 2020

2982461 - Restriction Note for advanced Available-to-Promise (aATP) in SAP S/4HANA 2021

 

 

Brought to you by the SAP S/4HANA Customer Care and RIG

[MarceGiovanetti]

Great Blog! Thanks for sharing.

[akshaygaikwad]

Thanks for sharing the insights. It looks great.

I have few questions.

1. If we stock from Supply protection is consumed and we want customer to get qty from un-restricted inventory will that happen in OOTB config or will it be just unconfirmed?


2. If we have supply protection which is shared (like from above example, we have one more rule for office 17A and 17B together--> Rule 4). How we can set priority for that? Like it should consume first from rule 2 or rule 3 and then goes to rule 4.

Thank You.

 

[Arno-Meyer]

Hi Akshay,

Supply Protection is a virtual demand restriction the availably stock dependent on the characteristics of the demand. If there is enough stock available, nobody will notice that supply protection is maintained. In other words a customer can get any quantity of the stock as long as there is enough left for the once which are protected.

Just a very simple example.

There is Supply Protection of 1000 for a customer-group A. The total stock for this material-plant combination is 10.000. This means that a customer not belonging to group A could get a quantity of 9.000 (= Stock minus restriction).
If a customer of group A was first, this customer could get 10.000.
If B was first and orders 9.000 only 1.000 are remaining. In this case only customers of group A could get the 1000.

[akash24]

Hi,

Thanks for sharing, I have a quick doubt regarding the protected quantity.

Here it shows that system is protecting 500 nos though we have maintained the split week wise. So what is the actual requirement for us to plan on a weekly manner. We can just maintain a constant value to be protected.

Thank You.

 

[paulbrien]

Hi,

I have a similar question in relation to the time buckets.

Are the time buckets only there to auto expire the unused protected quantities, if there are buckets  in the future the total quantity still needs to be protected even though the sales order MAD falls outside the range of the protection object?

thanks in advance

Paul

 

 

 

[Kaz_Iwamoto]

Hello Paul,

The online help says "If the protection of a time bucket is not completely consumed, it will expire once it is in the past."

https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_S4HANA_ON-PREMISE/f132c385e0234fe68ae9ff35b2da178c/963701d4c4f948f9886...

[former_member863150]

Hi Kazuhisa,

First of all Great blog !!

I am trying to replicate the scenario you have mentioned over the blog. Just need your help here. 

While creating the Protection Group, I am not able to enter Protected Qty. The field itself is greyed out. Not sure how to proceed further 

[Kaz_Iwamoto]

Please create an incident.

[Lev]

Hi Kazuhisa,

Thank you for such an informative and great post! Our customer has requirement to reserve stock for multiple articles. But it seems to me that current solution works only with 1 article. Basically for every article there should a record. Are there any options to accommodate our requirements?

Thanks!

[Kaz_Iwamoto]

Hello Levs,

this setting should be set by Material(Article) code. So the customer can use this function by Articles.

[Arno-Meyer]

Hi Levs,
Supply Protection requires the protection on the level of the material / article. The product availability check also works on this level and therefore a more generic level is not possible. In fashion also the Generic Article is not supported and protection has to be defined on the level of the article variant.
But it is possible to easily copy an existing SUP-Object and replace the article or to use the API "Supply Availability Protection Plan" (Technical name: API_SUPAVAILYPROTPLAN_G4BA) for mass-handling to setup/change/activate/deactivate Supply Protection Objects.
Best regards,
Arno

[Arno-Meyer]

Hi Paul,
the logic to have time buckets and also to let time buckets expire is important to have a transition from a protection-logic to a FIFO-logic again.
But Time Buckets also have relevance for the calculation of the restriction. There are different settings available (-> See also the blog "Restriction by own protection") and e. g. with the setting "Restriction outside time bucket" all own time buckets which are not matching the requested date are working as restriction. In other words: it is not only relevant, if a demand matches a characteristic of a protection group, it is also relevant if the demand falls into the planning horizon of the SUP-Object and in which time bucket.
With the setting "Restriction outside planned protection" (new in OP 2023) also the remaining protection of the time bucket is relevant as demands exceeding the remaining protection are restricted also by lower priorities.
Best regards,
Arno