Exploring Inspection and Certification

The view Certification/Periodic Replacement in the device master record contains the field Next replacement year, which is calculated automatically from the system. At the end of this year, all devices must be replaced. This mass replacement is either organized via sample procedures or via the periodic replacement list. Both procedures determine, in a first step, all devices which have to be replaced and generate the necessary work orders in a second step:

You certify the devices in device category A individually (because, for instance, they may be particularly prone to errors, or because the number of devices is too small to allow use of the sampling procedure). Therefore, these devices are included in the periodic replacement list and are removed. All of the devices are then inspected. When they pass inspection, they are certified individually.

You certify device category B using the sampling procedure, which requires that only a certain percentage of the devices (sample devices) have to be removed. The sample devices are determined using the lot procedure. If the devices pass the inspection, then the internal certification periods of all devices assigned to this lot are increased by the time period set in Customizing (for example, for 4 years). Normally, the checked devices themselves are certified individually (for example, for 16 years).

• Description

  A representative subset of all devices is removed and replaced.

• Procedure
  • Create lot
  • Compile lot
  • Determine lot devices
  • Perform first drawing
  • Inspection

• Description

  Devices that are to be certified are completely removed and replaced by devices of the same type.

• Procedure
  • Create the periodic replacement list
  • Select the device categories
  • Create the list in a dialog or in the background
  • Automatic creation of the replacement order

The following points apply to external certification:

• Uses official lots
• A licensed technician performs the certification of devices
• Takes legal requirements into account
• Basis for renewal of the calibration validity

The following points apply to internal certification:

• Uses internal lots
• Carried out according to internal specifications for quality control

There is a statutory period of time that determines when an externally certified device must be recertified. The calibration validity is added to that from the last certification year of the device.

Internal certification period:

This is used to calculate the next replacement year of a device according to internal quality criteria. The internal certification period is added to the last certification year of the device.

If the device category is subject to external certification, an entry for the calibration validity takes precedence over an internal certification period. In Customizing, you can specify whether the internal certification period is required to be shorter than the calibration validity (this is the standard setting).

The following points apply to the sampling procedure:

• Basis for the renewal of certification of devices
• Supports the selection and inclusion of devices in sampling lots
• Lots can be created for devices subject to certification from the electricity, gas, water, and district heating divisions
• There are internal and external lots
• A defined number of sample devices is drawn from each lot.
• The inspection results of these devices are used for making a decision on the renewal of the entire lot.
• A work order is then created for the sample devices that are to be replaced.

The flow chart displays the typical sample lot procedure. Some steps may be carried out differently depending on the configuration of the Customizing tables (for example, a second drawing is normally not possible).

If necessary, you can use the standard SAP ERP component Quality Management to organize and manage the test data. This component contains comprehensive functions for organizing test rules, test transactions, and test results.

• Fields ready for input:
  • Lot category (external/internal)
  • Type of certification requirement
  • Single sample drawing
  • Year of first sample inspection
• Updated Fields:
  • Compilation date
  • Determination date
  • Drawing date
  • Break-up date

The first step involves creating the lot in the system.

• You have to complete the "fields ready for input" during processing, whereas the "updated fields" are automatically updated by the system.
• External lots require certification.
• The Type of Certification Requirement indicator must have the same setting in the lot master record and in the device category.
• The Single Sample Drawing field controls whether the field for the second drawing is displayed on the screen.
• The Lot status and Next due year fields cannot be maintained until after the drawing.

• The following are points to consider in the process of compiling a lot:
  • Lot number is written to the device master record
  • Compiling a lot in dialog processing
  • Compiling a lot in background processing
• Remove device from lot

In the second step, you compile the lot.

• After you choose Execute, you automatically go to the log.
• After you save, the lot number is automatically entered in the device master record.
• After the lot is compiled, the Compilation Date is automatically updated in the lot master record.
• After the lot is broken up, the Breakup Date is automatically updated in the lot master record.

There are two options:

• Compile Sample Lot App: Compile Lot Dialog Processing,should only use for test purposes.
• Compile Sample Lot: Report App: Compile Lot Background Processing, with the following features:
  • Background processing
  • Many selection criteria (device category, device, manufacturer type, region, replacement year)
  • Disconnection at individual device level
  • Generic locking of all devices

• Determine lot devices: Table of all devices that can be used as sampling devices
• Display lot devices

You then determine the devices in the lot:

• The Determine Lot Devices function creates an internal table, to which the system writes all lot devices and from which the system draws the sample devices.
• Once this table is created, you can no longer remove individual devices from the lot. Your only option is to break up the entire lot.
• Once the lot devices have been determined, the system automatically updates the Determination Date field in the lot master record.

SAP enhancement EDMLOT02 allows you to exclude specific devices from the determination process (all devices from a certain warehouse, for example).

• Draw sample devices

  A specific number of sample devices are drawn from each lot

• Maintain lot master record
  • Lot status
  • Next due year
• Display drawing log

In the next step, you determine the sample devices that you want to remove for inspection.

If these devices pass inspection, then you can renew the entire lot later on.

The number of inspection devices and spare devices is defined in Customizing.

Device Inspection:

• The devices are inspected to see if they adhere to legal or company-internal specifications.
• The individual inspection steps required can be defined in an inspection plan for each individual device category.
• The results of the inspection can be entered in the PM-QM component.

Once the sample devices have been drawn, you can carry out the actual inspection. Depending on the results of the inspection and the data in the lot master record, either a second drawing takes place, or the sample devices are certified. The results of the inspection and the next due year of the lot are then entered in the lot master record.

If the sample devices fail the inspection, it is sometimes possible to carry out a second drawing (in internal certification procedures, for example)

You specify in Customizing whether or not a second drawing is possible.

The inspection checks if the devices inspected adhere to legal or company- internal specifications.

When the sample devices have passed the inspection, the sample devices are certified.

The Perform Certification app is used to do the certification.

The individual certification of the sample devices is longer (for example, 16 years) than the extension for the other lot devices (for example, 4 years).

• Renew a lot
• Break up a lot
  • If the lot does not pass inspection a second time

If the sample fails inspection, all devices in the lot are usually transferred to the periodic replacement list, removed, and certified individually.

If the number of devices to be certified is too small for the sampling procedure, all of the devices must be certified individually.

The following key points apply to periodic replacement:

• In periodic replacement, devices that are to be certified are removed and replaced by the same kind of devices.
• Devices that are to be replaced are managed in the periodic replacement list.
• Devices that are to be replaced on a certain date are selected from the periodic replacement list.
• A work order is then created for the devices that are to be replaced.

The periodic replacement component is optional. It is needed if:

• devices are to be certified individually
• a lot does not exist for the sampling procedure, and the devices have to be certified individually

• Generation of the annual periodic replacement list:
  • all devices whose periodic replacement year>= next replacement
  • can be defined for each division category
• Renewal of the annual periodic replacement list:
  • selection by lot
  • selection by device category
  • selection by replacement year
  • selection by year of last certification
  • selection by serial number interval
• Start immediately or in the background

The number of devices listed and their device numbers can be found in the log that is created during the creation or extension of the periodic replacement list.

The log can be displayed immediately after creation or extension of the periodic replacement list.

SAP enhancement EDMEGTUR allows you to enhance the periodic replacement list with new fields which must be allocated to the structure CI_EGTUR.

• Specifies a given internal activity
• The order specifies:
  • which activity is to be carried out
  • when the activity is to be carried out
  • what resources are required
  • how the order costs are settled
• Work Management
  • link between SAP for Utilities and Plant Maintenance
  • controls all customer-related technical processes in SAP for Utilities
    • generation of work orders for sample devices
    • generation of work orders for devices from periodic replacement list
    • generation of work orders for a-periodic meter reading
    • generation of work orders for processing the workflow disconnection
    • generation of work orders for processing the workflow service connection

Work Management links SAP for Utilities with Plant Maintenance in order to control all customer- related technical processes:

• Work orders for sample devices
• Work orders for devices from periodic replacement list
• Move-in, correction of implausible meter readings for a periodic meter readings
• Workflow service connection
• Workflow disconnection

It is used to process the orders which have been created above.

To configure work management, basically you must know the following settings in customizing. You find all activities under:

• Order Codes are linked with the transactions mentioned above
• Order codes must be allocated to service objects
• Service objects contain control parameter which are needed to create work orders

  (PM order type, main work center, planning group/capacity, reference object type)

Devices can be selected from the periodic replacement list according to various criteria:

• Periodic replacement year
• Planned replacement year
• Device category
• Division category
• Meter reading unit
• Construction class
• Regional structure
• Customer-specific fields
• Maximum number of devices

• Selection of devices from the sampling procedure
  • Sample devices
  • Spare devices
  • First drawing
  • Second drawing
• Determination of the device locations using the selected devices and replacement of all devices in these locations (can also be differentiated according to division categories)
• Work orders can also be created for warehouse devices

• Define Determination of Sample Lot Devices
• Define Renewal Periods for Official Sample Lots
• Define Parameters for Sampling/Inspection/Certification
• Define Control Parameters for Periodic Replacement List

• Define Determination of Sample Lot Devices

  In this activity, you define default values for the number of sample devices/spare devices. These values are displayed in the Draw sample inspection devices function during the sampling procedure. You define the default values in relation to the division, the number drawings, and the lot size.

• Define Renewal Periods for Official Sample Lots

  In this activity, you define the renewal period for the sample lot if it passes inspection. The next due year of the lot is calculated from the last certification year and the renewal period defined here.

• Define Parameters for Sampling/Inspection/Certification
  • Warehouse devices are allowed as inspection devices in samples.
  • Only certified devices can be assigned to a lot.
  • Devices lose their lot membership/certification after removal/replacement.
  • The internal certification period can be greater than the calibration validity.
• Define Control Parameters for Periodic Replacement List

  In this activity, you define control parameters for creation of the periodic replacement list.

  Before creating the list, you have the option of defining whether those fields are printed as additional information for the devices to replace (meter reading unit, address, device category).