Harmonized Planning Area

The idea behind the harmonized planning area (HPA) concerns mid-long-term supply demand and inventory planning with time series buckets (which is what is enabled now with the sample planning area, SAPIBP1, from a technical perspective), also including short—and mid-term supply planning with orders. What is currently supported with two planning areas in customers' implementation can now be done in one planning area (with the technical name I_SAPIBP2) and with at least one proposed default integration technology.

Several innovations are involved, starting with the new aligned data model. This is key to planning, as every application will understand it, and every function will support it.

The application mapping is on top of the aligned data model. The redesigned mapping layer is an abstraction layer for decoupling the applications from the data model.

The applications were recoded to access the aligned data model. New engine APIs will be introduced in the HPA's backend. Huge investments have also been made in heuristics and optimizers to support this new data model.

Since there will be many improvements in information exchange capabilities between applications (for example, dedicated functions to translate data from time series data into order data), process enablement for complicated real-world planning will provide the most value to the customers.

The first shipment of this planning area is planned for release 2508. With it, the focus will be on integrating as many features as possible from the existing functionality of SAPIBP1 (time series) and SAP7F order-based into this new planning area I_SAPIBP2. With the release 2508, the prerequisites for all future developments on I_SAPIBP2 will be established, ensuring that future requirements are anticipated, existing prohibitive dependencies are resolved (decoupling principle), and local functions are consolidated as much as possible into one function (reuse principle).

The aligned data model is future-ready. Since multiple applications use the same data model, requirements are addressed ahead of time, and the model is shipped aligned even though not all applications have consumed it (there might be different timelines for different applications).

The planning area SAPIBP2 is the visible artifact for the aligned data model. In that planning area, the namespace concept is introduced. It applies to master data types, planning levels, attributes, key figures, and, to a certain extent, to the planning area ID, like the I underscore chosen as SAP's namespace. Time profiles remain the same as today. The customer namespace will be without the underscore.

In summary, the value of the aligned data model comes from:

• TCO Reduction
  • Only one set of master data for all applications
  • No redundant data and corresponding synchronization issues
  • Easier setup of UOM conversion
• Content Protection

  No unintended overwrites or issues for Customer Content by SAP or Partner (same for Partner Content)

The configured data model was achieved with SAP7F. Its value lies in allowing extensibility to fit the requirements better and serving as a basis for future enhancements.

Application Mapping is an abstraction layer between configured data model and static application interfaces. It allows consumption by all applications that have been decoupled from planning areas. This central application mapping replaces all existing mappings.

The value to the customer is ease (one Fiori app) and flexibility. The customer can combine different applications in the same planning area. The customer can also decide to decouple due to their business process, such as using different calendars. Remapping the standard SAP business meaning to a different attribute (possibly custom attribute) for application A and another for application B is easy.

Application mapping incorporates validation checks based on the application requirements related to data type, length, etc., to provide better model/data quality.

Application mapping enables the usage of different key figures in different versions.

Additionally, visibility is improved. The customer can see explicitly what kind of information the application uses from a planning area with thousands of artifacts.

As the structural differences between different models were removed, the value of consistency was realized. Consistency is behind the fact that all applications use the same data model in the same way, or at least a compatible way. The same mapping UI is offered for all applications, so this is also easier for the user to consume and maintain.

RTI is decoupled from order-based planning, and the RTI-integrated master data is available for time series-based planning. Order data is read-only for time series-based planning.

The value to the customer is in the ability to choose the integration pattern independently from the planning application they want to implement.

This element will largely enable customers to combine applications into combined business planning processes.

The resolution of barriers, technical mismatches, and the ensuing value is depicted in the figure below.