Scheduling Master Data

Notably, the concept of scheduling in our service territory revolves around the periodic execution of M2C core processes, which are primarily meter reading and billing. This system of planning aims for an equal distribution of the reading and billing volume throughout the entire 52 weeks of the year. The principal aim of scheduling revolves around the creation of periodic schedule records meticulously designed for budget billing, regular billing, and meter reading. Maintaining the singularity of its purpose, scheduling operates solely within the utilities function, without the need to integrate with other SAP components.

The concept of scheduling is intricately woven with the weekly workload of a meter reader, forming a tight-knit connection with the regional structure. This enables the allocation of a default value for a meter reading unit at both city and street levels within the regional structure. The previously mentioned proposed value can then be selected when creating the utilities installation using its respective address.

Schedule records hold a key role in periodically triggering all mass programs of the M2C core processes, such as meter reading, billing, and invoicing. In terms of meter reading, these records facilitate processes like the creation of meter reading orders and the download of these orders. When it comes to billing, the tasks facilitated are the execution of billing and invoicing, alongside the printout of the bills. In the area of budget billing, the induced programs specialize in both budget and partial billing.

To add further context to the pivotal role of schedule records, they are generated based on the blueprint provided by the schedule master records. In this generation process, the factory calendar of the underlying schedule master records is factored in due to the natural discrepancies existing in a calendar year, which doesn't consist of exactly 52 weeks, but rather 52 weeks plus one or two days (during a leap year). This implies that each target date within a year can potentially fall on a weekend or holiday, a situation that can conveniently be addressed with the help of the factory calendar.

The structure of the system has schedule master records forming the basis for generating periodic schedule records. On another note, the creation of budget billing dates is controlled by the parameter record. The fraction of the system named 'portion' influences both the creation of billing and budget billing dates and groups contracts for joint billing bearing similar billing and invoicing dates.

The meter reading unit not only controls the creation of meter reading dates but also groups installations for joint reading bearing the same reading dates. It houses important organizational data, including the meter reading reason, meter reading category, entry interval, and street route.

The components of the system are organized in a way that one portion contains several meter reading units. The structure of the portions is formulated according to both the scheduling and system requirements, even to the extent of considering the weekly parallel billing mass execution run. The meter reading units are crafted to meet scheduling and regional requirements, such as the weekly workload of a meter reader.

To further illustrate the allocation process, the meter reading unit is directly allocated to the installation and becomes a required field therein. Conversely, the portion is allocated indirectly to the contract via the meter reading unit associated with the installation relating to the contract.

At the heart of generating periodic schedule records are the schedule master records. Among the arrays of functional elements, is the parameter record, a crucial tool that takes charge of setting the dates for budget billing. This record also takes note of the budget billing cycle - the interval, measured in months, between two successive budget billing amounts. It facilitates the measurement of intervals between invoicing and budget billing, which acts as an aid in calculating the first budget billing request date post-invoicing.

Country-specific functionalities are also incorporated in the parameter record; it stores the scheduled day of the month for budget billing request in Germany and partial bill creation in other countries. To create a portion, a parameter record is a prerequisite.

Considered as a controller of both billing and budget billing dates, the portion plays a vital role in the system. Defining the portion ID demands careful attention as it acts as the main selection criteria for all billing-related mass programs. It offers the flexibility of maintaining congruent period lengths for billing and meter reading while catering to different timelines for residential and industrial customers. The period length essentially sets the rhythm at which contracts are billed and installations are read.

In addition, the end of a billing period date, harmonized with the period length, determines the commencement of the next period. The scheduled billing dates are the deadlines for billing contracts assigned to a portion, taking the factory calendar into account. The billing allocation date is reserved for statistical billing allocation.

Initiating the creation of a meter reading unit requires a portion. The meter reading unit, similar to the portion, is said to control the creation of meter reading dates. The selection of a unique meter reading unit ID is crucial in serving as the selection criteria for all reading-related mass programs. The end date for a meter reading period is coordinated with and, in fact, determined by the end of a billing period of the meter reading unit's portion. Paying heed to the factory calendar, the scheduled meter reading date marks the deadline for reading an installation.

Calculations for expected consumption during meter reading order creation and for budget billing amount calculation are based on the scheduled meter reading date. Organizational data is neatly packed into the meter reading unit. It houses the meter reading reason, which controls all processes where a meter reading result is entered, among other elements.

Specifically, the meter reading unit carries at least one-meter reading reason '01 Periodic Reading,' which generates a billing order for the billing transaction '01 Periodic Billing.' Other meter reading reasons such as '02 Interim Reading' and '03 Final Reading' generate respective billing orders.

The meter reading category governs the collection of meter reading results, with categories including '01 Company', '02 Customer', '03 Estimation', or '04 Derived'. The meter reading unit also defines entry and reading intervals to prioritize valuable reading collection times and accounts for the permissibility for division and billing class.

In the context of practical application, the meter reading unit outlines the meter reader's street route, which dictates the download sequence of the reading orders for the mobile device. This creates an ordered and effective structure for the meter reader to follow, optimizing their route and work efficiency.