Engineering Change Management is also available for routings. So you can decide, whether you do routing changes with or without history.
Uses of ECM
ECM is used for the following purposes:
- Monitoring and documenting changes
- Planning and executing changes at a specific point in time
- Saving multiple change statuses for an object
- Enabling integration in the logistics process chain
- Grouping changes that belong together. This can be carried out as follows:
- For different objects
- At the same or different points in time
- With special comprehensive documentation
ECM is a central logistics function which allows you to change various types of master data and document the changes.
By using a valid-from date for the change master, the changes become valid on a predefined date. This aids long-term planning.
You can use ECM to store certain SAP objects, such as bills of material (BOMs) and routings, more than once. You can store the objects in all relevant change statuses.
The changes take effect automatically at the predefined time in all areas of the logistics process chain, for example, sales orders, material requirements planning, and shop floor control.
You can use ECM to group the changes to different SAP objects that are affected by one change. You can change all the objects at the same time or you can define different change dates for individual objects.
You can use ECM to fulfill your legal obligations regarding documentation of changes.
You can make object changes, such as BOM and routing changes, in the SAP system either with or without history. However, you should be aware that the system creates change documents even for changes without history.
There are other types of parameter effectivity besides the date, for example, serial number, time interval, and customer.