Setting up an Alert in a Favorite

Objective

After completing this lesson, you will be able to set up an alert in a favorite

Planning View Alert

Alerts are triggered by exceptions between key figures, for example, the Capacity Overload Alert triggers if the Capacity Demand is greater than the Capacity Limit. On the SAP IBP ribbon in Microsoft Excel Alerts I section contains information on the number of alerts with at least one exception. You can also view alerts on the SAP Fiori launchpad home page and open the associated favorite planning view from the alert to look at different options to resolve the exception that raised the alert.

Alert situations can be highlighted to the user by changing the font color of the data in an alert situation. This can be managed in different ways including via conditional formatting using the SAP IBP Formatting sheet.

There are currently two types of alerts available in SAP Integrated Business Planning for Supply Chain solution: key figure configured alerts and user-defined custom alerts. We will focus on the key figure configured alerts in this lesson and custom alerts will be covered in more detail in another SAP Integrated Business Planning course.

As a brief note on the custom alert functionality, custom alerts are end-user configured alerts, which are available on the SAP Fiori launchpad home page. The user can create an alert definition for a combination of rules, which determine if an alert should exist, the time period for determination, and the level of aggregation for the determination. The alert definition also defines which data should be shown within the alert, such as other key figures (metrics) and charts. A custom alert subscription allows the user to filter the attributes to be used for the alerts. Custom alerts are visible on the SAP Fiori launchpad home page in the Custom Alert screen area.

Types of Alerts

  • Key figure configured alerts

    • Created in configuration with a special key figure

    • Added to a favorite in planning view

  • Custom user-defined alerts

    • Defined by users

    • Do not need configuration or activation

Adding an Alert to a Favorite

Alert formatting can be done in the Excel planning view using the Alerts section in Edit Planning View.

Demonstration: How to Set up an Alert in a Favorite

ExerciseStart Exercise

Set up an Alert in a Favorite (Optional)

Business Example

You are a member of the project team managing the implementation of SAP Integrated Business Planning. Based on your blueprint document, you want to define the Capacity Overload Alert. This alert is triggered when the utilization percentage is bigger than the capacity overload threshold value. You assign the alert to your planning view.

Note

When the data values for the exercise include ##, replace ## with the group

number that the instructor has provided to you.

Steps

  1. Create a filter called LocRes## in the Web UI to be used in your Excel planning view. Use the following settings:

    FieldValue
    FilterLocRes##
    Planning AreaT##
    Filter Criteria 
    Location ID101, 102
    Resource ID101 Assembly, 101 Packaging, 101 Test
    102 Assembly, 102 Packaging, 102 Test

    1. In the SAP Fiori launchpad, in the General Planner screen area, choose the Planning Filters tile.

    2. Choose Create.

    3. Enter LocRes## in the Filter field and choose your T## planning area in the Planning Area field.

    4. In the Filter Criteria section, choose Create and select attribute Location ID, Equal to, and choose the values 101 and 102.

    5. Choose Create again to add an additional attribute.

    6. Choose attribute Resource ID, Equal to, and choose the resources shown in the table.

    7. Choose Create on the bottom right.

  2. Log on to the planing area using SAP IBP Microsoft Excel Add-in.

    1. Open Microsoft Excel and choose the SAP IBP tab.

    2. Choose Log On Connection.

      Result

      The Logon dialog box appears.

    3. Choose the ... button to the right of the Connection field.

      Result

      The Connection Manager dialog box appears.

    4. Choose Create Connection to create the connection with the logon credentials supplied by your instructor.

    5. In the Connection Name field, enter SAP300.

    6. In the Server URL field, enter the server address provided by your instructor and choose ... button to the right of the Planning Area field.

    7. Enter ID and password and select Log On. Choose planning area T## in the dropdown where all the available Planning Areas will be listed.

    8. Choose OK to save your connection.

    9. Select your newly created connection, choose OK, and select Log On.

  3. Create a planning view to display the Capacity Limit and Unconstrained Load and the alert for the next 12 months at the resource and location level for locations 101 and 102. Save this planning view as a template called CAPACITY and as a favorite called T## CAPACITY. Use the following data:

    Alert Validation

    FieldValue
    TimeMonthly, Current Month to Month +12
    Planning LevelsLocation ID, Resource ID
    Key FiguresCapacity Limit, Unconstrained Load, Utilization Pct

    1. Open the ChartVBA_Embedded.xlsm file provided by your instructor. This file is located in My Documents in WTS.

    2. Select cell K6 in the worksheet.

    3. On the SAP IBP ribbon, choose Edit View → Edit Planning View….

    4. Complete the dialog box with the information provided in the table.

    5. To display the planning view, choose OK.

      Result

      Note that Utilization Pct is a ratio and can be converted to % using SAP IBP formatting.

    6. Create a graph, using the functionality of the file, by expanding the section above the planning grid and selecting Select Key Figured to Plot, and choose Unconstrained Load and Capacity Limit.

    7. On the SAP IBP tab, choose Templates → Add. Enter Capacity in the Template Name field.

    8. Choose Refresh.

    9. Add the newly created template as favorite. On the SAP IBP tab, choose Favorites → Add and enter T## Capacity in the Favorite Name field.

  4. In the Alert tab, in the Edit View, add the Capacity Overload Alert to your T## Capacity favorite so the Unconstrained Load values are highlighted when an overload appears.

    1. On the SAP IBP tab in Microsoft Excel, open the T## Capacity favorite you created.

      Note

      The alerts can only be set up with some base calculations. You must select specific key figures, for example, Unconstrained Load, in your favorite.

    2. Choose Edit View → Edit Planning View, choose the Alert tab, and choose Add Alert.

    3. In the dialog box, choose the Capacity Overload Alert base calculation. The name of the base calculation defaults as the name of the alert. You can edit the name of the alert to differentiate between multiple alerts with the same base calculation. The name of the alert must be unique.

    4. Choose the Unconstrained Load key figure. Choose Red as the color that the key figure is highlighted in the planning view. By highlighting the key figure in the planning view, you can easily see which numbers caused the exceptions. For the key figure to be highlighted in the planning view, you must choose a color and your planning view must have IBP formatting.

    5. Choose OK. The alert is triggered if the version raises an exception.

    6. Update your T## Capacity favorite.

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