Explaining Input Key Figures

Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
  • Explain the purpose of input key figures
  • Identify examples of input key figures

Input Key Figures

Input key figures are stored key figures that can be used to specify the goals or constraints of supply planning. The type of planning algorithm determines which input key figures are used. For example, only the time-series-based supply planning optimizer takes cost key figures into account.

Capacity Supply (CAPASUPPLY) is one example of an input key figure delivered by SAP that can be used as a constraint, or just to calculate capacity utilization. Its base planning level allows you to specify the capacity available for a particular resource, in a single location, and at a point in time.

The technical IDs and configuration of supply planning input key figures are very important. These must be defined correctly to avoid planning run failures. One requirement, for example, is that all input key figures must be stored. Also, the key figure technical IDs cannot be changed. However, key figure names, which are visible to planners, can be changed without any issues. You may recall from previous training that this is easily done without the need to activate the planning area.

Capacity Supply Key Figure in the system

Indirect Input Key Figures

Any key figure that participates in the calculation chain for input key figures for time-series-based supply planning must be configured as Indirect Input for Supply Planning in the "Input/Output for Supply Planning" field of the key figure configuration. Additionally, all of these dependent key figures must be modeled on the same planning level.

Attribute and Value Combinations for Input Key Figures

When planning in the SAP IBP, add-in for Microsoft Excel, values can only be saved to input key figures if the attributes and key figure involved already have a Planning Object to support the data combination. Planning objects exist when an attribute or value (including a null) exists in at least one time period for that combination.

If no combination exists, when trying to save the data, you will get the error message as shown in the figure, Error Message.

Demand Input Key Figures

The table, Demand Input Key Figures, shows all the input key figures supplied by SAP that can be used for demand, along with their standard descriptions and details.

CONSENSUSDEMAND is based on period, product, and customer, and can be used to enter customer-specific demand or forecast.

INDEPENDENTDEMAND is based on period, product, and location, and is useful for storing demand or forecast at location level, without any customer assignment.

Demand Input Key Figures

Key Figure IDDescriptionDetails
CONSENSUSDEMANDCustomer DemandRequested or forecasted demand of a customer for a certain product for each period of the planning horizon.
INDEPENDENTDEMANDIndependent DemandDemand for a location product that is not derived from/is not dependent on either a customer demand or the net demand of a ship-to location.

Sourcing Input Key Figures

The table, Sourcing Input Key Figures, shows the input key figures used by the S&OP Heuristic to proportion the propagating of demand from the following levels:

  • Customer to supply locations

  • Target location to supply locations

These key figures only need to be populated when the proportions must change over time, that is, they are time-dependent. When they remain constant over time, that is, they are time-independent, the proportions are derived from master data attributes CRATIO and TRATIO.

Each value is entered as a decimal and must total 1 for each period and key combination.

Sourcing Input Key Figures

Key Figure IDDescriptionDetails
CUSTOMERRATIOCustomer Sourcing RatioRatio for sourcing customer demand for a product from various ship-from locations, connected to a customer source of supply. Not relevant for the optimizer.
LOCATIONRATIOLocation Sourcing RatioRatio for sourcing the net demand for a location product from various locations by means of stock transfers. Not relevant for the optimizer.

Inventory Input Key Figures

The table, Inventory Input Key Figures, shows the input key figures that can be used for inventory. SUBPERIODNUM and SUBPERIODSOFSUPPLY can be used to specify the days in each period, so you can calculate INVENTORYTARGET based on days of supply.

Inventory Input Key Figures

Key Figure IDDescriptionDetails
INITIALINTRANSITInitial In-Transit InventoryQuantity of the product in transit at the beginning of the first period of the planning horizon. This relates only to the first period and not to any subsequent periods.
INITIALINVENTORYStock on HandQuantity of a product available at a location at the beginning of the first period. This relates only to the period of the planning horizon and not to any future period.
INVENTORYCORRECTIONInventory CorrectionValue that you add to, or subtract from, the calculated projected stock key figure to reflect actual stock. This value can be positive or negative. A negative inventory correction is a fictive supply. A positive inventory correction is a fictive receipt.
INVENTORYTARGETInventory TargetTarget inventory of a location product for the end of a period.
SUBPERIODNUMNumber of SubperiodsNumber of subperiods in a period.
SUBPERIODSOFSUPPLYSubperiods of SupplyNumber of future subperiods in each period for which the dependent demand should be built. Used only with the periods of supply lot-size procedure.

PRODUCTION and Bills of Material Input Key Figures

PRODUCTIONRATIO can be loaded as time dependent data. Like the time-independent PRATIO in master data, PRODUCTIONRATIO allows you to split supply of a particular product in a location between several production sources. Alternatively, it allows you to plan supply through stock transfer from another location (T-rule), or specify it as an unlimited supply (U-rule).

The sum of P-rules and T-rules and U-rules must equate to 1 for each product or location.

PRODUCTION and Bills of Material Input Key Figures

Key Figure IDDescriptionDetails
OUTPUTCOEFFICIENTOutput CoefficientRelative quantity of output products of a production source of supply. If there are several output products (co-products), the output coefficients define the ratios in which the output products are produced.
PRODUCTIONRATIOProduction Sourcing RatioRatio in which the net demand for a location product is sent to a production source. Not relevant for the optimizer.
COMPONENTCOEFFICIENTComponent CoefficientQuantity of a component needed, relative to the output product, to make one unit of a product. A component coefficient of 2:3 means that three units of the component are needed to produce two units of the output product (assuming that the output coefficient of the output product is equal to 1).

Capacity Input Key Figures

CAPACONSUMPTION is based on period, product, and location, so it can be used to enter capacity usage for any type of resource.

PCAPACONSUMPTION is based on period, product, location, and source, so it can only be used when production is modeled with a production source.

Both of these key figures consume the same CAPASUPPLY on a given resource.

Capacity Input Key Figures

Key Figure IDDescriptionDetails
CAPACONSUMPTIONCapacity Consumption RateAmount of capacity consumed on a resource by the receipt of one unit of a location product.
CAPASUPPLYCapacity SupplyAmount of capacity of a resource available per period - for example, defined in hours, tons or pieces.
PCAPACONSUMPTIONCapacity Consumption Rate of Production ResourceAmount of capacity consumed per unit of product produced according to a production source of supply.

Minimum Limits Input Key Figures

The key figures shown in the table, Minimum Limits Input Key Figures, allow you to set minimum limits on the planning process.

They constrain both the planning heuristic and the optimizer.

There are similar maximum limits, but they only influence the optimizer. This topic is covered in another course.

Downstream key figures, for example, MINTRANSPORTDS, are explained in another lesson in this unit.

Minimum Limits Input Key Figures

Key Figure IDDescriptionDetails
MINCONSTRAINEDDEMANDMinimum Customer ReceiptsMinimum for customer receipts. The planning algorithms try to compute supply plans in which customer receipts are equal to or higher than the value you enter here.
MINCONSTRAINEDDEMANDDSMinimum Customer SupplyDownstream key figure corresponding to the upstream key figure Minimum Customer Receipts.
MINPRODUCTIONMinimum Production ReceiptsMinimum for production receipts. The planning algorithms try to compute supply plans in which production receipts are equal to or higher than the value you enter here.
MINRECEIPTMinimum External ReceiptsMinimum for external receipts. The planning algorithms try to compute supply plans in which external receipts are equal to or higher than the value you enter here.
MINTRANSPORTMinimum Transport ReceiptsMinimum for transport receipts. The planning algorithms try to compute supply plans in which transport receipts are equal to or higher than the value you enter here.
MINTRANSPORTDSMinimum Transport SupplyMinimum for transport supply. Downstream key figure corresponding to the upstream key figure Minimum Transport Receipts.

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