Variant

Configuration
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Variant Configuration
Purpose

Market Competitiveness demands Products to be customized to the customers specific needs. The Product needs to be delivered in the shortest possible lead time at the most competitive prices

Customized products with complex and varying specifications.

Products & services which are offered with both standard specs and with additional features. The customer determines the features of the product.

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Variant Configuration
Defining a material as a configurable material

Material is created with Material Type-KMAT

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Variant Configuration
Defining a material as a configurable material contd Materials of other material types can be made configurable. To do this, set the Material is configurable indicator in the Basic data of the material master record.

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Variant Configuration
Defining a material as a configurable material If you want to configure a material, you must create it with a material type that has the Classification view defined as allowed in Customizing.

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Variant Configuration
Material Master data Settings
You use central maintenance functions to create material master records for configurable materials. There is some data that you need to maintain specifically for configurable materials: X Basic Data Configurable Indicator

Sales

Item Category Group

Strategy Group

0002 or 0004
25 (PP Demand Management) PD not ND EX 02 1
6

MRP MRP Type MRP Lot Size Availability Check Individual/Collective Req..
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Variant Configuration
Integration
Variant configuration is integrated in the following applications:

SD Sales and Distribution - Order Entry & Pricing Conditions MM Purchasing FICO Costing PP BOM, Production Orders, Task Lists, Routings, MRP Classification
You can configure the following objects:

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Materials Standard networks in the Project System. PM General maintenance task lists Model service specifications

Variant Configuration
Super BOM

The bill of material (BOM) of a configurable material contains all

the components that are required to manufacture the material.

The BOM contains components that are only used for specific
variants

BOM also contains components that are used in all variants.

(non-variable parts)

This is why BOMs for configurable materials are known as super

BOMs.
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Variant Configuration
Features
One Configurable Material can be used to cover all variants.
No need to create separate Material Master for every variant of the product. Online Integration of all Modules SD/MM/PP/FICO at the time of creating the order. Product Configuration in the order, MRP for BOM components, Cost determination, Creation of Routings & Task Lists for PP etc.

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Variant Configuration
Features
Characteristics:
Characteristics are used to define the features of the configurable material.

Characteristics Values:
Characteristics Values specify the characteristics. For Example: A PC may have the following Characteristics and Characteristics Values
Characteristics
Motherboard Processor

Characteristics Values
1. Intel 2. Gigabyte 1. Pentium IV 2.8 Ghz 2. AMD 2800 +

RAM

1. 256 MB 2. 512 MB

The Product can be customized by assigning the characteristics values to the Characteristics as desired.
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Variant Configuration
Features
Class: In variant configuration, a class of class type 300 is used to hold the characteristics that describe a configurable material. By classifying the Configurable Material with the class the Material Lends itself to configuration based on the characteristics held by the class. Configuration Profile: Each configurable object must have a configuration profile. You maintain configuration profiles to define central settings for configuring the object. The configuration profile for a material controls the configuration process in the sales order.

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Variant Configuration
Dependencies
Dependencies:

Dependencies control the combinations of features.

Describe the interdependencies between

Characteristics & Characteristic values.

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Variant Configuration
Dependencies Preconditions

Preconditions:

To hide characteristics and characteristic values that are not allowed. Ensure that the configuration of an object is consistent.
Example: You want to hide the Characteristics Value AMD 2800 + if Intel Mother Board is selected because they can not go together. Precondition must be maintained for Characteristics Value AMD 2800 + :

Motherboard = Gigabyte
AMD 2800 + would show as a possible selection only if Gigabyte is selected for Mother Board.
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Variant Configuration
Dependencies Selection Conditions:
You can use selection conditions to ensure that all the objects relevant to a variant are selected:

Selection Conditions

Selection conditions determine which variants require a specific

component or operation

Selection conditions determine when it is mandatory to assign a

value to a characteristic

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Variant Configuration
Dependencies Selection Conditions
Example for Selection Condition for Characteristic selection: Under normal conditions RAM need not necessarily be selected. It is optional. However, if Intel is selected for Motherboard then RAM becomes a Mandatory selection. Selection condition must be maintained for Characteristic RAM : Motherboard = Intel This ensures that a Value is selected for RAM if Intel is selected for Motherboard for the Configuration to be consistent.

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Variant Configuration
Dependencies Selection Conditions
Example for Selection Condition for BOM Items: Selection condition must be maintained for BOM items: For BOM item - Intel - Selection condition would be : Motherboard = Intel For BOM item - Gigabyte - Selection condition would be : Motherboard = Gigabyte And so onfor all variant parts in the BOM.

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Variant Configuration
Classes as BOM items
Classes may also be maintained as BOM items :

Classes must be of Class type 200 or 300 only & must be allowed to be
used as BOM items in the additional data tab of the Class.

All Characteristics Values under the class must be classified as

such.

All Characteristics Values which have been classified as above need not be
maintained as BOM items. It is sufficient to maintain only the Class as a BOM item.

The same Value as the variant item must be assigned to the Characteristic
in the Material Master of the Item.
On selection of the Value during configuration, the class item in the BOM is replaced by the Item itself and hence appears in the BOM explosion.
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Variant Configuration
Dependencies
Procedures : Used to infer values for characteristics. They are extensively used in Pricing. You can assign procedures to the following objects:

Procedures

The characteristic value that triggers the procedure The characteristic that triggers the procedure The configuration profile of the configurable object BOM items to change the component quantity, for example
Procedures are processed in the sequence in which they are maintain for the object.
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Variant Configuration
Dependencies Procedures
Example for Inferring a Characteristics Value using a procedure: The Value for Characteristic RAM must be inferred as 256 MB if the Motherboard is Intel.

Following Procedure may be maintained in the Configuration Profile: $self.RAM =256MB if Motherboard = Intel

This ensures that RAM is set to 256MB on Intel being selected for Motherboard.

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Variant Configuration
Reference Characteristics Reference Characteristics:

The configuration of a material may also depend on certain fields in the

R/3 system apart from user selections.

A Characteristic becomes a Reference Characteristic when it refers to a

Field in a Table/Structure.

This feature can be used to dynamically change certain data during

configuration.

They can also be used to change the quantities in a BOM ( STPO MENGE).

Reference Characteristics are used for Pricing &

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Costing also.
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Variant Configuration
Dependencies Constraints: Constraints

They are

mainly used to check the consistency of configuration.

They may also be used to infer values for Characteristics. They are maintained in dependency nets. Dependency nets are allocated to the configuration profile. The timing and sequence of processing a constraint is not
relevant.
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Variant Configuration
Dependencies Structure of a Constraint OBJECTS: PC IS_A (300) PC WHERE C = CASING;HD = HARD_DISK. CONDITION: PC. CPU = 586 RESTRICTIONS: HD IN (1275, 1620, 2000) IF C = Tower. INFERENCES: HD.
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Constraints

Variant Configuration
Dependencies
Variant Tables:

Variant Tables

Tables are used to store combinations of values for different

characteristics.

Tables are an aid to entry for dependencies. You call the table function
in a dependency.

The system uses the table to infer and check values for configuration
consistency.

If the interdependencies between characteristics change, you change

the table entries, not the dependencies

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Variant Configuration
Dependencies Use of Variant Tables in constraints OBJECTS: PC IS_A (300) PC where HD = Harddisk; MB = Motherboard; CAB = Cabinet. RESTRICTIONS: TABLE PC_TAB (Harddisk = HD, Motherboard = MB, Cabinet = CAB). INFERENCES: FH.
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Variant Tables

Variant Configuration
Variant Conditions
Variant Conditions:
You can use variant conditions to define surcharges or discounts for a variant.

A reference Characteristic referring to SDCOM-VKOND is maintained as a characteristic in the class. This is a multi value characteristic.
Variant conditions are maintained in Condition types VA00 & VA01 in Standard SAP. The configurable material & the Variant Key are key fields in the condition table to determine a discount or surcharge for the variant.

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Variant Configuration
Variant Conditions
Variant Conditions: contd The variant key may be assigned to the Characteristic value either directly thru Configuration simulation or dynamically at the time of configuration thru Procedures or Constraints. The system populates the SDCOM structure with the variant keys against each value assigned The keys populated in the structure are used to find condition records to be brought into the order.
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Variant Configuration
Material Variants

Material Variants:

For variants that are required frequently, you can create material variants, which can be produced without a sales order and kept in stock. When you receive a sales order, you can check whether the variant required is in stock, so that you can deliver immediately.
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THANK YOU
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