SAP ABAP Data Element UPF_Y_METHOD (Planning Function)
Hierarchy
☛ SAP_BW (Software Component) SAP Business Warehouse
   ⤷ BW-PLA-BPS (Application Component) Business Planning and Simulation
     ⤷ UPF (Package) SEM-BPS: Planning Functions
Basic Data
Data Element UPF_Y_METHOD
Short Description Planning Function  
Data Type
Category of Dictionary Type D   Domain
Type of Object Referenced     No Information
Domain / Name of Reference Type UPC_METHOD    
Data Type CHAR   Character String 
Length 8    
Decimal Places 0    
Output Length 8    
Value Table      
Further Characteristics
Search Help: Name    
Search Help: Parameters    
Parameter ID   
Default Component name    
Change document    
No Input History    
Basic direction is set to LTR    
No BIDI Filtering    
Field Label
  Length  Field Label  
Short 10 Pl. func. 
Medium 16 Plan. function 
Long 20 Planning function 
Heading 16 Plan. function 
Documentation

Definition

Planning functions change transaction data. There are different types of planning function. The fields that you use in parameter groups depend on the type of planning function. You can select a maximum of three types of fields.

  1. Fields for conditions. You can define conditions for characteristics and for the field "key figure name". In the parameter groups, you enter selection conditions for the fields, or the names of the key figures for which the function is to be carried out.
  2. Fields for characteristics that are changed during execution of parameter groups. In a distribution, this is the characteristic whose new values are set by the key or reference data. When deleting, you do not specify any fields here since key figures are being deleted.

    Characteristics, whose values can be changed in any way, may not be restricted to a single value through selection in a package or a planning level.
    The formulas and the copy function are an exception to this rule. In both cases you can access any values that are outside of the value area.
    Fields may not be selected for conditions and at the same time be included in the set of fields to be changed.
  3. Fields for reference data. Reference data is needed for some functions. A typical example is distribution with reference data. In the first step, reference data (typically the previous year's actual data) is read. The distribution key is determined from this, as are the values of the characteristic that is used for distribution.
    You can always also specify the entry "key figure name". Then you must specify the name of a key figure when maintaining the parameter groups. In this case, the distribution occurs just as the values of this key figure were distributed in the previous year's actual figures.

You can find notes on systematic testing and error search in the section Testing Planning Functions.

Types of Planning Functions

Copying

Here, you specify which fields are to be changed. For example, you wish to enter plan values for three customers in a planning package and you have already entered the values for the first customer. You now want to use the first customer's planned values as an entry help for the next two customers. You must select the customer number as a field to be changed. In the parameter groups, you specify which new values are to be generated from which old values.
If the values that you want to copy are outside the package or level, then you can proceed analog to the case described above. After the process of the planning function, it is checked whether the generated records are within the package.
If, instead of copying all key figures or customers, you only want to copy selected ones, then you would select the fields customer and key figure in the condition fields. In the parameter groups, you define which key figures and customers should be copied.

Copying to several target objects

This function was intended for the special case that a template should copied several times. This was already possible with the previous copy function but is now more comfortable. When defining parameter groups, the template only has to be entered once. When defining the target it is possible to enter intervals.

Reposting

Reposting is very similar to copying. However, you can only repost within a planning package and when you repost, the old data record is deleted. For reposting, you must select fields that change. In the parameter groups, you specify the old and the new value. Reposting occurs from the old to the new value.

Reposting (characteristic relationships)

You determine the relationships between characteristics in the definition of a planning area. For example, the characteristic product group is filled from the attribute with the same field name product . If the value of the attribute is changed, the transaction data must also be adjusted. To do this, you can use the function of the type reposting on the basis of characteristic relationships . In our case, you would have to define a planning function that has the characteristic product group as the field to be changed.

Distributing with reference data

When you distribute with reference data, characterstics are selected and their values are filled with reference data. The key figures are filled according to the patterns in the reference data. Distribution with reference data is appropriate for two-stage sales planning. First, the revenues and sales quantities that are to be achieved with various customer groups are planned. In a second stage, you plan the revenues and quantities for the individual customers. Distribution is carried out with reference to the previous year's actual data and the results serve as a proposal for the detailed planning. The field that is supplied with values here is the customer number . The plan values for revenues and sales quantities are distributed similar to the previous year's actual values.

Some special points should be noted: If the total of the keys is 0, the distribution is carried out evenly. Negative keys remain negative. The system attempts to distribute rounding differences evenly. Rounding differences occur as key figures are mainly stored with two or three decimal places. Characteristic values that are not assigned, are neglected during the formation of the keys.

Distribution by keys

Here, the characteristic values and the distribution spread are fixed. Otherwise, the function works just as distribution with reference data.

Distribution by keys from sender to receiver

This function distributes values within a characteristic (or several characteristic) from sender to receiver. When defining the planning function, you enter within which characteristics values should be distributed. In the parameter groups, you enter the sender and the receiver as well as ratios for distribution.

Distribution by reference data from sender to receiver

This function distributes values within a characteristic from sender to receiver. In the planning function, you must specify within which characteristics values should be distributed, as well as the characteristics for reference data. In the parameter groups, you enter the sender and the receiver. The ratios according to which it is distributed are determined from the reference data.

Deleting

You can use this function to delete data records from the package.

Exit function

You can define your own planning functions. For this, you must have function modules that change the transaction data. You can also allocate parameter values to these function modules. You must specify the name of a parameter and a data element so that you can enter these values on the interface. The data element determines the technical properties that you require in order to enter the values on the interface. For the entry help of parameter values, the name of a table a field that is contained in it, can be entered. If in the exit function, you do not only want to change key figure values, but also characteristic values, you must enter the name of the characteristic to be changed. You will find more information in the documentation on exit function modules.

Formulas

Here, you can store formulas for the key figures in a planning level. For the fields to be changed, you must enter the fields with which the operands are addressed. The fields concern the characteristics of the planning level and the field key figure name.

The following special point applies: The field key figure name must not be selected. In this case, the formula defined by you, is valid for all key figures. In this way you can write down formulas such as 'Plan= 1.15 * Actual'. For the formula calculation, it is important that the values of the characteristics that you are using for addressing, are not restricted to the values in the package. The above formula would also work if the package was restricted to data of the type 'Plan'. The data of the type 'Actual' is automatically read with it.

In this way three different types of formula calculation can be identified:

  1. In the fields to be selected, only the field key figure name is selected. Formulas such as:
    ERLOS = PREIS * ABSMG
    can be formed. The formulas are calculated for each individual record, for which these conditions apply.
  2. In the fields to be changed, the field key figure name and any characteristic, such as fiscal year, is selected. In this way formulas such as:
    ERLOS, 1999 = PREIS, 1998 * ABSMG, 1998 * 1.1
    can be formed. The key figure is then calculated for the year 1999. The dates for 1998, which must be referred to for the calculation, must not be in the package or in the level.
History
Last changed by/on SAP  20130604 
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