SAP C_TS422_2022 Dumps

The graphical planning table is a tool for capacity planning and scheduling that displays the operations and the work centers in a time-oriented view. You can use the graphical planning table to create, change, or dispatch operations manually or automatically. The planning direction determines whether the operations are scheduled from the start date or the finish date of the order. If the planning direction is forward, the operations are scheduled from the start date of the order1.

If you want to insert an operation at a certain time on a work center in the graphical planning table, and the planning direction is forward, and the desired dispatching time coincides with an operation that has previously been dispatched, the insertion takes place as follows:

• The new operation is inserted at the desired time; the previously dispatched operation is moved backward (B): This is the correct answer. The system inserts the new operation at the specified time and shifts the previously dispatched operation to a later time, so that the sequence and the capacity requirements of the operations are maintained. The system also adjusts the start and finish dates of the order and the subsequent operations accordingly2.

The other options are not correct for the following reasons:

• The new operation is inserted at the desired time; the previous dispatched operation is moved forward (A): This is not correct. The system does not move the previously dispatched operation to an earlier time, as this would violate the planning direction and the capacity constraints of the work center. The system only moves the previously dispatched operation to a later time, as explained in option B.
• The previously dispatched operation stays as is; the new operation is inserted after the dispatched operation ©: This is not correct. The system does not insert the new operation after the previously dispatched operation, as this would not match the desired dispatching time specified by the user. The system inserts the new operation at the desired time and moves the previously dispatched operation backward, as explained in option B.
• The previously dispatched operation stays as is; the new operation is inserted before the dispatched operation (D): This is not correct. The system does not insert the new operation before the previously dispatched operation, as this would violate the planning direction and the capacity constraints of the work center. The system inserts the new operation at the desired time and moves the previously dispatched operation backward, as explained in option B.

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A reporting point confirmation is a function that allows you to backflush the material components and activities that have been consumed and performed at a specific operation in a repetitive manufacturing process. It also reduces the dependent requirements for the planned orders. You can use reporting point confirmation for the following purposes:

• To determine the work in progress (WIP) along the production line, by posting the quantity that is on the production line at each reporting point. This helps you to calculate the volume and value of unfinished products.
• To provide timely updates of inventory management for the staged components, by recording the withdrawal of components at a time that is close to the time of the operation in which they are used. This helps you to avoid discrepancies between the actual and planned consumption of materials. References: Reporting Point Confirmation, Repetitive Manufacturing Confirmation

 To identify all affected finished goods stocks that contain a deviated raw material batch, you can use the following tools:

• The Batch Information Cockpit (BIC) is a central tool that provides an overview of all relevant information and documents related to a batch. You can use the BIC to display the batch genealogy, which shows the hierarchical relationships between batches along the production and distribution process. You can also use the BIC to display the batch traceability, which shows the chronological sequence of events and transactions that affect a batch. The BIC allows you to analyze the batch history and the batch usage across different plants and systems.
• The batch where-used list is a tool that determines how a batch is created and used in Production Planning (PP) through various stages of production and displays the result in a list. You can use the batch where-used list to find out in which other batches a batch was used and from which other batches a batch was created. This is important in the case of complaints and questions about product safety if the composition of semi-finished and finished products has to be documented across all production levels.

Batch derivation and batch determination are not tools to identify affected finished goods stocks, but rather tools to assign batches to production orders or sales orders based on certain criteria. Batch derivation is a process of transferring characteristics or values from one batch to another, while batch determination is a process of finding suitable batches for a requirement based on predefined conditions. References: Batch Information Cockpit | SAP Help Portal, Batch Where-Used List | SAP Help Portal.

 A production version is a master data object that links a bill of material (BOM) and a routing or a production process model (PPM) for a material. A production version is required for creating a production order in SAP S/4HANA, as it determines the components, operations, and resources that are needed for producing the material. You can create a production version manually or automatically using the CS_BOM_PRODVER_MIGRATION02 report1.

If you are trying to create a production order and no valid production version can be selected, it could be because of the following reasons:

• No bills of material (BOMs) are assigned to the production versions (A): A BOM is a master data object that defines the components and the quantities that are required for producing a material. A production version must have a valid BOM assigned to it, otherwise it cannot be used for creating a production order. You can assign a BOM to a production version on the MRP 4 tab page of the material master2.
• The order lot size is not within the validity range of a production version ©: A production version has a validity range that defines the period and the lot size interval in which it can be used for production planning. The validity range is maintained on the MRP 4 tab page of the material master2. If the order lot size (the quantity of the material to be produced) is not within the lot size interval of any production version, then no valid production version can be selected for creating a production order.

The other options are not valid reasons for not being able to select a production version for creating a production order:

• All production versions for the material are locked (B): A production version can have a status that indicates whether it is active or locked. A locked production version cannot be used for production planning, but it can still be selected for creating a production order. However, the system will issue a warning message that the production version is locked and ask for confirmation before proceeding with the order creation3.
• No production lines are assigned to the production versions (D): A production line is an organizational unit that represents a group of resources that are used for producing a material. A production line can be assigned to a production version on the MRP 4 tab page of the material master2. However, this assignment is optional and not mandatory for creating a production order. A production line can be used for grouping production versions for reporting or analysis purposes, but it does not affect the selection of a production version for creating a production order4.

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A production planning run in Advanced Planning (PP/DS) is a process that optimizes the supply and demand situation for a set of materials and locations within a given planning horizon. The possible results of a production planning run are:

• Planned Order: A planned order is a proposal for internal production or external procurement of a material. A planned order can be converted into a production order or a purchase order, depending on the source of supply. A planned order can also be firmed, which means that it is not changed or deleted by subsequent planning runs.
• Production Order: A production order is a document that defines the operations, materials, resources, and costs required to produce a material. A production order is created from a planned order or directly by the user. A production order can be released, confirmed, and settled as part of the production process. References: [SAP S/4HANA Production Planning and Manufacturing Certification Guide], page 181; [SAP Help Portal: Production Planning Run].

Planning with final assembly (40) is a planning strategy that supports the consumption of planned independent requirements for the semi-finished material. This strategy is usedwhen the production of the finished product is triggered by the sales order, but the production of the semi-finished product is not. The semi-finished product is produced in advance based on the forecast and stored in stock. When the sales order is received, the planned independent requirements for the finished product are reduced by the sales order quantity, and the planned independent requirements for the semi-finished product are reduced by the corresponding component quantity. This way, the semi-finished product is consumed by the sales order and the production order for the finished product only requires the assembly of the components. This strategy allows for a shorter lead time and a higher flexibility for the finished product, while reducing the risk of excess stock for the semi-finished product. References: Planning with Final Assembly | SAP Help Portal, Planning Strategies | SAP Help Portal, SAP S/4HANA Production Planning and Manufacturing Certification Guide, page 53-54

The system checks the master data selection settings during the creation of planned orders and production orders in the following places:

• In the bill of material (BOM), the system checks the selection ID, which determines which alternative BOM is selected for the material. The selection ID can be maintained in the material master or in the production version.
• In the routing, the system checks the selection ID, which determines which alternative routing is selected for the material. The selection ID can be maintained in the material master or in the production version.
• In the production version, the system checks the validity period, the lot size, and the selection profile, which determine whether the production version is valid and applicable for the material. The production version combines the BOM and the routing for a material and can be maintained in the material master or in the production version master data. References: SAP S/4HANA Manufacturing for Planning & Scheduling - Implementation Guide, page 16; [SAP S/4HANA Production Planning and Manufacturing Certification Guide], page 75.

A routing operation is a step in the production process that defines the work center, the duration, and the sequence of the operation. A routing operation consists of several time elements that are used to calculate the operation start and finish dates, as well as the capacity requirements. The time elements that are part of a routing operation are:

• Move time: The time required to move the material from one work center to another, or from the storage location to the work center.
• Setup time: The time required to prepare the work center for the operation, such as changing tools, adjusting machines, or cleaning the work area.
• Processing time: The time required to perform the operation, such as machining, assembling, or testing the product.
• Teardown time: The time required to restore the work center to its original state after the operation, such as removing tools, resetting machines, or disposing of waste.
• Queue time: The time that the material waits at the work center before the operation starts, due to the work center being occupied by another operation or having a fixed start date.

The pick/pack time and the float before production are not part of a routing operation. The pick/pack time is the time required to pick the material from the storage location and pack it for delivery, which is usually part of the outbound logistics process. The float before production is the time buffer before the scheduled start date of the production order, which can be used to compensate for delays or changes in the production plan.

References: [Production Planning with SAP S/4HANA], pages 177-179; [SAP Help Portal: Routing Operation].

You can set up the supply source for the Kanban process in SAP S/4HANA by using different replenishment strategies, depending on whether the material is procured internally or externally. For internal procurement, you can use run schedule quantities, which are calculated based on the Kanban quantity and the number of Kanbans. For external procurement, you can use purchase orders, which are created automatically when a Kanban status changes to EMPTY. For stock transfer, you can use stock transfer reservations, which are also created automatically when a Kanban status changes to EMPTY and trigger a goods movement from the supplying plant to the receiving plant. References: Replenishment Strategies, Stock Transfer with Kanban, External Procurement with Kanban

The planning strategy Finite Scheduling with Reverse allows you to schedule production orders backwards from the requested delivery date, taking into account the available capacity and material constraints. To allow scheduling the past, you need to specify a negative offset time in the strategy profile. The offset time defines how far in the past the system can schedule the production order start date. For example, if you specify an offset time of -5 days, the system can schedule the production order start date up to 5 days before the current date. This can help you to avoid late deliveries and reduce lead times.

References: [SAP S/4HANA Production Planning and Manufacturing Certification Guide], page 97; [SAP Help Portal: Finite Scheduling with Reverse]

The control cycle is the master data object that governs the relationship between supply source and demand source in the Kanban process. The control cycle defines the following data for Kanban production:

• The number of Kanban containers and the quantity per container or per call item
• The basic data required for automatic Kanban calculation, if necessary
• The replenishment strategy, which determines how the supply source replenishes the demand source, such as in-house production, external procurement, stock transfer, or assembly
• The print control, which determines how the Kanban cards are printed, if necessary
• The delivery address, which determines where the Kanban containers are delivered, if necessary
• The process control, which determines the status sequence, the goods movement, the packing instruction, and the production call profile, if necessary1

The control cycle is created and maintained using the app Manage Kanban Control Cycles or the transaction PKMC. The control cycle is assigned to a material and a plant, and can be split into different segments for different supply sources or demand sources2.

The other options are not correct for the following reasons:

• Replenishment strategy (A): This is not a master data object, but a field in the control cycle that specifies the type of replenishment for the Kanban process. The replenishment strategy can be in-house production, external procurement, stock transfer, or assembly1.
• Production supply area (B): This is a master data object that represents a physical or logical area where materials are supplied for production. A production supply area can be assigned to a material, a work center, or a production line. A production supply area is not directly related to the Kanban process, but it can be used to group materials or work centers for planning or reporting purposes3.
• Rate routing (D): This is a master data object that defines the sequence of operations and the work centers for producing a material in repetitive manufacturing. A rate routing canbe assigned to a material and a production version. A rate routing is not directly related to the Kanban process, but it can be used to calculate the production rate and the lead time for in-house production.

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 If the operation of a production order is dispatched, the DSPT Dispatched status is set for the operation. This means that the operation has been assigned to a resource and scheduled with a start and end date and time. The options to reschedule the operation are as follows:

• You can reschedule the operation using finite scheduling in a planning table. Finite scheduling considers the capacity availability of the resources and the dependencies between the operations. You can use the planning table to manually drag and drop the operation to a different time slot or resource, or use the automatic dispatching function to optimize the scheduling of the operation. Finite scheduling updates the DSPT status and the dates and times of the operation.
• You can reschedule the operation in the Manage Production Operations app. This app allows you to view and edit the production orders and operations in SAP S/4HANA. You can change the start and end date and time of the operation, as well as the resource, in the app. However, the app does not check the capacity availability of the resources or the dependencies between the operations. Therefore, you need to ensure that the changes are feasible and consistent. The app updates the DSPT status and the dates and times of the operation. References: Identifying the Basic Principles and Tools of Capacity Planning; SAP Help Portal

The Advanced Planning flag is a field that indicates whether a data object is relevant for planning with Production Planning and Detailed Scheduling (PP/DS) in SAP S/4HANA. PP/DS is a component of Advanced Planning that provides more precise and flexible planning capabilities for critical products and resources. You can set the Advanced Planning flag for the following data objects:

• Work Center: This is a master data object that represents a location where operations are performed. A work center can have different capacities, such as machine, labor, or power, that are used for scheduling and capacity planning. You can set the Advanced Planning flag for a work center to enable it for PP/DS planning. This means that the work center can be used as a resource in PP/DS and its capacity can be optimized by PP/DS heuristics or optimization tools.
• Material: This is a master data object that represents a product or a component that is produced, procured, or consumed in a business process. A material can have different views, such as basic data, MRP, sales, or production, that contain different attributes and parameters for planning and execution. You can set the Advanced Planning flag for a material to enable it for PP/DS planning. This means that the material can be planned with exact times and quantities in PP/DS and its availability can be checked by PP/DS pegging.

The production version (B) and the plant (D) are not data objects that can have the Advanced Planning flag. The production version is a master data object that defines the combination of a bill of material (BOM) and a routing or a production process model (PPM) for a material. The production version does not have a separate flag for PP/DS, but it inherits the flag from the material and the work center. The plant is an organizational unit that represents a physical location where materials are produced or stored. The plant does not have a flag for PP/DS, but it is assigned to a location in PP/DS that represents the geographical or logical grouping of plants for planning purposes. References:

 The time element of midpoint scheduled operations that can be reduced by reduction strategy settings while dispatching are teardown time and setup time. Teardown time is the time required to dismantle the production equipment after the operation is completed. Setup time is the time required to prepare the production equipment before the operation is started. Both teardown time and setup time can be influenced by the reduction strategy settings, which define the percentage of reduction and the minimum duration for each time element. The reduction strategy settings can be maintained in the work center or the routing. The system applies the reduction strategy settings when dispatching the operations to the resources in the planning board or the product view. References: SAP S/4HANA Manufacturing for Planning & Scheduling - Implementation Guide, page 32; [SAP S/4HANA Production Planning and Manufacturing Certification Guide], page 81.

The Find Slot scheduling strategy allows you to schedule an operation finitely, without removing other operations. It searches for a free slot in the resource’s capacity that can accommodate the operation’s duration and constraints. If no suitable slot is found, the operation is scheduled at the end of the resource’s capacity. This strategy is useful for inserting urgent orders or operations into an existing schedule without disrupting it too much12 References:

• SAP S/4HANA Manufacturing for planning and scheduling - SAP Community
• SAP S/4HANA Manufacturing for Planning & Scheduling - Implementation Guide

The difference between order-related and product-related COC is mainly in the level of cost object that is used to collect and analyze the costs of production. In order-related COC, each production order is a cost object that carries its own plan, target, and actual costs. In product-related COC, a product cost collector is a cost object that aggregates the costs of multiple production orders for the same product or product variant. The advantages and disadvantages of each approach depend on the production scenario and the reporting requirements. Some of the factors to consider are:

• In product-related COC, all costs are debited and credited to a product cost collector. This means that the production orders linked to the product cost collector do not have any cost segments and do not show any variances. The product cost collector is used for variance calculation and settlement. This simplifies the cost accounting process and reduces the number of cost objects to be managed. However, this also means that the cost details of individual production orders are not available for analysis. Product-related COC is suitable for mass production of standard products with low variance and high volume12.
• Order-related COC is beneficial in a flexible production environment where each production order has different characteristics, such as lot size, routing, material components, or quality specifications. Order-related COC allows for a detailed analysis of the cost and performance of each production order and enables a more accurate allocation of overhead costs. However, order-related COC also requires more effort and resources to maintain and process the cost segments and variances of each production order. Order-related COC is suitable for make-to-order or engineer-to-order scenarios where each production order is unique and customized12.
• Product-related COC is used in manufacturing for co-products, which are products that are produced simultaneously from the same production process and have a relatively high sales value. Co-products share the joint costs of the production process based on a predefined apportionment structure. Product-related COC allows for a consistent and transparent allocation of the joint costs to the co-products and avoids the problem of negative variances that may occur in order-related COC. Product-related COC is suitable for process industries where co-products are common, such as chemical, pharmaceutical, or food industries34.

References:

• 1: SAP Help Portal: Production Orders in Cost Object Controlling
• 2: SAP S/4HANA Production Planning and Manufacturing Certification Guide, Chapter 6: Product Cost by Order
• 3: SAP Help Portal: Product Cost by Period
• 4: SAP S/4HANA Production Planning and Manufacturing Certification Guide, Chapter 7: Product Cost by Period

A production version is a combination of a BOM and a routing that defines how a material is produced. For a production version to be valid and consistent, the following requirements must be fulfilled:

• The deletion flag must NOT be set for the BOM or the routing. The deletion flag indicates that the BOM or the routing is no longer used and should be archived. If the deletion flag is set, the production version cannot be used for production planning or execution.
• The lot size range must be within the lot size range of the assigned routing. The lot size range specifies the minimum and maximum order quantity for which the production version is valid. The lot size range of the production version must match or be smaller than the lot size range of the routing, otherwise the system will not find a suitable routing for the production order.
• The assigned routing and BOM must be valid in the entire validity period. The validity period defines the time frame for which the production version is valid. The validity period of the production version must be within or equal to the validity periods of the routing and the BOM, otherwise the system will not find a consistent BOM and routing combination for the production order. References: [SAP S/4HANA Production Planning and Manufacturing Certification Guide], page 113; [SAP Help Portal: Production Version].

• One-off events: These are special events that affect the demand for a product, such as promotions, holidays, or product launches. You can use the one-off events function in SAP S/4HANA to create and maintain events and assign them to products. The system considers the events when generating the forecast and adjusts the demand accordingly.
• Past sales order quantities: These are the historical data of the actual sales orders for a product. You can use the past sales order quantities as the basis for forecasting the future demand. The system applies statistical methods and algorithms to analyze the past sales order quantities and identify the trends, patterns, and seasonality of the demand.
• Market intelligence: This is the external information that influences the demand for a product, such as market research, competitor analysis, or customer feedback. You can use the market intelligence function in SAP S/4HANA to import and integrate market data from various sources into the forecast. The system adjusts the demand based on the market intelligence data and the weighting factors that you define. References: Exploring the Steps of Supply Chain Planning; SAP S/4HANA Production Planning and Manufacturing II, Unit 2: Demand Management; [SAP S/4HANA Production Planning and Manufacturing Certification Guide], page 76.

Forecasting is the process of predicting future demand for products or services based on historical data, market trends, and other factors. Forecasting is an essential component of supply chain planning, which aims to optimize the flow of materials, information, andmoney across the supply chain network. SAP offers various applications that can be used for forecasting in supply chain planning, such as:

• Integration Business Planning (IBP): IBP is a cloud-based solution that provides end-to-end visibility and integration of planning processes across different business functions, such as sales, finance, operations, and logistics. IBP enables collaborative and real-time forecasting, scenario analysis, and decision making based on advanced analytics and machine learning. IBP supports various forecasting methods, such as statistical, causal, and demand sensing, and allows users to adjust and refine forecasts based on changing market conditions and business priorities12.
• Supply Chain Management (SCM): SCM is an on-premise solution that covers the entire supply chain process, from demand planning to delivery and invoicing. SCM includes various modules, such as Advanced Planning and Optimization (APO), Extended Warehouse Management (EWM), and Transportation Management ™, that enable efficient and flexible planning and execution of supply chain activities. SCM supports various forecasting techniques, such as exponential smoothing, trend analysis, and seasonal adjustment, and allows users to monitor and control forecast accuracy and performance34.

The other two options are not SAP applications, but rather concepts or processes related to supply chain planning:

• Capacity Requirement Planning (CRP): CRP is the process of determining the available and required capacity of resources, such as machines, labor, and materials, to meet the production plan. CRP helps to identify and resolve capacity bottlenecks, optimize resource utilization, and balance supply and demand. CRP can be performed using various SAP applications, such as MRP, Production Planning and Detailed Scheduling (PP/DS), or IBP5 .
• Material Requirement Planning (MRP): MRP is the process of calculating the quantity and timing of materials needed to fulfill the production plan. MRP helps to optimize inventory levels, reduce costs, and improve customer service. MRP can be performed using various SAP applications, such as ERP, SCM, or IBP . References: SAP Integrated Business Planning | SAP, Forecasting | SAP Help Portal, SAP Supply Chain Management | SAP, Forecasting | SAP Help Portal, Capacity Requirements Planning (PP-CRP) | SAP Help Portal, [Capacity Planning | SAP Help Portal], [Material Requirements Planning (PP-MRP) | SAP Help Portal], [Material Requirements Planning | SAP Help Portal]

 To set up a make-to-order planning scenario for a finished material, you need to choose planning strategy 20 (Make-to-Order) and select the corresponding Individual/Collective indicator for the components in the bill of material. This way, you can control whether the components are procured individually or collectively for the sales orders. The following steps explain how to achieve this:

• In the material master record of the finished material, you need to select the MRP type PD (MRP) and the strategy group 20 (Make-to-Order) in the MRP 1 view. This means that the finished material is planned based on the sales order requirements and not on the forecast12.
• In the bill of material of the finished material, you need to select the Individual/Collective indicator for each component. This indicator determines whether the component is procured individually for each sales order or collectively for all independent requirements. For the component that should be procured for each sales order individually, you need to select the indicator 2 (Individual requirements only). For the component that should be procured jointly for all independent requirements, you need to select the indicator 1 (Collective requirements only)3 .
• When you create a sales order for the finished material, the system generates a sales order item and a planned independent requirement for the finished material. The planned independent requirement is used as a planning element in MRP and triggers the procurement of the components according to the Individual/Collective indicator. For the component with indicator 2, the system creates a dependent requirement that is linked to the sales order item. For the component with indicator 1, the system creates an independent requirement that is not linked to the sales order item .

References:

• 1: SAP Help Portal: Make-to-Order Production
• 2: SAP S/4HANA Production Planning and Manufacturing Certification Guide, Chapter 2: Demand Management
• 3: SAP Help Portal: Individual/Collective Requirements
• : SAP S/4HANA Production Planning and Manufacturing Certification Guide, Chapter 3: Material Requirements Planning
• : SAP Help Portal: Requirements Planning
• : SAP S/4HANA Production Planning and Manufacturing Certification Guide, Chapter 4: Advanced Planning

Pegging is a term used in Advanced Planning to describe the relationship between the receipt and the issue elements of a product within a location. Receipt elements are planning elements that increase the stock of a product, such as production orders, purchase orders, or stock transfers. Issue elements are planning elements that reduce thestock of a product, such as sales orders, planned independent requirements, or reservations. Pegging links the receipt and issue elements according to the bill-of-material structure of all related products and represents the material flow through all levels of production. Pegging enables the system to identify and display quantity and date/time problems, such as shortages or delays, and to forward scheduling changes to other dependent elements. Pegging also forms the basis for the availability check and the capacity check in Advanced Planning12.

References:

• 1: SAP Help Portal: Pegging
• 2: SAP S/4HANA Production Planning and Manufacturing Certification Guide, Chapter 4: Advanced Planning

 Multiple commitments occur when several operations are scheduled to start or finish at the same time on a work center. This can happen for different reasons, depending on the settings of the strategy profile and the work center. Two possible reasons are:

• The Finite Scheduling indicator is NOT set in the strategy profile. This means that the system does not consider the capacity availability of the work center when scheduling the operations. The system only checks the basic dates and the relationships between the operations. Therefore, the system can schedule multiple operations at the same time on the same work center, resulting in multiple commitments.
• The work center has several individual capacities. This means that the work center can perform several operations simultaneously, depending on the number and type of individual capacities. The system assigns the operations to the individual capacities based on the capacity category and the priority. However, if the individual capacities have the same capacity category and priority, the system can assign multiple operations to the same individual capacity, resulting in multiple commitments.

References: Scheduling | SAP Help Portal, Strategy Profile | SAP Help Portal, Individual Capacities | SAP Help Portal.

Phantom assemblies are assemblies that have their own product structure, but whose assembly does not actually physically exist. The components of the phantom assembly are incorporated directly in the superordinate product. The product structure of the superordinate product contains a reference to the phantom assembly. You can use phantom assemblies for the following purposes:

• To simplify the structure of bills of material: Phantom assemblies allow you to group components that belong together logically or functionally, without creating an additional level in the product structure. This can make the product structure easier to maintain and understand.
• To reduce the number of material masters: Phantom assemblies do not require a material master record in SAP S/4HANA, as they are not physically produced or stored. This can save storage space and reduce the effort of creating and updating material masters.
• To reduce the number of changes required in bills of material: Phantom assemblies can be used to represent common subassemblies that are used in multiple products. This way, you only need to maintain the product structure of the phantom assembly once, and any changes will be reflected in all the products that reference it.

Phantom assemblies do not increase the number of planning levels, as they are not considered as separate planning objects. They also do not make the assignment of components easier, as the components are assigned to the superordinate product, not to the phantom assembly. References: Phantom Assembly | SAP Help Portal, Phantom Assembly | SAP Help Portal, Planning Phantom Assemblies | SAP Help Portal.

Alternative item strategies are used to define how the system selects the alternative items in a BOM during the planning run or the order creation. The following alternative item strategies are available in SAP S/4HANA:

• Manual maintenance: The system does not select any alternative item automatically. You have to manually select the alternative item in the BOM or the order. This strategy is useful when you want to have full control over the alternative item selection and when the selection depends on factors that are not known to the system1
• 100% check: The system checks the availability of all alternative items and selects the one with the highest priority and sufficient stock. If none of the alternative items has enough stock, the system selects the one with the highest priority and the smallest shortage quantity. This strategy is useful when you want to optimize the material availability and reduce the procurement costs2
• First in First out (FIFO): The system selects the alternative item with the highest priority and the earliest availability date. If several alternative items have the same availability date, the system selects the one with the highest priority. This strategy is useful when you want to use the oldest stock first and avoid obsolescence3
• Simultaneous: The system selects all alternative items simultaneously and distributes the requirement quantity among them according to the usage probability. The usage probability is a percentage value that indicates how often an alternative item is used. This strategy is useful when you want to balance the demand and supply of multiple alternative items and when the usage probability is known.

References:

• Alternative Item Group - SAP Help Portal
• Alternative Item Group - SAP Help Portal
• Alternative Item Group - SAP Help Portal
• [Alternative Item Group - SAP Help Portal]