Executive Summary Understanding the IBM systems implementation approach, and why is it so simpatico to how many IT departments like to behave? Does IBM’s approach lead to good outcomes, and why is the approach elitist? Introduction I observe this perspective quite commonly in IT departments that they have become so tired of the business that…
Executive Summary Surprisingly, SAP SNP calculates safety stock differently than SAP ERP. Most companies use the days of supply setting for safety stock. We cover the SM safety stock method and cost optimizer. Introduction to Safety Stock in SAP In this article, we will cover the safety stock method in SAP. The safety stock method…
Executive Summary Safety stock calculated can be performed in several ways in SAP SNP. We cover how safety stock methods compare in SNP versus SAP ERP and the common limitations of SAP’s safety stock. Introduction (Skip if You Watched the Video) The safety stock method is one of the essential functionalities of SNP. SNP’s safety…
Executive Summary The History of BI/BW on Projects. How is BI/BW like a Roach Motel? Introduction For those who don’t know much about the SAP Business Intelligence product (as opposed to simply the term “business intelligence,” which could refer to any “computer-based technique for identifying, extracting, and analyzing business data” – Wikipedia), BI seems to…
Executive Summary The common problems with technical documentation on IT projects. How consulting companies overcharge for inferior quality report specifications. Why are low quality report specifications such a common problem? Introduction It’s interesting to listen to people talk about data warehousing and business intelligence, and how much focus there is on technology. I am curious,…
Executive Summary Extracting data with Se19N Introduction Being a functional consultant, I have always tended to go through GUI transactions to get data in addition to SPRO. I have always been impressed with those who could navigate the SAP tables and understand their relationships with one another. I have begun to use other applications by…
Executive Summary The SAP forecast consumption settings include backward and forecast consumption. Forecast consumption is used to smooth out the peaks. The timing of sales orders and the effect of the backward consumption setting. The most common scenario of sales orders exceeding the forecast. There is a relationship between when sales orders are received and…
Executive Summary We cover the major components of the Planning Book with our mockup. We cover row selection, SAP Macros, demand Key Figures, forecast Key Figures, supply Key Figures, stock Key Figures, and the APO Macro Builder. Introduction: A (Relatively)Comprehensive Run-through of the Planning Book This article is designed to clarify how to interpret the…
Executive Summary SAP APO is supposedly set up for exception based planning, for which APO alerts are a major part of this process. Implementation experience shows that APO alerts are used very differently than proposed by SAP. We cover examples of the APO alert screens. Introduction to APO Alerts On every APO implementation, APO alerts…
Executive Summary What is MAPILab? How Does It Assist in Searching Through Large Excel documents? Why are Spreadsheets so Important for Sharing Master Data Parameters in Supply Chain Planning Systems? How is MAPILab used to Improve the searchability of spreadsheets? Introduction Spreadsheets are very handy for keeping all of the parameter data of an application….