This segment from our 502 page SAP Purchasing manual is being made

available as a sample of our training manuals. Please contact

David.Haynes@ERPtips.com if you have any SAP training needs, or visit
www.ERPtips.com for more information.

Written by Jocelyn Hayes

Published by Klee Associates, Inc.
Copyright Klee Associates, Inc., 2009

Release Procedure
In this unit, we cover these aspects of the Release Procedure:

 Release Procedure without Classification

 Release Procedure with Classification
 Demonstration
 Exercise

The following four steps lead you through the setup and implementation of the
Release procedure. Each step offers ERPtips that guide you through the
potential minefield of “gotchas.”

Step 1: Determine the Corporate Purchasing Approval

Matrix

Determining the Corporate Purchasing Approval Matrix is a difficult step in any

organization because many departments believe their approval process must be
unique and is different.

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ERPtip: Keep it Simple

ERPtip

Encourage purchasing policy makers to keep it simple.

The goal here is to make it easier for people who enter purchasing requisitions to
know who must approve the requisition, not to make the implementer’s job
easier. So many times I have agreed to implement a complex release strategy,
only to go back later and simplify. Why? Because the user community
complained that it was too difficult to know who was delaying requisitions from
becoming purchase orders.

Most companies I've seen base purchasing approvals on cost centers. I have
implemented purchasing groups to be synonymous with cost centers. This
means cost center is not required on the purchase requisition.

ERPtip: Use a General Ledger Account Number

ERPtip

If you require the cost center on the requisition, you do not have to require
the general ledger (G/L) account number; but you should, because most users
do not know how to select the correct G/L account.

If you do not require the G/L account on the purchase requisition, it is not
required on the purchase order (without a custom developed user/field exit).

If your purchasing agent forgets to add the G/L account, the receiving
department gets an error when it tries to receive because SAP does not know
how to post the material document.

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Approval Matrix Example

The table below illustrates the example presented here. The release strategy has
two key values that are used to determine the level of approval and who
approves the requisition.

 Purchasing group
 Overall value of purchase requisition

Department Position Approval Limits

901 – Operations Manager Up to $10K
901 – Operations Director Up to $50K
901 – Operations Vice President Up to $100K
901 – Operations Chief Financial Officer Everything over $100K
902 – Finance Manager Up to $5K
902 – Finance Controller Up to $200K
902 – Finance Chief Financial Officer Everything over $200K

The Release procedure example presented in this manual is for an Overall

Release procedure, which means that the person approving the requisition
approves the entire requisition, not each line. This simplifies the action required
by the approver, who has only to approve once; however, this does restrict you
from allowing your users to combine purchase requisitions across departments.

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Step 2: Configuration

These 6 tasks are performed in configuring a release procedure:

1. Create characteristics
2. Create class (assigning characteristics to class)
3. Create release groups
4. Create release codes
5. Create release indicator
6. Create release strategies
7. Workflow: Assign release codes to a release point

The following sections guide you through each of these tasks.

Create Characteristics

In Step 1: Determine the Corporate Purchasing Approval Matrix, you could have
developed your approval matrix in Excel or on a napkin. Now you need to
translate that release strategy. Ask, “What parameters determine who
approves?”

In the approval matrix table scenario, the parameters that determine the approval
person are:

 Department requesting the purchase

 Overall amount of the purchase.

These two parameters equate to characteristics that must be represented by

values entered in the purchasing document. In this scenario, the characteristics
are:

 Purchasing group (representing the department)

 Overall value of requisition

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The following numbered tasks guide you through everything necessary to

configure your release procedure.

1. To determine what parameters are available as characteristics, run

transaction SE11 and view table CEBAN. This table stores the fields that are
available in the release strategy determination. The Characteristics screen
shows where to correlate the characteristic from the CEBAN table to the field
used for determination.

ERPtip: User Exits for Custom Release Strategy Fields

ERPtip

If the field you want to use for the release strategy does not exist in the
CEBAN communication structure (a custom field, for example), you can use the
following user exits:

 M06B0003 – For item-wise release

 M06B0005 – For overall release

2. Navigate to the IMG and follow the menu path: Materials Management 
Purchasing  Purchase Requisition  Release Procedure  Procedure
with Classification  Edit Characteristics

Or Transaction Code: CT04.

3. Enter a name for the first characteristic in the Characteristic field and click

the Create icon:

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4. Review the field definitions in the table below and enter the appropriate
information on the Basic Data tab as shown:

Field Value
Description Purchase Requisition Value
Data Type CURR
Number of Chars 15
Currency USD
Template (click enter and it will default)
Value assignment Select Single-value and Interval vals
allowed

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5. Click on the Addnl data tab and complete the following:

Field Value
Table Name CEBAN
Field Name GFWRT

The Reference to Table field is what links the fields on the Purchase
Requisition to the characteristic value. This is the information you gathered
when reviewing table CEBAN in transaction SE16 which is the Data Browser
for SAP Tables.

ERPtip: Deselect the Not Ready for Input Box

ERPtip

If you are working in a release Pre-ECC, notice that the box Not Ready
for Input is checked in the Procedure for Value Assignment area. (I cannot
tell you how many times this has stung me!) Make sure you deselect it.
Otherwise, it stops assignment of a value to your characteristic causing your
release strategy to fail!

Having the Not Ready for Input box checked does serve a purpose – when the
value is inferred by object dependencies, which is only applicable in the Sales
and Distribution module when characteristics are used in Variant Configuration
for configurable make-to-order materials.

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Once you complete the Reference to Table Field entries, SAP imports the
characteristic formats from the data dictionary (the SAP table/field definition).
Click on the Basic Data tab to see the data format and value assignment pulled
from the data dictionary field definitions.

ERPtip: One Release Strategy for Multiple Departments

ERPtip

SAP carries over default values from the field definition in the CEBAN
table to the value assignment portion (shown on the Basic Data tab). Pay close
attention to whether SAP allows intervals (needed for a range of values, like
value of requisition) and whether it allows multiple values (needed if you plan to
use one release strategy for multiple departments or purchasing groups). Using
one release strategy for multiple departments has many advantages, including
easier configuration and security role setup.

6. Click to save the characteristic.

Repeat the same steps for all characteristics that you need to maintain for
your release strategy. In this example, we repeated steps 1 through 6 to
create characteristic PURCHASING_GROUP with Table Name CEBAN and
Field Name EKGRP.

Create Class

Now that you have created your characteristics, you must assign them to a class.
To create the class, do the following tasks:

1. Navigate to the IMG and follow the menu path: Materials Management 
Purchasing  Purchase Requisition  Release Procedure  Procedure
with Classification  Edit Classes

Or Transaction Code: CL02.

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2. Enter the following data on the Class screen and click the Create icon.

Field Value
Class purchase_release
Class type 032 – This is the class type for release
strategies.

3. Enter this data on the Basic Data tab:

Field Value
Description Purchase Requisition Release Strategy
Status 1 Released

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4. Click on the Char. (Characteristics) tab and enter the following.

Field Value
Char. Enter the characteristics you have defined to be used for
your release strategy.

5. Click to save the class with the characteristic assignments.

Create Release Group

In this step, you create a release group. A release group has the same release
levels and strategy. The scenario illustrated in the table below needs two release
groups because the approval interval values are different between the two
departments. If there were a third department with the same approval interval
values, it could share a release group and the release strategy would be for more
than one department (or in this example, purchasing group).

Department Position Approval Limits

901 – Operations Manager Up to $10K
901 – Operations Director Up to $50K
901 – Operations Vice President Up to $100K
901 – Operations Chief Financial Officer Everything over $100K
902 – Finance Manager Up to $5K
902 – Finance Controller Up to $200K
902 – Finance Chief Financial Officer Everything over $200K

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1. Navigate to the IMG and follow the menu path: Materials Management 
Purchasing  Purchase Requisition  Release Procedure  Procedure
with Classification  Set up Procedure with Classification.

2. On the Choose Activity pop-up window, double click on Release Groups:

3. Click on .

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4. Enter the following data:

Field Value
Rel.Grp You can have multiple release groups utilizing the same
class. Each release group can have different release
strategies assigned to it.
Here, we entered G1 and G2 since we will have two
release groups in our Release Strategy.
Rel.Obj. 1
OvRelPReq Check the OvRelPReq (Overall Release of Purchase
Requisitions) box
Class Enter PURCHASE_RELEASE. This is the name of the
class you created in the previous step.
Description You can use a generic description or a specific
description here. In this example, I made a specific
description of the department to which the Release
Group applies – but release groups can be shared
across departments.

5. Click to save the release groups.

ERPtip: One Class per Release Type

ERPtip

You can only have a single class per release type. Release type is
defined as overall release or item-wise release. This can be quite limiting if
you have a complex approval structure. You can have characteristics that are
assigned to the class but not utilized in the release strategy.

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Create Release Codes

A release code is an identifier that is associated with the person responsible for
approving the purchase requisition.

1. Navigate the IMG and follow the menu path: Materials Management 
Purchasing  Purchase Requisition  Release Procedure  Procedure
with Classification  Set up Procedure with Classification.

2. On the Choose Activity pop-up window, double click on Release Groups.

3. Click on .

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4. Enter data from the table that follows this screenshot:

Field Value
Grp This is the release group(s) created in the previous step.
Code This is the release code, which represents the level of
approval.
Workflow See ERPtip 7 below.
Description Describe the level of the approver. You can make this
description generic if the release strategy will be used
across multiple departments.

ERPtip: Generating Workflow Information for the Approver

ERPtip 7

You can utilize a customer user exit for purchase requisitions, M06B0001,
to define the workflow and generate notification and work list objects for the
person responsible for the approval.

5. Click to save the release codes.

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Create Release Indicators

A release indicator shows the release status of a purchase requisition. In the

standard system, a purchase requisition release status is either Blocked or
RFQ/Purchase Order. The RFQ/Purchase Order status indicates that the
purchase requisition was fully released and now can be converted into an RFQ
or purchase order. You can use the standard release indicators provided in your
release strategy or perform the following to maintain the release indicators.

1. Navigate to the IMG and follow the menu path: Materials Management 
Purchasing  Purchase Requisition  Release Procedure  Procedure
with Classification  Set up Procedure with Classification.

2. On the Choose Activity pop-up window, double click on Release indicator:

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3. Select Release ID S, and click the Display icon.

4. Review the settings.

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Field Value
Field Selection Key In the standard system, SAP will not allow changes
to the quantity, unit of measure, or price when an
approver is executing the release transaction. If
you require that other fields, such as delivery date,
plant, etc., not be modified via the release
transaction, follow ERPtip 8.
Changeabil. It is possible to configure the release not to be
restarted if the amounts have only changed a
specified percentage. Option 4 allows the user to
change the purchase requisition and requires any
existing approvals to be re-approved only if the
value change (maintained in the next field)
exceeds a specified percentage change.

Value Change The acceptable percentage change to not require

re-release of the purchase requisition.

ERPtip: Allow Changes after Release / Do Not Trigger New Release

ERPtip

If you want to allow changes to certain fields during or after a release, you
can modify the field selection key. To modify the Field Selection Key, follow the
menu path in the IMG: Materials Management  Purchasing  Purchase
Requisition  Define Screen Layout at Document level.

The standard field selection key is FZ01. You can copy it and maintain your
changes. Once you create a custom field selection key, you should also create a
custom release indicator by maintaining a new entry in the Create Release
Indicators screen.

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Create Release Strategies

A Release Strategy is a combination of the Release Group and Release Code.

The release group combines the release codes (think of them as release levels);
each combination is then assigned a release strategy.

For each release code (or level), you define the prerequisites required to get to
that release level, which includes the release status and the characteristic values
that place the release into that release level.

1. To configure the Release Strategy, Navigate to the IMG and follow the menu
path: Materials Management  Purchasing  Purchase Requisition 
Release Procedure  Procedure with Classification  Set up Procedure
with Classification.

2. On the Choose Activity pop-up window, double click on Release Strategies.

3. Click .

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4. Enter data from the table that follows this screen:

Field Value
Release Group Enter the identifier for the release group you
configured in the Create Release Group section of
this unit.
Release Strategy Enter a 2-digit code for your release strategy.
Release codes List all the releases required for this level of
release.

5. Click on . This level only has one release

code, so the screen will look like this:

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6. Click . When you have more than one Release Code, consider the
following note.

I have never experienced a business rule that allowed a higher level

approver to approve a purchase requisition before or simultaneously with
a lower level approver. In other words, I have not had a client that
wanted the purchase requisition release to go to the approval queue of a
director at the same time as the same approval request went to the
manager.

A director usually wants the manager to approve the expense before

having to approve it. Completing the Release Prerequisites screen is
easy even though it is confusing at first – I just check the boxes in the
lower left corner to note the prerequisite approvals, as shown below:

7. Click on .

Review the release statuses. If you configured a new status, change it here
and click .

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8. Click . On the classification screen, you assign the

values or ranges of values to the release strategy.

ERPtip: Entering Correct Characteristics Value Assignments

ERPtip

Be sure you entered the correct characteristics value assignments. You

must allow an interval value for the Total value of requisition amount to enter a
range in the characteristic value assignment.

9. Click to advance back to the Added Entries screen.

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10. Click on .

There is nothing really to simulate here since there is only one level. The
following screen shot shows a release strategy with 3 levels.

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Clicking here returns the following screen:

Clicking on the first release code and then changes the

release options for codes R1 and R2.

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Clicking the button on the final release code (R4 here) returns
this simulation screen:

11. Complete tasks 3 through 10 for each release strategy.

12. Click to save the release strategy.

Workflow: Assign Release Codes to Release Point

Workflow is another component of SAP that allows you to assign tasks to users.
Those tasks appear in the user's workflow inbox and are executable items. A
standard workflow exists in SAP to put a work item in the inbox to trigger the
approver to approve a purchase requisition.

Only perform this step if you wish to link this release procedure to
Workflow and you are not using customer exit M06B0001.

The task flow for creating a workflow is:

1. When you save the purchase requisition, SAP determines which type of
release is required for the document type. In this case, the document type is
NB and it is flagged in configuration for Overall release.

2. Next, SAP determines what class to use for this type of release.

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3. The characteristics assigned to the class are then associated to the values in
the purchase requisition.

4. With the data up to this point, SAP determines which release strategy to
invoke and then follows through with any workflow activities.

In the Release Codes section, you set the release code as relevant to Workflow.
You set 1 to use standard SAP Workflow and 9 to use the User Exit provided for
custom customer workflow.

Step 3: Security

Security can be the most time consuming activity in developing release

strategies, particularly if you have multiple characteristics defining your release
strategies along with multiple release levels. Here is where our recurring theme
“Keep it Simple” counts.

You may want the job security for your Basis Security Administrators, but you
also want the change process to be simple so you can react quickly when that all
too common company reorganization happens.

ERPtip: Sarbanes-Oxley (SOx) Compliance

ERPtip

For Sarbanes-Oxley (SOx) compliance, do not use the * function, which

gives access to all objects, to define the roles in security. Using * may give
approval authority to some folks who should not have it.

You should set up a role for each release group/release strategy combination.
For greater security, include the restriction for other values that you have
assigned as characteristics, such as purchasing group, when defining this role.

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Step 4: Transport Classes and Characteristics

This is the most overlooked step in the Release process. The transport you
created in Step 3 in your Gold SAP Configuration client does not include the
values you associated to the characteristics.

Transport classes are stored in characteristic value tables that must be moved
through your SAP environments via the Application Link Enabling (ALE) function.

ERPtip: Move your Characteristics and Classes after your

Configuration Transport

ERPtip

Remember to request your ALE with your transport.

Here is a sample spreadsheet of transaction codes, which you can provide to

your Basis team.

Object Transaction Check Message Notes

(Target) Type
(BD64)
Characteristics: BD91 CT04 CHRMAS Don’t worry
about IDOC
PURCHASING_GROUP
error message
PR_VALUE “Object S2L3
(T16FS) not
found.”
Class: BD92 CL03 CLSMAS
PR_RELEASE
Class Type:
032
Class: BD93 CL03 CLFMAS
PR_RELEASE
Class Type:
032

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 Release Procedure Exercise:

In this exercise, each student will create their own release strategy for their own
purchasing group. While the students complete the exercise, the instructor will
remove the purchasing group assignment from the existing release strategy
displayed in the demonstration.

The students will configure the following scenario for their respective purchasing
groups:

Department Approval Limits

902 – Finance Manager Up to $5K
902 – Finance Controller Up to $200K
902 – Finance Chief Financial Officer Everything over $200K

Complete the following steps:

1. Review the Characteristics

Execute the display characteristics transaction CT04 to display the

characteristics used for this release procedure.

 PURCHASING_GROUP
 PURCHASE_REQUISITION_VALUE

2. Review the Class

Execute the display class transaction CL03 to display the characteristics used for
this release procedure.

 PURCHASE_RELEASE
 Class: 032 Release Strategy

3. Set up Procedure with Classification

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Follow the menu path:

Materials Management  Purchasing  Purchase Requisition  Release
Procedure  Procedure with Classification  Set up Procedure with
Classification.

Complete each activity in the screen shot above and use the following table to
determine the values you should use with your purchasing group.

Release group

Field Value
Release Groups XX
Overall Release PReq <selected>
Class PURCHASE_RELEASE
Description <your initials>

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Release Code

Field Value
Release Group XX
Code R1
R2
R3
Description Manager, Director, CFO
Workflow 1

Release Indicator (no configuration here – just review the following)

Field Value
Release Indicator <Review Y and Z>

Release Strategies

Field Value
Release Group 99
Release Strategy L1 – Manager
L2 – Director
L3 – CFO
Release Codes R1 (for L1)
R1 and R2 (for L2)
R1, R2, and R3 (for L3)
Release Prerequisites <make lower levels required for approval
before higher levels can approve>
Release Status <Change unapproved status to Y and
approved status to Z>
Classification <For each release strategy, enter the value
based on chart provided>
Purchasing Group – 2XX
Account Assignment – leave blank

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Workflow

Field Value
Release Group 99
Release Code One entry for each:
R1, R2, and R3
OT US
Agent ID LEARNXX

4. Create a Purchase Requisition to test your release strategy

Field Value
Material <material from Unit 3>
Quantity 1
Plant XXXX
Purchasing Group 2XX

Write your purchase requisition number: __________________________

Review your release strategy on your PR. Write the release strategy assigned:
_________________

Review the Business Objects button. Did your workflow appear?

_______________

5. Using ME54N or ME55, release your purchase requisition.

This unit laid the groundwork and provided some good tips to SAP MM
Configurators to use in their journeys to developing a purchasing approval
solution. Purchase requisition release strategies rank high on my list of tricky
configuration challenges. (Others are condition techniques and account
assignments for Inventory Management).

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Used with permission.
Klee Associates, Inc.

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