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CRM on the Spot: Readers Ask Scott Cameron Their Toughest SAP CRM Questions

Editor's Note: SAP CRM Editor Scott Cameron has agreed to step up to the challenge of answering our readers' toughest SAP CRM questions on a semiregular basis. This edition's question comes from a major (Fortune 50) SAP customer who tries to stump Scott with a difficult question about CRM-APO compatibility. Dear Scott, We'll be implementing APO 3.0 GATP functionality and we are trying to understand what the potential implication is when (and if) we choose to implement SAP CRM. We use the standard GATP functions quite extensively; we use APO product allocation for some of our class A products; while, for the rest of our products, we basically use Rule Based ATP (RBA) to drive the decision for alternative product & location substitution and as to whether Capable To Promise (CTP) should be triggered. Do you know whether the RBA rules we defined (i.e., product & location substitution and the CTP) will be "respected" in SAP CRM? That is, if APO GATP decided on an alternative product & location, will that be passed successfully to SAP CRM (without user exits)? Will CRM be able to maintain the TAPA\TAN (i.e., original item and the substitute item) relationship? Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide. Sincerely, James

Dear James, Thanks for the question. In a nutshell, yes, SAP will respect the Global ATP rules you will set up within APO. To answer your question in more detail, I have also made the following assumptions: material for CRM will not be maintained within CRM, and you are implementing APO version 3.0 or greater. The functionality for ATP checking for CRM is controlled within APO, and is interfaced to CRM (via the APO and CRM plug-in), thus no user exits are needed (assuming you are using/implementing standard GATP rules). One tip to keep in mind: SAP assumes that all CRM products are APO relevant, but when you implement APO, you must activate from R/3 all products that are APO relevant. As for substitution, the following is how SAP will use rulesbased ATP for substitution. (An SAP user can use the rules-based ATP check to verify availability in several locations/plants, or find substitute products.) One can carry out a rules-based ATP check in the following ways: Check whether the product is available in the default location. If the product is available in the default location, in the requested quantity, and for the requested date, the rulesbased ATP check does not take place.
SAPtips 2003 Klee Associates, Inc.

ATP checking in CRM is controlled within APO, and is interfaced to CRM, thus no user exits are needed.

April 2003 Volume I Issue 2

If the product is not available, either in the default location, or in the requested quantity, or for the requested date, the rules-based ATP check takes place. This option allows for better system performance if the product is available, since under these circumstances the rules-based ATP check does not need to be carried out. Or, you can check immediately according to predefined rules, regardless of whether the product is available at the default location. Keep in mind that all rules in the above scenario are controlled via APO.
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Cameron Questions continued from page 1

As for ordering via the Internet, a customer will not get a pop-up window as in R/3.
The one concern I have is with Capability to Promise (CTP). CTP should work, given you are NOT using any allocation rules associated with the customer grouping (i.e., first gets first). Currently, SAP CRM does not support the following ATP/CTP processes: batches and other special stock (consignments),

Depending on how you have the telephone sales set up, you should have relatively the same functionality as you do in R/3. If not having this functionality is a showstopper, and CRM will not provide it, then there are some easy workarounds available. As for ordering via the Internet, a customer will not get a pop-up window as in R/3. The end customer will have to push a tool bar button in order to get the pop-up window. All and all, I think SAP should be able to handle your situation, given your company does not allocate to priority customers, and you are not triggering any planning/production for the end MRP dates to determine the delivery dates. Thanks for the question, James! If you have a CRM question or one related to integration to CRM, please drop me a line at Scott.Cameron@SAPtips.com. Ill do my best to answer your question as soon as possible. And who knows, your CRM question could be answered via an SAPtips newsletter in the future. Scott Cameron is a former Big Five Consultant who has spent the last three years managing the sale and implementation of the SAP CRM application, up through the current 3.0 version. In addition, Scott has seven years of SAP implementation experience, which includes a deep track record in SAP R/3. His R/3 background includes SD, MM, and Workflow configuration, and he is an expert on SD Pricing and Variant Configuration processes as well. Scott's email address is Scott.Cameron@SAPtips.com.
SAPtips 2003 Klee Associates, Inc.

April 2003 Volume I Issue 2

assembly processing, third-party processing, rescheduling in R/3, checks against allocations or planning, availability to trigger production, BOMs, and ATP/CTP for configurable products and variant configuration. Also, the ATP and the CTP are only checked via CRM on-line. This means that orders placed via telephone sales and the Internet will have this functionality. Each of the ordering mediums is handled a little different.

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