Clustering purchase schedule lines

Clustering is used to group several nonreferenced schedules lines in one purchase release.

With clustering, you can do the following:

Reduce the number of schedule lines that must be processed. Especially those lines for which no accurate planning is required yet, can be grouped.
Give the supplier a clear view of the schedule lines without having to bother about schedule origin.

Conditions for clustering

For one purchase schedule, several schedule lines can be generated with the same characteristics (common buy-from business partner, ship-from business partner, release type, shipment based schedule/ delivery based schedule, communication method), which differ only in their origin. These schedule lines, which are stored under one purchase release, can have different planned receipt dates (or planned shipment dates) that fall in one specific period. The schedule lines that fall in that specific period, determined by the applicable segment, which is derived from the schedule's applicable segment set, can be clustered and put together in the Purchase Release Line - Details (tdpur3522m000) session.

Note

In the Purchase Release Line - Details (tdpur3522m000) session, schedule lines are only clustered in the same purchase release line detail if the following fields on the schedule lines are the same:

Purchase Unit
Purchase Price Unit
Price
Warehouse
Address
Option List ID
Exempt
Tax Country
Tax Code
Tax ID
BP Tax Country
BP Tax ID
Tax Exempt Reason
Tax Exemption Certificate
Preferred Manufacturer Part Number
Manufacturer
The contents of the MPN sets that are linked to the purchase schedule lines.
Item Revision

The following fields, which are derived from the Schedule Quantity, but are defined in Common, must also match to cluster several schedule lines into one release line detail:

Conversion Factor Purchase to Inventory Unit
Conversion Factor Price to Inventory Unit
Length
Width
Thickness

The way in which tax fields are used in a purchase release, depends on the value of the Tax Purchase Release Line field in the Purchase Contract Parameters (tdpur0100m300) session.

Using segment sets for clustering

To cluster schedule lines, first the next schedule issue date must be determined. This date is derived from the schedule's applicable issue pattern, which is defaulted from the Purchase Contract Line Logistic Data (tdpur3102m000) session or the Item - Purchase Business Partner (tdipu0110m000) session.

Note

You can define patterns in the Patterns (tcccp0690m000) session.
On the schedule issue date, schedule lines are always clustered from 00:00 hours on and not from the time that is indicated by the issue date.

Example

Release type: material release.
Next schedule issue date: 26/07/99 10:00 hrs.

Segments in the segment set for material release:

Segment	Segment time unit	Segment length
1	Week	1
2	Four Weeks	1
3	Four Weeks	1

Schedule (SCH001) requirements in schedule lines:

Position number	Origin	Planned receipt date	Quantity
10	EP	23/07/99	15
20	EP	26/07/99	10
30	Manual	28/07/99	10
40	EP	03/08/99	15
50	Manual	10/08/99	15
60	EP	24/08/99	20
70	EP	31/08/99	20

Creation of clustered lines:

Release number	Schedule number	Release position	Start date	End date	Quantity
REL001	SCH001	1	26/07/99	01/08/99	20
REL001	SCH001	2	02/08/99	29/08/99	50
REL001	SCH001	3	30/08/99	26/09/99	20

All scheduline lines that fall within one week, calculated from the next schedule issue date on, are clustered in one release line detail (segment 1). After this period, all schedule lines that fall within the next four weeks are clustered in another release line detail (segment 2). Finally, the schedule lines that fall within the next four weeks are clustered in the last release line detail.

Note

If schedule lines exist with planned receipt/shipment dates that fall before the next schedule issue date, these lines are inserted as immediate requirements in the Purchase Release Line - Details (tdpur3522m000) session for receipt based schedules.
If a period is undefined between two segments, LN automatically adds another segment that fills this time gap, so the schedule lines that fall in this time gap are also included in the clustering process. All the schedule lines that fall within the time period of that newly generated segmen,t are clustered into one release line detail. For more information, refer to Using segment sets.
If the first segment time unit of the first segment in a segment set is set to Week, Four Weeks, or Month, which are all segment time units that have Monday as a starting point for their activities, and if the calculated schedule issue date does not fall on a Monday, some days can be excluded from the clustering process. For more information, refer to Using segment sets.

Overall process for clustering schedule lines

To cluster schedule lines, you can run the Generate Release Lines (tdpur3222m000) session. The clustered schedule lines are stored in the Purchase Release Line - Details (tdpur3522m000) session with the status Created. The linked release line in the Purchase Release - Lines (tdpur3121m000) session, also has the status Created.
If you agree to the release line detail with the status Created and you do not want to change the release line detail, you can approve the line (detail) in the Approve Release Lines (tdpur3222m100) session. The clustered lines in the Purchase Release Line - Details (tdpur3522m000) session and the release line in the Purchase Release - Lines (tdpur3121m000) session receive the status Scheduled.
As soon as the release line with the status Scheduled is printed in the Print Purchase Releases (tdpur3422m000) session with the Final Report check box selected, or when EDI messages are automatically generated and sent, the clustered lines in the Purchase Release Line - Details (tdpur3522m000) session and the release line in the Purchase Release - Lines (tdpur3121m000) session receive the status Sent.

Updating clustered schedule lines

If you check the clustered schedule lines with the status Created in the Purchase Release Line - Details (tdpur3522m000) session, and you do not want these lines to be approved in this format, or if you check the clustered schedule lines with the status Scheduled and you do not want the lines to be sent to the supplier in this format, you can update the lines. To update the release line (detail) of a nonreferenced schedule, take the following steps:

In the Purchase Release Line - Details (tdpur3522m000) session, select a record.
On the appropriate menu of the Purchase Release Line - Details (tdpur3522m000) session, click Purchase Schedule - Lines, which will start the Purchase Schedule - Lines (tdpur3111m000) session.
Double-click the schedule line that you want to update and make the change.
On the appropriate menu of the Purchase Release Line - Details (tdpur3522m000) session, click Update Release. The release is now updated with the changes you made on the schedule line(s).

Receiving clustered schedule lines

If a supplier sends the goods based on the clustered lines, and goods are received in Warehousing against a blanket warehouse order, the received quantity is distributed over the push schedule lines, based on the following rule:

Received quantity is booked in the Received Quantity field of the Purchase Schedule - Lines (tdpur3111m000) session for the purchase schedule line that has the oldest unfulfilled requirement of the type immediate or firm. For more information, refer to Blanket warehousing orders.

A purchase schedule line is unfulfilled if:

The delivered quantity is less than the ordered quantity.
The ordered quantity is equal to the delivered quantity, but the sum of the approved quantity and the rejected quantity is less than the delivered quantity.

Note

No receipts can be made on schedule lines with the planned requirement type.
If no unfulfilled purchase schedule lines can be found, goods cannot be received on a purchase schedule.