Activating multisite - overview

During the preparatory stage, you must define or adjust master data and set parameters. The activation stage entails launching the process that builds data based on the setup completed in the preparatory stage.

The multisite functionality that must be activated is subdivided into concepts and activation activities.

A concept is a specific functionality subset. A concept, in turn, consists of multiple activation activities. An activation activity is a step that you must complete to activate a concept, for example, setting parameters in a specific session. When all activation activities of a concept are completed, you can activate the concept.

The concepts are activated in the Multisite Concepts Activation (tcemm4600m000) session.

If your current LN version results from a new, first-time installation, the multisite concepts are activated automatically. Therefore, you are not required to perform the activation processes, and the sessions and functionality involved in the activation processes are unavailable.

If your current LN version was migrated from an older version previously without sites, to adopt the multisite functionality in a multicompany or single company environment, you must activate the multisite concepts.

The supply of an item can differ for each site. The item can be purchased at one site and subcontracted or produced at another site. However, the item type is a static and global setting. Consequently, the item types Purchased and Manufactured must be merged into the item type Product.

In a multisite environment, the calculation of an item's standard cost must be performed at a more detailed level than the company level. Therefore, the item costing data must be available by enterprise unit instead of by company. Additionally, data such as the costing warehouse, costing source, and intercompany trade settings are required in the item costing data.

Item planning is performed for one or more sites if Enterprise Planning is implemented. Therefore, planning clusters must be linked to sites. This is to accomplish that planning is performed for the items related to the sites and the underlying entities.

Various logistics data, commercial data, planning data and other master data must be available at a more detailed level than the company level. For this purpose, this data must be grouped by site or by office for each company within the multicompany structure.

In a multisite environment, there can be differences in the bills of material (BOMs) and routings used to manufacture items at the various production sites. To accommodate such variations, BOMs, routings and other master data must be maintained at site level.

Before starting the activation process, create a design of the intended enterprise structure, identifying the sites to be used, the activities to be carried out at each site, and the warehouses and departments to be included in each site.

If Enterprise Planning is implemented, determine the planning clusters to be used, and link these to the warehouses for which planning is to be performed collectively. The specified planning clusters and the linked warehouses affect the creation of sites.

Before activating the Standard Cost by Enterprise Unit multisite concept, identify the level at which to calculate the standard costs: company or enterprise unit. If the level is to be enterprise unit, identify the enterprise units for which to calculate the standard costs.

Set up item groups, because these affect the creation of item default data at site or company level.