Standard SOP in SAP is a preconfigured solution in SAP that uses an information structure called S076. This Standard SOP helps companies plan their production efficiently by breaking down the planning into different levels. The planning begins at a product group level and is then dis-aggregated down to the individual materials level. This is why it’s often referred to as level-by-level planning.

In simpler terms, Standard SOP helps you plan production for larger groups of products first and then gets into details about each specific product.

What is an Information Structure?

In SAP, an information structure is like a table that stores data from different business functions such as sales, purchasing, production, etc. This stored data can be used for planning and for various types of analysis.

An information structure in SAP consists of three main parts:

  1. Period Unit:
    • This defines the time period for planning, such as weekly, monthly, or yearly. It determines how often you want to plan or review your data.
  2. Characteristics:
    • Characteristics are the parameters that you use for planning. You can plan at different levels such as sales organization, division, purchasing organization, plant, or material.
    • For example, you might want to plan production for a specific plant or for a specific product category.
  3. Key Figures:
    • Key figures are numerical values that represent important business data, like sales history, production quantities, inventory levels, etc.
    • These numbers help you understand how well your business is doing and make future production plans accordingly.
  1. Introduction to SAP Production Planning (PP).
  2. Master Data in SAP PP.
  3. Sales and Operations Planning in SAP PP.

How Standard SOP Works

  • Level-by-Level Planning: Standard SOP allows you to start planning at the product group level, which means you look at all similar products together first.
  • After that, you disaggregate or break down the plan to focus on each individual product or material.

This approach helps you get a clear overview of production at a broader level first and then move into the specifics, making it more organized and efficient.

Understanding the Information Structure S076 in SAP

This screenshot provides a view of Info Structure S076, which is used for Standard Sales and Operations Planning (SOP). It shows various characteristics and key figures that are part of this structure.

  1. Info Structure (S076):
    • The Info Structure is a table containing important data used for planning. In this case, S076 is the standard info structure used for Sales and Operations Planning.
    • It is associated with Sales & Operations Planning and is active, meaning it is available for use.
  2. Application (01):
    • The Application field indicates the area where the information structure is used. In this example, 01 typically refers to a general application within Sales & Operations Planning.
  3. Characteristics:
    • Characteristics are used to define the parameters for planning. In the screenshot, the following characteristics are available:
      • Prod.group/material: Represents the product group or material that is being planned.
      • Plant: The plant where production or inventory is being managed.
      • Production Version: Specifies the version of the production process being used.
    • These characteristics help determine how the data will be segmented and analyzed during planning.
  4. Key Figures:
    • Key Figures represent the numeric values that are essential for analysis. In the screenshot, we see:
      • Sales: The number of units sold, which provides data for demand planning.
      • Production: The number of units produced, indicating manufacturing output.
      • Stock Level: The current level of inventory available.
      • Target Stock Level: The desired level of stock that should be maintained to meet demand effectively.
    • Each of these key figures is associated with a Unit (typically in days, weeks, or months) that helps in understanding the time dimension of the data.
  5. Planning Possible:
    • This checkbox is marked, meaning that planning can be performed using this information structure.

How This Fits into Standard SOP

  • Level-by-Level Planning: The S076 info structure helps with level-by-level planning, starting from product groups and drilling down to individual materials.
  • Data Utilization: It draws data from different fields like sales, production, and inventory levels, making it easier for planners to create accurate production plans.
  • Key Characteristics and Figures: The combination of characteristics and key figures allows planners to:
    • Segment data (using characteristics like Plant and Product Group).
    • Use key figures to perform calculations and make decisions regarding production and stock management.

Example Scenario

Let’s say you work in a manufacturing company and want to use Standard SOP for production planning:

Standard SOP in SAP
  • You might want to plan production at a specific plant for a product group like electronic gadgets.
  • Using S076, you can enter sales data and current stock levels.
  • The system will use characteristics such as the plant and material to focus the planning process.
  • The key figures like target stock level and production will help you determine how much of each product you need to produce to meet demand.

This way, S076 helps you gain a clear picture of the production needs and helps in making informed decisions regarding demand and supply.