What makes the improved integration between ERP and SAP ME?
If the improved integration between ERP and ME is active, you can use the following improvements:
- Production orders, planned orders, routing, work centers, and goods movements can be distributed more flexibly via the Data Replication Framework (DRF) than previously via SAP ME.
- Production orders can be sent automatically to SAP ME after the release.
- Serial numbers for the finished product, batches, and batch characteristics are supported better than previously.
- Planned orders are automatically replicated to SAP ME when their opening date is due and are consistently cleared from ME by confirmations.
- Goods movements are integrated more consistently with the ME than previously.
- If ERP 6 with enhancement package 6 is implemented, you can use DRF additionally for the distribution of materials and maintenance orders and equipment.
Which function scope is supported with the possible release combinations of ERP and SAP ME?
Due to the delivery of additional functions as part of Support Packages or SAP Notes, you must take the dependencies between different ERP release levels and correction levels and different ME releases into account if you want to use a certain function.
The function scope that is supported for a certain combination of ERP release, Support Package level and ME release is described in the document that is attached to this document. In addition, the document specifies which IDoc type is to be used respectively.
Example: You use an ERP 6.00 with Enhancement Package 5 and you want to determine which prerequisites are required for the replication of routings from the ME. From the first table, you can see that an ME system with a Release level of 6.1 is required and that the ERP must correspond to the configuration type D. From the second table, you can read the configuration type D that should be implemented in ERP, ideally in Support Package SAPKH60509, and that the business function LOG_PP_MES_INT_02 must be activated.
Can the new IDoc versions for the messages LOIPRO, LOIPLO, LOIROU, and LOIWCS also be used with the current transactions for distribution (POIT and POIM)?
No, this is not possible. The new IDoc versions contain additional fields that are required for the integration with ME 6.0 and higher. These fields are not supplied when you use transactions POIT and POIM to distribute the documents, even if the business function LOG_PP_MES_INT_02 is activated. Use the current IDoc versions LOIPRO01, LOIWCS02, LOIROU02, and LOIPLO01 if you want to use transactions POIT and POIM to send data. Note that the IDoc LOIBOM01 in the ERP-ME integration is not supported. If you want to distribute bills of material as master data to the Manufacturing Execution (ME) system, you have to use the message type BOMMAT and transaction BD30.
Why are production orders and planned orders that contain control keys with milestone confirmations blocked for the distribution to SAP ME?
The use of milestone confirmations in conjunction with SAP ME can lead to the unwanted duplication of confirmations. This occurs if the confirmation of an operation remains before the milestone operation due to an error in the outbound queue in MII. The subsequent milestone confirmation may then overtake this confirmation. If you then repeat the incorrect confirmation, the error situation described above occurs.
If you can exclude this situation in your business process, you can suppress the error message CO_MES_INT 031 (production orders) or CO_MES_INT040 (planned orders). For details about the procedure, see the long text of these messages.
How can the new distribution of a changed production order to SAP ME be prevented?
If you change a distributed production order in the ERP system, it is automatically distributed to SAP ME again when you save. This occurs regardless of the type of change you have made.
However, if you want to define that only certain changes to the production order are distributed to SAP ME, you can implement the BAdI CO_MES_REDISTRIBUTION.
You can also use this BAdI to control the circumstances under which a production order relevant to distribution is distributed to SAP ME for the first time.