Sap_VC_Configuration

1.1.1 PURPOSE This guide is supposed to be a short introduction to Variant Configuration with a simple example. With that guide one should be able to set up a first configuration model. If you need further information about this topic please have a look at the online help of SAP, which you can find here: http://help.sap.com. 1.1.2 VARIANT CONFIGURATION To get an understanding of what Variant Configuration actually is let's read the description offered by the SAP Online Help: "Variant configuration is for manufacturing complex products. The manufacturer is always having to offer new variants of its products. Often, new variants are created by modifying existing product designs as you process the order. The important thing is to react quickly to customers' requirements. The customer determines the features of the product. A customer buying a car, for example, can choose the features of the car and combine these features as required. The product configurator improves information exchange between sales, engineering, and production. Variant configuration helps the customer or salesperson to put together specifications for the product and ensure that the product can be produced from these specifications. It also ensures that production costs do not overstep the mark." Now that we know what's behind these two words we can start to build an example model.
Example Model

In order to keep this guide compact this model will be quite simple. Let's assume that we want to configure a computer. A computer consists of different components which will be chosen accordingly to the characteristics. Our characteristics of the computer are:

Characteristic VC_CHR_TYPE

Possible Values Office computer Gaming computer Server Laptop A-CPU I-CPU 2 GB 4 GB 8 GB

VC_CHR_CPU

VC_CHR_MAIN_MEMORY

Characteristic

Possible Values 16 GB N-Graphic Card A-Graphic Card Onboard

VC_CHR_GRAPHIC_CARD

High-End Sound Card TV Tuner Card Modem

VC_CHR_OTHER_EQUIPMENT (multiple values)

Each characteristic needs exact one entry except VC_CHR_OTHER_EQUIPMENT. Our computer is a "complex" material and consists of other materials. Therefore we need a bill of materials. Each component has got only one characteristic:
VC_CHR_Price Numeric Value

The materials are finished products which are not configurable itself. Bill of materials
Components VC_MAT_A_CPU VC_MAT_MEM_2 VC_MAT_MEM_4 VC_MAT_MEM_8 VC_MAT_MEM_16 VC_MAT_GRAPH_N VC_MAT_GRAPH_A VC_MAT_GRAPH_O VC_MAT_EQU_SOUND VC_MAT_EQU_TV VC_MAT_EQU_MODEM

The characteristics of the computer are not independent among each other. Hence, we define some dependencies. Preconditions

Precondition

Characteristic / Char. - Value

Condition VC_CHR_TYPE <> 'Server' AND VC_CHR_TYPE <> 'Laptop' VC_CHR_TYPE = 'Server' VC_CHR_TYPE = 'Gaming computer' OR VC_CHR_TYPE = 'Laptop' VC_CHR_TYPE = 'Server' OR VC_CHR_TYPE = 'Office computer'

VC_EX_CON1 Other Equipment VC_EX_CON2 8GB + 16GB; A-CPU VC_EX_CON3 N-Graphic Card + A-Graphic Card VC_EX_CON4 Onboard

Selection conditions

As it is described above the components of the computer will be chosen by means of the chosen characteristics. To implement this functionality we need selection conditions.
Material VC_MAT_A_CPU VC_MAT_I_CPU VC_MAT_MEM_2 VC_MAT_MEM_4 VC_MAT_MEM_8 VC_MAT_MEM_16 VC_MAT_GRAPH_N VC_MAT_GRAPH_A VC_MAT_GRAPH_O VC_MAT_EQU_SOUND VC_MAT_EQU_TV VC_MAT_EQU_MODEM VC_CHR_CPU = 'A-CPU' VC_CHR_CPU = 'I-CPU' VC_CHR_MAIN_MEMORY = 2 VC_CHR_MAIN_MEMORY = 4 VC_CHR_MAIN_MEMORY = 8 C_CHR_MAIN_MEMORY = 16 VC_CHR_GRAPHIC_CARD = 'N-Graphic Card' VC_CHR_GRAPHIC_CARD = 'A-Graphic Card' VC_CHR_GRAPHIC_CARD = 'Onboard' 'High-End Sound Card' IN VC_CHR_OTHER_EQUIPMENT 'TV Tuner Card' IN VC_CHR_OTHER_EQUIPMENT 'Modem' IN VC_CHR_OTHER_EQUIPMENT Selection Condition