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6.0 Release Procedure

1. What is “Release Procedure”? Which documents are subject to release?

A: Release Procedure: You use this component if you wish to set up approval procedures for purchase
requisitions or other purchasing documents. Under such a procedure, if a purchase requisition or
external purchasing document fulfills certain conditions (e.g. the total order value exceeds $10,000), it
has to be approved (by the cost center manager, for instance) before it can be processed further. This
process of approving (clearing, or giving the "green light" to) a proposed item of expenditure is
replicated in the SAP System by the "release procedure".
This release procedure automatically blocks the relevant documents for further processing.
Blocked requisition items cannot be converted into follow-on documents. Blocked purchase orders
cannot be output.
It is sensible to define separate release procedures for different groups of materials for which
different departments are responsible, and to define separate procedures for investment goods and
consumption goods.
Each person involved in the release procedure effects release (signifies approval) via a release
transaction, using his or her release code. Once effected, a release can also be cancelled with the
same code (that is to say, the original status is reinstated).
Release procedures can be defined for the following documents:
 Purchase Requisition  Scheduling agreement
 Purchase order (PO)  Request for quotation (RFQ)
 Contract  Service entry sheet
.
2. Explain in brief “Release Procedure in Purchase Requisition”? Which types of
Release are possible for PRs?

A: The aim of the release procedure for requisitions is to prevent that these can be converted into
follow-on documents. Follow-on documents are requests, purchase orders and outline
agreements.
One or several approvals may be required for the release. The release acts as an
electronic signature.
It is necessary to differentiate between two types of release:
 Item-wise release ● Overall release
With an item-wise release, every item is checked as to whether if corresponds to the
criteria required for release. The check is made as the data is entered.
With the overall release, all items must fulfill these criteria. The criteria for overall
releases must therefore be selected with great care. The check is made with the purchase
requisition is stored or verified.
Whether a requisition has to be released on an item-wise basis or in its entirety is
determined by the document type and the release group in the classification.

3. Which types of Release Procedures are possible for PRs in standard system?

A: For purchase requisitions, two release procedures are available:

 Without classification:
With this procedure, purchase requisitions can only be released at item level.
Only the account assignment category, material group, plant and value
characteristics are available as release criteria.
 With classification:
This procedure enables you to release requisitions both item by item and in their
entirety. In principle, every field of the purchase requisition can be used as a
criterion for the release.
The two procedures are mutually exclusive - that is, you must decide on one of these two
alternatives. On delivery, the system does not have a procedure with classification. As soon as
a procedure is created with classification, the procedure is deactivated automatically without
classification.

4. By which ways release of Purchase Requisitions are effected, explain in

brief?

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A: There are two ways of releasing purchase requisitions:

 Individual release: You release individual items of a requisition, or - if the requisition must
be released complete - the entire document.
With individual releases, you can also refuse the release.
 Collective release: You release several requisition items or requisitions awaiting release by
your release code at one time.
To execute this transaction, you need only enter your release code. The system then
lists all requisition items whose release is possible with the relevant code. You can limit the
scope of this list using various selection options on the initial screen.
A refusal is not possible with the collective release.
 Release purchase requisitions:
SAP Menu → Logistics → Materials Management → Purchasing → Purchase
Requisition → Release → Individual Release. (ME59N).
SAP Menu → Logistics → Materials Management → Purchasing → Purchase
Requisition → Release → Collective Release. (ME58).

5. Explain in brief “Release Procedure in Purchasing Documents”?

A: Release Procedure in Purchasing Documents: The purpose of the release procedure is to

prevent the printout or transmission of the
documents.
 Purchasing documents are released or refused at header level.
 An item-wise release or refusal is not possible.
 The check is made with the purchase document is stored or verified.
 These documents can only be released using the release procedure with classification.
 Release purchasing documents:
SAP Menu → Logistics → Materials Management → Purchasing → Purchase Order →
Release → Individual Release. (ME29N)
SAP Menu → Logistics → Materials Management → Purchasing → Purchase Order →
Release → Collective Release. (ME28)
SAP Menu → Logistics → Materials Management → Purchasing → Contract → Release.
(ME35K)
SAP Menu → Logistics → Materials Management → Purchasing → Sch. A. → Release.
(ME35L)
SAP Menu → Logistics → Materials Management → Purchasing → RFQ → Release.
(ME45)

6. Explain in brief “Release Conditions”?

A: Release Conditions: The release conditions determine the release strategy in accordance with
which a requisition or an external purchasing document is to be released.
If a requisition or an external purchasing document does not meet the conditions
for a release strategy, it is automatically released for further processing.
Procedure without Classification (Requisition Items Only):
The conditions can be based on one of the following item characteristics or a combination
of these:
 Account assignment category
 Material group
 Plant
 Total value
Procedure with Classification (Requisitions and External Purchasing Documents):
The conditions are formulated via characteristic values and are stored in the
Purchasing Customizing facility (under the release strategy).
A precondition for this is that the characteristics are first created and then assigned to
classes.
To enable a release strategy to be assigned to it, a requisition or an external
purchasing document must have one of the possible values for each characteristic.

7. What is Release Strategy?

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A: The release strategy defines the approval process for purchase requisitions or external
purchasing documents. The strategy specifies the release codes necessary and the sequence
in which releases have to be affected. You can define a maximum of eight release codes.
The release strategy shows you where the criteria are stored that have resulted in the
blocking of the item or the document. The assignment of the release strategy to a requisition or
a purchasing document is based on the release conditions.

8. What is Release Code?

A: The release code is a two-character ID that allows an individual or group of individuals to

release a locked document or cancel an already effected release. Who may work with which
release codes is basically controlled via a system of authorizations.
In addition, the assignment of release code to individual processor (processing staff
member) is defined according to organizational requirements - that is to say, the various
departments specify which users will be working with which release codes.

9. What is Release Prerequisites?

A: The release prerequisites indicate the sequence in which a purchase requisition or an external
purchasing document must be approved via the release codes. The release prerequisites are
defined in the Purchasing Customizing facility (in the release strategy).
The approval procedure for purchase requisitions in an enterprise may be set up in
such a way that a department manager must approve a requisition item before the
next level of authority (e.g. the cost center manager). In this case, approval by the
department manager is a prerequisite for approval by the cost center manager.

10. What is Release Indicator?

A: The release indicator is a key denoting the current release status of the item or document. At
the start of the release procedure, the condition is usually blocked.
When a requisition or an external purchasing document has been processed via a
release code, a release indicator is assigned to it.
When the system sets which release indicator is defined in the Customizing facility for
Purchasing (in the release strategy via the release statuses).
Release Indicator Determines:

Purchase requisitions... External purchasing documents....

Whether the item may be changed by
Purchasing or Materials Planning and
Control after the start of the release
procedure
Whether a new strategy is determined and
whether existing releases must be
cancelled in the event of changes
Whether an RFQ or a PO may be created
with reference to the item
Whether the document may be changed by
Purchasing after the start of the release
procedure
Whether a new strategy is determined and
whether existing releases must be
cancelled in the event of changes
Whether the purchasing document is
released for transmission

11. What is Release Group?

A: Release group: Several release strategies can be compiled in a release group.

Release group 01 is intended for purchase requisitions, release group 02 for
purchasing documents. The release group and the document type decide if the purchase
requisitions are subject to item-wise or overall releases.

12. How do you set up a release procedure with classification?

A: Release procedures for purchasing documents are only possible with classification.
To set up a release procedure with classification, you must make the following
Customizing settings in this order:
1. Create characteristics and classes

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2. Create release group

3. Create release codes
4. Create release indicators
5. Create release strategy
6. (Optional) defining a workflow

13. Explain in brief the “Edit Characteristics” step in release procedure?

A: Edit Characteristics step in release procedure:

SAP Customizing Implementation Guide → Materials Management → Purchasing → Purchase
Requisition → Release Procedure → Procedure with Classification → Edit Characteristics
(CT04).
The communication structure CEBAN (for requisitions) contains all fields that can be
defined as release characteristics. You can cover any additional requirements via the customer
exit provided by SAP.
For each field, you must create a characteristic from the communication structure
CEBAN that acts as a criterion for your release strategy. You have a free choice of names for
the characteristic. The characteristic must be linked in the Additional data tab with the
database table CEBAN and the field name from this table.
The "Multiple Value" attribute can be assigned to a classification characteristic so that
not only single values, but also multiple values, can be entered for the characteristic.
For characteristics of the data type NUM (numerical format) or CURR (currency
format), you should allow interval values.

14. Explain in brief the “Edit Class” step in release procedure?

A: Edit Class step in release procedure:

SAP Customizing Implementation Guide → Materials Management → Purchasing → Purchase
Requisition → Release Procedure → Procedure with Classification → Edit Classes (CL02).
All characteristics that are to be used in release strategies for requisitions or external
purchasing documents must be collected together in classes. The classes must be assigned to
class type 032. You can define a maximum of two classes for requisitions (one each for overall
and item-wise release). The names of the classes can be chosen freely.

15. Explain in brief the “Create Release Group” step in release procedure?

A: Create Release Group step in release procedure:

SAP Customizing Implementation Guide → Materials Management → Purchasing → Purchase
Requisition → Release Procedure → Procedure with Classification → Set Up Procedure with
Classification.
With the release group, you link the release class to the purchase requisition release
object. You must also specify whether the release group is for item-wise or overall release.

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16. Explain in brief the “Create Release Codes” step in release procedure?

A: Create Release Codes step in release procedure:

Create all the release codes (with short descriptions) needed for your release strategies and
assign them to the required release group.
If a workflow is to be initiated by a release code, set the corresponding indicator.
17. Explain in brief the “Release indicator” step in release procedure?

A: Create Release indicator step in release procedure:

The following release indicators are necessary for each release procedure:
 A release indicator for the initial status: For value changes you can
As a rule you must first release a purchase define a percentage that will be
requisition before you can create an RFQ or a PO tolerated.
referencing the requisition. For this reason, a
release indicator is assigned to a requisition to
denote initial status and prevent it from being
converted to an RFQ or a PO. You may not select
the indicators for release for issue of an RFQ or a
PO on the detail screen for this indicator.
 A release indicator for the released status:
You must select the indicators for release
for issue of an RFQ or a PO on the detail screen for
this indicator. At least one of these indicators must
be selected.
You can protect a purchase requisition that
is has been generated in a planning run against
changes caused by a new planning run with a fixing
indicator.
You can use a field selection key to prevent
certain fields being changed during later processing.
Otherwise you can use the Changeability indicator to
specify the consequence of changing the document
after the start of the release procedure.

18. Explain in brief the “Release Strategies” step in release procedure?

A: Release Strategies step in release procedure:

The release strategies define the criteria that result in the blocking of a purchase
requisition and the expiry of the release process. First you define the strategies that you wish
to create. You define the following information for every strategy:
1. Release codes
In the first step towards defining your new release strategy, you specify which release
points (release codes) are to be involved in the release process.
2. Release prerequisites
The release prerequisites determine the order in which the release points (individuals
or groups of individuals) involved may effect release via their release codes.
Example:
The figure shows a release strategy with two release codes.

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You can see that there is no release prerequisite for code Z1. For release code Z2, a release
with release code Z1 is prerequisite. This is implemented by checking code Z1 as prerequisite
for code Z2.

3. Release status
You specify the status of a document after it has been released by certain release
points. You must specify the status the document would have in all situations that are liable to
occur during the release process. The conditions must be logical. The first condition is usually
Blocked, the final condition must contain all of the desired follow-on documents.
4. Classification
In the classification you define the attributes of the characteristics, that is, which field
values in which fields result in the determination of a certain release strategy.
You can define several field values for multi-valued fields.
In doing so, please note that
 You cannot use jokers or placeholders
 Characteristics without a field value must also be empty in the document
Value intervals can only be specified for numerical values (e.g. an interval from 10,000
to 15,000 EUR for the value of the requisition item).
Also note the special features of individual attributes:
 You have to use the internal designation for the item type
 Cost centers have ten places in the standard version and must be created with zeros
at the start
If you do not wish to restrict a characteristic, delete it from the release class.

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5. Release simulation
The release simulation
function enables you to check
which status a document would
acquire with this release strategy
after having been released by a
certain release point.
Choose Simulate
Release and effect release by
double-clicking on the release
code. The system displays the
status the document would
acquire as a result of this
release.

19. How release procedure for Purchase Requisition differs from Purchase
Documents?

A: The following variations apply for purchasing documents:

 There are only processes with classification
 The communication structure which contains the fields for release characteristics is
called CEKKO (CEBAN for Purchase Requisitions)
 No field selection key can be assigned to the release indicator.
 Release group 02 for purchase Documents (Release group 01 is defined for purchase
requisitions)

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