Rules Based Master Data Management

An AdapChain customer implementing SAP APO integrated with SAP R/3 quickly realized that the integration between SAP R/3 and APO isn’t quite as seamless as the sales guy had indicated. The data did transfer fairly nicely between the two systems but the desired APO functionality could not be realized without manually populating large amounts of master data in APO. The standard integration while good was therefore not nearly as valuable and time saving as first envisioned. The business already had severe difficulties maintaining master data in the ERP system. The idea of adding another massive master data maintenance task in APO to the already overloaded users did not at all seem appealing.

AdapChain worked with the customer to overcome these obstacles.

• First AdapChain helped the customer to a better understanding of how the different types of APO-objects (primarily products, locations and resources) really should be populated in order to obtain the desired planning functionality. These rules were defined around the physical attributes of the products.
  

• Then AdapChain helped the customer automate the execution of these master data rules based on a few key characteristics of each master data object. Through the definition and automation of these “Rules” it became possible to ensure that ALL master data in APO could be fully populated based on data already available in SAP R/3.
  

• The final solution therefore required less data related maintenance effort AND ensured a higher level of data consistency and quality than most other APO customers ever experience.
  

The core rules based data functionality is a key element in the very flexible AdapLink framework. While this example was implemented in an SAP environment it could easily be implemented in any other environment.