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Karl Liebstückel Processing Repairs in SAP® Plant Maintenance This E-Bite is protected by copyright. Full Legal Notes and Notes on Usage can be found at the end of this publication.
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SAP PRESS E-Bites SAP PRESS E-Bites provide you with a high-quality response to your specific project need. If you’re looking for detailed instructions on a specific task; or if you need to become familiar with a small, but crucial sub-component of an SAP product; or if you want to understand all the hype around product xyz: SAP PRESS E-Bites have you covered. Authored by the top professionals in the SAP universe, E-Bites provide the excellence you know from SAP PRESS, in a digestible electronic format, delivered (and consumed) in a fraction of the time! Manu Kohli Incident Management with SAP EHS Management ISBN 978-1-4932-1330-6 | $19.99 | 100 pages Jawad Akhtar Configuring Kanban in SAP ERP MM and PP ISBN 978-1-4932-1337-5 | $14.99 | 80 pages Matt Chudy and Luis Castedo Purchasing with SAP ERP Materials Management ISBN 978-1-4932-1371-9 | $9.99 | 85 pages The Author of this E-Bite Dr. Karl Liebstückel is a professor of information management and business software at the Würzburg-Schweinfurt University of Applied Sciences, Germany. He is the managing director of a consulting firm and was chairman of the German SAP User Group (DSAG) from 2007 to 2012.
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What You’ll Learn Manage planned and unscheduled repairs to your plant with SAP EAM. With this E-Bite, you’ll master the five stages of managing repairs: notification, planning, controlling, processing, and completing. Guided by expert tips on tailoring your SAP EAM implementation to meet your specific plant needs, you can ensure you’ll have the timely notifications, spare parts, and work orders necessary to keep your plant in tip-top shape. 1 Notification 1.1 Creating Notifications 1.2 Reference Objects 1.3 Catalogs and Catalog Profiles 1.4 Partners and Address 1.5 Documents, Printing, and Status 2 Planning 2.1 Creating an Order 2.2 Responsibilities and Scheduling 2.3 Materials and Production Resources 2.4 Estimated Costs 2.5 Documents and Objects 3 Controlling 3.1 Mass Change 3.2 Capacity Requirements Planning 3.3 Availability Checks 3.4 Order Release 3.5 Shop Paper Printing 4 Processing 5 Completion 5.1 Confirmations 5.2 Completions
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6 Immediate Repairs This E-Bite is an excerpt from Plant Maintenance with SAP—Practical Guide by Karl Liebstückel.
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1 Notification Notifications are the maintenance processing tool that you use in exceptional operational situations to perform the following activities: Describe the technical emergency situation of an object Request a required task in the maintenance processing Document the work performed Notifications create document maintenance tasks and make them available for analysis in the long term. In the following sections we will explain how to create a notification, assign an object to it, and the types of information you can store in one.
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1.1 Creating Notifications Notifications are either entered directly by the relevant requester (for example, a production employee) or transferred to plant maintenance using the usual means of communication (for example, by telephone or form) and entered there. There are different ways you can create notifications in the SAP system, as follows: SAP dialog transactions You can use the SAP dialog transactions (IW21, IW24–26), which are directly available in SAP EAM. Easy Web Transaction You use the Easy Web Transaction—that is, a web transaction that contains a simple HTML form. Your own web transactions In addition, you can develop your own web transactions, the data of which is transferred by BAPIs to the SAP system. Upstream systems Procedures are used in which the notification data is created in upstream systems (such as geographic information systems [GIS], process control systems, and diagnostic systems). This is then transferred to SAP EAM via an interface (for example, PM-PCS interface) and creates the notification there. In earlier releases, SAP predefined three notification types in the standard system: Activity report For documenting performed actions Malfunction report For information about malfunctions and problems that occur Maintenance request For requesting tasks to be performed You can now define notification types as you wish according to your own requirements. You should define the notification types based on the functions in which the notification types differ in Customizing. You can define, for example, the following settings for each notification type in Customizing:
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Number range Partner determination procedure Print control Status profile One of the most important functions, however, is the option to define your own screen layout for each notification type. The structure displayed in Figure 1, containing all the data of a notification, is reflected in the layout of the M1 notification type delivered by SAP (see Figure 2). Figure 1 Planned Repairs Business Process This notification type consists of eight tabs, with individual tabs containing sub- tabs. Thus, for example, the ITEMS tab still contains sub-tabs for items, causes of damage, tasks, and actions. Each tab has up to five field groups. However, this type of screen layout would be overly complex for a production employee, for example, who merely wants to report damage. Design Your Own Layouts for Notifications You can design suitable screen layouts for your notification types—adapted and simplified screen layouts increase user acceptability. Use the Customizing function SCREEN STRUCTURE FOR EXTENDED VIEW OR SCREEN STRUCTURE FOR SIMPLIFIED VIEW for this purpose.
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Figure 2 Notification Type M1 An entry screen could look like the one configured for you as notification type 00 (see Figure 3). Different Layouts for Entering and Changing You can even set up the screen layout in such a way that a different layout appears when you change data compared to when you enter data. In this case, use the activity type for the screen structure in the Customizing function. When do you need this option? You need it, for example, when you want to provide a production employee with a screen that is as basic as possible for entering a notification. If the maintenance employee calls the same message at a later point, however, he or she must be able to add further necessary information. Figure 3 Notification Type 00 If the same notification is called in change mode, for example, it could then have tabs and field groups like those shown in Figure 4.
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Figure 4 Notification Type 00 in Change Mode The following screen groups or tabs are available as possible notification content: Reference object (for example, equipment, functional location, assembly, material serial number) Responsibilities (for example, planner group, main work center) Item and cause (for example, damage, cause of damage, object part) System availability (for example, system availability before, after) Malfunction data (for example, breakdown, start, end, duration of breakdown) Start/end dates (for example, priority, required start, and required end) Item overview (for example, assembly, text) Activities for notification header and notification item Tasks for notification header and notification item Causes for notification header and notification item Notification and object address Partner overview (for example, partner role, partner, address) Warranty (for example, start, end of warranty) Location (for example, maintenance plant, cost center, business area)
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Scheduling overview (for example, date of notification, completion, technical control) Maintenance plan (for example, maintenance task list, maintenance plan) Notification Items You can use notification items to specify the information of the notification header in more detail—for example, specifying several locations of damage where damage has occurred (notification header: forklift truck; notification items: lifting frame, brake system, and operator’s compartment). However, since the items are not subsequently transferred when an order is created, user companies rarely use this option. Damage and requests are usually specified in the long text or using catalogs. In addition to these varied options, which you can use to store information in a notification, you can also classify notifications if this is not sufficient or you require different information. Following are the requirements to classify notifications: You require characteristics. You need classes with Class Type 015 (error records). You use the Customizing function CHANGE CATALOGS AND CATALOG PROFILE FOR NOTIFICATION TYPE to activate the ACTIVE CLASS switch and assign a catalog profile. You assign a classification to the catalog profile, in turn, using the Customizing function DEFINE CATALOG PROFILE and set the CLASSIFICATION SCREEN switch. When you have fulfilled these prerequisites, you can classify the notification on the item detail screen (see Figure 5).
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Figure 5 Notification Classification Additional Information by Classifying a Notification You can use the classification to add additional information to your notifications without any programming or modifications. In this case, however, you must define classes of Class Type 015 (error records) and their assignment in the Customizing for the catalog profile.
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1.2 Reference Objects You can enter notifications as reference objects for all technical objects: functional locations, pieces of equipment, assemblies, or material serial numbers. If you assign a lower-level object to a notification, the higher-level objects are also entered automatically. Thus, if you enter an assembly, for example, the equipment and functional location are also automatically included in the notification. You can also enter notifications without specifying a technical object, for example, in the following cases: If a malfunction report refers to an object that is not listed under a number in the system If the faulty object cannot be located precisely yet If a notification refers to a new object to be provided as part of an investment measure. You have the following options to specify the type of technical object to be entered: For a notification type: in Customizing, using the function SCREEN AREAS IN NOTIFICATION HEADER For a user: within the notification by selecting EXTRAS • SETTING • DEFAULT VALUES For an individual notification: within the notification, by selecting EXTRAS • SETTING • REFERENCE OBJECT When you receive a new notification from the requester and have to decide whether the maintenance task is to be performed, it is very useful to find out concise information about the object. You use the object information for this purpose. You can display concise information relating to the reference object—that is, object information—in a dialog box (see Figure 6).
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Figure 6 Object Information This involves the following information: Structure data (for example, object hierarchy) Technical characteristics of classification Previous cases of damage and number of processing days Previous notifications and/or orders, or ones that are still open, which were created or completed for the object Maintenance plans and documents Warnings when limits are exceeded You can call more detailed data, such as an individual notification, for example, for all this information from the dialog box. You can also go to the information system to compile statistics and reports. Object Information Provides a Concise Overview Object information gives you concise information about the reference object and contributes to your decision about whether and when a task must be performed. You define the content of the object information in Customizing using the function DEFINE OBJECT INFORMATION KEY and assign the object information to your notification type using the Customizing function ASSIGN OBJECT INFORMATION KEYS TO NOTIFICATION TYPES.
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1.3 Catalogs and Catalog Profiles In addition to organizational information (such as deadlines, responsibilities, or cost centers), you can also store technical information about problems, malfunctions, damage, causes, and solutions or troubleshooting in a notification. This information is part of the notification and is included in the history. The special feature here compared to all other information is that you can formalize this information in catalogs and, therefore, make it available for analysis. You generally use a maximum of five catalogs, as follows, in plant maintenance (see Figure 7): Damages Causes of damage Object parts Tasks Actions Each catalog has a three-tier structure: catalog → code groups → codes. There is a code for every defect found, and the codes are categorized into code groups based on certain factors. Figure 7 Catalogs Categorization Criteria for Catalogs User companies normally use the following as categorization criteria for code groups in catalogs:
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Functional criteria (for example, mechanical damage, electrical causes of damage, or hydraulic object parts) Object-related criteria (for example, damage to engines, causes of damage to pumps, or object parts for forklifts) You maintain catalogs in Customizing using the function MAINTAIN CATALOGS or via Transaction QS41. You see in Figure 8, for example, what the codes for forklifts might look like in the catalogs for damage, causes of damage, and object parts. Catalog Groups Should Contain 25 Entries at Most Arrange the damage, cause, and object part codes clearly. The user should not be able to select more than approximately 25 codes; otherwise, the search for codes will be too time-consuming for employees, which means that the quality of the data and acceptance of the system will suffer. Therefore, the principle “as much as necessary, but as little as possible” applies here, also. Figure 8 Code Groups for Forklifts In the catalog profile (see Figure 9), you can, on the basis of functional factors, specify which code groups must be used for a certain reference object or notification type. Figure 9 Catalog Profile You can assign a catalog profile to the following objects:
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Equipment in the RESPONSIBILITIES screen group (see Figure 10) A functional location, also in the RESPONSIBILITIES screen group A notification type in Customizing via the Customizing function CHANGE CATALOGS AND CATALOG PROFILE FOR NOTIFICATION TYPE Figure 10 Responsibilities Screen Group If you have now entered a catalog profile for the technical objects and notification type, the following sequence applies: equipment → functional location → notification type. Irrespective of this sequence, you can individually change or assign the catalog profile in a notification by selecting EXTRAS • SETTINGS • CATALOG PROFILE • SELECTION. Use the Catalog Profile You use a catalog profile to make a basic amount of codes available that are useful for the reference object; all other codes are “sorted.” This increases accuracy and user acceptance.
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1.4 Partners and Address You can assign and define as many partners as freely as you wish to a notification. If you have stored an address for the reference object, this address will be transferred to the notification. Some partners you might wish to assign to the notification could include the following: Contact person at the plant Service company Organizational unit responsible Vendor Person responsible in Controlling Technician Maintenance supervisor’s office You must create a partner determination procedure for this (Customizing function DEFINE PARTNER DETERMINATION PROCEDURE) and assign it to the notification type (Customizing function ASSIGN PARTNER DETERMINATION PROCEDURE TO NOTIFICATION TYPE). If you now create a notification and enter a reference object, both of which are assigned to the partner, the system tries to transfer the partners from the reference object. If the partner roles in the partner determination procedure of the reference object and partner determination procedure of the notification are identical, the partner is transferred from the reference object to the notification. Thus, for example, a vendor (Partner Determination Procedure YEQ, Partner Role LI, Vendor Number 1000) is assigned to the equipment. This vendor is now transferred to the notification if the partner determination procedure of the notification (for example, YMD) also contains the LI partner role. Incidentally, the same also applies for the partner transfer from the reference object to the order and from the notification to the order (see Figure 11). Additional Responsibilities Due to the Partner Roles By default, the SAP system knows only a few organizational units that you can assign to a maintenance task: these are, basically, the planner group and the work center responsible. By defining partners, you can considerably expand
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these areas and people responsible and specify them in more detail. To do this, you must define partner roles and partner determination procedures and their assignment to the notification type. Figure 11 Partner Transfer For the address parameter, if the notification processing does not take place at this address (i.e., because the reference object was brought to a central workshop), you can change this address and store an individual notification address (see Figure 12). Figure 12 Address
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1.5 Documents, Printing, and Status You can assign related documents during the processing of maintenance notifications (see Figure 13). You can create new documents, assign existing documents, and change or cancel document assignments. You can navigate to the view of the respective document info records and call the original files of the assigned documents. Figure 13 Documents in the Notification To be able to assign documents to a notification, you need to define the relevant document types using the Customizing function DEFINE DOCUMENT TYPES for the PMQMEL object and use the Customizing function SET SCREEN TEMPLATES FOR NOTIFICATION TYPE to assign the screen 092 DMS LINKS to the notification type. The SAP system enables you to output notifications on different media in different layouts. The following notification papers, for example, can be printed: Notification overview The notification overview is a complete printout of a notification to enable the parties involved (technicians, employees of work scheduling and production, and so on) to get an overview of the respective notification. Activity report You could use the activity report as the basis for the work. It contains a list with possible activities, tasks, and so on. The person who corrects the malfunction can only confirm the work he or she has performed by checking it off in this list. Breakdown analysis The breakdown analysis could be a printout of the specifications about the breakdown duration and system availability. You Have a Choice when Printing It is up to you to decide how many and which notification papers you want to
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AI Reading Assistant
Whole-book reading guide from stratified index samples; jump to passages in the text
AI guide
【One-Line Pitch】
A practical, configuration-aware walkthrough of how SAP EAM/Plant Maintenance actually handles a repair—from the first notification through planning, controlling, execution, and completion—for maintenance planners, SAP PM key users, and consultants who need to run or tune the process rather than just read about it.
【Book Arc】
- **Opening (~0%–15%)**: Establishes the five-stage repair lifecycle (notification, planning, controlling, processing, completion) and drills into notifications—creation, reference objects, catalogs/profiles, partners, documents, printing, and status—so a fault is captured accurately and routed correctly.
- **Early (~15%–30%)**: Moves from notification to order: creating orders directly or from notifications, order types, screen layouts, operations, responsibilities, and scheduling logic (lead-time vs. network scheduling, operation relationships).
- **Middle (~30%–50%)**: Covers material and resource planning—stock vs. non-stock materials, reservations and purchase requisitions, task lists, where-used lists, and estimated/planned cost display by cost elements or value categories.
- **Middle–Late (~50%–65%)**: Shifts to controlling before execution: mass change, capacity requirements planning and leveling, availability checks, order release, and shop-paper printing.
- **Late (~65%–90%)**: Addresses processing and completion—confirmations and technical completion—closing the loop so work performed is documented and orders are finalized.
- **Ending (~90%–100%)**: Reinforces tailoring the SAP EAM implementation to plant-specific needs so notifications, spare parts, and work orders arrive on time. (Excerpts do not cover the final pages in detail.)
【Key Takeaways】
- **Notifications are the entry point of the whole repair cycle** (Opening): they describe the technical problem, request work, and document what was done, creating a long-term analysis record rather than a one-off message.
- **Screen layouts can differ by activity** (Opening): SAP lets entry and change screens look different, so a production employee gets a minimal form while maintenance staff see richer tabs—useful for adoption and data quality.
- **Catalog profiles narrow code selection** (Opening): assigning profiles to equipment, functional location, and notification type limits codes to relevant ones, improving accuracy and user acceptance.
- **Object information supports the repair decision** (Opening): structure data, classification characteristics, prior damage, open notifications/orders, plans, and limit warnings are pulled together to judge whether and when work is needed.
- **Order creation has several valid paths** (Early): direct order creation, order-with-notification, or combining multiple notifications into one order—each fits a different maintenance scenario.
- **Scheduling only makes sense with standard times** (Early): if times are missing, don't activate scheduling; use a control key without the schedule option. Lead-time and network scheduling, plus finish-start/start-start/finish-finish relationships, drive realistic dates.
- **Material planning hinges on stock vs. non-stock logic** (Middle): reservations and purchase requisitions are coupled, and dependent requirements should sit at operation level to avoid inflating warehouse stock.
- **Controlling is where plans become executable** (Middle–Late): mass change, capacity overviews and leveling, availability checks, release, and shop papers are the levers that make an order ready for the workshop.
【Reading Tips】
- Deep-read the notification and order-creation chapters if you are a key user; they determine data quality for everything downstream.
- Skim the Customizing function names on first pass, then return to them when configuring—they are the actionable core.
- Treat scheduling and material planning as the hard spots: understand control keys, relationship types, and reservation timing before changing settings.
- Keep the five-stage lifecycle in mind as a checklist; use it to diagnose where a broken repair process actually fails.
- Note the cross-module dependencies (CO, PP, CS, PS share order tables) before defining order types.
【Coverage Limits】
This guide is based on stratified excerpts covering the notification, planning, and controlling stages in most detail; processing and completion are represented more thinly, and the excerpts do not cover every figure or Customizing path in the full book.
Passage locations
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change data compared to when you enter data. In this case, use the activity type for the screen structure in the Customizing function. When do you need this...
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t, dates, and people responsible. Figure 18 Order Header Direct creation of an order including notification As with the previous option, you want to create a...
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tart relationship to connect the start of two operations to each other; these operations, thus, must start simultaneously. 3 Finish-finish relationship You u...
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n of estimated/planned and actual costs (see Figure 35). To display the costs at the operation level, activate the Customizing function COSTS AT OPERATION LE...
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