Using 3D grid option in SAP AFS
Sometime back I wrote about special feature in AFS, which is the Grid option. Generally apparel and footwear products contain sizes. This is where SAP uses grids extensively in its industry specific solution. For an example if you buy a garment you will look for the correct size even when all the other qualities like color and fabrication are met. Even for the manufacturer or the retailer it is important to know the size of the product they manufacture or sell.
But SAP AFS grids can be used very creatively in many other ways other than using it just to specify the size. Actually GRID option in AFS can be used with three variables. So it forms a 3D grid. This 3D grid can be used to reduce the number of master data created, complexity of the manufacturing and make the data entry simple.
In the 3D grid you can maintain three important variables of your business. For an example you can maintain size, color and the country of the order. Or you may maintain the size, customer and quality grade of the garment you require. In the case of first example your grid may look like “S_RED_US”. When you create your material masters for the finish good and the RM you can create one material code for a particular style for an example, since you have all the critical variables in your grids you can use it with freedom over and over again. For an example if you have a single dimension grid with the Size as the only variable you will have to create two materials to for RED and BLUE. If you want to differentiate them according to the country, you will have to create two for each of the color to say each material is specific for two countries. So if you have two colors and two countries each you will have to create four materials and possibly four BOM to replicate the scenario. Below is the summery of the example.
MAT_RED_US
MAT_RED_GB
MAT_BLUE_US
MAT_BLUE_GB
But if you have a 3D grid as per the earlier example you need to create only one material. So you can just imagine the time saving with this option. It will also reduce the data load in the system and will make it easy to maintain the system.
Having said that there are some limitations to usage of the 3D grid. Only 8 characters are permitted to be used altogether. That is all the three variables together can not go beyond 8 characters in length. This will limit you from using meaningful grid values in the system. Most of the times it will be required to code the variables used. For an example you may use 01 to indicate size S, 0002 to indicate color Red and 01 to indicate Country US in the above example. So you will enter “01000201” instead of “S_RED_US”. As you can see code is not meaningful to the reader. But standardizing will help to accommodate the longer descriptions to the grid. For an example you will use a four digit number to indicate the color “Dark Blue” in the system which is not usable in the system as it is.
Maintaining the grids also will be slightly harder if the changes happen frequently. But this would not be a problem after a while when all the possible combinations are captured in the system.
It is a tradeoff actually. But I think by using grids effectively you will be able to make the life very easy in terms of data entry to the system. But you will require longer time to familiarize with the usage especially if you have many changes within a shorter time period. Anyway I am still very exited about the concept and think 3D grids have not being explored by many organizations effectively. So if you are interested in SAP AFS explore it, it will be interesting hopefully you will save lot of time and effort.
But SAP AFS grids can be used very creatively in many other ways other than using it just to specify the size. Actually GRID option in AFS can be used with three variables. So it forms a 3D grid. This 3D grid can be used to reduce the number of master data created, complexity of the manufacturing and make the data entry simple.
In the 3D grid you can maintain three important variables of your business. For an example you can maintain size, color and the country of the order. Or you may maintain the size, customer and quality grade of the garment you require. In the case of first example your grid may look like “S_RED_US”. When you create your material masters for the finish good and the RM you can create one material code for a particular style for an example, since you have all the critical variables in your grids you can use it with freedom over and over again. For an example if you have a single dimension grid with the Size as the only variable you will have to create two materials to for RED and BLUE. If you want to differentiate them according to the country, you will have to create two for each of the color to say each material is specific for two countries. So if you have two colors and two countries each you will have to create four materials and possibly four BOM to replicate the scenario. Below is the summery of the example.
MAT_RED_US
MAT_RED_GB
MAT_BLUE_US
MAT_BLUE_GB
But if you have a 3D grid as per the earlier example you need to create only one material. So you can just imagine the time saving with this option. It will also reduce the data load in the system and will make it easy to maintain the system.
Having said that there are some limitations to usage of the 3D grid. Only 8 characters are permitted to be used altogether. That is all the three variables together can not go beyond 8 characters in length. This will limit you from using meaningful grid values in the system. Most of the times it will be required to code the variables used. For an example you may use 01 to indicate size S, 0002 to indicate color Red and 01 to indicate Country US in the above example. So you will enter “01000201” instead of “S_RED_US”. As you can see code is not meaningful to the reader. But standardizing will help to accommodate the longer descriptions to the grid. For an example you will use a four digit number to indicate the color “Dark Blue” in the system which is not usable in the system as it is.
Maintaining the grids also will be slightly harder if the changes happen frequently. But this would not be a problem after a while when all the possible combinations are captured in the system.
It is a tradeoff actually. But I think by using grids effectively you will be able to make the life very easy in terms of data entry to the system. But you will require longer time to familiarize with the usage especially if you have many changes within a shorter time period. Anyway I am still very exited about the concept and think 3D grids have not being explored by many organizations effectively. So if you are interested in SAP AFS explore it, it will be interesting hopefully you will save lot of time and effort.
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