Overview: SAP F & R today and tomorrow is the future of sales forecasting
Hi, Habr! I launch a series of articles about auto-replenishment of stocks using SAF F & R - a system of demand forecasting and inventory management at the level of target location-location provider. The system is part of the SAP SCM (Supply Chain Management) solution and is implemented in two variations:
In this post, we consider the current and planned for the near future functional SAP F & R.
The current SAP F & R functionality can be divided into 4 main blocks:
At the output in the system, draft orders, exceptions arising in the process of calculation, and analytical reports are formed. Each order project is assigned a traffic light status. It is assumed that orders are approved according to their status (without verification or with expert verification).
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Everyone who has ever dealt with SAP products is aware of the specifics of the user interface and the UX of SAP systems and solutions. More recently, SAP has taken the vector to update the interface of its products, or even write their functionality from scratch. An example of such an update is SAP IBP, an integrated business planning solution that functions fully within the SAP Fiori shell, which is intuitive and accessible without SAP UX. F & R also touched this update.
SAP F & R is being transferred to HANA DBMS. This will simplify integration with the SAP S / 4 HANA system, as well as speed up the order calculation process performed in a critical time window (the time when stores close and sales data from cash registers are received in ERP). Previously, F & R used databases from Microsoft, Oracle and IBM.
This is a development to take into account the special requirements for products of the category Ultrafresh with a shelf life not exceeding 3 days. Using a fresh add-on improves the prediction accuracy and the response speed of the predictive model. The system reduces the possible write-offs of goods when calculating the need and offers a report on future possible write-offs, which leads to an increase in the quality of auto-completion.
This application is integrated with SAP F & R, SAP ERP and SAP Offline Mobile Store by GK (or other store solutions). In the application, you can change the order, adjust delivery schedules, as well as view messages about exceptions that arise during the settlement process. The application uses the Fiori interface
UDF (Unified Demand Forecast) is a module of a single demand forecast that can be used with any SAP system. Its use allows you to expand the possibilities of forecasting in F & R, as well as add a function of planning the range. The module allows you to take into account unexpected factors affecting demand that occur within a week (for example, weather changes), improve the processing of input data using Bayesian statistics methods, provide a forecast for products with a short life cycle. The module uses Fiori data visualization tools.
Despite the abundance of market demand forecasting systems, SAP F & R wins on two main points:
The disadvantages of SAP F & R include the SAP GUI interface (and the F & R OI interface), which will be updated soon. Moreover, for SAP F & R OI it is possible to develop any user interface, which is actively used by companies that have implemented F & R.
- SAP F & R SCM - implementation with seamless integration with SAP systems;
- SAP F & R OI - system for integration with non-SAP systems.
In this post, we consider the current and planned for the near future functional SAP F & R.
What now?
The current SAP F & R functionality can be divided into 4 main blocks:
- Input processing
- Forecast calculation
- Requirement calculation
- Needs optimization
At the output in the system, draft orders, exceptions arising in the process of calculation, and analytical reports are formed. Each order project is assigned a traffic light status. It is assumed that orders are approved according to their status (without verification or with expert verification).
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About the interface
Everyone who has ever dealt with SAP products is aware of the specifics of the user interface and the UX of SAP systems and solutions. More recently, SAP has taken the vector to update the interface of its products, or even write their functionality from scratch. An example of such an update is SAP IBP, an integrated business planning solution that functions fully within the SAP Fiori shell, which is intuitive and accessible without SAP UX. F & R also touched this update.
SAP HANA
The SAP HANA (High-Performance Analytic Appliance) is a high-performance NewSQL data storage and processing platform that is based on in-memory computing technology using multi-element data storage, a platform developed and marketed by SAP SE. The HANA architecture provides both high-speed transaction processing and work with complex analytical queries, combining the solution of these tasks within a single platform.
In addition to the DBMS itself, HANA provides an embedded web server and version control repository required for application development. HANA applications can be created using server-side JavaScript and HTML code.
SAP F & R is being transferred to HANA DBMS. This will simplify integration with the SAP S / 4 HANA system, as well as speed up the order calculation process performed in a critical time window (the time when stores close and sales data from cash registers are received in ERP). Previously, F & R used databases from Microsoft, Oracle and IBM.
Fresh add-on
This is a development to take into account the special requirements for products of the category Ultrafresh with a shelf life not exceeding 3 days. Using a fresh add-on improves the prediction accuracy and the response speed of the predictive model. The system reduces the possible write-offs of goods when calculating the need and offers a report on future possible write-offs, which leads to an increase in the quality of auto-completion.
Offline review of order drafts on mobile devices
This application is integrated with SAP F & R, SAP ERP and SAP Offline Mobile Store by GK (or other store solutions). In the application, you can change the order, adjust delivery schedules, as well as view messages about exceptions that arise during the settlement process. The application uses the Fiori interface
Integration with UDF
UDF (Unified Demand Forecast) is a module of a single demand forecast that can be used with any SAP system. Its use allows you to expand the possibilities of forecasting in F & R, as well as add a function of planning the range. The module allows you to take into account unexpected factors affecting demand that occur within a week (for example, weather changes), improve the processing of input data using Bayesian statistics methods, provide a forecast for products with a short life cycle. The module uses Fiori data visualization tools.
Conclusion
Despite the abundance of market demand forecasting systems, SAP F & R wins on two main points:
- The use of mathematical methods in planning (and not methods sucked from the finger, what Russian manufacturers of software solutions like to pursue);
- In order to use SAP F & R there is no need for knowledge of higher mathematics. Any user is able to communicate with the system after the training seminar.
The disadvantages of SAP F & R include the SAP GUI interface (and the F & R OI interface), which will be updated soon. Moreover, for SAP F & R OI it is possible to develop any user interface, which is actively used by companies that have implemented F & R.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/307946/
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