Run SNP Optimizer

Process Flow
To run the SNP optimizer, carry out the following activities:

1. Define Selection for SNP optimizer

On the SAP Easy Access screen, choose Advanced Planning and Optimization Demand
Planning Environment Selection Organization Maintain Selection Assignments
You can define the selection for your SNP optimizer run either in this transaction or interactively in the
SNP planning table. On the SAP Easy Access screen, choose Advanced Planning and
Optimization Demand Planning Planning Interactive Demand Planning
Enter in the selection all location-products for which you want to perform the SNP optimizer.

2. Perform SNP optimizer

1.

2.
3.
4.

5.

6.
7.

8.

1. On the SAP Easy Access screen, choose Advanced Planning and Optimization Supply
Network Planning Planning Supply Network Planning in the Background Supply Network
Optimization
2. In the Data Source group box, select a Planning Book and Data View
3. In the Object Selection group box, enter the selection profile that you have defined in step 1.
4. In the Planning Horizon group box, specify the start and end date that you want the system
to consider for planning.
This entry is optional. If you do not enter a start and end date, the system uses the planning
buckets profile that was specified in the data view
5. In the Profiles group box, enter the following data:
1.
a. Optimizer Profile(required) for more information, see paragraph Optimizer
Profile below
2.
b. Cost Profile(required), see paragraph Cost Profile below
3.
c. Optimization Bound Profile (optional), for more information, see
paragraph Optimization Bound Profile below
4.
d. Penalty Cost Group Profile (optional), for more information, see
paragraph Penalty Cost Group Profile below
6. In the Quota Arrangements group box (optional), enter the relevant information
7. The results of the optimization run can be used to calculate quota arrangements for use in
the heuristic (inbound quota arrangements) and the deployment heuristic (outbound quota
arrangements)
8. Choose
with quick info text Execute
For more information about the setup of the optimization run in the background, see SAP
Library SAP Business Suite SAP Supply Chain Management SAP SCM 5.1 SAP
Advanced Planning and Optimization (SAP APO) Supply Network Planning Supply Network
Planning Run Optimization-Based Planning Running the Optimizer in the Background
Optimizer Profile
Define the relevant settings for the optimization run. Note that not all of the settings mentioned
below are necessary for each optimization run. The business process/scenario, as well as the
desired performance of the SNP optimizer determine which settings are necessary and which ones
are optional. For instance, the SNP optimizer profile SAP_ALL, which is delivered with a standard
SCM system, contains all necessary settings to perform an SNP optimization run which considers
all capacity constraints and maximum lot sizes.

General Constraints

Define which constraints (capacity constraints, maximum lot sizes, safety stock, shelf life,
quota arrangements and product interchangeability) have to be considered by the optimizer.

If you do not want to consider any constraints at all (infinite planning run), then
leave all entries blank in this profile

In the Product Interchangeability group box, select the Supersession

Chains check box, if you want that the SNP optimizer to consider supersession
chains. The same is true for the consideration of form-fit-function classes. For more
information, see the Configuration Guide about Interchangeability in Supply Network
Planning

If you want to perform a finite planning run, see SAP Library SAP Business
Suite SAP Supply Chain Management SAP SCM 5.1 SAP Advanced
Planning and Optimization (SAP APO) Supply Network Planning Supply
Network Planning Run Optimization-Based Planning Application Examples for
the SNP Optimizer Finite Capacity Planning

For information on the consideration of safety stock and shelf life by the SNP
optimizer, see SAP Library SAP Business Suite SAP Supply
Chain Management SAP SCM 5.1 SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization
(SAP APO) Supply Network Planning Supply Network Planning
Run Optimization-Based Planning Application Examples for the SNP
Optimizer Stock Planning

Concerning shelf life some restrictions exist. For more information, see consulting notes
574321 and 579556.

Discrete Constraints

Specify which discrete constraints (discrete capacity constraint, lot sizes, fixed consumption,
cost functions and extended lot size planning) have to be considered by the optimizer.
For more information about typical planning processes which require discrete constraints,
see SAP Library SAP Business Suite SAP Supply Chain Management SAP SCM
5.1 SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (SAP APO) Supply Network
Planning Supply Network Planning Run Optimization-Based Planning Application
Examples for the SNP Optimizer Lot Size Planning

Model Params

Define how storage costs are calculated depending on the bucket length and which bucket
offset for production and transportation is used globally.
For more information concerning the calculation of storage costs, see SAP Library SAP
Business Suite SAP Supply Chain Management SAP SCM 5.1 SAP Advanced
Planning and Optimization (SAP APO) Supply Network Planning Supply Network
Planning Run Optimization-Based Planning Application Examples for the SNP
Optimizer Stock Planning

Solution Methds

Specify the LP solution procedure, the priority decomposition and the optimization objective.

If you activate cost-based prioritization as priority decomposition, then the

optimizer includes demand prioritization based on penalty costs that you define in
the product master (the SNP 1 tab page)

If you define discrete constraints, then you have to define the stop criteria for
discrete optimization run, as well

The other entries in this tab (Decomposition method, First Solution and Aggregation) are
optional entries to improve the performance of the SNP optimizer.
For more information about decomposition in the optimization run, see SAP Library SAP
Business Suite SAP Supply Chain Management SAP SCM 5.1 SAP Advanced
Planning and Optimization (SAP APO) Supply Network Planning Supply Network
Planning Run Optimization-Based Planning Optimization Profiles Decomposition
For more information about aggregation, see Aggregated Planning
Vertical and Aggregated Planning Horizontal under SAP Library SAP Business
Suite SAP Supply Chain Management SAP SCM 5.1 SAP Advanced Planning and
Optimization (SAP APO) Supply Network Planning Supply Network Planning
Run Optimization-Based Planning

Integration (optional)

Define which horizons have to be considered by the optimizer and whether existing orders
should be deleted. Additionally, specify settings for Incremental Optimization and Setup
Status Handling.
In the Integration group box, in Setup Status Handling part, you can enter the required
information for the Cross-Period Lot Size Planning scenario.
For more information about incremental optimization, see Incremental
Optimization under SAP Library SAP Business Suite SAP Supply Chain
Management SAP SCM 5.1 SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (SAP
APO) Supply Network Planning Supply Network Planning Run Optimization-Based
Planning
For more information, see SAP Library SAP Business Suite SAP Supply Chain
Management SAP SCM 5.1 SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (SAP
APO) Supply Network Planning Supply Network Planning Run Optimization-Based
Planning Cross-Period Lot Size Planning

Automatic Cost Generation (optional)

If you want the SNP optimizer to generate cost values, specify here how the different
priorities for demands, location-products, production and transportation should be handled.
For more information, see SAP Library SAP Business Suite SAP Supply Chain
Management SAP SCM 5.1 SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (SAP
APO) Supply Network Planning Supply Network Planning Process OptimizationBased Planning Automatic Cost Generation

Extended Settings (optional)

Define which consistency checks have to be performed, how many messages

are shown per consistency check and whether the log data is written

Define if time-based constraints for procurement and receipt bounds should be

ignored and if the time-series upper bound for stock has to be considered as a soft
constraint

In the unsuccessful solution determination part define an additional runtime that

can be used if the SNP optimizer cannot find a solution for a whole or in case you
have used a decomposition method partial problem

Define what should happen (Cancel Solution Process, Simplify

Problem or Ignore Problem) if the optimizer has not been able to find a solution at
the end of this extended runtime

For more information, see SAP Library SAP Business Suite SAP Supply Chain
Management SAP SCM 5.1 SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (SAP

APO) Supply Network Planning Supply Network Planning Run Optimization-Based

Planning Application Logs for Optimizers
For more information about the time series constraints for the SNP optimizer, see SAP
Library SAP Business Suite SAP Supply Chain Management SAP SCM 5.1 SAP
Advanced Planning and Optimization (SAP APO) Supply Network Planning Supply
Network Planning Run Optimization-Based Planning Definition of Time-Based
Constraints in Interactive Planning

Cost Profile
In this profile, you assign weighting to different cost elements in the objective function (thus
determining how the costs relate to one another). We recommend that you only change the
standard settings for test purposes when modeling. To avoid undesired side-effects, you should not
change the default setting of 1.0 in the production system if possible. This setting corresponds to
the costs entered in cost maintenance.

Optimization Bound Profile

If you want to perform a new planning run after an SNP optimizer planning run, use this profile to
improve planning stability by restricting possible decision-variable deviations from a previous
optimization plan. For example, you can permit smaller deviations at the start of the planning
horizon and then increase these towards the end of the horizon to avoid too many last-minute
planning changes.

Penalty Cost Group Profile

If you want to consider different penalty cost groups in an SNP optimizer planning run, use this
profile to define the sequence (priority) in which the different penalty groups are considered by the
SNP optimizer. You can define which penalty groups have the highest priority and which ones are
less important. For more information, see Configuration Guide for Profit-Driven Supply Chain
Optimization.
Additional information about the Penalty Cost Group Profile for the SNP optimizer can be found
at SAP Library SAP Business Suite SAP Supply Chain Management SAP SCM 5.1 SAP
Advanced Planning and Optimization (SAP APO) Supply Network Planning Supply Network
Planning Run Optimization-Based Planning

You can also perform the Optimization run interactively in the SNP planning table. On the SAP
Easy Access screen, choose Advanced Planning and Optimization Demand
Planning Planning Interactive Demand Planning
5.

a. Choose your Planning Book/Data View and select the location-products for
which you want to run the SNP optimizer
6.
b. Choose Optimizer in the SNP planning table
7.
c. On the next screen, enter the necessary profiles for your SNP optimizer run
and then choose
with the quick info text Execute

3. Check results in the optimizer log

9.
10.

1. On the SAP Easy Access screen, choose Advanced Planning and Optimization Supply
Network Planning Reporting Optimizer Log Data
2.

Double-click your SNP optimizer run

For more information, see SAP Library SAP Business Suite SAP Supply Chain
Management SAP SCM 5.1 SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (SAP APO) Supply
Network Planning Supply Network Planning Run Optimization-Based Planning Application
Logs for Optimizers
11.
3. In the Results Indicators group box, check the overall service levels, delays and stock levels
as well as the location-product-specific information concerning these indicators

12.

4. If the service level is below 100%, for example, if there are unsatisfied demands, run
the explanation tool to identify the reasons for this
8.
a. Choose Explain
9.
b. On the next screen enter the following data:
1.
i. Selection
Define the optimization run which you want to have explained (the last optimizer run
appears as default entry).
2.
ii. Target of the Explanation
Define which demand classes explanations for non-deliveries are given for. You can
also trigger explanations for unsatisfied safety stock requirements. To specify the
sequence of the analysis, choose one of the following models: based on control
costs, based on business (actual) costs or in the structure phase.
3.
iii. Object Selection
Restrict the analysis to specific location-products.
4.
iv. Explanation Accuracy
Specify how detailed you want the systems explanations to be.
For more information, see SAP Library SAP Business Suite SAP Supply Chain
Management SAP SCM 5.1 SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (SAP
APO) Supply Network Planning Supply Network Planning Run OptimizationBased Planning Application Logs for Optimizers Explanation of the
Optimization Results Configuration of the Explanation Tool

10.
c. Choose
with the quick info text Execute
13.
5. After you have executed the explanation run, the optimization run screen that displays the
logs for the selected optimization run appears. The tree structure contains the
entry Explanations with the subentriesConfiguration and Explanation Results. If you double-click
these entries, you see your entry data in the Configuration and the results in Explanation Results of
the explanation run on tab pages on the right side of the screen. On the right side of
the Explanation Results screen you get detailed information about the reasons for non-deliveries.
For more information, see SAP Library SAP Business Suite SAP Supply Chain
Management SAP SCM 5.1 SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (SAP APO) Supply
Network Planning Supply Network Planning Run Optimization-Based Planning Application
Logs for Optimizers Explanation of the Optimization Results
You can also check the results of the optimizer interactively in the SNP planning table. On the SAP
Easy Access screen, choose Advanced Planning and Optimization Demand
Planning Planning Interactive Demand Planning
11.

a.

Choose your Planning Book/Data View and select the relevant location-

products
12.

b. Double-click the location-product whose results you want to check in the

SNP optimizer
You can only start the explanation tool from the logs of the SNP optimizer.