SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition 2023 brings a range of new features and enhancements to ensure that the solution meets the specific needs of Defense & Security organizations, enabling them to operate efficiently in an ever-evolving landscape and to overcome challenges related to highly complex environment with multiple business units, departments, and operational areas.

In the following blog, I will give you an engineering expert view of some selected highlights of our SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition for Defense & Security 2023 release, to demonstrate that armed forces, police organizations, and aid organizations are able to perform the needed activities from the domestic base for operations and exercises.

Pegging and distribution in Project Manufacturing within the Defense & Security industry enable effective tracking of material demand and its allocation to supply sources. These functionalities help in managing procurement, production, and inventory activities within projects, ensuring that materials are available when needed and optimizing resource utilization.

Pegging History Analysis by Time Intervals, Stock Consistency Check Report, and SAP Fiori app for Cost Distribution

Pegging History Analysis by Time Intervals Report

Business Background

Pegging allows you to establish the relationship between the grouped replenishments and the individual WBS elements that hold the original requirements. This relationship is needed to appropriately distribute the costs and additional value types from the grouping of WBS elements to the individual WBS elements that require them.

Pegging assigns the replenishment elements (planned orders, purchase requisitions, production orders, and purchase orders) back to the original cause of the requirement (project reservations, sales order items, and planned independent requirements).

Key Features

With this new 2023 release, we provide users with a SAPGUI reconciliation report to compare PMMO stock with project stock tables.

The report to display Pegging changes in assignment history within a time interval in Project Manufacturing Management and Optimization (PMMO) helps a user to look at the change history for a material or WBS element or replenishment elements. For example, to look at how the assigned WBS of a production order may have changed over a period of time. These changes focus on the logistical pegging information of the order and not the costs.

Picture 1: Help reduce overall processing time and cost, support auditing efforts, and improve invoice accuracy.

For more information, see Display Pegging.

Stock Consistency Check Report

The Stock Consistency Check reconciliation report compares Project Manufacturing Management and Optimization (PMMO) Stock with the project stock table.

This SAP GUI report compares both project stock and stock at the vendor between the PMMO stock table and the core table. An alert is created if there are any differences in-stock quantities.

Picture 2: Simplify overall reporting and analysis efforts for project and cost-accounting experts.

For more information, see Stock Consistency Report.

SAP Fiori app for Cost Distribution

Business Background

By leveraging Cost Distribution in PMMO, organizations can accurately track and allocate costs within project manufacturing activities, ensuring transparency, control, and accurate financial reporting. It enables better cost management, analysis, and decision-making throughout the project lifecycle.

Key Features

With this new 2023 release, you can use the “Cost Distribution” SAP Fiori app in Project Manufacturing Management and Optimization (PMMO), which provides you with a user interface (UI) to:

• Analyze cost distribution data resulting from the distribution program run.
• Check for accurate processing of cost distribution details.

Picture 3: Support key users with real-time insights into critical project cost data generated by PMMO pegging and cost distribution processes.

For more information, see Cost Distribution.

Costed Stock Gain by Movement Type and Breakpoint Upload through MS Excel

Business background

Project manufacturing management and optimization (PMMO) breakpoints play a crucial role in proactively managing and handling exceptions or critical situations that may arise during the project manufacturing process. By recognizing and addressing these breakpoints, companies can ensure a more seamless project execution, reduce risks, maximize resource usage, and maintain control over project timelines, expenses, and quality.

For more information, see Project Manufacturing Management and Optimization (PMMO).

Key Features

Project manufacturing management and optimization adds with this 2023 release the following features:

Costed stock gain solution:

The costed stock gain solution provides for a production order to be created in the background based on an order type and routing counter at the client level. The new configuration will enable customers the ability to create a costed stock gain for selective movement types for products that have to be cost-relevant.

• Production order creation in the background based on an order type and routing counter at the client level,
• New configuration to enable customers to create costed stock gains for selective movement types for product cost relevancy.

Picture 4: Improve project cost-accounting results through more accurate and timely pegging records and reduce delays for other downstream processes.

For more information, see Goods Movement Integration.

PMMO breakpoint uploads through Excel files:

The PMMO Breakpoint upload via MS Excel file feature will allow the ability to mass upload breakpoints instead of manually updating one at a time. The report will read an MS Excel file to load all the breakpoints into the PMMO Breakpoint table automatically.

• Allowance to mass upload breakpoints instead of manually updating one at a time,
• Report to read an Excel file to load all breakpoints into the PMMO breakpoint table automatically.

Picture 5: Improve mass upload instead of manually updating one at a time.

Breakpoint maintenance:

• Enhancement from a two-step process for every entry to allow users to maintain multiple entries in a single screen in a one-step process.

Adding Change Reason for Manual Pegging Changes, and Restoring Pegging Assignments

Business Background

In Project Manufacturing Management and Optimization (PMMO) in SAP S/4HANA, pegging refers to the process of establishing a link or association between the demand for a product or component and its corresponding supply sources or production activities. It helps in tracking the relationship between different elements within a project, such as finished goods, semi-finished goods, raw materials, and operations.

Key Features

With this new 2023 release, we made enhancements to project manufacturing management and optimization (PMMO):

Maintaining pegging assignments manually for PMMO:

• Configurable option that allows users to enter a change reason text for audit purposes,
• Breakpoints enhanced with separate fields for WBS, cost center, and network activity,
• “List screen” addition to enable single-screen maintenance for multiple entries.
• Integration of pegging header display with the ability to restore pegging assignments from a list of historical pegging assignment runs.

Picture 6: Improve project cost accounting through more accurate and timely pegging records, and reduce delays for other downstream processes, such as cost distribution and analytics.

For more information, see Pegging Header.

Adding change reason for manual pegging changes

Pegging assignments can be manually maintained for Project Manufacturing Management and Optimization (PMMO) with the following features:

• The change reason text can be configured which could be helpful for auditing purposes.
• Breakpoints are enhanced with separate fields for WBS, cost center, and network activity.
• The pegging entries are captured as a list to enable single-screen maintenance for multiple entries.

Picture 7: Improve traceability of changes.

For more information see Change Pegging.

In the context of Defense & Security in SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Private Edition, force generation refers to the process of assembling and organizing military personnel, equipment, and resources to form operational forces. It involves the planning, allocation, and management of resources to meet the specific operational requirements of defense and security organizations.

Qualifications in Positions Functionality and Assignment in Force Elements Functionality for Defense and Security

Force Element, Operation & Exercise Assignment Transfer

This feature can be used to also generate assignments for all child objects for the selected force element, including force elements, positions, persons, and FMPOs.

This facilitates a new business scenario that is required by customers.

Feature flexibility allows you to define which type of objects (authorized and actual personnel, authorized material) should be included and to use the structure view to exclude some child force elements that are not involved in the process.

Picture 8: Extend options for existing force elements participating in an operation or exercise.

Qualification Overview in Position app

This feature improves customer efficiency by providing an overview of the qualifications, including the qualification level. All qualifications that describe the position, including the ones inherited from the job and qualification block, or those that are directly assigned to the position, are listed here.

Qualification sources are also reflected in the overview to provide additional information.

Picture 9: Optimize data analysis with a qualification overview.

Hyperlinks for User Efficiency in the Display Status Board app

Status Board Alert Management

This feature enables additional capacities to receive real-time alerts about changes to dependent transactional data for the technical objects currently being displayed in the status board application:

• Alert for equipment master data change, critical and “regular” equipment,
• Alert by the functional location hierarchy,
• Alert triggering Customizing.

This feature also allows immediate and accurate user decisions to be taken by automatically and continuously displaying current data.

Picture 10: Status Board – Additional Usability Improvements via Facet Variant.

Additional Details

In addition to the main equipment, real-time alerts about changes to dependent transactional data for the technical objects are now also available from the list view in the “Display Status Board” app for critical equipment, regular equipment, and the functional location.

The button Confirm All Alerts is available for all types of equipment from the list view and the detailed view in the “Display Status Board” app, which enables all alerts for an object to be confirmed.

The alert indicator on the facet header gives you the information that alerts exist on facets on which you are not currently focusing, and on which you could focus at a later stage.

You can now use the Customizing settings for alert triggering to define which changes trigger alerts from various backend transactions.

Status Board Hyperlink

This feature enables you to do the following for a selected master equipment, critical equipment, or a “regular equipment”:

• Display or update the equipment master data,
• Display or update the functional location,
• Display, update or create a new maintenance request, notification, work, or flight order for selected equipment.

Picture 11: Increase efficiency by providing easier navigation to necessary information and by updating data.

Additional Details

From the list view in the “Display Status Board” app, this completely new feature enables you to do the following with a minimum number of clicks for selected master equipment, critical equipment, or “regular equipment”:

• Create, update, or display equipment master data,
• Display equipment change documents,
• Create, update, or display the functional location,
• Transfer data from the equipment or functional location,
• Search for technical objects,
• Create a new maintenance request, notification, work, or flight order for the selected equipment,
• Navigate to the Utilizer or Owner force element.

From the detailed view in the “Display Status Board” app, new hyperlinks complete the previous “display only” hyperlinks, which can be used to update and create maintenance requests, notifications, and work, or flight orders.

Authorized Versus Actual Comparison for a Person or Personal and Functional Equipment (PFEM)

This feature has been transformed from an existing API to become a standalone app “Compare Authorized with Actual Materials for Person”. The user now has a holistic view of the materials held by a person and what was planned for them. Even materials that were not originally authorized can be pulled into the overview.

The key features of this new 2023 release are:

• Solution that illustrates what a person has versus what is planned for them,
• Ability to balance out missing or even additional materials more easily, depending on the location,
• Mapping of the authorized materials of a force element and its position to all issuing for a person assigned to that position, through the authorized-versus-actual comparison for persons or PFEMs,
• Use of the authorized materials assigned to a position as the baseline for comparison,
• Ability to include a person’s issuing information in the overview, in all variations both for functional equipment or personal equipment.

Picture 12: Provides a summary overview of assignments that are authorized versus issued to a person, for either functional or personal equipment.

Enriched Integration of Defense and Security Functionality with other Components and Systems

Integration of SAP Extended Warehouse Management with MRP Area Management

This new 2023 release enables you to create an extended warehouse (EWM) in the MRP area. Creation is based on a predefined EWM warehouse that is used as a copy. In a second step, the warehouse (WM) and EWM are linked and finally, the WM warehouse is set to be maintained as an EWM warehouse. This new feature not only creates a new EWM warehouse but also ensures that there is a connection between the WM and the EWM.

Picture 13: Make it more straightforward to integrate SAP S/4HANA Defense & Security with SAP EWM.

Enhanced APIs for SAP S/4HANA Defense & Security

This feature contains APIs for mass creation of force elements, capabilities, capability statements, and flexible material planning objects.

D&S specific extractors

This feature that is provided for CDS view extractors enables a new analytical data extraction to be transferred to SAP BW/4HANA solutions.

• CDS view extractors are created or enhanced for force elements, logistics, maintenance, and SAP S/4HANA Foundation. The technology used for the force element hierarchy is S-API. The core SAP S/4HANA CDS can also be used to complement the extraction of the SAP S/4HANA Defense & Security data.
• Using the new CDS extractors is the preferred option here.

See also SAP Note 3305388 Information published on SAP site – S/4 Defense & Security CDS Extractors.

Effects on Data Transfer

1. The CDS extractors are based on the new data model, meaning that mapping to all the classical fields in consumer data models might be remodeled.
2. The CDS extractors require mapping transformations to the info objects and other analytical content so that they are suitable for the analytical data model.
3. Classical evaluation paths are supported for hierarchy extraction if no data model changes are involved.

Disconnected operations enable defense and security personnel to continue their tasks and access essential information even in environments with limited or unstable network connectivity. This enhances operational flexibility and resilience, allowing operations to proceed smoothly in various scenarios, including remote or challenging locations. This ensures also that critical missions can continue without interruptions, even if there is a loss of network connectivity. It allows personnel to perform their duties, record data, and access necessary resources, such as maps, intelligence data, and operational plans, regardless of the availability of real-time network connection.

Framework Enhancements and Runtime Optimizations for Data Distribution in Disconnected Operations

Improve conditional processing of distribution queues

This feature provides the capability to consistently process distribution queues by relating the queues to each other using different parameters that enable multiple checks and actions to be performed.

Picture 14: Improve data consistency in the central system and in remote servers after initial and delta data distribution.

With this new 2023 release, the following features are available with conditional processing:

• Connectivity check: Before a queue is sent, the connectivity to the target system is checked and the queue is handled according to the result.
• Ensuring completion of initial data distribution before delta distribution: Delta distribution of data synchronization cannot start until the initial data distribution using the subscription has been completed successfully including the data checkout.
• Sequencing of delta distribution queues: During the delta distribution, conditional processing ensures that queues for the same object type and key are processed in the correct order to avoid creating inconsistent data.
• Sequencing of initial data distribution queues: During the initial data distribution using the subscription, conditional processing ensures that queues are processed in the correct order observing any object dependencies between the queues.
• Queue reprocessing: Queues with an error status stop the data synchronization. Reprocessing provides the option to resend the data after the cause of the error has been resolved in the sending system.

Provide insights into memory required for queue distribution of mobile data objects

This feature provides the capability to analyze the memory required for the synchronization of any Mobile Data Object between the central S/4HANA system and the remote servers & vice versa, thereby enabling bandwidth and memory sizing in communication-challenged environments.

The information about the queue size can be used to estimate the queue size parameter which is an already known feature in the Remote Server solution and which is essential to create a sizing for the bandwidth and memory consumption during data transfer.

Picture 15: Memory Analysis for Object Type MATERIAL.

Filter out completed data from the initial data distribution

To be able to reduce the data to be distributed from the central system to a remote server within the initial data distribution via subscriptions it is possible to filter out transactional data that has already been completed or closed and is therefore not relevant anymore for business processes on a remote server.

For maintenance-related data, the filter-out option is available for notifications and orders. Via parameters in MAIF, the timeframe can be specified for when in the past the documents must be completed or closed so that they would not be considered anymore for distribution.

For supply-related data filtering out happens automatically if the complete supply process via Stock Transfer Requisition (STR), Stock Transport Order (STO), Outbound and Inbound Delivery, Goods Issue, and Receipt has been completed prior to the data derivation within the subscription.

Picture 16: Filter out completed Maintenance Data: Notification – filter active.

For more information, see Filter out Completed Data from Initial Data Distribution.

Extended Maintenance and Supply Chain Processes on the Remote Server

Enable customer-defined distribution of change protection for maintenance plans

This feature provides the capability for customers to use a BAdI implementation to define whether the change protection for a maintenance plan follows the SAP-defined default distribution logic, or whether a customer-defined logic for the change protection distribution applies.

Picture 17: Customer-specific Enhancements via Business Add-In (BAdI).

For more information, see Enable Customer-Defined Distribution of Change Protection for Maintenance Plans.

Enable cross-system accounting data integration for maintenance and supply processes

This feature provides the capability to distribute selected accounting data between the central S/4HANA system and a remote server, which enables additional functions in the areas of maintenance and supply, and in doing so enables users to perform additional business processes while operating at a remote site working offline in a communication-challenged environment.

Picture 18: Improve data consistency in the central system and in remote servers after initial and delta data distribution.

With the delivery of this new 2023 release, the following data in the area of accounting can be

distributed from the Central System to the Remote Server.

• Cost Center / Cost Center Group
• Activity Type
• Rates for Cost Center / Activity Type
• Profit Center / Profit Center Group
• Cost Element / Cost Element Group

For more information, see Enable Cross-System Accounting Data Integration for Maintenance and Supply Processes.

Distribute data of individual database tables, both standard and customer-specific

Background

There are multiple reasons why specific data must be made available on a remote server by other means than for example via transports or subscription logic. Examples:

• Specific configuration (Customizing) data which in a Defense & Security environment is not transported along the system landscape, but is directly created in the productive central system,
• Generic application data for which no derivation logic – related to the subscription approach – can be applied,
• Application data for specific business objects, for which the complete set of data shall be made available on a remote server, instead of derivation and distribution of only specific data instances,
• Data for which no “event triggering” mechanism is available to detect the creation of new or the change of existing data on the central system, with relevance to distribution to the remote server,
• Customer-owned database tables.

For such cases, a report is provided to define and distribute the data. The report can either be scheduled as a regular background job to distribute new/changed data sets or executed manually in case of specific one-time data distribution requirements.

• Transaction: DFS_DIS_DISTRIBUTE
• Report: DFS_DIS_DISTRIBUTE

Key Features

This new 2023 release provides the capability to distribute individual database tables that contain data that is not necessarily automatically derived using the subscription during the initial data distribution. These can be specific Customizing, non-Customizing, or customer-owned tables.

The report also provides the option of distributing data for specific pre-defined business objects for which no other automatic data distribution method exists.

Picture 19: Individual table distribution.

For more information, see Distribute Data from Both Standard and Customer-Specific Individual Database Tables.

Distribute handling unit and packing instruction data used within cross-system supply processes

This new 2023 release provides the capability to distribute handling unit and packing instruction data between the central SAP S/4HANA system and a remote server, thereby enabling users to perform additional business processes while operating at a remote site working offline in a communication-challenged environment.

Picture 20: Handling Units can be distributed from the Central System to the Remote Server as well as from the Remote Server to the Central System.

The following data is in scope for distribution:

• Handling units related to the FMPO business object,
• Handling units created during packing in the outbound delivery,
• Packing instructions related to the FMPO business object.

By distributing the data between the central system and the remote server it is possible to do the following:

Display the distributed data in the target system,

Continue the cross-system supply process with handling units.

Distribute configuration control data enhancing cross-system maintenance processes

With the delivery of this new 2023 release, the following data related to setup, processes, and checks in the area of Configuration Control can be distributed from the Central System to the Remote Server.

• Material Master: Data relevant to Configuration Control,
• Configuration Profile,
• Equipment: Data relevant to Configuration Control,
• Master Parts List including Object Dependency and iPPE-Set,
• Change Master with relevance to Master Parts List,
• Structure Gap for Functional Location / Equipment Structure.

For the Structure Gap also the re-distribution from the Remote Server to the Central System has been enabled.

You have now the capability to distribute data between the central SAP S/4HANA system and a remote server, which is required for configuration control functions, and in doing so enable an enhanced scope of business processes that users can perform at a remote site working offline in a communication-challenged environment.

Picture 21: Distributing data from the central system to the remote server.

Distribute and monitor change protection for linked maintenance notifications and orders

This feature enables you to decide when saving a maintenance notification or order whether the change protection is to be distributed according to the work center involved.

In the case of a “network” of linked notifications and work orders, the system ensures an “all or nothing” approach to change protection distribution for the notifications and the order for the network. This enables the linked notifications and the order to be edited in the system in which all of them have change protection.

Picture 22: Decide whether the change protection for the notification/order shall be distributed to the system “owning” the work center.

For more information, see Distribute and Monitor Change Protection for Linked Maintenance Notifications and Orders.

SAP Fiori app and Tools for Administration and Monitoring of Data Distribution between Central System and Remote Servers

Manually trigger the distribution of change protection for a subscription or a specific object

In exceptional cases, it may be required by a system landscape administrator to distribute change protection for specific business objects outside and beyond the SAP standard logic for the distribution of change protection.

This report provides the capability to manually distribute the change protection for a specific object or for all relevant objects in a subscription either from the remote server to the central system or vice versa.

The following options exist when using the report for exceptional distribution of change protection:

Recall or resend:

• Recall refers to the distribution of the change protection from the remote server to the central system.
• Resend refers to the distribution of the change protection from the central system to the remote server.

Distribution of change protection for a subscription or a specific object:

• Subscription: The change protection is distributed for all relevant objects having been distributed as part of the subscription ID entered.
• Specific object: The change protection is only distributed for the specific object ID entered. It is only possible to enter objects for which a change protection mechanism is in place.

Transaction: DFS_DIS_CP.

Picture 23: Provide the capability for a system landscape administrator to manually distribute the change protection for a specific object or for all relevant objects in a subscription either from the remote server to the central system or vice versa.

For more information, see Manually Trigger the Distribution of Change Protection for a Subscription or a Specific Object.

Rollback of subscriptions

To stop data distribution between the central system and the remote server for a defined scope of data, a report has been provided supporting multiple activities related to the rollback of subscriptions, which includes re-distributing ownership and change protection from the remote server to the central system, stopping further data distribution between the systems and deleting the subscription in the central system.

The following options exist when using the subscription rollback report:

Subscription rollback mode:

• Subscription: The rollback steps are performed for a single inactive subscription, while connected to the remote server.
• System: The rollback steps are performed for all subscriptions related to the specified remote server, while connected to the remote server.
• Emergency: The rollback steps are performed for all subscriptions related to the specified remote server, even if there is no connectivity from the central system to the remote server.

Business example: The remote server has been lost or destroyed. Therefore, the data ownership must be made available in the central system and any kind of data distribution must be stopped.

Rollback steps:

• Recall ownership: Transfer ownership and change protection for relevant data from the remote server back to the central system. Stop data distribution from the central system to the remote server.
• Delete subscription and MAIF: Delete the relevant subscription-related MAIF table entries and the relevant subscriptions from the central system.

Transaction: DFS_SUBS_ROLLBACK

Picture 24: Provide the capability for a system landscape administrator to perform different activities related to the rollback of subscriptions.

Provide Insights into the Status of Data Distribution between the Central System and Remote Servers

For initial data distribution as well as for the data exchange during the regular operation of the systems this new SAP Fiori application provides the capability to start with a high-level overview of the data distribution status between the central system and the remote servers and to drill down into the analysis of errors for each remote server where required.

Navigation to supporting tools is also provided to further support the administrator while performing the analysis.

The following main functions are part of the application:

• System Overview
• Queue overview for each system
• Queue details for each queue

Picture 25: Provide the capability for a system landscape administrator to start with a high-level overview of the data distribution status between the central system and the remote servers, and to drill down into the analysis of errors for each remote server where required.

For more information, see Provide Insights into the Status of Data Distribution Between the Central System and Remote Servers.

Thanks for reading this blog post.

If you are also interested in other Lines of Business and Industries for this new SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition 2023 release, I would like to draw your attention to my link collection blog – The Link Collection.

If you want to see the entire PDF presentation of all innovations, see here.

If you want to learn more about SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition, join our Partner Community. This group focuses on providing enhanced learnings and periodic updates with respect to the SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition product. Our goal is to facilitate collaboration with your peers and SAP subject matter experts.

For general roadmap information please check the SAP S/4HANA Roadmap.

For more information on SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition, check out the following links:

• SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition release info: com/s4hana

• SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition, and SAP S/4HANA Community here
• SAP S/4HANA PSCC Digital Enablement Wheel here
• Inside SAP S/4HANA Podcast here
• Best practices for SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition here
• Help Portal Product Page here
• Feature Scope Description here

• What’s New here

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