Introduction
Master data in SAP PM is the building block of all business processes in maintenance department. SAP PM master data is the highest in count than master data count in any other module. Master data makes the life of an end user easy. Certainly it can full fill all maintenance business processes needs. Significantly there are twenty two master data objects in PM module. Each has its own benefit and importance. You can click on each of them to know the details.
SAP PM Master Data list with definitions
- Equipment : Equipment is a technical object which is maintained separately to track its maintenance history and cost periodically.
- Functional Location: Functional location in SAP PM is hierarchical representation of technical system. The hierarchy is defined in different levels in such a way that at each level maintenance cost and history can be tracked periodically.
- Class : Class in SAP PM is used to grouped together similar objects with common specifications.
- Characteristics: Characteristics in SAP PM represents the specifications or properties of a business object. It is assigned to a Class. Example: Horsepower of a Pump, Capacity of a Air Circuit breaker.
- Characteristic values: The characterisitcs values are the actual specification values such as Horsepower of a pump is 7 HP. Here 7 HP is the characterisitc value.
- Maintenance Plan: Maintenance Plan in SAP PM is an application which contains the information about preventive maintenanceof a technical object. It has detailes of frequency of maintenance, set of tasks to be performed as per the dates and important parameter to control the maintenance call dates.
- Single Cycle Plan – A Single Cycle Plan is a type of plan where all the tasks iare called on a scheduled date for preventive maintenance of a technical object.
- Strategy Plan: A Strategy Plan is a type of plan where each operation in task list can be assigned with a different maintenance cycle.
- Multiple Counter Plan: A Multiple Counter Plan is a type of plan in which we use maintenance cycle of different dimensions such as running hours of pump and/or quantity of fluid pumped by machine. Also, running hours of machine and/or duration of 6 months. After assigning different cycles user can select whether both criteria should full fill to trigger the maintenance call object (order) or any one of the criteria will be sufficient to trigger the call object (order).
- Task List: Task list is a set of operations which are executed by a Main Work Center in the manufacturing area. Task List is used in Maintenance plan and maintenance orders. There are three types of task lists:
- Catalog: Catalog in SAP PM is a group of codes and code text that can be used to represent the technical details of the incident occurred. They are used in maintenance notifications to capture root cause of maintenance incidents. Example: Cause, Overview of Damage, Object part, Activity, Tasks etc.
- Bill of material: Bill of material is the list of spare parts related to technical object or a assembly.
- Construction Type (Material BoM)
- Equipment Bill of Material
- Functional Location Bill of material
- Main Work Center: Main work center is the group of people who execute the maintenance tasks in the maintenance plant or manufacturing facility.
- Main work center hierarchy (Used rarely): Work center hierarchy is used to assign the position of different work centers in the organization structure.
- Measuring Points: Measuring points narrate the physical or logical spot on a technical object where a condition is described. Example: Lubricant oil level in a machine, Temperature of a machine etc.
- Counters: Counters represents the wear and tear in a machine. It is either countinuously increasing or reducing in nature. Example: Running hours of a machine, distance travelled by a vehicle etc.
- Permits: Permits are attached to the technical objects to ensure that whenever user creates a notification it becomes mandatory to get a permit approval before starting actual work in field.
- Material master (Material type ERSA and NLAG): Material master is created as spare part and used in maintenance order component tab, task list and bill of material.
- Serial number: Serial number is used to track a material and equipment. It establishes a link between equipment and material master.
- Master Inspection characteristics (MIC): Master inspection characteristics is used in Calibration plan and assigned to task list operation. User can capture the values of MIC in QA32 while nspection of a machine after calibration.
- Maintenance Strategy: Maintenance strategy in SAP PM is set of maintenance cycles which are assigned to a task list and then to a maintenance plan. It is used in Strategy Plan.
- Cycle sets: Cycle set in SAP PM is a set of maintenance cycles of different dimensions such as running hours and duration of six months. It is used in Multiple Counter Plan.
- Master Warranty: Master warranty defines the range of services which are performed by an entity for a machine in plant area.
- Compatible Units (Used widely in utility industry): CUs are used to design a section of technical system which can be used again and again. Tt is mainly used in utility industry. Example: Intallation a new gas pipeline in a residential area. It will include the installation of same structure again and again.
- Standard text: Standard text is used to display the predefined instructions in the maintenance order. Example: Use PPE during maintenance.
Consulting Tips (Things to remember)
During design phase you must remember following points:
Dependency of master data on each other must be explained to client.
- A Bill of material cannot be created without material master.
- Measuring points and counter has dependency on equipment, functional location and characteristics.
- Serial number has dependency on material master and equipment.
- Equipment and functional location has dependency on Main work center
- Always explain the difference between equipment and functional location to business.
- Compare the use of equipment and functional location from business point of view.
- Clarify the importance of number range of equipment (external and internal).
- Give demo of measuring points and counter. Tell business about the warning and error message when a reading goes beyond permissible limit.
- Use of construction type in maintenance order processing is equally important.
- Another key point is demo of permits and its control on maintenance order processing.
- Explain how class and characteristics can show the specifications of machinery.
- Catalog code and catalog profile in sap pm can do wonders in notification processing. Therefore, give a notification processing demo and related reports.
- Material master needs coordination with MM and FICO modules. Target to finish it at early stage.
- Maintenance plan category can control triggering of maintenance call object. This must be explain and finalized in design phase.
- Task list needs a well structure program to upload. There is a possibility that business wants to upload long text also. So it is better to identify such thing early. Plan tasks for ABAP programmer in advance.
- Not to mention that serial number is mainly used in refurbishment process.
- Master inspection characteristics are assigned to task list operations and used in Calibration process
SAP PM Master Data dependency
| S. No. | Master Data in SAP PM | Dependency on other Master Data |
| 1 | Catalog | No dependency, It can be moved with TR movement |
| 2 | Permit | No dependency, It is assigned to equipment of functional location |
| 3 | Characteristics | Unit of measurement (if the UoM is not available in standard SAP) |
| 4 | Class | Characteristics |
| 5 | Maintenance Strategy | No dependency |
| 6 | Cycle Set | No dependency |
| 7 | Work Center Hierarchy | No dependency |
| 8 | Main Work Center | Cost Center, Activity type, Production Supply area, Employee master (HR), Work Center Hierarchy |
| 9 | Material Master | Cost center, Profit center, UoM, |
| 10 | Material BoM | Material Master |
| 11 | Functional Location | Main work center, Cost center, class, characteristics, asset master, MBoM can be used as construction type, permits can be assigned to FLoc |
| 12 | Equipment | Functional Location, Main work center, Cost center, class, characteristics, asset master, MBoM can be used as construction type, permits can be assigned to Equipment, Asset master (FI) |
| 13 | Measuring Point | Equipment, Functional Location, Characteristics, Catalog code groups and codes |
| 14 | Counter | Equipment, Functional Location, Characteristics, Catalog code groups and codes |
| 15 | Serial Number | Material Master, Equipment |
| 16 | Functional Location BoM | Functional Location, material master |
| 17 | Equipment BoM | Equipment, material master |
| 18 | General Task List | Main work center, Maintenance strategy, material master, activity type |
| 19 | Equipment Task List | Equipment, Main work center, Maintenance strategy, material master, activity type |
| 20 | Functional Location Task List | Functional Location, Main Work Center, Maintenance Strategy, material master, activity type |
| 21 | Single Cycle Plan | Task List, Equipment, Functional Location, Counter |
| 22 | Strategy Maintenance Plan | Task List, Equipment, Functional Location, Counter, Maintenance Strategy |
| 23 | Multiple Counter Plan | Task List, Equipment, Functional Location, Counter, Cycle set |
| 24 | Characteristic values | All class, charactertistics, respective master data object |
SAP PM Master data uploading methods
SAP PM master data can be uploaded with different ways suchas LSMW, Migration cockpit, Program. Separate program is required when you want to upload long text. Although there are option available in migration cockpit to upload long text also. Depending upon the situation you need to take the decision on program.
| S. No. | Master data | Master data uploading approch/ tool |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Catalog | LSMW Migration cockpit |
| 2 | Permit | LSMW |
| 3 | Characteristics | LSMW Migration cockpit SAP Data Services (BOBJ) |
| 4 | Class | LSMW Migration cockpit SAP Data Services (BOBJ) |
| 5 | Maintenance Strategy | Migration cockpit |
| 6 | Cycle Set | Migration cockpit |
| 7 | Main Work Center | Migration Cockpit SAP Data Services (BOBJ) |
| 8 | Material Master | LSMW Migration Cockpit MM17 SAP Data Services (BOBJ) |
| 9 | Material BoM | LSMW Migration Cockpit SAP Data Services (BOBJ) |
| 10 | Functional Location | LSMW Migration Cockpit SAP Data Services (BOBJ) |
| 11 | Equipment | LSMW Migration Cockpit SAP Data Services (BOBJ) |
| 12 | Measuring Point | LSMW Migration Cockpit SAP Data Services (BOBJ) |
| 13 | Counter | LSMW Migration Cockpit SAP Data Services (BOBJ) |
| 14 | Serial numbers | LSMW Migration Cockpit SAP Data Services (BOBJ) |
| 15 | Functional Location BoM | LSMW Migration Cockpit SAP Data Services (BOBJ) |
| 16 | Equipment BoM | LSMW Migration Cockpit SAP Data Services (BOBJ) |
| 17 | General Task List | LSMW Migration Cockpit Custom Program (depends on complexity) SAP Data Services (BOBJ) |
| 18 | Functional Location Task List | LSMW Migration Cockpit Custom Program (depends on complexity) SAP Data Services (BOBJ) |
| 19 | Equipment Task List | LSMW Migration Cockpit Custom Program (depends on complexity) SAP Data Services (BOBJ) |
| 20 | Single Cycle Plan | LSMW Migration Cockpit SAP Data Services (BOBJ) |
| 21 | Maint Strategy Plan | LSMW Migration Cockpit SAP Data Services (BOBJ) |
| 22 | Multiple Counter Plan | LSMW Migration Cockpit SAP Data Services (BOBJ) |
| 23 | Characterisitcs values | LSMW Migration Cockpit SAP Data Services (BOBJ) |