Availability Date Rule

An availability date rule helps you determine the promised ship date for a configured sales order based on the availability of key components.

Components of configured manufacturing orders are not known until the manufacturing order is generated (a process that does not occur online).  Since you cannot check availability of all components until after this process is completed, this rule will retrieve the date of first availability for a key component.  You must supply the component part number, plant, quantity required, and a variable name.  The rule will be issued as part of the sales order and quote order configuration process.  The company and warehouse will be retrieved for the requested plant and then the company, warehouse, part and required quantity will be passed to Time-Phased Part Availability to determine the availability date.  The availability date will be returned and formatted as a secondary variable with the variable name that you entered on the standard rule.

If an error occurs while processing the rule, the Availability Date Rule will return a value of '000000' for the availability date.  If this occurs, then you may want to release a different set of rules to calculate the date in a different manner.

You will be required to identify key components and to establish rules for each.  You will then need to calculate the actual promised ship date of the order based on the returned component availability dates, parent leadtimes, etc. and then use the Finalize Date Rule to update the Promised Ship date on the Sales Order or Quote Order Line.  See the key concept for Finalize Date Rule in this section for more information.

Identification

System Identifier:          19

Valid Rules Categories: Sales Order Entry

Action Expression 1

Description:                  The variable name, plant, and part number for which the availability date will be retrieved.

Expression Type:          Syntax

Length:                         320

Interpreted Type:           Alphanumeric

Note:                            The variable name (15 characters) is not interpreted by the Expert Configurator and does not have to be in correct syntax.  The plant (3 characters) indicates where the configured component part is to be manufactured.  The default value is the plant field for the rule.  This field is not interpreted by the Expert Configurator.  The plant must be a valid manufacturing plant.  The part number (15 character) is interpreted by the Expert Configurator and must be in correct syntax.

Action Expression 2

Description:                  Required Quantity

Expression Type:          Syntax

Length:                         320

Interpreted Type:           Alphanumeric

Note:                            The required quantity is interpreted by the Expert Configurator and must be in correct syntax.

Add an Availability Date Rule

1.   Display the Rules Maintenance Function Select screen.

a.   Select the Expert Configurator option from the System Application Menu.

b.   Select the Sales Order Rule Maintenance option from the Expert Configurator Application Menu to display the select screen.

2.   Enter the Function Select information.

a.   Assign a unique number to the rule.

b.   Enter the action code for an availability date rule in the Action Code field.  Action codes are defined in Reference File category Y03.

c.   Enter a 1 (addition) in the Maintenance Code field.

d.   Press the Enter key to display the header screen.

3.   Enter the header information.  See the Standard Rules Header screen (EC100S03) for more information.

4.   Press the Enter key to display the detail screen.

a.   Enter the condition statement.  (Optional)

The condition determines if the rule result is true or false.  If the condition expression is interpreted as true, the action expressions are processed.  Rules are released based on the result of the condition.  If no condition is entered, the condition is interpreted as true.

b.   Enter the value of the variable name/plant/part number field.  (Required)

      The VARIABLE NAME field is the first 15 characters of this field.  These characters are not interpreted.  The PLANT field will be used to indicate where the configured component part is to be manufactured.  The default value is the plant field for the rule.  This field is not interpreted by the Expert Configurator.  The part is interpreted by the Expert Configurator and must be in correct syntax.

c.   Enter the value of the required quantity.

The required quantity element is interpreted by the Expert Configurator.  This must be in correct syntax. 

6.   Press the Enter key to add this availability detail rule to the Rule Master File.

Change an Availability Date Rule

1.   Select the Sales Order Rule Maintenance option from the Expert Configurator Application Menu to display the select screen.

2.   On the Rule Maintenance Function Select screen:

a.   Enter the availability date rule in the Rule Number field.

b.   Enter a 2 in the Maintenance Code field to change the header information for the availability date rule.  Enter a 3 in the Maintenance Code field to change the detail information for the availability date rule.

3.   Change the descriptive data for the availability date rule and press the Enter key.

4.   If all fields are valid, the rule is changed on the Rule Master File.

Reactivate or Deactivate an Availability Date Rule

1.   Select the Sales Order Rule Maintenance option from the Expert Configurator Application Menu to display the select screen.

2.   On the Rule Maintenance Function Select screen:

a.   Enter the availability date rule number in the Rule number field.  All rules released by this rule must be deactivated before this rule can be deactivated.

b.   Enter a 4 in the Maintenance Code field to deactivate the availability date rule.  Enter a 5 in the Maintenance Code field to reactivate the availability date rule.

3.   Press the Enter key to deactivate or reactivate the availability date rule.

4.   Press F3 to exit without deactivating or reactivating the availability date rule.