Product Information
Effective Optimization Series
Currently we see more and more companies implementing and using SAP Transportation Management. One part of our TM solution is Transportation Planning including optimization solutions.
Because of its nature optimization is different from most of the other parts of TM: You work on large sets of business objects, it’s mainly batch processing, it’s not ABAP and several differences more. These differences can make it very hard for consultants or customers, if they use the optimizer the first time, even if they are very experienced in the other areas of TM. For these people I write this blog. I want to explain various aspects of the TM optimizers and their usage. It will be possible to read only the sections you are interested in to get the information for your project as fast as possible.
I want to focus on the optimization specific parts, so that you don’t need to read an introduction about basic concepts again and again. So you will not find another explanation for Freight Orders or other basics. The focus of the first sections will be on VSR optimizer, the optimizer for vehicle scheduling and routing. Maybe other optimization engines like Load Planning, Carrier Selection or Strategic Freight Management will follow later. As far as not explicitly written, the remarks and issues concern all releases of the optimizer for TM.
The table of content below shows the already written blogs and the planned ones (italic). I would be happy to receive your feedback, which topics sounds most interesting to you or which ones are missing. I wish you success and some fun in studying details about one of the best parts in TM.
Successful projects – early optimization runs
- Start early
- Network – Start with simple Network
- Runtime – for everything there is a season
- Different Problems – different optimizers
Cost – or what do we optimize at all?
- Why cost and not rules?
- Keep costs as realistic as possible
- Cost for trucks and trailers by Hongmei Zhao
- Cost for Schedules and Bookings
- Utilization and why you should avoid cost-functions
Insights into the VSR engine
- Vechicle Sceduling&Routing: Scope overview
- Explanation Tool – Understanding surprising Results by Hongmei Zhao
- Optimization- BAdI – create your own world for optimization
- Incremental Planning – expanding freight orders
- Prallelism – Utilize your hardware
- Proposal and Optimizer – the (un)-similar brothers
- Driving Time and Working Hours Constraints
Using and administrating the optimizer
- Installation alternatives
- Troubleshooting and speeding up of message processing
- Hardware-Sizing
- Performance tuning
- Updating the optimizer
Other very recommendable sources about optimization:
- Bernd Dittrich: TM Optimizer Podcast
- Marcus Zahn: MKS – 31 Optimizer Explanation Tool
- Marcus Zahn: MKS – 43 TM 9.1 Load Planning: Enhancement Options
- Rodion Schuster: Optimizer How-to-Guide describing the parameters of the profile in detail
- Tobias Berger: VSR Optimizer Didn’t Find any Result / Transportation Proposals Couldn’t be Created
In which topic about TM optimization are you interested in? What should come next?
Hello Thomas,
Is it possible to share some documentation about the Incremental Process feature that is coming with 9.1?
Best Regards, Marcelo Lauria
That would be realy good. I did not know that such feature will come.
Thanks Marcelo.
Hello Rajiv, there´s something about the incremental planning in SP01 of 9.1 release notes. But I´m still waiting more...:-) Regards!
Hi Marcelo!
Both "incremental palnning" and "overall scope" are on my list now. I just struggeled a little bit with the network. As soon as I finalize it, I will taggle theses two.
You find the first short description of incremental planning in SP 1 release notes on side 58.
Best Regards!
Thanks Thomas!
Regards, Marcelo Lauria
Hi Thomas,
many thanks for this blog series! I'd be interested in all topics concerning costs (especially related to maritime services) and the explanation tool.
Thanks&Best regards,
Thomas
Hi Thomas,
thank you very much for this blog. It is a great (and complicated) topic.
I have just found it, so I will try to read already existing blogs.
Since you ask for feedback. All topics are interessting.
For beginning following would be directly interessiting for me:
Why cost and not rules?
Optimization- BAdI - create your own world for optimization
Parallelism - Utilize your hardware
An additional topic: A high level overview what is possible with the optimizer.
The reason: I am used with an PTV optimizer which is specialized on truck scenario.
There a variaty on possibilities for restrictions and equipment is provided...
Currently, for me it is difficult to understand what is possible (from a business perspective) with VSR, e.g. it is possible to have multiple delivery intervalls...
With such high level overview, it would be also understandable were are the restrictions of the optimizer. (We had a customer, who has tried to plan 100 000 FU with VSR). 😉
Thanks.
Rajiv
Great series!!!
Hi Rajiv!
Some of your questions about what's possible should be answered in the blog about Scope and features now.
Best Regards,
Thomas
Hi Thomas,
thanks. I will directly check. 🙂
BR
Rajiv
Hi Thomas ,
I would like to know more about the Strategic Freight Management Optimization engine.
Thanks and Regards ,
Parikshit.
After a long interruption, I am happy that we have to new blogs. Hongmei wrote about the best practice in cost-setting for trucks. I collected some thoughts about utilization.
Hello Herr Thomas,
The above is result for the report (/SCMTMS/FIND_TN_PATH) Transportation Lane is getting determined.
Then in RCCF_LOG Transaction figure also attached Transport Network is identifying the Transportation Lane.
But in Transportation Cockpit when I run the Optimizer planning it fails and in RCCF_LOG it is telling No Transportation Lane passed.
Cannot really understand this message of the system. Please could you tell me where I might be wrong
Please check if your selection profiles are ok. Check if the Deamdns and the resources are selected, as intended. Most probably the resource/MTr is missing and then as follow-up effect also the lane is not considered.