Implementing new output management in SAP S/4HANA Cloud (Private edition) and On-premise system

SAP S/4HANA Cloud (Private edition) and On-Premise system 2022 FPS0 release is now out! Please read the blog for the highlights of 2022 release. For details of S4H Output Management, you can go through SAP note 3097507.

In this blog, I describe on how to setup the S4H Output Control in S4H Cloud (Private edition) and On-Premise systems for:

• Maintenance Notifications
• Maintenance Orders
• Maintenance Job Packages

Step 1: Activation of Application Object Type

S4H Output Control must be activated per application object. Go to spro –> SAP Customizing Implementation Guide –> Cross-Application Components –> Output Control –> Manage Application Object Type Activation

Add an entry for Maintenance Notification / Maintenance Order and set the status to ‘Application Active’. Once you save the entries, SAP uses the new S4H Output Control for printing the shopfloor papers.

Activation of Application Object Type

1. Why do we need to make an entry only for maintenance notification and maintenance order, but not for maintenance job package?
   • Maintenance notifications and orders are existing application objects, and you may have configured the old output management to output the shop papers. Therefore, SAP gives an option for you to continue with the old output management framework and not adapt the new S4H output control. By adding an entry into this table and setting the status to “Application Active”, you are effectively switching over to the S4H output control for the application objects “maintenance notifications” and “maintenance orders”.
   • However, maintenance job package is a new application object introduced in 2022 release. So, there is nothing called “old output management” framework that you might have implemented for this new application object. This new application object by default will use only new output management framework for output.
2. Can I switch from the “Application Active” back to “Application Inactive”?
   • You can set the status to “Application Inactive”. However, SAP strongly recommends not to toggle the status from “Application Active” back to “Application Inactive”. Such a toggle may lead to unintended consequences in your output of these application objects.

Step 2: Configure Output Parameter Determination

Use the transaction “opd” (opd stands for Output Parameter Determination). In the list of application objects, you should see the application objects – maintenance notification, maintenance order and maintenance job packages. If you don’t see these objects, then implement the SAP note 2248229

Please see SAP help on how to configure OPD.

Step 3: Schedule Jobs for sending the output

S4H Output management supports two dispatch times for output items – Immediate (Dispatch Time = 1) and Scheduled (Dispatch Time = 2). You need to setup scheduled jobs to pickup the output items whose status is “To be Output” (with Dispatch Time = 2).

You can schedule the jobs for output with below apps:

• Schedule Output for Maintenance Notifications (F6074)
• Schedule Output for Maintenance Orders (F6075)
• Schedule Output for Maintenance Job Packs (F6076)

Step 4: Print Shop papers for maintenance orders from SAP GUI

If S4H Output Management is activated for maintenance orders, then you will see a menu item “Output” in the “Order” menu.

Menu Item – Output

Clicking on the “Output”, will launch the reuse UI of output control. The output items are determined at the time of order creation.

Determined Output Items for Maintenance Order

If the channel = EMAIL for an output item, then you can add additional email recipients. To do this, click on the “Display Details”.

Add additional recipients

If the channel = PRINT for an output item, then you can change the number of copies and the Print Q. To do this, click on the “Display Details”.

Number of Copies and Print Q for an Output Item

To send an output item to the Print Q / EMail, then click on the printer icon.

Send output

If you are using Webdynpro UI for maintenance orders, then you will see the below screen:

Print Dialog in Order Webdynpro

Notes:

• The navigational flow for maintenance notifications is like as stated for maintenance orders in Step 4. Similar to maintenance order, system determines output items at the time of creation of a maintenance notification.
• As of writing this blog, system doesn’t redetermine the output items during the lifecycle of the maintenance notification, maintenance order and job packages. Therefore, the decision tables in opd are evaluated only during the creation of those objects. Future releases of S4H EAM may handle the redetermination of output items during the lifecycle of the object.
• As of writing this blog, there is no support to trigger dispatching the output items of maintenance notifications and orders from the Fiori UIs
• Dispatching the output items of Job Packages is from Fiori UIs. Managing output items of Job Packages is not explained in this blog.

FAQs:

1. Can I use the old output management solution to print shop papers of maintenance notifications and maintenance orders?
   • Yes, you can continue to use the old output management solution to print shop papers of maintenance notifications and orders
   • It is not mandatory to switch to S4H output management
2. Can I use both old and new S4H output management frameworks simultaneously?
   • No, you cannot use both the frameworks simultaneously for an application object
   • For example, you cannot use both the frameworks for printing of shop papers of a maintenance order. Output management is activated by application object. It means if for example, the object Maintenance order is activated, then ALL the new maintenance orders will work with the new framework regardless of the order type.
   • However, you can use old output management framework for maintenance orders and new S4H output management framework for maintenance notifications
3. Can I use old output management framework for Work Pack?
   • Work Pack uses new S4H output management and doesn’t work with old Output management
4. Can I use my current/existing shop papers (forms) in new S4H output management?
   • No, you cannot use the forms of old output management in the new S4H output management. SAP provided equivalent forms in new S4H output management, and you may have to customize those forms to suit your requirements.
5. Is there an automatic migration of old forms to new forms?
   • There is no migration provided to switch from old output management to new output management
6. I use the old output management framework for printing shop papers of maintenance orders and configured the system accordingly. Will the new output management framework use the SPRO settings for printing the shop papers?
   • The new output management solution doesn’t read any SPRO settings that you may have configured for old output management framework