What is alternative determination in SAP PP - Production Planning and Control?

SAP Term: alternative determination

• Component: PP

• Component Name: Production Planning and Control

• Description: The system automatically determines which alternative in a multiple BOM is required with a multi-level BOM explosion. The search process is controlled by the "application" entered and additional selection criteria as appropriate. The applications are defined in Customizing.

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• Key Concepts: 
  Alternative determination is a feature in SAP Production Planning and Control (PP) that allows users to define alternative materials or operations for a given production order. This feature is useful when the original material or operation is not available, or when the user wants to use a different material or operation for cost savings or other reasons. 
  
  How to use it: 
  To use alternative determination, the user must first define the alternative materials and operations in the system. This can be done by creating a material master record for each alternative material, and by creating an operation master record for each alternative operation. Once these are defined, the user can assign them to the production order as alternatives. 
  
  Tips & Tricks: 
  When defining alternative materials and operations, it is important to consider the cost savings associated with each option. Additionally, it is important to consider any potential quality issues that may arise from using an alternative material or operation. 
  
  Related Information: 
  For more information on alternative determination in SAP PP, please refer to the official SAP documentation at https://help.sap.com/viewer/product/SAP_ERP_Central_Component/6.0/en-US/f3d7f9a8b2e14c8a9f3d7f9a8b2e14c8.html