Using Planning Products within APO-Demand Planning

I am in the process of implementing APO-Demand Planning within a business that uses Planning with a Planning Material (Strategy 63). In order to execute forecasting at the Planning Material level, I would like to implement the use of Planning Products within Demand Planning. Thus, sales history would be aggregated at a Planning Product level based on the Products that use that Planning Product. I have been successful in creating an integration model that contains both materials (with locations) and planning materials, and I see the nodal structure under hierarchy PLANNING PRODUCT in transaction /SAPAPO/RELHSHOW, but I don't know how to proceed from here.

Can Planning Products be used in the way I describe within Demand Planning?

If so, what configuration needs to be done within Demand Planning and/or BW to enable this to work? It appears that I'll need to add hierarchy info to the characteristic representing Product in order to allow this to work, but I don't know the specifics.

It doesn't appear that much documentation exists to address the use of Planning with a Planning Material in Demand Planning, so any information that can be provided would be much appreciated.

Points awarded for helpful advice.

Best regards,

Mike Carey

Edited by: Michael Carey on Jul 19, 2010 10:27 PM