KSPI - Price calculation returns error depending on which periods you plan

Question

Hi guys,
I wanted to share this with you to see if this is a 'Bug', or if it's just the way I'm doing it. Here is step by step of what I did.
1) Created activity-independant cost planning for cost center # 3000 (KP06), for $10,000. It's broken up into periods as below:
Period 01
Period 02       $5,000
Period 03       $5,000
Period 04
Period 05
Period 06
Period 07
Period 08
Period 09
Period 10
Period 11
Period 12
2) Created activity input planning (KP26) for activity type LBRHR for 1,000 hours, broken up as follows into periods:
Period 01
Period 02      
Period 03       500
Period 04       500
Period 05
Period 06
Period 07
Period 08
Period 09
Period 10
Period 11
Period 12
Then I execute KPSI for periods 1-12. In addition, I'm using pricing method '2', which is based on the average calculation. So theoritically it should take the total of $10,000 and divide it by 1,000 LBRHR and get an average periodical price of $10 per hours. In addition, I have the equivNo of '1' for all periods in the activity planning (KP26).
Now when I perform KPSI, I get the following error message. "Cost center CTR SC01/3000, cost element 611000: Splitting is not possible. Cost element 611000 cannot be split for cost center CTR SC01/3000, period(s) 2, because:the total of the activity type equivalence numbers is zero. Therefore, there is no splitting base for this cost element. OR
the target costs for cost object hierarchies are zero.  This means there is no distribution basis for this cost element."
So when I change my activity planning in a way that I have the quantity planned starts on and/or before period 2 instead of period 3, then it works fine. So it seems like the system needs the activity quantity planning (KP26) to start in the same period or on an earlier periods as the first cost planning (KP06) period. In this example it needs activity planned in period 002 or earlier.
Is this the way it's supposed to be working?
How can I have it, so that it works even if the activity planning (KP26) is entered in periods after the periods that had cost planning (KP06)?
I appreciate your input and ideas.
Thanks
Edited by: Ehab Mansour on Feb 18, 2009 8:41 AM
Edited by: Ehab Mansour on Feb 18, 2009 8:42 AM
Edited by: Ehab Mansour on Feb 18, 2009 8:42 AM

Answer 1

Hi Srikanth
I understand what you're explaining.
But my understanding of using the pricing method of 'Average', it that it would ignore whether you have activities planned (KP26) for same periods as you have activity independant costs (KP06), and just take the total costs and divide it by the total activities. If it was pricing method 'Periodic', then I would agree with the error message, because it has to make sure you have the complete information for each of the periods.
I tried putting zero, or deleting out the entry '1' in Equiv No.for those periods that I dont have activity quantity (KP26) planned so that the system can ignore those periods when searching for activities to apply the activity Independant costs to, but it didnt make any difference, still got the error message.
Then I tried a scenario where activity planning (KP26) is not necessarily made on the same periods as activity Independant planning (KP06), but just planned on earlier periods, as below:
1) Created activity-independant cost planning for cost center # 3000 (KP06), for $10,000. It's broken up into periods as below:
Period 01
Period 02
Period 03
Period 04 $5,000
Period 05 $5,000
Period 06
Period 07
Period 08
Period 09
Period 10
Period 11
Period 12
2) Created activity input planning (KP26) for activity type LBRHR for 1,000 hours, broken up as follows into periods:
Period 01 500
Period 02 500
Period 03
Period 04
Period 05
Period 06
Period 07
Period 08
Period 09
Period 10
Period 11
Period 12
The system did not return an error. so it seems to accept it as longer as Activity quantity planning (KP26) is on and/or before the period of activity Independant planning, and NOT after ( in this example periods 2 3, it didn't have to be on 45 ). I don't get that logic.
Ideas?