Phase 3: Regional & Technical Master Data Foundation (Columbus Grid)

Prerequisite Check: Phase 1 (FI/CO Foundation) and Phase 2 (IS-U/FI-CA Integration) must be complete. We need Company Code AEP1 with IS-U parameters active, FI-CA number ranges defined, and the account determination chain in place. This phase builds the physical and geographical structure of the Columbus distribution grid.

Conceptual Overview: The IS-U Location Hierarchy

Before configuring, it is critical to understand the IS-U master data hierarchy that models the physical grid:

Regional Structure (City/Street)
  └── Connection Object (Physical Address / Utility Pole)
        └── Premise (Space within a building that can be served)
              └── Installation (Contractual point of delivery for a service)
                    └── Device / Register (Physical Meter — Phase 4)

Each level has a dependency on the one above it. You cannot create a Premise without a Connection Object. You cannot create an Installation without a Premise. This hierarchy directly reflects the physical reality of the Columbus electric grid.

Step 3.1 — Define Country Key & Regional Settings

Part A: Verify Country Key

✅ Already Configured. Country US (including date format, decimal notation, address layout, postal code length, and tax procedure TAXUSJ) was verified/configured in Phase 0, Step 0.1 via OY01.

No action required in this phase. Proceed to Part B.

Part B: Define Region (State)

SAP Screen Flow

Screen 1 — Regions: Initial Screen

1. Enter Country = US in the selection field.
2. Press Enter.

Screen 2 — Regions for Country US: Table View

SAP displays all defined US regions/states. Locate OH and verify it exists.

3. If OH does not exist, click New Entries.

Screen 3 — New Entry: Region Details

4. Click Save (Ctrl+S).

Why This Step

The Regional Structure is the geographic skeleton of the grid. Every Connection Object, Premise, and Installation carries a country/region assignment. Ohio-specific regulatory rules (PUCO tariff zones, tax jurisdictions, disconnect regulations) are driven by the Region Key OH. Without this, address-dependent processes like tax calculation and service territory assignment will fail.

Step 3.2 — Configure the City Directory

SAP Screen Flow

Screen 1 — IMG Navigation

1. Navigate to the SPRO path above → click Execute (⏩).

Screen 2 — City Directory: Table View

SAP displays any existing city directory entries.

2. Click New Entries.

Screen 3 — New Entry: City Details

For each city, fill in:

📍 How to enter Postal Codes: There is no postal code field on the main screen. Click the Postal codes button at the very top of the screen (under the ‘Create City’ title) to open the postal code table.

3. In the pop-up table, enter the postal codes (e.g., 43001 through 43299) and press Enter.
4. Go back to the main screen and click Save (Ctrl+S).
5. Repeat New Entries for the other Columbus-area cities:

Complete City Directory

Why This Step

The City Directory enables structured address validation during Connection Object and Premise creation. Instead of free-text city entry (which leads to data quality issues like “Columbus” vs “COLUMBUS” vs “Cols”), the directory enforces a controlled master list. This is critical for:

• Tax Jurisdiction determination (Ohio municipal income tax varies by city)
• Service territory segmentation (outage reporting by municipality)
• Regulatory filings (PUCO requires customer counts by political subdivision)

Step 3.3 — Configure the Street Directory

SAP Screen Flow

Screen 1 — IMG Navigation

1. Navigate to the SPRO path above → click Execute (⏩).

Screen 2 — Street Directory Configuration

SAP displays existing street directory entries.

2. Click New Entries to add a new street record. For each street, fill in the required fields (Street Name, City, Postal Code, etc.).

3. Click Save (Ctrl+S).

Production Note: In a real implementation, the actual street records (potentially 50,000+ for the Columbus metro area) would be bulk-loaded via:

• LSMW (Legacy System Migration Workbench) or
• SAP Migration Cockpit / custom ABAP upload program using BAS (Business Address Services) function modules
• Source data: Franklin County Auditor’s parcel database or AEP’s GIS system.

For baseline configuration, we define structure and rules only — the data load is a separate migration workstream.

Why This Step

The Street Directory, paired with the City Directory, creates a two-dimensional address validation grid. For the utility’s service territory, this means every service point can be uniquely identified by City + Street + House Number — preventing duplicate Connection Objects at the same physical location.

Step 3.4 — Define the Plant

Part A: Create the Plant

SAP Screen Flow

Screen 1 — Define Plant: Dialog

When you execute OX10, SAP presents a dialog.

1. Click New Entries.

Screen 2 — New Plant: Details

2. Click Save (Ctrl+S).
3. Confirm the transport request.

Part B: Assign Plant to Company Code

SAP Screen Flow

Screen 1 — Assignment Table

SAP displays a two-column table: Plant | Company Code.

1. Click New Entries (or locate AEP1 if already listed).

2. Click Save (Ctrl+S).

Why This Step

In IS-U, the Plant represents the physical distribution grid or service territory. It is the highest-level logistics organizational unit and is mandatory for Device Management — every meter, every device, is assigned to a Plant. Without a Plant, no Device Category (Phase 4) can be configured.

Key Configuration Notes

• The Plant AEP1 is assigned 1:1 to Company Code AEP1. This is the standard model for a single regulated utility serving one territory.
• Plant is also referenced in Material Management (MM) for spare meter inventory, but that is outside the scope of this initial configuration.

Step 3.5 — Define Connection Object Categories

Architecture Note: In SAP IS-U, a Connection Object is technically a Functional Location from the Plant Maintenance (PM) module. Connection Object “types” are controlled via the Structure Indicator and Functional Location Category stored in table TE130. The ISTYP field value C identifies a functional location as a Connection Object.

SAP Screen Flow

Screen 1 — IMG Navigation

1. Navigate to the SPRO path above → click Execute (⏩).

Screen 2 — Connection Object Types: Table View

2. Click New Entries.

Screen 3 — New Entry: Connection Object Type Details

For each type, fill in:

3. Click Save (Ctrl+S).
4. Repeat New Entries for each Connection Object Type:

Complete Connection Object Types

Why This Step

The Connection Object is the physical point where the utility’s distribution network meets the customer’s premise. In electrical terms, it represents the service drop / utility pole / transformer connection. Connection Object Types classify these points for:

• Service territory planning
• Capacity analysis (industrial CO types require different infrastructure sizing)
• Regulatory reporting (PUCO requires reporting by customer category)

Key Configuration Notes

• The Connection Object carries the geocodable address (linked to City and Street Directory entries from Steps 3.2/3.3).
• A single Connection Object can have multiple Premises underneath it (e.g., a multi-family building has one Connection Object but multiple apartment Premises).
• New Connection Objects are created at runtime via T-Code ES55 (Create Connection Object).

Step 3.6 — Define Premise Types

SAP Screen Flow

Screen 1 — IMG Navigation

1. Navigate to the SPRO path above → click Execute (⏩).

Screen 2 — Premise Types: Table View

2. Click New Entries.

Screen 3 — New Entry: Premise Type Details

3. Click Save (Ctrl+S).
4. Repeat for each type:

Complete Premise Types

Why This Step

The Premise represents a habitable or usable space within a Connection Object that can receive utility service. It is the level at which a physical meter is typically installed. Premises are created at runtime via T-Code ES60 (Create Premise).

Step 3.7 — Define Installation Types (⚠️ Regulated Market Architecture)

⚠️ Architecture Clarification: The Installation Type in standard SAP IS-U is a categorization key that groups installations by service type (e.g., electricity residential vs. commercial). Behavioral controls like EDM relevance, billing schema selection, and meter reading relevance are not configured as flags on the Installation Type. Instead, they are driven by the Rate Category (Step 3.9), the Billing Schema, and the Device/Register group assignments. The summary table below shows the intended runtime behavior per type, which will be realized through the Rate Category and Billing Schema configuration.

SAP Screen Flow

Screen 1 — IMG Navigation

1. Navigate to the SPRO path above → click Execute (⏩).

Screen 2 — Installation Types: Table View

2. Click New Entries.

Screen 3 — New Entry: Installation Type Details

3. Click Save (Ctrl+S).
4. Repeat for each installation type:

Complete Installation Types

Installations are created at runtime via T-Code ES30 (Create Installation).

Architecture Note: Regulated Ohio Market

In a regulated market, the Installation Type encodes the billing structure. Unlike deregulated markets where Generation, Transmission, and Distribution can be unbundled across multiple suppliers, a regulated utility serves as both the distribution utility and the Standard Service Offer (SSO) retail provider. This means:

• Each Installation Type maps to a specific rate schedule filed with PUCO.
• The TOU variants (E2, E4, E5) are specifically prepared for 15-minute interval-based billing via EDM.
• There is no CRES (Competitive Retail Electric Service) provider switching modeled at this phase — that would require additional Point of Delivery (PoD) configuration.

Step 3.8 — Define the Division

✅ Already Configured. The Division 01 (Electricity) and its assignment to Company Code AEP1 were created in Phase 2, Step 2.5 Part C.1 as a prerequisite for the EK01/EK02 account determination configuration.

No action required in this phase. Verify Division 01 exists via SM30 → Table TE001 if needed.

Step 3.9 — Define Rate Categories

SAP Screen Flow

Part A: Define Rate Categories

Screen 1 — IMG Navigation

1. Navigate to the SPRO path above → click Execute (⏩).

Screen 2 — Rate Categories: Table View

2. Click New Entries.

Screen 3 — New Entry: Rate Category Details

For each rate category:

3. Click Save (Ctrl+S).
4. Repeat for all rate categories:

Complete Rate Categories

Part B: Define Rate Category Determination Rules

SPRO Path: SPRO → SAP Utilities → Contract Billing → Billing Master Data → Rate Structure → Define Rate Determination

Screen 4 — Rate Category Determination: Table View

5. Click New Entries.

Screen 5 — New Entry: Determination Rule

6. Click Save (Ctrl+S).
7. Repeat for all determination rules:

Why This Step

The Rate Category is the bridge between the physical installation and the tariff structure. When the billing engine processes an installation, it first determines the Rate Category, then uses it to locate the correct billing schema and price keys. The TOU rate categories (RES-TOU, COM-TOU, IND-TOU) are specifically designed to work with EDM interval data — the billing schema for these categories will expect time-bucketed consumption values from the EDM profile.

Step 3.10 — Define IS-U Number Ranges for Master Data Objects

⚠️ Correction Note: The original document incorrectly cited EG31, EG32, and EG33 as number range maintenance T-Codes. Those are actually Device Installation/Removal transactions (EG31 = Full Installation, EG32 = Full Removal, EG33 = Technical Installation). Number range maintenance for IS-U master data objects is performed via SNRO (Number Range Object Maintenance) or via the dedicated SPRO paths under SAP Utilities → Master Data.

3.10.1 — Connection Object Number Range

SAP Screen Flow

Screen 1 — Number Range Object Maintenance

1. Execute SNRO → enter Object name ISU_EHAU → press Enter.
2. Click Change Intervals (pencil icon 📝).

Screen 2 — Maintain Intervals

3. Click Insert Interval (➕):

4. Click Save (💾).

3.10.2 — Premise Number Range

SAP Screen Flow

Same as above — execute SNRO → Object ISU_NUMPRM → Change Intervals → Insert Interval:

Click Save (💾).

3.10.3 — Installation Number Range

SAP Screen Flow

Same pattern — execute SNRO → Object ISU_INST → Change Intervals → Insert Interval:

Click Save (💾).

3.10.4 — Contract Number Range

SAP Screen Flow

Screen 1 — Number Range Object Maintenance

1. Execute SNRO → Object ISU_EVER → press Enter.
2. Click Change Intervals (📝) → Insert Interval (➕):

3. Click Save (💾).

Why This Step

Every master data object in IS-U needs a number range. Without these, the transactional screens (ES55 for Connection Objects, ES60 for Premises, ES30 for Installations) will throw a “Number range not found” error when attempting to create records.

Phase 3 — Completion Checklist

🔗 The Columbus grid foundation is now in place. Proceed to Phase 4: Device Management & AMI/EDM Preparation.