The Routing functionality in JOP is used to define the sequence of operations required to process a product using a specific service and material setup. It is composed of two parts: a routing header and multiple routing lines.

Routing definitions enable highly customized and flexible workflows that reflect both operational structure and rule-driven behavior.

Routing Header

The Routing Header contains general and applicability-related information. The fields are organized into the following sections:

General

No. — Unique identifier of the routing, according to the specified number series.
Version Code — Code for managing multiple versions
Description — Descriptive name of the routing
Valid From — Start date for the routing validity
Valid To — End date for the routing validity
Allow General Rules — Indicates whether generic, center-wide rules can apply
Has Rules — Indicates if any rules are linked
Status — Current lifecycle status of the routing

The Status field in the Routing header indicates the current lifecycle state of the routing. It helps control visibility, editing rights, and usage in process orders.

Available options:

New — Initial status for newly created routings not yet used or reviewed
Under Development — Routing is being actively configured or tested
Certified — Routing is finalized, approved, and ready for productive use
Closed — Routing is no longer in use; archived or deactivated

Only Certified routings should be used in live order processing.

Active — Indicates whether the routing is currently active
Activated Date-Time — Timestamp when the routing became active
Deactivated Date-Time — Timestamp when the routing was deactivated

Applies-to

The Applies-to section in the Routing header defines the matching criteria that determine when this routing should be selected during order processing. These criteria may include specific customers, JOP items, products, materials, or service combinations.

Matching conditions include:

Customer No. and Customer Group Code
JOP Item Code
Product Code and Product Group Code
Material Code and Material Group Code
Service Code and Service Group Code
Responsibility Center and Production Department Code
Rework indicator (if the routing is for rework scenarios)

When multiple routings match an order, the system uses the Search Priority table to determine which routing to select. This table defines a ranked evaluation order for the matching fields to ensure consistent and predictable selection logic.

Routing Lines

Each Routing Line defines a specific step in the process. The following fields are available:

Operation Code — Identifier for the operation to perform
Method Code — Specific method or technique used
Description — Description of the operation
Confirmation — Indicates if confirmation is required
Optional Confirmation — Indicates if confirmation is optional
Batch Operation — Flags if the operation is batch-based

If the Batch Operation option is enabled for a routing line, it means that the step is designed to be executed as part of a grouped machine-related batch.

In such cases, confirmation of the operation must be performed via a machine-related batch, not on the individual process order level. This ensures that all items processed together are reported consistently and in alignment with shared resources and machine utilization.

This setting is particularly useful for heat treatment, coating, or other processes where multiple items are processed simultaneously under identical conditions.

Rule Match Code — Links this line to a rule condition

The Rule Match Code is used to define a precise anchor point within the routing where rule-based changes can be applied during process order generation.

For example, a rule may insert an additional operation or modify the Method Code of an existing step. The Rule Match Code acts as a reference that the rule condition uses to identify where exactly this modification should occur.

This mechanism provides targeted control over routing behavior, enabling conditional adaptation of the process sequence based on customer, product, material, or property-related logic.

Test Plan Mandatory — Specifies if a test plan is mandatory for this step
Test Plan Template Code — Default test plan template to use
Planned Division Code — Division where the work is planned
Planned Machine Group Code — Machine group assignment
Planned Machine Code — Specific machine to use
Process Time — Time required to perform the operation
Minimum Process Time — Minimum time threshold
Maximum Process Time — Maximum time threshold
Bold — Formatting flag for documentation
Italic — Formatting flag for documentation
Underline — Formatting flag for documentation
New Page — Indicates if the operation should begin on a new page in print output
Print Date/Signature — Prints operator signature/date fields
Sales Factor — Factor influencing pricing or invoicing logic

The Sales Factor is used to allocate sales revenue to the specific machine or machine group that performed the operation in a batch process.

If multiple machines are involved in processing a single process order, the sales can be distributed proportionally by assigning appropriate Sales Factors to each routing line.

As a best practice, the sum of all Sales Factors within a process order should always equal 1.0, ensuring accurate financial and performance tracking.

Routing Rules

Routing Rules in the JOP extension are used to dynamically modify the structure or behavior of process orders by inserting, changing, or removing routing lines based on predefined conditions.

Inserting additional routing lines based on specific conditions
Modifying method codes for operations
Enabling or disabling certain steps depending on item or customer context

Routing rules provide a flexible mechanism for adapting process flows based on specific business logic, customer setups, or technical requirements—without duplicating entire routings.

Rules can be categorized into two types:

General Rules — Defined center-wide and applicable across multiple routings
Routing-Specific Rules — Linked to and maintained directly on the individual routing

This rule-based logic provides flexibility to adapt production steps automatically based on order conditions, such as product type, service, or properties.

Routing Rule General Section

The header of a Routing Rule contains general information and references to conditions:

Code — Unique identifier of the routing rule
Description — A brief description of the rule's purpose or logic
Rule Condition Code — Reference to a Rule Condition that determines when the rule applies
Rule Condition Active — Indicates whether the linked condition is currently active
Rule Description — Informational field to describe the condition or intended use
Rework Only — If enabled, the rule only applies to rework process orders

Routing Rule Lines

The lines of a Routing Rule define the actions to be executed when the rule condition is fulfilled. Each line represents a modification to the process order.

Fields available in rule lines include:

Action — Defines the type of change to perform

Insert — Adds a new routing line
Replace — Replaces an existing routing line with the new one defined in the rule
Delete — Removes the matching routing line from the process order
Field Update — Modifies specific fields (e.g. Method Code, Machine Code) on the matching line without replacing the entire line

Rule Match Code — Refers to a specific point in the routing (used as anchor for the change)
Routing Rule Line No. — A unique identifier used to match a specific line in the process order. If specified, it is the first criterion the system uses when determining which line to apply the rule action to.
All standard routing line fields — Including fields such as:
- Operation Code
- Method Code
- Description
- Confirmation, Batch Operation, Planned Machine Code, etc.

Line Matching Logic

When a routing rule is applied, the system determines where to execute the defined action by attempting to match an existing line in the process order. The following priority is used to find the correct target line:

Routing Rule Line No. — If a specific line number is provided, it takes precedence as the primary match criterion
Rule Match Code — If no specific line number is found, the system searches for a line with the same Rule Match Code
Operation Code — If no Rule Match Code is found, the Operation Code is used as a fallback to locate a matching line

This layered matching approach ensures precise and flexible control over which routing line is affected by a given rule action.

Routings