This blog post is part of a series on SAP Digital Manufacturing new POD 2.0 framework, the new generation of SAP Digital Manufacturing worker UIs.

New POD 2.0 Framework Blogs

1. The New Generation of SAP Digital Manufacturing Worker UIs
2. Template-Based Design Instead of POD Types
3. Visual WYSIWYG Designer
4. POD 2.0 Hands-on, Flexible Layout Capabilities, Part 1
5. POD 2.0 Hands-on, Flexible Layout Capabilities, Part 2
6. Custom UI Dialogs and Calling Production Processes
7. Dynamic PODs, How to Dynamically Show, Hide, Enable, and Disable UI Elements
8. Other Business Capabilities Enabled by POD 2.0
9. Interactive Value Journey (IVJ)
10. POD Notifications
11. Tips and Tricks
12. Accessing PODs 2.0
13. Implementing Data Scan for Barcode-enabled Component Consumption
14. Electronic Batch Records (EBR)

Introduction

An Electronic Batch Record (EBR) is a digital version of a paper batch record that captures, manages, and tracks all data related to the production process. It ensures compliance, enhances traceability, improves accuracy, and streamlines workflow in regulated industries like pharmaceuticals and food manufacturing.

In this blog post, I will show in detail how to setup and use EBR in POD 2.0.

Prerequisites

• You have the EBR_Manage role template required to use the Electronic Batch Record API, along with the Electronic_Signature_Read, Electronic_Signature_Sign, Production_Operator, and Production_Engineer role templates required to view, edit, and refresh EBRs

• You've created a POD using the Electronic Batch Record Template

• The order that's related to the batch for which you want to create an EBR for has been released using the Manage Orders app

• The goods receipt for the order has been posted using an Order POD

Scope

Electronic Batch Record (EBR) scope currently includes:

Create EBRs
Create and manage EBRs after or during order execution with the flexibility to add both Digital Manufacturing (DM) documents (based in MDOs) and third-party files to the EBR folder, supporting comprehensive batch records.

Review & Approve
Review, approve, and version EBRs through a robust, role-based authorization process designed to support GMP compliance requirements from the start.

Comprehensive audit trail
track actions on the EBR, providing traceability for audit and compliance purposes.

Manage EBR documents
Document-driven first release focused on flexible document management and strong authorization controls, laying the foundation for future automated data capture and reporting.

Extend and customize EBRs
Customize by leveraging the POD 2.0 framework, enabling seamless integration of additional content, workflows, and plugins as needed.

 

 

Now, let´s see how to implement it.

 

Production ProcessFirst, we need to create a simple production process, with the following input variables:

 

To trigger ‘Create Electronic Batch Records‘ service, with the following input mappings:

 

 

Save and deploy it.

Automatic Trigger

Next, to make the EBR creation automatic, we can use a Business Rule as trigger.

To do that, open Manage Automatic Triggers app, select Business Rules and click ‘Create'.

Next, create a new Business Rule using an Event Type as trigger. For this example, I used ‘Goods Receipt Request – v1′.

Then, configure the Conditions to trigger this Business Rule based on your master data scenario, including Plant, Material, etc, to trigger this event.

 

Finally, select the newly created production process as an Action Item, and map the Input Parameters as follows:

 

 

Save and deploy it.

POD 2.0

By creating a POD using the Electronic Batch Record POD Template, you can leverage its preconfigured pages and dialogs that are designed to enable, for example, regulated industries to support the composition of electronic batch records related to process and production orders on the shop floor. This includes the flexibility to add both SAP Digital Manufacturing documents as well as third party files to the EBR to compose a comprehensive batch record. Each preconfigured page and dialog comes with preconfigured plugins that organize the layout of the POD and add relevant functionality.

 

In Manage PODs 2.0 app, click ‘Create',select ‘Electronic Batch Record POD' template and click ‘OK‘.

You don´t really need to change anything here, so just click ‘Save‘ and ‘Run‘ (Play button) to load the newly created EBR POD.

 

Run

With all this setup in place, you can use any Order POD to post Goods Receipt for any order that matches your Business Rule Conditions, via Goods Receipt plugin.

As soon as Goods Receipt is posted, you can check Manage Production Processes app, to confirm the production process was triggered and ran successfully, creating the EBR.

At this point, you can go back to the newly created EBR POD, filter for the batch you posted Goods Receipt against, which should show on the list, so you can click to open it.

* If the EBR POD doesn´t show any data, double check your user role assignments.

Here, you can see the EBR ‘Status' column, which can be one of the following:

Once you click to open the batch, EBR POD should open the EBR created and display ‘General Information‘ for the selected batch.

Then, click ‘Documents‘ tab and then ‘Add‘ button, to upload any file documents related to this batch.

After uploading all the batch related documents, you can click ‘Complete‘, to update the status of the EBR to ‘Under Review' and initiate the EBR review process, which will require an Electronic Signature.

The EBR POD review and approval flow will control the status flow of the EBR via specific authorization roles to ensure at least 4-eyes principle review.

On the right-hand side under ‘Activity Log', you can see the updated status of the EBR, which is now ‘Under Review‘.

During the review process, the EBR can be either Approved or Rejected. To move on, click ‘Approve‘, which will again require an Electronic Signature.

On the right-hand side under ‘Activity Log', you can see the updated status of the EBR, which is now ‘Approved‘.

If Rejected, users can either ‘Create New Version', or ‘Cancel and Generate EBR Summary Report'.

If a New Version is created, the review process can carry on using the new version, and the older rejected versions remain available in view mode.

In case of ‘Cancel and Generate EBR Summary Report', the EBR is cancelled and an EBR_Summary_Report_000BATCH.pdf is created.

Once Approved, click ‘Release and Generate EBR Summary Report‘ to move on, which will again require an Electronic Signature.

On the right-hand side under ‘Activity Log', you can see the updated status of the EBR, which is now ‘Released‘.

Click ‘Documents‘ tab, to see the EBR_Summary_Report_00000BATCH.pdf that is automatically generated, and click ‘Preview‘ to view it, you can also check the checkbox and click ‘Download Documents‘ to download them.

Preview the EBR Summary Report.

Learn more at about Electronic Batch Record (EBR) at:

Conclusion

Electronic Batch Records are a key capability for manufacturers operating in regulated industries, helping ensure compliance, traceability, data integrity, and audit readiness throughout the production lifecycle. With the new POD 2.0 framework in SAP Digital Manufacturing, organizations can rapidly deploy a modern and intuitive EBR experience while leveraging built-in workflows for document management, electronic signatures, review and approval processes, audit trails, and automated report generation.

As demonstrated in this blog post, the implementation of EBRs can be streamlined by combining Production Processes, Automatic Triggers, and the preconfigured Electronic Batch Record POD Template. This allows EBR creation to become an integrated part of the manufacturing execution process, reducing manual effort while improving consistency and compliance.

Beyond the current document-centric capabilities, the extensibility of POD 2.0 and the planned future enhancements around automated data capture and report generation provide a strong foundation for increasingly digital and paperless manufacturing operations.

I hope this blog has helped you understand how to configure and use Electronic Batch Records in SAP Digital Manufacturing. Stay tuned for more POD 2.0 blogs, where we will continue exploring the powerful capabilities enabled by the next generation of SAP Digital Manufacturing worker UIs.

Do you like this post? Please let me know in the comments section what you think. Any feedback is highly appreciated.
Or, if you have any questions, please check SAP Community Q&A Area, or comment down below.

Thanks,
Manoel Costa