You can define derivation rules to populate your user-defined characteristics in Profitability Analysis. In the following example, the characteristic "Strategic business unit" is a user-defined characteristic in your operating concern. The strategic business unit (target field) is determined on the basis of the product group (source field). The step attribute Define values with period of validity is activated.

You enter the following values:

Normally, the characteristic "Country" is derived using an automatically created derivation step (table lookup in the customer master table KNA1) that takes the characteristic "Customer" (KNDNR) as the source field. In the following example, the country (WWCST) is derived using a table lookup (in customer master table KNA1) with the ship-to party (KUNWE) as the source field. The characteristic "Ship-to party" has been copied to Profitability Analysis from the SD structure PAPARTNER.

Table lookups using source fields

Moving table fields to target fields

The following move copies the customer (KNDNR) to the ship-to party (KUNWE) if no ship-to party is contained in the ship-to field.

Under Condition, enter the following for this step:

Since the characteristic Representative (VRTNR) is not relevant for analysis in certain divisions, you use the following clear so that this characteristic is not populated for the condition specified below.

You therefore want to clear the following field:

Under Condition, enter the following: