Multi-level structure of components for managing both products at the customer site and products that are used internally. The installation describes the structure of these products and their components.

An installed base consists of header data and the installed base components.

A component consists of a reference to the master record of the respective object, and additional data that describes the use of the object in more detail (for example, quantity, batch).

The following master records could be part of a component:

• Material
• Equipment
• Functional location
• Installed base
• Document

A component is an assignment of an object to a structure (place holder), not an installation item. If you remove the object from the structure (by cutting), the component is removed with all additional data.

The serial number appears within installed base management as a piece of additional information regarding the material, because the combination of material and serial number enables an individual piece of material to be tracked. Although the combination of material and serial number is technically assigned to an equipment number, this does not appear within installed base management.