Defining Partner Functions 
Use
You can flexibly define business partners in the system with the terminology used in your company and appropriate to your area of business.
Integration
You define partner functions in partner processing, but assign them to actual partners in the business partner master data.
- In the SAP Easy Access Menu, choose Master Data ®
Business Partner ®
Maintain Business Partner. Enter settings in General Data and on the Relationships tab page.
You can specify how partner functions in the R/3 System and those in CRM Online correspond to each other. In Customizing, choose Customer Relationship Management ®
Basic Functions ®
Partner Processing ®
Data Collection.
For example, in R/3 your company uses the partner function Sold-to party, but in CRM you refer to this partner as a Customer. In the Mapping Table you specify that Sold-to parties from R/3 become Customers in CRM.
Features
Partner functions are terms you use to describe the people you do business with.- Instead of referring to your customers as sold-to parties, you could call them clients, patients or tenants. These would all be examples of partner functions. Stock options analyst, electronics buyer, engineering consultant, and pharmacist might be others.
- You can define any partner functions you want and as many as you want.
Partner function categories are keys, standard in the system, that define sets of business responsibilities.- Sold-to party, Activity partner, and Contact person are all examples of partner function categories. When assigned to partner functions, they act as "labels" that allow the system to recognize these partner functions.
- You use the partner function categories that are standard in the system; you cannot change the existing categories or create new ones.
Activities
Define partner functions and assign them to partner function categories.
- In Customizing, choose Customer Relationship Management ®
Basic Functions ®
Partner Processing ®
Define Partner Functions.
You can then use these new partner functions in partner processing, in business partner master data and in transactions.
- For example, when you create a new partner determination procedure, the system lists the new partner functions, and you can choose the ones to include.
Example
Johnson Products sells televisions to a chain of stores called Hifidelity. They refer to Hifidelity as an electronics retailer.
- In partner processing they define the partner function Electronics retailer, and assign it to the partner function category Sold-to party.
- In business partner master data, they specify Hifidelity as an Electronics retailer.
The sales people at Johnson Products often need to talk to the store managers at the Hifidelity stores.
- Johnson Products defines the partner function Retail site manager, and assigns it to the partner function category Contact person.
- In business partner master data for Hifidelity, they enter who the Retail site managers are for the different stores in the chain.
Johnson Products can now create partner determination procedures and transactions that include the new partner functions.
- For more information about partner processing in general and partner determination procedures see:
Partner Processing
Determining Partners in Business Transactions