Access Sequences
Access sequences are search strategies that specify the sources of data the system uses for finding partners, the order in which it uses these sources, and related details.
Example
An access sequence occurs when a colleague asks to borrow your dictionary, and you tell her where to find it. You might say, “Look on my desk”, or “Look on my desk, and if it is not there, look in the shelves”. When you define access sequences in Customizing, you replace the desk and shelf concepts with sources of information such as business partner master data, organizational data, and preceding documents.
Access sequences allow the system to carry out partner determination, the process by which the system automatically finds and enters partners in a transaction.
When you define a partner determination procedure, you can assign an access sequence to each partner function listed in the procedure. Then, when you create a transaction, the system knows how to search for partners to carry out these functions. If you do not assign an access sequence, or the system cannot find partners in the sources listed, you enter the partner manually.
The system includes a number of commonly used access sequences. We recommend that, before defining your own, you check to see if you can use the existing ones.
You can view and define access sequences in Customizing for Customer
Relationship Management, by choosing 
Basic
Functions 
Partner Processing
Define Access Sequences 
.
Structure
An access sequence is a list of one or more steps called single accesses. Each single access names a source, such as master data or the preceding document, and specifies other details. The description of an access sequence lists the sources named in the single accesses, separated by arrows.
Example
Preceding document -> BP relationships by sales organization: sold-to party -> Business partner relationships: sold-to party
When the system determines a partner, it checks the first source, and, if it does not find a partner there, it checks the next source. It does this for each partner function in a transaction, aside from those entered manually. Understanding the sources is crucial to understanding the access sequences.
The following table lists sources in the system, with a short explanation of each source.
Source |
Explanation |
|---|---|
Preceding Document |
The document that precedes the current document in the document flow. For example, if a user creates a sales order, the preceding document might be a quotation. |
Business Partner Relationships |
General relationships defined in a partner's master data. You can view and maintain them in the Contacts and Relationships assignment blocks. |
Business Partner Relationships By Sales Organization |
Sales area-specific partner function assignments defined in a partner's master data. You can view and maintain them in the Contacts and Relationships assignment blocks. |
Organizational Data |
The organization model of your company defined in master data. |
Pricing Hierarchy |
An account hierarchy defined in business partner master data and assigned to the category Pricing. |
Current Partner |
A partner already included in the current transaction. For example, if the sold-to party has already been entered, it is the current partner. If you have assigned this source to the partner function ship-to party, the sold-to party is also entered as the ship-to party. |
Business Partner Assigned to the User |
A user can be maintained as a business partner and his or her user ID entered as part of master data. This source is the business partner for the user logged onto the system when partner determination occurs. |
Business Add-Ins (BAdIs) |
Sources you create yourself using BAdIs in Customizing. To create new sources by implementing BAdIs in Customizing, choose |
Own Products |
This source is used in business transactions in opportunity management. You maintain information on competitors and competitor products in your business partner master data and use the source to enable automatic determination of this information in the transaction. |
Example
An access sequence with the following description is available in the system:
Preceding Document -> BP Relationships By Sales Organization: Sold-To Party -> Business Partner Relationships: Sold-To Party
In a partner determination procedure in Customizing, you assign this sequence to the partner function ship-to party.
A user creates a sales order and enters the sold-to party.
The system determines the ship-to party as follows:
First, it looks in the preceding document for a ship-to party. If there is no preceding document or no ship-to party there, it goes on to the second single access.
In the second single access, the system looks in the sales area-specific partner function assignments defined in the sold-to party's master data. If there is no ship-to party there, it goes on to the last single access.
Finally, the system looks in the relationships defined in the sold-to party's master data, for the relationship Is the Ship-To Party/Recipient Of because this relationship corresponds to the partner function Ship-To Party/Service Recipient.
If the system does not find a partner in any of the sources, it frequently enters the sold-to party itself as the ship-to party in the transaction because, if no relationships are maintained, a partner can automatically perform all functions itself.
The system does not enter the sold-to party as the ship-to party if ship-to party is an excluded function in the master data of this sold-to party, or if the Block indicator is set for the ship-to party in the partner determination procedure assigned to this sales order.
The following figure shows how the system uses an access sequence to determine a partner.
