Function documentationProducts

 

Products are goods which are the object of a company's business activities. Products can be tangible, such as a PC, or intangible, such as services like PC maintenance.

The product master provides you with all information on the products that your company purchases and sells. It is the central source from which product-specific data can be retrieved.

Product information is used in marketing, sales, and service processes. The product master functionality is integrated into various business roles and therefore provides all functionality you require for working with products within the relevant business context.

Product data includes the information required for specific business processes (such as customer inquiries, sales orders, service processes, contracts), and other basic data that essentially describes and categorizes the product. For example:

  • Data of a descriptive nature such as size and weight

  • Data with a control function such as the item category group for determining the item category for each item in an SAP CRM order

This information is stored in individual product master records. The integration of such data in a single database object eliminates redundant data storage.

Features

Product Types

The product type describes the basic characteristics of a product. It also determines to which product categories a product can be assigned, thus defining the structure of the product and how it can be used. The following product types are available:

  • Material

  • Service

  • Warranty

  • Financing

  • Financial Service

  • Intellectual Property (IP)

Attributes and Set Types

Attributes are used to describe products and are grouped together into set types. The use of set types make it possible to model a product in a detailed manner in your system. For more information, see Set Types and Attributes.

Categories and Hierarchies

Categories and hierarchies are used for structuring purposes, and allow you to group together products according to different criteria. Categories define which set types and relationship types are allowed for a product, thereby enabling you to structure the information you require on your products through the assignment of categories. For more information, see Product Hierarchies.

Relationships

Relationships can be created between products and other products or objects to represent certain product information. For example, service parts, services, or accessories might be available for a particular product, or products may contain or belong to other products, such as sets and prepacks.

Alternative IDs

Alternative ID types can be defined in the product master and used in business processes instead of the product ID. Alternative IDs therefore allow you to use an identification in your business processes that conforms to industry standards, for example ISBN, serial number, vehicle identification number.

You define alternative IDs in Customizing for Cross-Application Components, by choosing Start of the navigation path SAP Product Next navigation step Alternative Product IDs End of the navigation path, and create the necessary UI configuration on the SAP Easy Access screen under Start of the navigation path Master Data Next navigation step Products Next navigation step Create UI Configuration for ID Type End of the navigation path (see report documentation).

Competitor Products

Competitor products allow you to record information about products sold by your competitors and therefore in direct competition with your company's own products. Competitor products are technically products with the product type Material, and are created on the Competitor Product page.