Master Data Hierarchy 

What is a master data hierarchy?

You can define hierarchical relationships between the characteristic values for many characteristics used in EC-EIS and EC-BP. You can evaluate these in drilldown reporting or edit them in business planning. You can, for example, portray a hierarchy of your company’s products or customers. You can define various variants of a hierarchy, which you can then display in reports. These variants enable you to analyze simulations and ‘What if...?’ situations.

You create a master data hierarchy based on the master data of a characteristic (the characteristic values). Note that where different characteristics refer to the same master data table, the hierarchy is the same too. You cannot maintain external hierarchies for characteristics without master data tables. This is the case for characteristics which were created for Release 3.0 without check and text tables.

It is important to remember here that hierarchies are based on one characteristic. This means that only the characteristic values of one characteristic are contained in a hierarchy. Furthermore, each characteristic value may only occur once in the hierarchy. Therefore, each value remains unique in the overall hierarchy.

It is possible to create alternative hierarchies based on the same characteristic in order to simulate different combinations. These alternative hierarchies are stored as hierarchy variants. Up to 999 different variants of a hierarchy can be created for one characteristic.

Hierarchies from other applications (in EC-EIS only)

Standard hierarchies for certain objects are also maintained in other application components. As with other characteristics, you can create a separate master data hierarchy in EC-EIS and maintain different variants. However, in EC-EIS it may sometimes be helpful to report using the standard hierarchies. You can use these standard hierarchies, created in other application components, as reference hierarchies in EC-EIS. This means that you do not have to reconstruct such hierarchies. Note that you cannot change the reference hierarchy in EC-EIS. Changes to the hierarchy must be undertaken in the original application component, for example, the standard hierarchy for cost centers must be maintained in Cost Center Accounting.

The reference hierarchies that you can use in EC-EIS are the cost center, cost element, and profit center hierarchies as well as the HR organizational structure, company group and the balance sheet/income statement structure. In order to make a reference hierarchy visible in EIS, the corresponding characteristic in EC-EIS (for example, cost center) must refer to the original object (meaning data element and domain) in the application component. If a hierarchy already exists in a component and the corresponding characteristic is maintained in the aspect, the hierarchy appears automatically for selection in drilldown reporting. If you have also created one or more hierarchy variants for the characteristic in EC-EIS, these will also appear for selection. In Customizing, for each hierarchy, you can set how they should be displayed in the report,.

In order to be able to select a hierarchy for cost centers, cost elements or profit centers in reporting, you must have selected the characteristic Controlling area in the report and have entered a value for it.

To be able to select a balance sheet/income statement structure you must have selected the characteristics Company code and Chart of accounts in the report.

You can also transfer master data hierarchies from other systems into EC-EIS or EC-BP. You can find detailed information on this in Customizing.

Term explanations

A master data hierarchy defines hierarchical relationships between characteristic values. Some term definitions are necessary to describe the basic concept.

Each characteristic value contained in the hierarchy represents a hierarchy node. If such a node contains further dependent nodes, it is called a structure node. If a node has no dependent nodes, it is called an end node.

This classification only refers to the hierarchical position of the node, therefore only to the existence of dependent nodes. A further classification is required regarding the relationship to the master data.

A node whose characteristic value is contained in the master data is called a chargeable node. Since the consistency between master data and transaction data is checked when data is posted, you can only charge to those characteristic values represented by the master data.

A node, whose characteristic value is not contained in the master data, is called a non-chargeable node. Nodes like this are stored in their own EC-EIS tables with appropriate texts. To maintain these nodes use the hierarchy maintenance functions or choose Master data ® Master data hierarchy ® Non-chargeable nodes in the application menu.

The distinction between chargeable and non-chargeable nodes gives no indication as to their hierarchical position as structure nodes or end nodes. The following combinations are possible: chargeable structure nodes, chargeable end nodes, non-chargeable structure nodes, and non-chargeable end nodes. These four terms are used in connection with master data hierarchies. Note that only nodes containing values are displayed in the presentation.

For more information, see Example: Master Data Hierarchy.

Consistency of the master data hierarchy

A master data hierarchy does not have to contain all existing characteristic values. If new master data is created, this has no effect on the hierarchy.

Every characteristic value in the master data hierarchy must exist as a chargeable or non-chargeable node. This means that if you delete a master data record, the corresponding chargeable node will be deleted automatically. If this is a structure node, all dependent nodes will also be deleted.

Since non-chargeable nodes are stored in tables, but master data can be managed from other applications, it is possible to create a new master data record with a characteristic value which already exists as a non-chargeable node. In such cases, the non-chargeable node is replaced by the chargeable node. The rule is that chargeable nodes supersede non-chargeable nodes

For more information, see Maintaining the Master Data Hierarchy.