Hierarchical Relationships Between Means of Transport

Route determination takes into account hierarchical relationships between means of transport when determining certain attributes. If the system does not find a certain attribute for a means of transport because you have not defined it, it automatically tries to find the attribute for the means of transport directly superior to the first one. If it does not find the attribute there either, the system tries to find it for the means of transport that is directly superior to this one, and so on.

By defining hierarchical relationships between your means of transport, you can reduce the effort required to enter your attributes. If, for example, you want to use route determination quickly without having to define a large number of attributes, it is sufficient to define the required attributes for the highest means of transport in the hierarchy only. The system then takes these attributes into account for all subordinate means of transport. If you subsequently define attributes for individual subordinate means of transport bit by bit, the system then takes these into account.

Defining hierarchical relationships is optional.

Prerequisites

You have defined means of transport and have specified superordinate means of transport for each of them in Customizing for SCM Basis under Start of the navigation path Master Data Next navigation step Transportation Lane Maintain Means of Transport End of the navigation path . In this way, you have defined hierarchical relationships between your means of transport.

Features

Route determination takes into account hierarchical relationships for the following attributes:

Attributes that you have defined when defining the means of transport, for example, average speed for scheduling
Attributes that you have defined when defining transportation lanes for the means of transport, for example, transportation costs, transportation duration, and transportation distance
Carriers that you have assigned to the means of transport when defining legs
You can assign a carrier not only to the means of transport for a leg but also to each means of transport superordinate to it. This is advantageous if you change the means of transport for the leg by entering a superordinate means of transport after you have assigned the carrier. In this case, the system automatically deletes all carrier assignments that do not refer to the new means of transport for the leg or one of its superordinate means of transport. You have specified means of transport TRUCK_LARGE for leg 1.

Example
You have specified CR 1 as the carrier for TRUCK_LARGE and CR 2 as the carrier for TRUCK. If you now change the means of transport for leg 1 from TRUCK_LARGE to TRUCK, the system automatically deletes the assignment of CR 1 to TRUCK_LARGE.

End of the example.
Costs that you have defined in the carrier profile or in the general transportation cost profile
See Carrier Profile for the Routing Guide and General Transportation Cost Profile.

Note
If you have assigned a means of transport to a leg, route determination takes into account this exact means of transport and its superordinate means of transport only but not the subordinate means of transport. Otherwise, there would be too many solutions.

End of the note.

Example

The following table shows the hierarchical relationships between different means of transport:

Means of Transport	Average Speed	Superordinate Means of Transport
TRUCK	80 km/h
TRUCK_LARGE		TRUCK
TRUCK_SMALL		TRUCK
TRUCK 51’	60 km/h	TRUCK_LARGE
TRUCK 48’		TRUCK_LARGE
TRUCK 24’		TRUCK_SMALL
TRUCK 21’		TRUCK_SMALL

This produces the following hierarchical relationships:

TRUCK
TRUCK_SMALL		TRUCK_LARGE
TRUCK 21’	TRUCK 24’	TRUCK 48’	TRUCK 51’

When you enter the means of transport TRUCK_LARGE, the system determines an average speed of 80 km/h. Since you have not defined a value for means of transport TRUCK_LARGE, the system takes the value for the superordinate means of transport TRUCK.

When you enter the means of transport TRUCK 51’, the system determines an average speed of 60 km/h, in other words, the value that you have defined for the means of transport TRUCK 51’.

When you enter the means of transport TRUCK 24’, the system determines an average speed of 80 km/h. Since you have not defined a value for either means of transport TRUCK 24’ or means of transport TRUCK_SMALL, the system takes the value for the superordinate means of transport TRUCK.