Tab Page: Master Data/Texts 

Use

In this tab page, you determine whether the characteristic has access to master data and/or texts.

Structure

With Master Data

Determine here whether the characteristic has master data. You have to create a master data table for a characteristic if you want the characteristic to have attributes.

When you select this option, the system generates a master data table. Using the Maintain Master Data function, you branch to the corresponding maintenance dialog.

The master data table can be comprised of a time-dependent and a time-independent part. See also Master Data Types: Attributes, Texts and Hierarchies

In attribute maintenance, determine whether an attribute is time-dependent or time independent.

With Texts

Here, you determine whether the characteristic has texts.

If you do want the characteristic to have texts, you must select at least one text. The short text (20 characters) option is active by default, but you can also choose medium texts (40 characters) or long texts (60 characters).

Language-dependent texts

You can choose whether or not you want the texts in the text table to be language dependent. If you decide that you want the texts to be language dependent, the language becomes a key field in the text table. If you decide that you do not want the texts to be language dependent, the text table does not get a language field.

Some Business Content characteristics, for example, customer (0CUSTOMER), do not need to be language-dependent.

Time-dependent texts

If you want the texts to be time-dependent, meaning that you want the date to be included in the key of the text table, you make the appropriate settings here. See also: Using Master Data and Characteristics That Bear Master Data

Maintaining Master Data with Authorization Checks

If you set this indicator, you are able to use authorizations to protect the master data and texts for this characteristic from being maintained illegally on the single records level. If this option is activated, characteristic variables can be entered, for which the user has authorization. You can do this in the profile generator in the role maintenance using the authorization object S_TABU_LIN for each key field of the master data table.

See Authorizations for Master Data.

If you do not set this indicator, you have the option of allowing or blocking the maintenance of master data as a whole (for all characteristic values).

ODS object for checking characteristic values

If you create an ODS object for checking the characteristic values in a characteristic, in the update rules, and in the transfer rules, the valid values for the characteristic are determined from the ODS object and not from the master data. The characteristic itself and all the fields in the compound must be included as key fields in the ODS object.

Also refer to Checking for Referential Integrity.

Characteristic is ....

an InfoSource:

If you want to turn a characteristic into an InfoSource with direct updating, you have to assign an application component to the characteristic. The characteristic is subsequently displayed in the InfoSource tree in the Administrator Workbench. You are able to assign DataSources and source systems to the characteristic from here. You are also able to load master data, texts, and hierarchies for the characteristic.

In the following cases you are not able to turn an InfoObject into an InfoSource with direct updating:

·         The characteristic that you want to modify is characteristic 0SOURSYSTEM (source system ID).

·         The characteristic has no master data, no texts, and no hierarchies – there is no point in loading data for this kind of characteristic.

·         The characteristic that you want to modify turns out to be a unit or a key figure.

For more information see InfoSource Types.

If you want to generate an export-DataSource for a characteristic, the characteristic has to be an InfoSource with direct updating – meaning that it has to be assigned to an application component.

a data target / InfoProvider:

This indicator shows you whether the characteristic is a data target or an InfoProvider.

If you want to turn a characteristic into a data target, you have to assign an InfoArea to the characteristic. The characteristic is subsequently displayed in the InfoProvider tree in the Administrator Workbench. You can determine update rules for the characteristic, and use them to load master data and texts to the characteristic.

You can turn a characteristic into a data target only if the characteristic contains texts or master data. At the present time, it is not possible to use update rules to load hierarchies.

A characteristic that has master data and is assigned to an InfoArea is also an InfoProvider. This means that you are able to define queries for the characteristic, or rather for the master data of the characteristic. In this case, on the Attribute tab page, you are able to switch-on dual-level navigation attributes (navigation attributes for navigation attributes) for this characteristic in its role as InfoProvider.

You can find more information under InfoObject as Data Target / InfoProvider.

an export DataSource:

If this indicator is set, you are able to extract into other BW systems the master data, texts, and hierarchies that are in the characteristic. See also Data Mart Interface.