Examples: Uploading Master Data Hierarchies 

You want to use flexible upload to import hierarchies of master data.

If a characteristic is intended to have hierarchies, Customizing of upload methods offers you a field catalog Hierarchy Information and – if applicable – the field Hierarchy Level. This applies to all characteristics, regardless of whether they are delivered by SAP or defined by the customer.

The available procedures are described below using examples. It is intended as an aid for choosing the most suitable option and for avoiding typical error situations.

In general, you have two possibilities:

·       You can explicitly specify the hierarchy information in separate rows.
See Example 1: Collecting a Consolidation Unit Hierarchy.

·       You can implicitly specify the hierarchy information via the hierarchy level.
See Example 2: Collecting an Item Hierarchy.

Example 1: Collecting a consolidation unit hierarchy, explicitly specifying the hierarchy information in separate rows

Procedure

In the settings of the upload method, select Use Row Type Indicators and go to the field catalogs.

The field catalog Hierarchy Information is listed. This field catalog contains a set of fields. You cannot add or delete fields in this catalog, but you can freely determine the order of the fields within the catalog using Drag&Drop. The catalog always contains the following fields:

·       Hierarchy
The name of the hierarchy (represented on the screen by a green tree symbol)

·       Description Short/Medium/Long
The descriptions of the hierarchy. You specify these only if the upload should simultaneously create a new hierarchy.

·       Characteristic
The values of the characteristic are the nodes of the hierarchy; for example, items in item hierarchies, consolidation groups in consolidation group hierarchies, or consolidation units in consolidation unit hierarchies.

·       From Value
The characteristic value for lower-level nodes or end nodes, or the beginning of a range of end nodes of the hierarchy. The leaves of the hierarchy are generally the values of the characteristic being uploaded; for example, items in item hierarchies, consolidation groups in consolidation group hierarchies, consolidation units in consolidation unit hierarchies.

·       To Value
The end of a range of end nodes in the hierarchy. This entry is optional. If specified, all of the characteristic values within the range are consecutively inserted into the hierarchy.

·       Attributes of hierarchy entries
If the hierarchy has attributes that are allocated to individual hierarchy entries, the system lists these attributes, as well.
In particular, hierarchies of consolidation groups and consolidation units contain attributes for first consolidation and divestiture accounting.

How to specify hierarchy information in the file

·       Precede each hierarchy entry in the file with the row type indicator 3.

·       Make sure that each data row only contains data for one hierarchy entry – that is, for the higher-level node and the lower-level node or end node. (Exception: You can enter a range of multiple end nodes.)

·       You should specify the hierarchy name only for assigning the top node.

·       Always specify nodes of the hierarchy in the field that reflects the corresponding characteristic.

·       Always specify end nodes of the hierarchy in the From Value field.

·       Arrange the sequence of the hierarchy exactly the way you want it displayed later on. Envision the desired result before you start defining the upload file.

·       Make sure that the characteristic values contained in the hierarchy indeed exist. (You can make sure this is the case by uploading the values along with the hierarchy information.)

The desired result:

Example 1: Collecting a consolidation unit hierarchy

To achieve this result, the upload file needs to be filled as follows. (Note that the remarks in parentheses are only intended to relate the entry to the hierarchy drawing above, and are not a part of the file content.)

Example 1: Upload file

(Note that instead of the single entry for (3->4-6) you could list each consolidation unit separately. Conversely, you could join the last two entries into a single entry (7->8-9).)

Example 2: Collecting an item hierarchy, implicitly specifying the hierarchy information via the hierarchy level

If each characteristic value occurs only once in the hierarchy and if no other characteristic besides the characteristic being uploaded can appear in the hierarchy, then you use an easier way to specify the hierarchy information:

·       Add the characteristic Hierarchy Level to the field catalog of the data rows.

·       List the data rows in the file in the sequence in which they should appear in the hierarchy later on.

·       Specify the hierarchy level for each row. Numbering starts with 1 for the top node that appears directly underneath the hierarchy name (green symbol).

Hierarchy levels cannot be used to assign a top node to the hierarchy name. Either assign the top node manually in the system or upload the assignment information separately as described beforehand (using row type indicator 3).

The desired result:

Example 2: Collecting an item hierarchy

The upload file needs to have the following structure (assuming the use of no row type indicators, “*” (asterisks) as a comment character, and only data rows):

Example 2: Upload file

After the upload, you need to make the following assignments manually:
B/S ® 10000000, B/S ® 20000000, I/S ® 37000000, I/S ® 39000000.

To see an example of how data collection of an item hierarchy affects an existing hierarchy in the system, read Data Collection: Examples.