Creation of Ad Specs With a Format Proposal HierarchyThis function is used to create ad specs with format proposal hierarchies.
It is part of ad spec processing and is available to you during creation and modification of ad items.
Format proposal hierarchies are to be used as possible entries when you create linked sub ad specs. Multi-page ads that are sold on a regular basis are to be created using format proposal hierarchies.
See also: Creation of Sub Ad Specs
You have defined format proposals, conversion of these proposals and format proposal hierarchies in Customizing:
Activity | Menu Path |
|---|---|
Define format proposals, conversion of format proposals and format proposal hierarchies | . |
Define format proposal hierarchies
A format proposal hierarchy is a hierarchy tree with a maximum of three levels that indicates which format proposals have been assigned to the sub ad specs in an ad.
The lowest level of the hierarchy describes format proposals for the individual pages that make up the ad spec. If two pages are produced collectively because a gutter bleed format is involved, you can combine these pages as a double page. A double page represents a unit to be produced for the technical system. Double pages represent the second level of the format proposal hierarchy. Formats for double pages are combined as an additional format proposal at the highest level of the hierarchy.
The following graphic shows a format proposal hierarchy using the example of a four-page ad.

Example of a Format Proposal Hierarchy
You enter an assignment number and the format proposal that is produced by exploding the format proposal hierarchy for each format proposal to define this hierarchy. You would enter the following data in Customizing to describe the four-page ad shown above:
format | Assignment Number | Assigned Format |
|---|---|---|
4/1 | 1 | 2/1 |
4/1 | 2 | 2/1 |
2/1 | 1 | 1/1 |
2/1 | 2 | 1/1 |
Creation of Ad Specs Using Format Proposal Hierarchies
If you create an ad spec with a format proposal hierarchy, the system generates the sub ad specs in the linked sub ad spec. During this process, the system explodes the format proposal hierarchy into the lower-level format proposals and generates one sub ad spec for each format proposal. A sub ad spec indicator that describes the type of linking is assigned to each sub ad spec.
You define the sub ad spec indicators when you define the relationships between ad specs and sub ad specs. The system determines the sub ad spec indicator as follows when it generates the sub ad specs:
If you have specified a sub ad spec indicator when you defined the format proposals, the system assigns this to the sub ad spec.
If you have not specified a sub ad spec indicator when you defined the format proposals, the system determines this as follows:
If you have selected the Gutter Bleed AS
indicator in the format proposal, the system uses the sub ad spec indicator for which the Gutter Bleed AS
indicator has been selected.
If you have selected the Multi-page
indicator in the format proposal, the system uses the sub ad spec indicator for which the Multi-page
indicator has been selected.
Note that the system only generates sub ad specs automatically if you have selected the Relevant to format proposal hierarchy
indicator when you defined the format proposal.
If you specify a format proposal for which this indicator has been selected on the Details
tab page at item level, the system displays the technical data for each sub ad spec in a dialog box. You cannot change the format of a sub ad spec. You can change the color scheme, coupon and position on page for a sub ad spec.
Settlement of Linked Sub Ad Specs
The way in which you have defined ad spec-sub ad spec relationships controls how the system performs settlement for sub ad specs:
If you have selected the Sep.sett.sub ad spec
indicator when you defined the relationships between ad specs and sub ad spec, the system generates a billing dataset for each advertiser, publication date and sub ad spec.
If you have not selected the Sep.sett.sub ad spec
indicator when you defined the relationships between ad specs and sub ad spec, the system generates a billing dataset for each advertiser and publication date.