Generation Variant Editing

Purpose

For Reports with Reference to a Specification

The Generation Variant is used to output only permitted specification data to a report. It does this by combining the report template with a leading validity area and one or more value assignment ratings (see Usage).

The report can also contain sections with specification-related data for which discrete validity area and language combinations are defined (multilingual hazardous substance label for example). The discrete validity area and language assignments are also part of the generation variant.

For Reports Without Reference to a Specification

After the generation variant assignment, the report is treated like a released report.

Process

You can carry out the following activities in the initial generation variant editing screens:
- You can enter different search criteria and start searching for generation variants. If the required generation variant does not exist in the SAP system, you can create it.
- You can create a generation variant immediately.
The results of the search are displayed in the hit list, from where you can edit the generation variants and create new ones.
When you create a generation variant, first enter the data for the Generation Variant Header. Assign a report template and leading validity area to the generation variant (see Generation Variant Indicators).
You enter a description for the generation variant in different languages.
Make the following definitions for the specification-related data of the generation variant (see Editing the Generation Variant Rating and Validity):
- You use the rating to define the intended target group for the report template.
- The leading validity area is entered when a generation variant is created.
  If you want to define special areas of a report in specific languages, you have to specify additional validity areas in combination with the required language. You use Repeating Groups of Type G on the report template to define access to discrete validity and language combinations.
  
  Note
  For report templates without reference to a specification, rating and validity area have no significance.
  
  End of the note.

Result

You can test the generated layout of the report in a preview or in specification management and print it if you wish. To do this, the report template must have the status In work or Released .

Once the report template is released, you can create reports and release these for shipping using Report Management functions.

Caution Caution

Changes to generation variants are not taken into account when generating the Report Management Worklist, meaning that the system will not generate report requests for the affected reports if you change a generation variant. For this reason, you should not change a generation variant if it has already been used for report generation. If you do, you will have to manually create report requests for all reports affected by the generation variant change.

End of the caution.