Function documentationConverting Single Articles into Variants of a Generic Article

 

You can use this function to select single articles that were imported via the GDS interface (PRICAT), and convert them into variants of a new or existing generic article, before article master data is created.

This allows you to manage articles with mostly identical properties as variants of a generic article, with corresponding variant-creating characteristics - even if the article data (CIN) delivered by the data pool/vendor does not provide load building, and would normally have to be transferred as single articles. This makes it possible to efficiently deal with these converted single articles in article master data maintenance and in the operational processes of SAP Retail, since the grid processing that was implemented for generic articles with their variants can be used.

Prerequisites

  • Activate business function Retail, Global Data Synchronization (ISR_RETAIL_GDS).

  • Activate the variant conversion in Customizing for Logistics - General, under Start of the navigation path Article Master Next navigation step Global Data Synchronization Next navigation step Inbound Next navigation step Additional Features Next navigation step Activate Conversion of Single Article to Variant End of the navigation path.

Features

The function makes two conversion options available:

  • Enhance an existing generic article with new variants

  • Create a new generic article, and add new variants to it

If you choose the first option Enhance Generic Article, you must specify an existing generic article. For the variant-creating characteristics that are assigned to the specified generic article, you can enter the necessary characteristic values for the new variants.

If you choose the second option Create New Generic Article, you need to enter the merchandise category, and if required, a characteristics profile. For the variant-creating characteristics that are assigned to the specified merchandise category or characteristics profile, you can enter the necessary characteristic values for the new variants.

Once you leave variant processing, the single articles are converted into variants. You can save the results of the conversion in the PRICAT database tables, to start the creation of the relevant article master data later on. Alternatively, you can start the creation of the article master data directly.

Activities

In transaction Select and Edit Price Catalog (W_SYNC), choose catalog items for processing from the worklist.

In Price Catalog Maintenance (transaction W_PRICAT_MAINTAIN), convert single articles into variants. Two options are available: