Overview of Subfunctions

Mapping has subfunctions that allow you to:

Set a constant for a target characteristic value.

Assemble a target characteristic value from the value of one or more source characteristics.

Split a source characteristic value into several elements and map each individual element to a different target characteristic value.

Populate a target key figure from a source key figure.

Reassign characteristic values.

Derive a target characteristic from the attribute values of a source characteristic.

Have any mapping rule listed earlier be executed on a certain condition, which means that the rule is executed only if the values of the source characteristics meet a condition you have defined. You can create multiple conditional mapping rules for a target characteristic.

Assign a name to a mapping rule for a characteristic and, thereby, enable it to be reused for another, master data-equivalent characteristic (that is, for a characteristic with the same basis characteristic) in the same, or another mapping.

User Interface for Customizing

The user interface has the following layout (when you call up mapping rule details):

List of Target Fields

The system displays a list of the target fields (characteristics and key figures) that exist in the target data basis.

The symbols preceding the target fields have the following meanings:

Mapping Rules

With the help of operators, you can create mapping rules, which control how source data is mapped to the target area. The mapping rules of a method are dependent only on the consolidation area.

The following operators are available:

Condition

Move

Reassignment

Apply existing rule

Condition

You can draft a mapping rule with or without a condition. A condition must always be followed by another operator (for example, move or reassign ).

In the details of a condition you specify the characteristic values to which the condition applies. You also can use single selections. A condition has the effect of a filter on the source data records.

You can create multiple conditions per target characteristic.

Move

The move operator maps one or more source fields to a single target field.

If some of the field names in the source and target structures are identical, you can choose Create Proposal . Then the system automatically creates the moves for each of those fields and displays the moves in the list of target fields beneath each field. (This also applies to the permanent parameters.)

To move a single source field to a single target field, you specify the source field in the move details.

Furthermore, in the details you can specify an offset and a length to reference the technical key of the source field.

Suppose your source system has a source field for characteristic item with a length of 18 characters, where the leading eight characters are used to describe the item in the hierarchy.

The consolidation area in SEM-BCS has a target field with a length of ten characters.

In the details for the move, you would enter:

Length = 10

Offset = 8

When mapping is executed, the system would copy the last ten characters (positions 9-18) of the source characteristic to the target characteristic.

To cut out portions of a source field value, you can use separators and indexes.

Suppose the source field has a length of 18 characters. It has the following composition: <profit center>‑<company>.

In the target data basis you have defined a matrix organization with companies and profit centers.

You choose the character "-" as the separator. For index 1 you specify <profit center> and for index 2 you specify <company>.

In this way, the source field is used twice.

To move multiple source fields to a single target field, you specify a concatenation rule in the move details (table). Then the system concatenates the contents of the source fields you specify.

Here you also can specify offsets and lengths, and/or separators and indexes.

Suppose, your source structure includes the fields company and profit center .

You want to fill a target field for the characteristic consolidation unit with a length of 18 characters. You want to compose the target field as follows:

Character 1 = "C"

Characters 2–7 = the content of the field "company"

Character 8 = "P"

Characters 9–18 = the content of the field "profit center"

In the details for the move, you would enter the following in the table:

Line 1: Constant = C

Line 2: Move field "company"

Line 3: Constant = P

Line 4: Move field "profit center"

To prevent excess spaces between the components of the target field, you can choose Trim Marginal Spaces .

You can define one or more constants for the target characteristic value regardless of whether you move a single or multiple source fields. Constants are always set as you define them, regardless of what the source characteristic value looks like. For example, you can define that the fiscal year variant is always set to "FY4".

You can populate a target characteristic value with one or more attribute values of a source characteristic (for example, the attribute country of characteristic profit center ). You specify attributes within the table in the details for the move.

Reassignment

When you want to assign multiple source fields to a single target field, you can use the reassignment operator as an alternative. Here, the value of the target field is determined by the values of the source fields.

Suppose the values of the source fields are PC1000 (for the profit center) and C1000 (for the company). In this case, the value of the target field consolidation unit is reassigned with CU0001.

You can use single selections in reassignments, as well.

Applying Existing Rules

If you assign a name to a mapping rule, that rule can be reused. (To do this, double-click the target field and assign a name for the mapping rule in the dialog box that appears.)

Now you can use this mapping rule for master data-equivalent characteristics in the same or a different set of mapping rules. Examples of master data-equivalent characteristics are consolidation unit , partner unit , and investee unit .