Creating Virtual Models (Only for Searching)

In modelling, virtual models provide a new abstraction layer. This layer allows you to run different search models on identical TREX data.

You can use virtual modes to cover various use cases:

• Virtual modes allow you to use meaningful human-readable names for standard models instead of cryptic technical names.

• Users can now use virtual models, which offer different perspectives on a model, to search data.

  A standard model allows each user to use the same search attributes and to receive the same search results as all other users, regardless of their role.

• A standard model has one response structure. If you require a different response for the reasons listed above, you can use a virtual model to implement this requirement.

• Virtual models provide additional entry points to a standard model. This allows the extraction model to be closely connected with the business object model.

  For example, the bill of material (BOM) item exists as a standard model within the SAP Business Suite. Users can search for the BOM item. Virtual models allow you to model the BOM header and BOM item in a single model and users can still search for the BOM item separately. Previously, you needed two models to do this.

• You can use virtual models to refine the generic object types. This makes sense if you want to address an instance of a generic object type that is distributed among more than one subobject type.