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Procedure documentationSearching Manually for Specifications

Procedure

  1. Open the specification workbench and

    enter a key date or change number if required.

  2. In the navigation area, choose <Specification Category> (<Specification Category>) by double-clicking it. <Specification Category> stands for the specification category of the specifications you want to find. Alternatively, you can start the search by choosing Specification Search, and in the dialog box that appears, selecting the specification category of the specifications you want to find.

    The initial screen appears. You can start the specification search from here. During the search, all entries are linked with a logic AND. The selected specification category is set as the default.

    Note Note

    The search result only ever contains specifications of the selected specification category. If you want to search for specifications of another specification category, you must select the node for that specification category or select that specification category in the dialog box before you perform the following steps.

    End of the note.
  3. Enter the data known to you. The SAP system searches for incomplete data in the Specification, Authorization Group, Identifier, and Material fields as follows:

    • Single generic delimitation, for example, <Iso*>

    • Double generic delimitation, for example, <*15*>, <*chlor*>

    • Placeholder in the middle of a key. <Butan+l> stands for both butanol and butanal, for example.

    • Combination of search methods, for example, <*1234+678*>

    • Multiple selection of single values or by uploading a text file with specification data to the search fields for the multiple selection

  4. Use the full-text search for specifications of the specification category Substance and Agent. Do this by choosing the input help for the Specification field and enter your search criteria on the search engine tab pages.

    The system then searches in all short texts and long texts and many other attributes of the specifications in all languages.

    Note Note

    If you enter a value generically with an asterisk (*) in a Specification field that has an input help and confirm it, the SAP system searches the specification database as follows:

    • The system first searches in the identifiers of the category Number.

    • If it does not find any corresponding identifier numbers, it searches the identifiers of the category Name.

    • If it does not find any corresponding identifier names, it searches in the specification keys.

    If you enter a value generically in a Specification field that does not have an input help and confirm it, the SAP system searches the specification database for suitable specification keys.

    The search does not differentiate between lowercase and uppercase letters. The system ignores special characters such as underscores, plus, asterisks, hyphens, commas, periods, blanks, parentheses, square brackets, and so on.

    End of the note.

    Caution Caution

    Use plus (+) and asterisk (*) only as placeholders. Do not use these special characters for searches. Otherwise the search using identifiers or materials may return too many or two few specifications. Use the advanced search functions (see Specification Search).

    End of the caution.

    Note Note

    All search entries (including the values for user exits) are retained even after you have exited the transaction (SET/GET memory). You can delete all search criteria by using the Search Criteria (Search Criteria) function.

    You can save search criteria that you frequently use for a simple search using the Save Search Criteria (Save Search Criteria) function and load the search criteria again using the Load Search Criteria (Load Search Criteria) function. You can also save one search per specification category as a user-specific search. The system does not save your entries for the key date and change number.

    You can save more complex searches or multiple searches as queries and execute them when required.

    End of the note.
  5. Confirm your entries.

    Note Note

    If the search result contains large numbers of specifications, the hit list may take quite some time to be displayed. In Customizing for Basic Data and Tools, under Specify Environment Parameters, in the environment parameter QRY_HITLIST_MAX_ENTRIES, you can therefore set the number specifications found as of which a prompt appears before the hit list is displayed. The prompt displays a dialog box in which you can decide how you wish to continue:

    • Choose Hit List if you want to continue the search with the same search criteria.

    • Choose Simple if you want to continue the search with the same search criteria, but want the result to be displayed in a simplified hit list. This hit list then only contains the specification key and the specification type.

    • Choose Refine (Refine) if you want to enter additional search criteria to refine the search.

    • Choose Reduce (Reduce) if you want to enter additional search criteria to reduce the search.

    • Choose Cancel (Cancel) if you want to start a new search with new search criteria.

    End of the note.

Result

In the hit list, the SAP system lists the specifications that correspond to the search criteria. You can call this hit list again at a later stage by double-clicking Hit List below the node for the specification category in the navigation area.

If the SAP system does not find the required specification, you can enter new search criteria or create the specification yourself.