SAP - Product  

Definition

Products are goods which are the object of a company’s business activities. Products can be tangible, such as a PC, or intangible, such as services like PC maintenance.

Use

The product master provides you with all information on the products that your company purchases and sells. It is the central source from which product-specific data can be retrieved.

Product information is used in marketing, sales, and service processes. The product master functionality is integrated into various business roles and therefore provides all functionality you require for working with products within the relevant business context.

Product data includes the information required for specific business processes (such as customer inquiries, sales orders, service processes, contracts), and other basic data that essentially describes and categorizes the product, for example:

·        Data of a descriptive nature such as size and weight

·        Data with a control function such as the item category group for determining the item category for each item in an order

This information is stored in individual product master records. The integration of such data in a single database object eliminates redundant data storage.

Structure

Product Types

The product type describes the basic characteristics of a product. It also determines to which product categories a product can be assigned, thus defining the structure of the product and how it can be used. For SAP Product the product type Material is provided.

Along with this product type that are other product types that were defined by applications that use SAP Product and have been adapted to their specific requirements.

·        Service

·        Warranty

·        Financing

·        Intellectual Property (IP)

Attributes and Set Types

Attributes are used to describe products and are grouped together into set types. The use of set types make it possible to model a product in a detailed manner in your system. For more information, see Set Types and Attributes.

Categories and Hierarchies

Categories and hierarchies are used for structuring purposes, and allow you to group together products according to different criteria. Categories define which set types and relationship types are allowed for a product, thereby enabling you to structure the your product data through the assignment of categories. For more information, see Categories and Hierarchies.

Relationships

Relationships can be created between products and other products or objects to represent certain product information. For example, spare parts or accessories may be available for a particular product.

Alternative IDs

Alternative ID types can be defined in the product master and used in business processes instead of the product ID. Alternative IDs therefore allow you to use an identification in your business processes that conforms to industry standards, for example ISBN, serial number, vehicle identification number (VIN).

For more information, see the Alternative IDs section in the Customizing of Cross-Application Components under SAP Products).