You can use the Application Enhancement Tool (AET) to extend your customer data modeling using deep tables. You can use a deep table to navigate from a table entry to an additional lower-level table. This enables you to organize your customer enhancement data according to a logical and clearly defined structure using tables that can be linked.
Note
You can structure customer tables as a deep table with any number of levels. However, you should ensure that your specific customer enhancements do not become too complex and can be reused at a later stage.
The following figure shows an example of structuring tables as a deep table with three levels. The customer table at the first level is always assigned as an enhancement to the header data (ORDERADM_H) or item data (ORDERADM_I) for the respective business transaction category. The tables for all subsequent levels reference a higher-level table in each case. This produces the overall structure of a deep table.
Figure: Structuring of a Customer Enhancement as a Deep Table
You have defined a suitable package and generated a UI component for your customer enhancement.
You can only use deep tables for enhancements to CRM business transaction types. Note that this function has not been released for other products, such as the SAP Business Partner.
Display and Navigation in the WebClient UI
You include the highest table in a deep table in the header or item data as an enhancement to a business transaction type. The table is displayed as a separate assignment block here. The name of the enhancement is used as the title of this assignment block.
Navigation within a deep table for a table entry is possible using the Details
link in the Actions
column. When navigating to the next level down, you switch to a lower-level overview page.
Data for the referencing higher-level table entry is displayed as header data on this lower-level overview page. You can return to the higher-level tables using the WebClient UI standard navigation by choosing (Back
). You must always save data in the lower-level tables from the highest table (level 1).
Example
In the diagram above, the table (level 1) in the header or item data for a business transaction is integrated as a separate assignment block. The lower-level tables at level 2 are displayed on a joint lower-level overview page. When navigating to the table at level 3, you switch to an additional lower-level overview page.
Support During the Search
When defining the table fields, you can define in the Search Relevance
parameter whether a field and its contents are to be made available to the search. The table fields that you define as being relevant here are then available as search criteria.
Note
Note here that a deep table as an item enhancement has a negative influence on the search performance. The search algorithm for deep tables as item enhancements requires the table entries to be found to be provided from the lowest level through the highest level 1.
Data Distribution Using CRM Middleware
Data exchange with additional systems (such as SAP ERP) has been provided for customer enhancements with the deep tables format using the CRM Middleware. This data exchange requires you to make the identical ABAP dictionary objects generated for the respective customer tables available in the connected system.
Archiving Deep Tables
You can archive your customer data from deep tables using the respective archiving object in the enhanced business transaction.
if you want to make a customer table you have defined available to be structured in deep tables, you must select the Allow Sub Tables
checkbox field in the table header data. This checkbox field is displayed on the Table Details
dialog box in the expert mode.
Tables that you have defined in this way are displayed as higher-level tables that can be selected when you create new tables. When you assign the respective higher-level tables, you define the structuring of several tables as a deep table. The ORDERADM_H and ORDERADM_I objects are provided as higher-level tables as a default setting. You must assign the highest table in a deep table to one of these objects as an enhancement to the header or item data.
For more information about the processing steps for tables in the AET, see Adding Tables.