Entering Characteristics

On the Characteristics tab, you can enter the characteristics you want to use for classifying objects in your class. These characteristics already exist in your system. For more information, see the SAP Library Characteristics (CA-CL-CHR).

Characteristic Status

• You can only use characteristics with Released status in classes.

• You cannot use characteristics with In preparation status in classes. However, you can change the status of a characteristic to Released by choosing  Environment  Change characteristic. 

• You cannot use a characteristic in new classes once the characteristic has Locked status. However, if you have used a characteristic in a class, and then set Locked status for the characteristic, this does not affect the characteristic in the class. You cannot change the status from a class.

Characteristics Sequence

The order in which you enter characteristics is also the order in which the characteristics appear for value assignment when you classify or find objects.

You can define the sequence of characteristics yourself:

1. To move a characteristic, select the characteristic that you want to move.

2. Place the cursor where you want the characteristic moved to.

3. Choose Move. The characteristic is inserted before the cursor.

To insert a new characteristic at a specific place in the sequence, select a characteristic and choose or  Edit  Insert.  The new characteristic is inserted before the characteristic you select.

Characteristic Description

You see the characteristic description in your logon language.

To display the description in another language, choose  Extras  Change language. 

Required Entry

If you select Entry required in the basic data of the characteristic, the characteristic is marked as a required entry in the class.

Organizational Areas

If you specified organizational areas in the Basic Data of your class, you can assign these organizational areas to the characteristics of the class.

If you do not enter any organizational areas for a characteristic, the characteristic is displayed for all organizational areas of the class. See also: Choose Organizational Area .

Standard Code Letter

If you have transferred characteristic data records to the SAP System, you see the key of the industry standard data.

Overwriting Characteristics

You can change the attributes of a characteristic for the class by choosing Overwrite char. If a characteristic has been overwritten, the Overwritten indicator is selected. See also: Overwriting Characteristics

Inherited Characteristics

If a class is part of a class hierarchy, the characteristics tab may show characteristics that are assigned to superior classes in the hierarchy, not directly to the class.

The Inherited char. indicator is selected for these characteristics. To see which class a characteristic is inherited from, choose  Extras  Inheritance.  See also: Inherited Characteristics

Origin

This shows whether a characteristic was transferred from a data medium with standards data.

Relevancy Indicators for Characteristics

You can define the characteristics of a class as print-relevant search-relevant, or display-relevant.

You can determine that a characteristic is only used when displaying, printing, or finding objects for an application.

Before you can do this, the application program must query the indicator internally. These indicators are only read if they are set for one or more characteristics of a class. Otherwise, all characteristics are displayed.

Index Characteristics

If this indicator is set for a characteristic, an index is created for the characteristic in table generation. Table generation is relevant to the object search. It lets you find objects faster. See also: Setting up Tables for Finding Objects