Prerequisites

When you create a functional location, the system automatically proposes the directly superior functional location, based on the structure indicator.

When creating a functional location, you can also assign the directly superior functional location manually.This makes possible data transfer within a location hierarchy even if the location label deviates from the structure indicator. In this way you override the automatic determination of the superior location.

Manual assignment is particularly useful if your company identifies individual units of a technical system with a label that describes the position of a unit within the system. This so-called tag number, is often used as an identification of the equipment category (for example,Pfor pumps) combined with a serial number (for example, pump station1234). This identification is generally only unique within a plant or system.

In a company, the following structure of functional locations exists:

However, in the company, the spin pump is usually referred to by the generally known tag number01-P1234

If you want to create the master record for the spin pump using the shortened label01-P1234, enter this label in the initial screen of the function Create Functional Location , and the label of the superior location (in this example01-A-S-EXT-A01) in the appropriate field.

In the structure display, the system also includes those functional locations whose description does not conform to the naming convention for the superior functional location. This means that it is possible to perform a complete analysis of all functional locations for a technical system, regardless of their location label.

If you copy a structure similar to that in the following example using the list editing function, the system does not take into account the exception to the naming convention. In the example, this would mean that the superior location01would be assigned as the superior location for the newly created functional location01-P1234

The tag number is usually related to the functional location and not to the piece of equipment. The pieces of equipment installed at a functional location are identified by their equipment number. If numbering systems are also being used for identifying pieces of equipment in your company, check whether this number can be used as a key in the SAP System. It must be unique at client level and unchangeable for each piece of equipment. If the criteria for the number being unique and unchangeable are not met, you should use the internally assigned serial number given by the system as an equipment number (internal number assignment) and use the existing external number as the technical identification number in the equipment master record. You can use a matchcode to access the piece of equipment by means of the technical identification number.

Procedure

In the screen Technical Objects choose Functional Location Create

The screen Create Functional Location: Initial is displayed.

Enter the structure indicator you require and choose Continue

The system displays the edit mask for the location label as well as its hierarchy levels.

Enter the label of the new functional location and the label of the superior location.

If a superior location is already displayed, you can overwrite it. Take into account the above-mentioned prerequisites when doing this.

Choose Enter.

The screen Create Functional Location: Master data is displayed.

The system copies the data from the superior location into the master record of the new functional location. You can change this data if required.

Save the new master record.