Product Structure Browser (SAP Library - Product Structure Browser)

Product Structure Browser

Purpose

The Product Structure Browser display information about your product data that is maintained in the area of Product Data Management (PDM). This information is especially important for engineering and design as well as production. This graphical browser gives you a quick overview of product-defined data that is displayed structurally. You can navigate within a product structure and access all data that is relevant for your product.

The Product Structure Browser can also be used for executing the following tasks:

You want to find out the assignments of different documents (such as 2D drawings, 3D models, reports, assembly instructions) related to a product.

You want to manage release and change statuses so that you have a well-organized plan and control of product development throughout its entire life cycle.

You want to carry out business process for different master data of a product from a central point.

Integration

Systems

You can explode the product structure across systems. The following overview shows the destinations where data can be read:

System	Note
Local system	The standard SAP System only allows objects to be exploded in the local SAP System.
RFC destinations	RFC destinations can only be selected when an RFC connection is available from the system to the current SAP System.
ALE destinations	ALE destinations can only be selected for objects that are maintained in the current SAP System with an ALE Distribution Model. The setting is done in Customizing of Basis; under Distribution (ALE) ® Model and Implement Business Processes ® Maintain distribution model.

Value Assignment Areas

The following overview shows the enterprise area where the product data can be read or values assigned:

Enterprise area	SAP Objects
Materials management	Materials
Document Management System (DMS)	Document info record
Engineering change management (ECH)	Change Master Record
Production (master data)	Routings Reference operation sets
Classification System	Characteristics Classes
Plant maintenance	Equipment Functional location
Quality Management	Inspection plans Material specification

Features

Calling the Product Structure Browser

You can start the browser directly using:

Logistics ® Central Functions ® Engineering ® Environment ® Product Structure Browser

Logistics ® Central Functions ® Engineering Change Management ® Environment ® Product Structure Browser

Logistics ® Central Functions ® Document Management ® Environment ® Product Structure Browser

You can start the browser while processing objects:

While processing change master records Change Master Record ® Change ® Environment ® Product Structure Browser)
While processing document info records Document ® Change ® Environment ® Product Structure Browser)

Explosion Criteria

You can limit what data is displayed be setting explosion criteria.

The overview shows what criteria you can use to explode the product structure.

Explosion criteria		Description
Selection date		In the standard system, the product structure is exploded on today’s date. You can overwrite the selection date as you wish.
Filters		In the standard system, all the data for the different object types is checked. Define filters to improve performance and limit the amount of data shown. See: Product Structure Filters
Settings for the Product Structure		You can display the product structure in different ways, depending on your hardware configuration. You can the function Settings to switch between the old and the new views. See: Settings for the Product Structure
Values for Parameter Effectivity		When you have processed an object with a change master record that has a parameter effectivity set for it then the explosion occurs according to the desired effectivity conditions. By entering the parameter you identify one concrete change status of the product that you want to explode. See: Entering Values for Parameter Effectivity
Displaying the Product Structure	You can display the product structure and product data in the following way: Displaying the Product Structure in the New View Displaying the Product Structure in a List

Processing Options

You can execute object-specific business processes from the displayed product structure. The change process can be integrated as a long-term process; Workflow t asks are part of short-term or temporary processes .

The following overview shows you which activities you can execute in the new view.

Object	Options
Change Master Record	Copying a Change Object Using Drag and Drop
Recipient list for document distribution	Copying Documents using Drag and Drop
Objects from the Engineering Workbench	Maintaining Objects in the Engineering Workbench
Functional location and Equipment	Maintaining Structures from Plant Maintenance
Material specification	Display
Object folder	Using the Product Structure for Object Folders
Original Application File of a Document Info Record	Displaying Original Application File with a Viewer