The Usage function consists of the Rating and Validity area fields.

You must define one or more usages for every assignment of substance characteristic values that is to be output on a substance report. You use the Usage feature to ensure that only certain data that belongs to a particular rating (PUBLIC, INTERN, for example) and a particular validity area is output on a substance report.

When the R/3 System generates reports, it compares the usage of a substance characteristic category that is to be output with that of the substance report generation variant, that is assigned to the substance report via R/3 Customizing.

You can use usage profiles that you define in the IMG activity Specify usage profiles to assign a standard usage to each substance characteristic category in Customizing for Product Safety, in the IMG activity Set up substance characteristic categories.

In the IMG activity Specify substance characteristic categories, you can also define whether usage is to be set to active automatically for a substance characteristic category that is copied, created or changed. Otherwise, you must reset the active indicator manually every time you edit substance characteristic values.

Usage consists of the following elements:

• The rating specifies the users that can view the characteristic values assigned to the substance.

• A validity area is a group of countries or regions valid for the corresponding rating. You can exclude countries from the validity area by flagging the exclusion indicator.

• The active indicator shows whether rating and validity area are active, and that the R/3 System may include the corresponding substance characteristic values on the report.