lnformation Structures 

The information structures are files of special statistics data that constitute an important element of the information systems. They form data basis for the standard analyses. Even planning is based on the information structures.

The most important information is updated to the information structures from the huge volume of data in the operative application.

Retail: purchase order, goods receipt, invoice receipt

Sales and distribution: order, quotation

Inventory Controlling: goods movement

Production:release/confirmation of a production order

Plant maintenance: creation of a notification, creation of a functional location

Quality management information system: making a usage decision

Transport information system: Routes, transport method, sending , transport legs , materials

An information structure defines a group containing information that is used for the aggregation and subsequent evaluation of data from the operative application.

The standard system provides information structures for every information system which include valid key figures for all of the analyses in the application area.

Customizing allows you to create your own information structures, i.e. you can add your own enhancements to the information systems.

Constructing an Information Structure

An information structure combines three kinds of information:

The following illustration shows you the structure of an information structure from the area of Sales and Distribution:

Characteristics

Characteristics are items of information that are suitable for aggregation (such as plant, material).

Every characteristic has characteristic values. For example, the characteristic "material" might have the following characteristic values:

Key Figures

Key figures are values with particular relevance to business.

Purchasing Information System: invoiced amount, net order value, number of deliveries

Sales Information System: sales volume, incoming orders, returns, sales order value

Inventory controlling: valuated stock receipts, average consumption, total consumption value, number of material movements

Shop Floor Information System: order quantity, lead-time, queue time, execution time

Plant Maintenance Information System: number of notifications, number of breakdowns, mean time to repair

Quality Management Information System: total lots, mean quality score, lead-time

Transport information system: Distance, sum, number, duration, volumes

Key figures contain data that is read from the information structures, whereas characteristics act as the key to this process.

Every key figures has its own values.

The material 265-987 (characteristic value) has an acquisition value of $20,000 (key figure value).

Period Units

A period unit is assigned to every information structure.

The values of the key figures in an information structure are cumulated at regular intervals for each characteristic in the information structure.

You can choose between day, week, month, and posting period.

Standard Information Structures

The information structures available for each information system in the standard system contain key figures that are linked together thematically for all of the relevant analyses in the respective application area. You can also use formulas to access key figures that are calculated when you carry out an analysis.

The following sections describe the standard information structures of the individual information systems:

Purchasing Information System: Information Structures

Sales Information System: Information Structures

Inventory Controlling: Information Structures

Shop Floor Information System: Information Structures

Plant Maintenance Information System: Information Structures

Quality Management Information System: Information Structures

Retail Information System: Information Structures

Transport Information System: Information Structures

 

Self-Defined Information Structures

Self-defined information structures enable you to add your own enhancements to the information systems. You can combine information structures to suit your own needs as well as define your own rules for updating. You can make use of the entire functional range in LIS to create your own information structures. You can use the standard analyses and the flexible analyses to evaluate the user-defined information structures and you can also create planning data for them.

The functions for the user-defined information structures are found in Customizing under the Logistics Information System. The complete functionality can be found under the menu option Data Basis.

You can find further information in the Implementation Guide.

To call up the Implementation Guide, proceed as follows:

  1. From the R/3 system menu, select Tools ® Hypertext ® Structure ® IMG

    2. A complete list of all of the available Implementation Guides will appear.

  2. Place the cursor on Logistics General and select Edit ® Explode/hide.

    3. A list of all of the documents that are assigned to Logistics General will appear.

  3. Place the cursor on Logistics Information System and select Edit ® Explode/hide.

A list of all of the documents that are assigned to the Logistics Information System will appear.

You will find the Implementation Guide you require under Logistics Data Warehouse ® Data Basis.

Updating Statistical Data

The updating of statistical data can take place as an U1-update (update with delayed start) or a U2 update (statistical update).

With Release 4.6C you can also use V3 updating (user-defined period of time).

For every standard information structure, you can define the type of updating and the frequency with which the statistical data should be cumulated (on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, or at posting period intervals). You do this using the Logistics Information System Configuration menu (see also Updating ).

You can improve the monitoring of the update process with the help of a user-specific list known as the update log. This shows details of the last event to be affected by statistics updating (see also Update Control ).