Define Characteristics for Process Messages (SAP Library

Define Characteristics for Process Messages

In this IMG activity, you define the characteristics you want to use in your process messages.

Standard Settings

The standard system contains process message characteristics for the process messages predefined by SAP. The names of these characteristics start with PPPI_.

Activities

Check the existing process message characteristics and define new ones to suit your requirements

Notes on Characteristic Maintenance

For general information on characteristic maintenance, see Application Help . In addition to this, note the following:

Basic data tab page

Here, you have to assign a characteristics group released for use in process messages.

Under Format, do not enter a unit of measure or a currency since this can cause errors in process messages during further processing.

In process messages, only single-value characteristics are supported.

Using the Proc. mgmt pushbutton on the Basic data tab page, you can call up a dialog box with the following settings:

Automatic value assignment section:

Here, you can specify that automatic assignment of a characteristic value is to be carried out in the process order or control recipe provided that the characteristic value has not yet been assigned manually.

This information is important since message characteristics are generally also used in process instructions.

The following types of automatic value assignment are available:

In the Val.assignmnt funct. field, you can specify a function module that is to be used to determine the characteristic value.

If the characteristic value to be assigned is to be taken from the order, resource, or material, you can enter the corresponding table and its field in the Table and Field fields instead.

By setting the Only automatic indicator, you determine that the characteristic value cannot be assigned manually in process instructions. This indicator is ignored when you manually create a process message.

Input help section:

Here, you can make the following settings:

Input help and value check using a foreign key dependency that takes the dependencies between values of different characteristics into account.

Input help using a matchcode

Note the following:

For the system to be able to take your settings for the foreign key and matchcode into account, you must define function module COC1_PPPI_CHAR_VALUES on the Values tab page for the value check.

You cannot add to the foreign key table. For information on the foreign keys available, refer to the input help, choose Display, and call up the foreign key for the corresponding reference field.

Note:

If you want more than just the foreign key to be taken into account when checking values, you can write your own function module that is similar to function module COC1_PPPI_CHAR_VALUES and assign it on the Values tab page. Note that for the input help you need a function module with the same name and suffix _F4. You can use function module COC1_PPPI_CHAR_VALUES_F4 as a template for it.

In the Conversion field, you can specify a routine that is used to convert between the characteristic value displayed on the screen and its internal representation. This option is mainly required for characteristics predefined by SAP that refer to objects already defined in the R/3 System (for example, process orders).

By setting the Value is long text indicator, you determine that a long text is to be assigned to the characteristic in process instructions and in process messages. In this case, the formatting definitions on the Basic data tab page are ignored.

CAUTION!

Never use the Characteristic -> Rename... function for a characteristic that you have already assigned to a process instruction category or a message category. In process management, characteristics are identified by their name. Thus, when you rename a characteristic, all process messages and instructions containing this characteristic become invalid.

Notes on Automatic Value Assignment

The standard system contains a number of predefined function modules for the automatic assignment of characteristic values. For information on the individual function modules, proceed as follows:

1. Call up the information system by choosing the Possible entries function on the Val.assignmnt funct. field, and choose Execute.

The system displays a list of the existing function modules.

2. Position the cursor on the function module whose documentation you want to display and choose Display .

3. Choose Function module documentation.

In addition to the predefined function modules, you can also call up your own function for assigning characteristic values via a function exit.
This requires that:

You assign function module COAV_CUSTOMER_EXIT_001 to the characteristic for automatic value assignment

You adjust function exit EXIT_SAPLCOAV_001 in the SAP enhancement SAPLCOAV

For further information on maintaining the function exit, see Use Function Exit for Automatic Characteristic Value Assignment.

Notes on Transport

Characteristics cannot be transported using the Customizing transport function.

The section Transport Predefined Characteristics describes how you can transport the characteristics defined by SAP to your clients.

Using Application Link Enabling (ALE), you can transport characteristics you have created manually to your production system.
You can very easily configure a distribution in your R/3 System using ALE. For more information, see the SAP Library, section Cross- Application Components -> Business Framework Architecture -> ALE Application Link Enabling -> ALE Quick Start. The example in this section describes the distribution of material master records. However, you can also apply it to the distribution of characteristics. You only have to replace message type "MATMAS" (for material master) with message type "CHRMAS" (for characteristics).