Technical Information: Activating a Feature
When you activate a feature, the system either creates a feature program from the
decision tree of the feature, or creates/updates the entry in the Feature Directory (T549D).
The system does not create a feature program if the decision tree only contains one return value, which does not exceed a specific length (release-dependent). In this case, this return value is stored in the FUNCT field of the Feature Directory (T549D), and the FUNID field is filled with V (value), and not P (program).
You can activate a feature in one of the following ways:
If you choose this method, the system checks the current decision tree, and saves it (updating the S and U entries in the Company Features (T549B) or Decision Trees for Features (Customers) (T549C) tables), before creating the feature program and the entry in the Feature Directory (T549D).
You can activate this feature either within feature maintenance (transaction PE03 - select Activate), or by running report RPUMKG00 (Generate (Activate) Features) from the program execution selection screen (transaction SA38 or SE38). The system will then create the feature program from the U version of the Company Features (T549B) or Decision Trees for Features (Customers) (T549C) tables.
If you delete a standard feature that you have changed in a non-standard client, the system will delete the corresponding entries from the Decision Trees for Features (Customers) table (T549C), before updating the entry in the Feature Directory (T549D). In other words, the system takes the name of the feature program or the corresponding return value from the standard client, and enters it for the corresponding entry in the Feature Directory.
For standard and customer features, there is a logical transport object with an After-Import-Method (PMKS or PMKC). All transported features are automatically activated in the target system. When you transport customer features, the corresponding feature is activated in the target system, but only in the same client from which it was transported. When you transport standard features, they are activated in the standard client of the target system first, before they are activated in all other clients in the system.
Caution: Any changes made to standard features affect the corresponding standard client of the target system. They do not affect clients in which the corresponding feature was modified, as the feature is also activated if it is based upon the corresponding U entries of the Decision Trees for Features (Customers) table (T549C), and not of the Company Features table (T549B).
If SAP makes any changes to standard features, the necessary information can be found in the release notes provided. You can then decide, for example, if you need to make the changes yourself manually, or whether you need to maintain your decision tree again, using the new standard feature as the basis.