SAP provides a wizard for creating new content models. To access the wizards, choose the following in the IMG: SAP Web Application Server ® Basis Services ® Records Management ® Create Content Model (transaction code srmcmcreate). You need to use the wizard once for every content model created.

The following steps are prerequisites for creating a content model:

When you create a content model, you have to enter a name prefix and select an SAP-supplied content model as a template. The name prefix must be in the customer namespace. If you enter a prefix that is not yet allocated, the system creates the following objects when the wizard is run:

• A content model template that is exactly the same as the selected SAP content model, but which can be changed. Changes to the customer content model template affect all inheriting content models.
• A content model that inherits from the customer content model template. For technical reasons, this content model is also based on an additional content model template. If you modify the content model, you must always change the corresponding template.

If you enter a name prefix that has already been allocated, the system only creates one content model (and corresponding template). This inherits from the customer content model template that already exists with this prefix.

The following graphic shows an example of an inheritance tree for content models. This illustrates the relationship between an SAP standard content model, customer content model templates, and content models.

In the wizard for creating content models, you need to specify development packages. Therefore, a package and a workbench transport request must already exist. If you are creating the content model on the target host, the package and the request can be local – otherwise the package must be transportable, and the request must have a corresponding target.

Call the IMG activity Create Content Model. The wizard is displayed, and contains the following steps:

Enter the following data:

• Description text for the content model
• Package for development objects
• Transport request
• Name prefix for development objects (must always begin with "Z" in the customer system)
• Prefix for the descriptions of the created tables.

Select one of the standard content models supplied by SAP.

A database table record is required for storing administration data (or "metadata"). You normally need to create a table record for each content model. It is, however, also possible for two content models derived from the same template to share a table record. This is useful if the individual content models only contain a small amount of data. The wizard therefore offers the option of using storage tables from an existing record.

The content (not the metadata) of documents needs to be stored separately. This can be realized using normal database tables (in the simplest case), or an HTTP content server.

When storing content in an R/3 database, the wizard performs the storage of the necessary tables and administration information. If you are using a content server, more detailed configuration is required, which the wizard cannot perform. The content server needs to be set up by an expert. The wizard only prepares the content model for connection to a server of this type.

The content model is created.

The dialog box that is displayed after the content model has been completed contains the name of the logical document class (LOIO class) created by the wizard. This name is also used internally as the name of the content model. When creating the element type for the content model, you need to enter this name as a value for the parameter DOCUMENT_CLASS.

You also have to create an element type in the system for each content model. You can use one content model for one or more element types. If you use one content model for more than one element type, the element type then becomes merely a subdivision of documents that are otherwise stored in the same way and in the same tables. To optimize performance, SAP recommends that you only create one content model per element type.

Call the IMG activity Maintain Content Model Attributes. The Document Modeling Workbench is displayed (transaction code dmwb).

You can maintain attributes for the customer content model, which inherits directly from an SAP content model. In this case, the changes are also valid for all content models below this one in the hierarchy. You can also only maintain the attributes for individual content models. For technical reasons, you must maintain the attributes in the template directly above the model, and not in the content model itself.

For a step-by-step guide to maintaining the attributes, see the online documentation for the IMG activity.