Hierarchy Maintenance 

Use

Hierarchies allow you to create classification structures showing the relationships between categories. A hierarchy is constructed like a tree structure with a root category that includes all other categories. The root category is the highest-level node within the hierarchy and does not generally contain any control information.

Features

The Maintain Categories and Hierarchies function shows the tree structure in the upper half of the screen and a row of tabs in the lower half, allowing the relevant data to be maintained:

·        Hierarchy

·        Category

For more information, see Category Maintenance.

·        Set Types

Set types are maintained for the selected category.

·        Relationship Types

Relationship types are maintained for the selected category.

The following features are available at hierarchy level:

·        Numbering Scheme

You can assign category IDs yourself (alphanumeric or numeric), or they can be assigned automatically (numeric only). If you assign them yourself, the system checks them against the numbering scheme.
Numbering schemes are defined and the necessary settings made in the Customizing activity Define Category Numbering Schemes (Cross-Application Components ® SAP Products ®Product Category).

·        Standard Schema

You can enter information showing that the product schema (hierarchy) displayed is a standard schema.

·        Extended Maintenance (PME)

By setting this indicator for a particular hierarchy, all categories and set types in this hierarchy are created in the Product Modeling Environment (PME). (For more information, see Features in Extended Attribute Maintenance.)

This allows you to do the following at category level:

¡        You can assign set types containing multiple-value attributes to the category.

¡        You can restrict value ranges and maintain default values for attributes in customer set types, either for a specific distribution chain or independent of the distribution chain, depending on the set type involved.

Specifics of the Mobile Client

·        Information from the Sales Hierarchy tile set is downloaded from CRM Enterprise.

·        The Sales Hierarchy tile set displays sales hierarchies for all types of products.

Activities

Creating Hierarchies

...

       1.      In the user menu, choose Maintain Categories and Hierarchies.
The Maintain Categories and Hierarchies screen appears with either the locator or work area, depending on your user settings.

       2.      Choose Create Hierarchy.
The dialog box Create Hierarchy appears.

       3.      Enter a hierarchy ID and description, and choose Continue.
The hierarchy maintenance screen is then displayed.

       4.      If you want to assign category IDs using a numbering scheme, specify the numbering scheme required.

       5.      Set the Extended Maintenance (PME) indicator, if appropriate.

By setting the Extended Maintenance (PME) indicator for a particular hierarchy, all categories and set types in this hierarchy are created in the Product Modeling Environment (PME). This means that the following data is stored in the PME:

¡        All categories

¡        All multiple-value attributes

¡        All attributes which have value range restrictions or default values
(the value range restrictions and default values are stored solely in the PME)

¡        Products with multiple-value attributes and these attribute values for the product concerned

You cannot reset these options.

       6.      Save your data.

Changing Hierarchies

When changing hierarchies, you can change the hierarchy description, the numbering scheme, and whether category IDs are assigned automatically, provided no categories are assigned to the hierarchy.

If categories are assigned to the hierarchy, you can change only the hierarchy description. It is not possible to change the numbering scheme and automatic number assignment as they influence the category IDs in the hierarchy.

Deleting Hierarchies

A hierarchy can be deleted only if no categories are assigned to it, that is, the categories must be deleted first.