Tab Page: Master
Data/Texts 
Use
In this tab page, you determine whether the characteristic has access to master data and/or texts.
Structure
With Master Data
Determine here whether the characteristic has master data. You have to create a master data table for a characteristic if you want the characteristic to have attributes.
When you select this option, the system generates a master data table. Using the Maintain Master Data function, you branch to the corresponding maintenance dialog.
The master data table can be comprised of a time-dependent and a time-independent part. See also Master Data Types: Attributes, Texts and Hierarchies
In attribute maintenance, determine whether an attribute is time-dependent or time independent.
With Texts
Here, you determine whether the characteristic has texts.
If you do want the characteristic to have texts, you must select at least one text. The short text (20 characters) option is active by default, but you can also choose medium texts (40 characters) or long texts (60 characters).
Language-dependent texts
You can choose whether or not you want the texts in the text table to be language dependent. If you decide that you want the texts to be language dependent, the language becomes a key field in the text table. If you decide that you do not want the texts to be language dependent, the text table does not get a language field.
Some Business Content characteristics, for example, customer (0CUSTOMER), do not need to be language-dependent.
Time-dependent texts
If you want the texts to be time-dependent, meaning that you want the date to be included in the key of the text table, you make the appropriate settings here. See also: Using Master Data and Characteristics That Bear Master Data
Maintaining Master Data with Authorization Checks
If you set this indicator, you are able to use authorizations to protect the master data and texts for this characteristic from being maintained illegally on the single records level. If this option is activated, characteristic variables can be entered, for which the user has authorization. You can do this in the profile generator in the role maintenance using the authorization object S_TABU_LIN for each key field of the master data table.
See 
Authorizations for
Master Data.
If you do not set this indicator, you have the option of allowing or blocking the maintenance of master data as a whole (for all characteristic values).
DataStore object for checking characteristic values
If you create a DataStore object for checking the characteristic values in a characteristic, in the update rules, and in the transfer rules, the valid values for the characteristic are determined from the DataStore object and not from the master data. The characteristic itself and all the fields in the compound must be included as key fields in the DataStore object.
Also refer to Checking for
Referential Integrity.
Characteristic is ....
an InfoSource:
If you want to turn a characteristic into an InfoSource with direct updating, you have to assign an application component to the characteristic. The characteristic is subsequently displayed in the InfoSource tree in the Data Warehousing Workbench. You are able to assign DataSources and source systems to the characteristic from here. You are also able to load master data, texts, and hierarchies for the characteristic.
In the following cases you are not able to turn an InfoObject into an InfoSource with direct updating:
· The characteristic that you want to modify is characteristic 0SOURSYSTEM (source system ID).
· The characteristic has no master data, no texts, and no hierarchies – there is no point in loading data for this kind of characteristic.
· The characteristic that you want to modify turns out to be a unit or a key figure.
For more
information see InfoSource
Types.
If you want to generate an export-DataSource for a characteristic, the characteristic has to be an InfoSource with direct updating – meaning that it has to be assigned to an application component.
InfoProvider:
This indicator shows you whether the characteristic is an InfoProvider.
If you want to turn a characteristic into an InfoProvider, you have to assign an InfoArea to the characteristic. The characteristic then appears in the InfoProvider tree of the Data Warehousing Workbench and can be used as InfoProvider in reporting.
You can turn a characteristic into an InfoProvider only if the characteristic contains texts or master data.
You can define queries for the characteristic (more precisely, for the master data of the characteristic) for a characteristic as InfoProvider. In this case, on the Attributes tabstrip, you are able to switch-on dual-level navigation attributes (navigation attributes for navigation attributes) for this characteristic in its role as InfoProvider.
For more information see InfoObjects as InfoProvider.
an export DataSource:
If this indicator
is set, you are able to extract into other BI systems the master data, texts,
and hierarchies that are in the characteristic. See also Data Mart
Interface.
Master data access
You can access the master data at query runtime with three options:
...
1. Standard: The system displays the values in the master data table for the characteristic. This is the default setting.
2. Own implementation: You can define an ABAP class to implement the access to master data yourself. You need to implement interface IF_RSMD_RS_ACCESS. You need to be proficient in ABAP OO. An example of this is the time characteristic 0FISCYEAR that is delivered with Business Content.
3. Remote: If the characteristic is identified as an InfoProvider, you can access the data directly in a source system. If you choose this option, the characteristic InfoProvider has to be joined to the required DataSource using a staging object, and has to be assigned to a source system.
We recommend that you use the standard default setting. If there are special requirements placed on master data reading, you can have some influence if you use your own implementation.
We recommend that you refrain from using remote master data in performance-critical scenarios.