Determining Service Contracts (Contract Determination) 

 

Use

 

You can use this function to create business transactions in Service with reference to service contracts.

 

Prerequisites

 

In Customizing for transaction types in SAP CRM, you have specified how contract determination in the relevant transaction type in Service (for example, the service order) should occur. You make this setting in the activity Customer Relationship Management ® Transactions ® Basic Settings ® Define Transaction Types using the Contract Determination flag. The following settings are possible:

 

No Contract Determination

You select this setting if you want to work with contracts, but do not want to use automatic contract determination in service processing for a particular business transaction type.

 

Manual Contract Determination

You select this setting if you do not want to use automatic contract determination. This option enables you to manually start a contract search for those business transaction items in Service that are not yet assigned to a contract.

 

Contract Determination at Item Level

This setting means that when a business transaction item is created (for example, a service order item), the system determines all existing contracts with a customer .

In the case of uniqueness, that is, if only one contract that fulfills the selection criteria is found, the system copies all of the relevant data from the appropriate service contract item to the business transaction. Otherwise a separate dialog box is opened, which contains all of the contracts found and you can choose the required contract item from this.

Providing you have selected the option Always with Selection Option in Customizing, the selection window is always opened in the business transaction. This means no automatic assignment takes place.

 

Contract Determination at Header and Item Level

Unlike contract determination at item level, this contract determination can take place as soon as header data is entered (for example, the header data of a service order).

However, you must enter the reference object for assignment at header level. The only contracts found are those whose object list contains the reference object, or whose object list is empty.

The contract search at header level only takes place if a contract has not yet been assigned and there are not yet any items available in the business transaction in Service.

·         The Contract Determ. field is only offered in the detailed display for definition of the transaction type, if you have chosen Complaint, Service Process, Service Confirmation or Sales as the leading business transaction category.

·         See also the help documentation for the Contract Determ. field in Customizing for the transaction type.

 

Features

 

When you create a business transaction in Service with a transaction type for which contract determination is activated in Customizing, the system determines service contracts based on the following selection criteria:

·        Partner

The sold-to party in the service contract and in the business transaction must be identical.

·        Sales Organization

The sales organization and the distribution channel in the service contract and in the business transaction must be identical.

·        Service Organization

If a service organization is maintained in the service contract, it must be identical to the one in the business transaction.

·        Status

The status of the service contract item must be Released.

·        Validity

The date in the Required Start field in the business transaction must lie within the validity period of the service contract item.

·        Object List

The reference object from the business transaction must be entered in the object list for the service contract item.

·        Product List

If a product list exists, a check is run to see whether the product entered in the business transaction item is available in the product list of the service contract item.

·        Copying Control

The copying of contract items to items in a business transaction in Service must be set in Customizing.

You have the option of using the Business Add-In definition CRM_SERVICE_CONTRACT to include Business Add-Ins (Business Add-In for Service Contract Determination), which you can use to provide your own selection criteria or to limit the selection criteria (see above) delivered by SAP.

 

After the system has determined service contracts, it  automatically copies the contract data to the business transaction in Service, or you are requested to select a contract for copying from a list.

 

Activities

 

Automatic Determination of Service Contracts at Item Level

...

       1.      Create an item in a business transaction in Service for which automatic contract determination is activated in Customizing.

       2.      The system selects appropriate service contracts according to the above-mentioned criteria and displays all permitted service contract items.

The system only selects and offers for selection those service contract items whose product lists contain the product entered in the business transaction item.

Service contract items that do not have products lists are also selected. This is the case with, for example, older contracts.

       3.      During selection of a service contract item, data from the service contract item is copied to the business transaction in Service, and the price agreements and SLA parameters from the service contract are also activated in the service process.

       4.      The Contract Data tab page is also offered in the detailed data for the business transaction item, in which an extract from the service contract is displayed. This means that specific data from the assigned service contract item is displayed and also from the service contract header.

 

Automatic Determination of Service Contracts at Header and Item Level

...

       1.      Create a business transaction in Service for which automatic contract determination is activated in Customizing. Maintain the header data and specify the reference object.

       2.      The system automatically selects appropriate service contracts according to the above-mentioned criteria and displays all permitted service contract items.

       3.      After selecting a valid service contract item, the products entered in the product list belonging to the contract item are displayed as default values for copying to the business transaction.

If the product list does not contain any entries, the service product agreed in the contract item is proposed for copying to the service process.

All products that are selected and copied from the display are then automatically copied as items in the service process.

       4.      The additional tab page Item Selection is shown to display the default values. If the display is too extensive, there is also the option of a further tab page Product Entry which you can use for the manual entry and copying of products. Before copying to the service process, the system checks whether the products entered in the product list exist and are valid for the business transaction in Service.

The two tab pages Item Selection and Product Entry are not shown again when the business transaction is recalled.

·         You can use a Business Add-In to change the screen or the data on the Contract Data tab page.

·         Dates from the date profile of the transaction type are displayed on the Dates tab page. The current dates are redetermined by saving the business transaction or using the Determine SLA Times pushbutton.

 

Manual Determination of Service Contracts

Providing that you have set up manual contract determination in Customizing, you can use a pushbutton to manually start the determination of service contracts when a new business transaction is created.

 

Specifics of the SAP GUI:

Choose  with the quick info Find Contract in the Fast Entry for the service business transaction, or choose  Find Contract in the detailed data for the item.

 

Specifics of the People-Centric UI:

On the Products page, choose the pushbutton Select Contract. This pushbutton can be found above the list of business transaction items.