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 Referencing Data from Products

Use

Reference products can be used to reference a product's business and technical data when you create objects. This means that data can be maintained centrally for a particular product and this data referenced for as many objects as required.

Prerequisites

You have activated the product reference functionality in Customizing for Cross-Application Components , by choosing Start of the navigation path SAP Product Next navigation step Basic Settings Next navigation step Allow Product References for Individual Objects End of the navigation path .

Features

When creating objects you can define data directly for the object, or reference the data you require from an appropriate product. Which data is created directly and which is referenced can be flexibly defined.

Data that is generally specific to an object, such as serial number, date and place of purchase, is created for each object separately, whereas data that is likely to be shared by a large number of objects, such as manufacturer or model, can be reused.

The relationship between product data and object data is shown below:

  • An object is assigned a reference product on the Object page. An object can only be assigned one reference product.

  • The referenced data is defined for the reference product, and not the object. Referenced data can therefore not be changed when you create or change an object. Any changes necessary must be made to the reference product.

  • It is always the current data of the reference product which is referenced, with blank screens being shown if no data exists.

  • Referenced data is available in two forms:

    • As fully referenced data, meaning that this data is actually applied for the object in the processes in which it is used.

    • As data that is merely displayed for the object, thus making the data derived from the reference product available for information purposes, without it actually being applied within the processes in which the object is used.

The following types of data can be referenced from a product and are available for the object as follows:

Referenced Data

Availability

Set types

Fully referenced

Notes

Fully referenced

Attachments

Displayed

Organization-dependent data

Fully referenced

Relationships

Displayed

Activities

You create an object in the normal manner on the Object page and do the following:

  1. Specify the product from which the data is to be referenced.

    When the reference product is entered, the system checks whether the object can be assigned this reference product. The reference product must not be flagged for deletion.

  2. Assign it the category containing the set types to be referenced.

    The set types are displayed on the overview page as assignment blocks, however, you cannot make any entries in the fields of these set types.

  3. Change the reference product entered, if required.

    Note that it is only possible to enter one reference product.