Note
This section of the documentation is relevant only for document management (DM) on the SAP GUI. It is not relevant for DM on the PLM Web UI.
The product structure browser displays information about your product data entered in the Product Data Management (PDM) area. This information is especially important for engineering and design as well as production. This graphical browser gives you a quick overview of product-defined data that is displayed structurally. You can navigate within a product structure and access all data that is relevant for your product.
The product structure browser can also be used for executing the following tasks:
You want to determine the assignments of different documents (such as 2D drawings, 3D models, reports, and assembly instructions) related to a product.
You want to manage release and change statuses so that you have a well-organized plan and control of product development throughout its entire life cycle.
You want to carry out business processes for different master data of a product from a central point.
You can explode the product structure across systems. The following overview shows the destinations where data can be read:
System | Note |
---|---|
Local system | The standard SAP system only allows objects to be exploded in the local SAP system. |
RFC destinations | RFC destinations can only be selected when an RFC connection is available from the system to the current SAP system. |
ALE destinations | ALE destinations can only be selected for objects that are entered in the current SAP system with an ALE distribution model. The setting is made in Customizing for Basis under . |
The following overview shows the enterprise area where the product data can be read or values assigned:
Enterprise Area | SAP Objects |
---|---|
Materials Management | Material |
Document Management System (DMS) | Document info record |
Engineering Change Management (ECH) | Change master record |
Production (Master Data) |
|
Class System |
|
Plant Maintenance |
|
Quality Management |
|
You can start the browser directly using:
You can start the browser while processing objects:
While processing change master records:
While processing document info records:
You can specify criteria for the explosion: This ensures that the product structure is clearly displayed and that only the data you require in the current processing situation is displayed.
The overview shows the criteria you can use to explode the product structure.
Explosion Criteria | Meaning |
---|---|
Selection date
| In the standard system, the product structure is exploded on today’s date. You can overwrite the selection date as you wish. |
Filters
| In the standard system, all the data for the different object types is checked. Define filters to improve performance and limit the amount of data shown. |
Settings for the product structure
| You can display the product structure in different ways, depending on your hardware configuration. You can use the function Settings to switch between the old and the new views. |
Values for parameter effectivity
| When you have processed an object with a change master record that has a parameter effectivity set for it, the explosion occurs according to the desired effectivity conditions. By entering the parameter, you identify one concrete change status of the product that you want to explode. |
Display project structure | You can display the product structure and product data in the following way: |
You can execute object-specific business processes from the displayed product structure. The change process can be integrated as a long-term process; Workflow tasks are part of short-term or temporary processes.
The following overview shows you which activities you can execute in the new view.
Object | Processing Options |
---|---|
Change master record | |
Recipient list for document distribution | |
Objects from the Engineering Workbench | |
Functional location and equipment | |
Material specification | Display |
Object folder | |
Original application file of a document info record |