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Definition

On this tab page you specify the basic properties of the characteristic.

Structure

Dictionary

Specify the Data Type and the Data Length . The system provides input help which offers you selection options.

The following data types are supported for characteristics:

Char:

Numbers and letters

Character length 1 - 60

Numc:

Numbers only

Character length 1 - 60

Dats:

Date

Character length 8

Tims:

Time

Character length 6

Other

Lowercase Letters Allowed/Not Allowed

If this indicator is set, the system differentiates between lowercase letters and uppercase letters when you use a screen template to input values. If this indicator is not set, the system converts all the letters into uppercase letters when you use a screen template to input values. No conversion occurs during the load process or in the transformation. This means that values with lowercase letters cannot be updated to an InfoObject that does not allow lowercase letters.

Note

If you choose to allow the use of lowercase letters, you must be aware of the system response when you enter variables:

If you want to use the characteristic in variables , the system is only able to find the values for the characteristic if the lowercase letters and the uppercase letters are typed in accurately on the input screen for variables. If, on the other hand, you do not allow the use of lowercase letters, any characters that you type in the variable screen are converted automatically into uppercase letters.

Conversion Routine

The standard conversion for the characteristic is displayed. If this standard conversion is unsuitable, you can override it by specifying a conversion routine in the underlying domain. See Conversion Routines in BW Systems .

Attribute Only

If you select Attribute Only , the created characteristic can be used only as a display attribute for another characteristic, not as a navigation attribute. Furthermore, you cannot transfer the characteristic into InfoCubes. However, you can use it in DataStore objects or InfoSets.

Characteristic Is Document Property

You can specify that a characteristic is used as a Document Property . This enables you to assign a comment (this can be any document) to a combination of characteristic values. See also Documents and the example for

Characteristic Is Document Property .

Note

Since it does not make sense to use this comment function for all characteristics, you need to identify explicitly the characteristics that you want to appear in the comments.

If you set this indicator, the system generates a property (attribute) for this characteristic in the meta model of the document management system. For technical reasons, this property (attribute) has to be written to a (dummy) transport request (the appropriate dialog box appears) but it is not actually transported.

Constant

By assigning a Constant to a characteristic, you give it a fixed value. The characteristic then exists on the database (for example, for verifications) but it does not appear in reporting. Assigning a constant is most useful with compound characteristics.

Example

The Storage Location characteristic is compounded with the Plant characteristic. If you only run one plant within the application, you can assign a constant to the plant. The validation for the storage-location master table runs correctly using the constant value for the plant. In the query, however, the storage location only appears as a characteristic.

Exception:

If you want to assign the constant SPACE (type CHAR) or 00..0 (type NUMC) to the characteristic, enter # in the first position.

Transfer Routine

When you create a transfer routine, it is valid globally for the characteristic and is included in all the transformation rules that contain the InfoObject. However, the transfer routine is only run in one transformation with a DataSource as a source. The transfer routine is used to correct data before it is updated in the characteristic.

During data transfer, the logic stored in the individual transformation rule is executed first. Then the transfer routine for the value of the corresponding field is executed for each InfoObject that has a transfer routine.

In this way, the transfer routine can store InfoObject-dependent coding that only needs to be maintained once, but that is valid for all transformation rules.