Data Slices
Use
You use data slices when you want to explicitly lock certain subsets of a planning area dataset so that the data cannot be updated. Data slices serve a similar purpose as authorizations. Instead of working with data slices you could theoretically also retract the authorization for planners to change plan data during the course of a planning session. However this would prove costly in terms of administration.
When you create a planning area, there are no default settings that restrict the data you can update. In practice, however, it may be appropriate to only permit data updates for specific characteristic value combinations:
The InfoCube, on which your planning area is based, contains data from different companies in your enterprise. Normally, the companies themselves are responsible for importing the necessary data into the InfoCube in the SAP BW. However, you now want to enter further plan data for one of these companies. At the same time, you want to ensure that the data from the other companies is not changed in any way. To achieve this, proceed as follows:
Create a data slice for the planning area. Restrict the characteristic company to those companies for which no more data is to be entered. After you have saved the data slice, data can only be updated for that company (or companies) that is not included in the selection. You can continue to read data from the other companies as before.
Features
When you use data slices the following rules apply:
· If no data slice is defined for a planning area, you can update data for any characteristic value combination.
· A characteristic value restriction in a data slice acts as a lock that prevents changes. This means that you cannot update data for those characteristic value combinations that are included in the restrictions. You can change all the other data.
· You can create multiple data slices for a planning area. The change locks, set up using characteristic value restrictions, have a cumulative effect. This means that, as you add more data slices, you further restrict the data area where changes can be made.
· Whenever more than one data slice exists for a planning area these act as one. It is not possible with multiple data slices to have only some of them effective.
· If a planning area contains a data slice that includes no characteristic value restrictions at all then the data slice acts as a lock for postings of all types in the entire planning area.
· A data slice acts on all planning levels and packages that belong to the same planning area as the data slice.
Status of a data slice
After you have created a data slice it is activated automatically. The settings made in the definition of the data slice have an immediate effect on the ability to update data.
You can also deactivate data slices. This can, for example, be useful in the following situations:
· You set up the Customizing for planning in your company. You already know in advance that update locks will be necessary at a later point in time. You want to have these locks ready without them being effective immediately as you first want to fully complete Customizing. Activating the locks is to take place later.
· You have used a data slice to lock updates of new data. You later realize that subsequent updates are required because of late deliveries or payments.
To
switch the status of a data slice, choose Activate or Deactivate
from the context menu of the data slice. In the list of data slices, the
system displays the present status of the data slice with a traffic light
symbol (
= active, 
=
inactive).
See also: