Derivation rule

A derivation rule is an "if then" rule that determines which actual characteristic values or combinations of source characteristic values result in which target characteristic values.

To create a derivation rule, first enter the source and target fields in Customizing for characteristic derivation, as well as the conditions and step attributes. You can enter the actual characteristic values either by choosing Maintain Rule Entries in Customizing, or by choosing  Master Data Maintain Derivation Rules in the application. In either case, you can also enter the validity period.

Table lookups

Table lookups let you read individual records of any table to determine characteristic values. Here the source fields must make up the key of a specific table, from which the system can copy certain contents to the target fields.

When you generate the environment for your operating concern, the system automatically generates table lookups for all characteristics that you choose from predefined SAP tables.

Moves

Moves let you copy a constant or the content of any source field to a target field. For example, you can copy the value of a characteristic to another field if certain conditions are fulfilled.

Clear

Clears let you delete the value of a characteristic, setting that field back to its initial value (blank for CHAR fields, "0" for NUMC fields).

Customer hierarchy

In the Sales and Distribution application SD, you can subdivide your customers into hierarchical structures. You can use characteristic derivation to transfer these structures (up to ten levels) to Profitability Analysis. This involves deriving the customer hierarchy from the customer hierarchy type, the sales organization, the distribution channel and the division.

To derive values for the customer hierarchy characteristics in CO-PA, you need to define the derivation step "Customer hierarchy".

In order that you can use this type of derivation step in characteristic derivation, you first need to maintain the assignment of the customer hierarchy in SD to the CO-PA auxiliary structure PAPARTNER. The fields HIEZU01 to HIEZU10 are available as valuation levels in this auxiliary structure and can be transferred to CO-PA as characteristics. SD customer hierarchy nodes are assigned to the evaluation levels in CO-PA when the customer master records for the hierarchy nodes in the customer hierarchy are maintained. this, you need to maintain the field "Hierarchy assignment", found on the Marketing screens of the master record. If the field is locked against manual entry, you need to unlock it by maintaining the field status for customer master records.

The characteristics that are used to derive the customer hierarchy are automatically entered in this step as the source fields: These are Sales Organization, Distribution Channel, Division and Customer. It is also possible to derive the customer hierarchy in Planning if planning is performed at the hierarchy level instead of the customer level. In that case, the relevant hierarchy characteristic, such as HIE03, is the source field, not the Customer characteristic.

The characteristics you defined for the customer hierarchy in your operating concern are automatically defined as the target fields.

All you need to maintain for the derivation step "Customer hierarchy" is the customer hierarchy type that you want to use for Profitability Analysis.

Customer Enhancement: Characteristic Derivation

For instances where the derivation types provided by the system do not fulfill your requirements, you can use a customer enhancement (COPA0001, component 003). This enhancement can be called up at any point in your derivation strategy (even more than once).

To define customer enhancements, choose  Tools SAP Enhancements path in CO-PA Customizing. There you will find the technical information needed to set up a customer enhancement.