Using Classification

The concept of classification can be compared to a filing cabinet. When documents are not organized in a clear and structured way, finding the required information becomes difficult. The same challenge exists in SAP when master data is not classified and organized consistently.

In this analogy, classes represent the drawers of the filing cabinet. They provide a structured way to group similar objects based on common characteristics and attributes. By organizing data into classes, products and other master data objects become easier to identify, search, and manage, improving transparency and efficiency across business processes.

In SAP Classification, classes do not have to exist independently alongside one another. To improve structure and reusability, classes can be organized in a hierarchical class structure. In this approach, superordinate classes can be created to group related classes and establish logical relationships between them.

For the forklift example, individual classes for different components can be assigned to higher-level classes that represent broader product categories. This hierarchical organization improves transparency, simplifies navigation within the classification system, and supports the consistent management of product attributes across related objects. As a result, classification data can be structured in a way that reflects the hierarchical nature of the product itself.

SAP Classification supports the creation of hierarchical class structures that enable the inheritance of characteristics. This approach simplifies the maintenance of classification data when the same characteristics are required across multiple related classes.

Instead of assigning identical characteristics to each class individually, the characteristics can be assigned once to a superordinate class. All subordinate classes within the hierarchy automatically inherit these characteristics and can use them without additional maintenance effort.

This inheritance mechanism improves consistency, reduces redundancy, and simplifies the management of complex classification structures. Changes made to inherited characteristics at the higher-level class are automatically available to all subordinate classes, ensuring a uniform classification model across related products and components.

In this scenario, Product Configuration Modeler Kathy addresses the challenge of identifying and maintaining master data when internal number assignment is used instead of meaningful external identifiers. Since internally generated numbers often provide little business context, efficient search and navigation methods become essential.

In this task, Product Configuration Modeler Kathy improves the identification and searchability of the Windows Shelter material. Since the material was created using internal number assignment and its description does not adequately reflect its properties, she uses the classification system to enrich the master data.

As a first step, she creates three characteristics that represent the key attributes of the product. These characteristics provide a structured way to describe and classify the material, making it easier to find, analyze, and manage within the system, regardless of the assigned material number.

In this task, Product Configuration Modeler Kathy creates a class to organize and manage the characteristics defined for the Windows Shelter material. She assigns the previously created characteristics to the class, establishing a structured framework for classifying the product.

In a subsequent step, she assigns the class to the material using the Manage Product Master Data app. This enables the material to be described through its characteristic values, improving data transparency, searchability, and identification, even when internal number assignment and non-descriptive material numbers are used.

In this task, Product Configuration Modeler Kathy performs two classification activities to improve the management and identification of Windows Shelter products.

First, she classifies the existing Windows Shelter by assigning characteristic values through the previously defined class. This enriches the material with meaningful attribute information and improves its searchability.

Second, she creates a new alternative Windows Shelter and classifies it using the same class structure. By maintaining consistent classification data across similar products, Kathy ensures greater transparency, easier product comparison, and more efficient master data management, even when internal number assignment is used.

In this final task, Product Configuration Modeler Kathy validates the classification setup by searching for materials based on their characteristic values. Using the appropriate classification app, she selects the newly created class and the corresponding class type for materials, enters the desired characteristic values, and executes the search.

The system returns a list of materials that match the specified criteria, demonstrating how classification improves the identification of products with internally assigned numbers.

Finally, Kathy reviews the available navigation options to analyze the search results further and access related master data for additional processing.

You now have an initial impression of how to work with characteristics and classes in SAP.