Applying Class Types

Finding objects is the main purpose of classification and most class types. Objects are classified for searches in class types such as:

• 001 Materials
• 002 Equipment
• 010 Vendors
• 011 Customers
• 038 Activities

The following video introduces class types as they apply to materials.

In Customizing for Classification, SAP delivers predefined objects for classification. You can specify additional objects if necessary.

Objects can be classified either:

• At client level, so you only enter the object key when you classify an object. Most objects are classified at client level.
• In a specific organizational unit, so you enter the object key and the organizational unit when you classify the object. The classification of these objects only applies to the organizational unit you enter.

Here we have some plant-specific classifications.

• Class type 005 for Inspection characteristics.
• Class type 006 for Inspection methods
• Class type 019 for Work Center

The key of some objects has more than one part. Examples

• Documents, which may have many versions and/ or parts. You can classify the different versions and parts separately.
• 017 Document / Type / Part / Version
• Class type 018 includes different types of task lists, such as inspection plans, routings, and general maintenance task lists.
• 018 Type / Group / Group counter

A document key contains four fields that identify the document title, its type, its part, and version information. Classification can be automated, and is plant-independent.

The following image shows an example class type for documents.

Classification of materials is similar to that of documents. The following table compares the two.

In the Customizing settings for material types, you can enable automatic classification for a material. In the image below, class type 001, class CL91 is designated for automatic classification.

As a result, when you create a material master using transaction MM01 and select the material type "PLM" (which stands for "PLM Minimal Material Type"), the material master will be automatically classified with class type 001, class CL91.

The following image shows what this material master looks like. The three screen shots on the right side show the three tabs used to configure the master. More useful, from an engineering perspective, is the screen on the left side, which shows, on a single tab, the classification and all related documents.

These points about documents and the material master are explained in more detail here in the following demonstration.

You can define a class type that can contain more than one object type. The following video provides more information

Here we demonstrate the batch classification. This is an example of a class type that allows more than one object type.

The following video explains the following class types:

• 300, for variant configuration for configurable materials, general maintenance task lists, and standard networks for project management.
• 301, for configurable model service specifications.

You assign a configurable material to a variant class in material master maintenance or the configuration profile for the material.

In the following demonstration, we will show an example from the variant configuration. We explain which model data is assigned to a variant configuration model. We show how to use the variant configuration in the sales order, for example.

For more information on variant configuration or using classes in BOMs, check the SAP Library.

You can enter classes as items in bills of materials (BOMs) for configurable materials. You use these classes to classify materials (for example) that are used in different variants of the material. The following video provides detail.

One flag you must set in a class affects maintenance of class nodes. The following video provides more detail.

Here in the following demonstration, we will show examples of class nodes and how they are used.

Distribution classes group objects for Application Link Enabling (ALE) distribution. As the following video explains, you assign the objects, but not characteristic values, to the class.

Other class types have special functions that are only available for this class type, such as:

• 017 Document management Creating additional customer specific fields for the document info record (characteristics of a class of type 017)
• 032 Release strategies Defining conditions for selecting a release strategy for purchasing documents ( purchase orders)
• 049 Permits Defining conditions for selecting a permit for maintenance orders in Asset lifecycle management.

These functions are both programmed and documented in the relevant application.

In the following demonstration, we will show you how to use classification to automatically assign a release strategy to a purchase requisition.

You can use the Multiple Selection function to enter several objects at once. The following video explains how.

This is what we will see in the next demonstration.

How do I select material numbers using classification? Lists of purchase orders.

You can use class hierarchies to drill down into standard Logistics Information System (LIS) analysis results. Watch the following video for more information.