Working with a Parameter Effectivity

The effectivity parameters Time interval (DATE), Serial-number interval (SERNR), and Material number (MATNR) are defined as standard in the SAP ERP system.

Because it is practically impossible to establish all imaginable variants of effectivity types within the scope of standard software, Customizing for engineering change management allows you to determine other effectivity types with freely definable parameters.

In Customizing, you define the following for each effectivity parameter:

• Name of the effectivity parameter

• Data element: Data type (such as character format CHAR), number of characters, output length (such as 18 each)

• Parameter type:

  • S = Single value

  • I = Closed interval or single value

  • O = Open interval or single value

• Priority: value, to prioritize different effectivity types

• Description, check tables, sorting in the value assignment screen

You can use effectivities to edit a wide range of objects. Note the following when maintaining BOMs, routings, and objects in the classification system:

• You can only use parameter effectivities to edit routings in the engineering workbench. You need to make changes with history.

• The maintenance variant is required in the definition of the change number for objects in the classification system. This precisely defines for which development status the changes with parameter effectivity are integrated.

• For the maintenance of class characteristics and classification, the parameter effectivity is activated as class type-specific in Customizing for engineering change management.

  For class types that have not been newly created, the report RCLAUSPT must first run.

If you want to use parameter effectivities for changes to a product, activate these effectivities in the basic data for the material master. You can then make changes to the objects with the effectivity-based change number.

Watch the following video which gives you an idea of using Parameter Effectivities in the Supply Chain.

Up to now, you have made object changes with a change number that had a date validity.

However, it is now increasingly the case in your company that you plan changes to master data that are not date-related. Therefore, you decide to use parameter effectivity.

But what happens, when different parameter effectivities are valid for the same object, maybe the same item of a material BOM?

Same change numbers own only a valid from information, some a release key and other own parameter effectivities.

The control element is now the release key, the right parameter effectivity, which leads to a priority and a rank, defined inside change nunber.

If you work without a release key, all changes become active immediately after maintenance.

If you work with a release key, then the changes only become active for the chosen application if you have released the corresponding application using the release key.

After the active change numbers have been filtered out using the change key for the relevant object, the question arises as to which change numbers should now be included.

For active change numbers of different effectivity types, the priority of the effectivity is decisive. The priority is a required entry for the definition of the effectivity type in Customizing.

For active changes with the same effectivity type, the ranks of the individual change numbers are analyzed.

If you do not work with ranks or if you work with change numbers with identical ranks, then the change with the most recent creation date is used. It is copied from the change to the same object.

• The system finds effectivity types according to a value assignment. If there are different change statuses for different effectivity types, the system chooses the one with the highest priority and a release key that is set. If there are several effectivity types that are the same, the system chooses according to rank. Where the rank is the same, the creation date is used to differentiate.

• This process flow first takes place for the BOM of the header material. This is repeated for each explosion level.

• If, for example, you work with changes relating to the effectivity type serial number, then you maintain all changes to the complete structure with reference to the serial number of the finished product. The subsequent explosion of the structure happens in the same way.

You define the release key, parameter effectivities, rank, and change hierarchy in Customizing.

You can also create effectivity profiles that are cross-client (in Customizing), or material-specific. These profiles activate effectivity types in any system.

You can define standard variants that are defined according to the effectivity parameters.