Customer Classification

Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 2 Configuration Steps....................................................................................................................................... 2 Create characteristics ............................................................................................................................... 2 Define class ............................................................................................................................................... 5 Add custom characteristic class to customer master ............................................................................... 6 Technical details............................................................................................................................................ 9

Introduction SAP has provided standard set of fields in the customer master to be used for various purposes. Some fields are pre-defined for certain purposes with an attached functionality behind. In order to provide maximum flexibility for SAP users, there are some fields which are not pre-defined, but can be used for custom purposes such as; Customer Group 1 to 5. But those fields are depending on the sales area of the customer. If you want to define a value which is independent of the sales area, you can define your own classification for customers. This classification can be attached to customer master with different characteristic values. Since this is not sales area depended, you can define it as a global value for the customer master.

Configuration Steps Please note this is not a normal customizing task. Therefore you need to do same steps in all clients (development / Quality and production clients)

Create characteristics To store customer values, you can define such characteristics. Easy Access Menu path:

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Double click on the node or call the transaction CT04

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Enter characteristic name, valid from date and click on the button

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Maintain a proper description under the field " Description" Make sure the status is set to "Released" Based on the value you want to store, set the "Data Type" field. For example, if you want to store a date, and then select the data type as "Date Format" for character values, select the "Data Type" as "Character Format". Maximum length can be defined in the field "No of Chars"

By selecting the field "Single value" or "Multiple Value" you can define whether multiple values can be assigned to this characteristic or not. 

If you're working with multiple languages, please maintain language specific descriptions under tab "Descriptions"

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If you have predefined set of values, that has to be used with the characteristic, then define them under the tab "Values"

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Save your characteristic For testing purpose I will create 2 characteristics as "ZAW_CONTRACT_NO" and "ZAW_CONTRACT_DATE"

Define class Easy Access Menu Path:

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Enter your Class name and class type. For customer you have to select the class type as "011 Customer class".

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Press the button Under Basic Data tab, enter the Description of your class; Make sure the status is set to "Released". Maintain valid from date, if desired.

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Under "Char" tab add your characteristics for this class

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Save your class

Add custom characteristic class to customer master Transaction: XD02 Now you can add the defined characteristic class to your customer master   

Go in to your customer master using above transaction Since characteristics are global, you do not have to go to sales area tabs Select below menu option to add the new class to your customer master

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Add the class under "Assignments" table

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When you press enter key, you can see your characteristics in the table "General"

You can maintain you own values now for this customer.

Same manner you can define any number of own fields for the customer master.

Technical details Below technical details will be useful to extract data stored in classifications. 

Characteristic Descriptions are stored in the table - CABNT o Language - SPRAS o Characteristic description - ATBEZ

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Characteristic Values are stored in the table - AUSP o Customer number is stored in the field - OBJEK o Class Type - KLART o Characteristic value is stored in the field - ATWRT o Date values is stored in the field - ATFLV

Author: Anupa Wijesinghe E-Mail: [email protected] / [email protected] Website: www.learnsaptips.com View my profile in LinkedIn Follow me on Twitter

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