Maintaining a Customer Hierarchy in SAP SD

Use

An important aspect of customer hierarchies is their flexibility. When a customer's structure changes in any way, you must be able to respond quickly and change the corresponding customer hierarchy with the minimum of effort. For example, a customer may reorganize its structure and move some retail stores from one region to another. Or a customer may merge several of its area divisions into one new unit. When you move a customer or node from one part of a hierarchy to another, you automatically carry with it all other subordinate data.

Maintaining Master Data

You maintain the master data for hierarchy nodes in exactly the same way that you maintain customer master data. In addition, you can maintain the data for each assignment of a node within a hierarchy. You can display and maintain both kinds of master data from the main master data screen in Sales & Distribution. To maintain the assignment of a node, you enter the hierarchy type and a validity date. The system then displays the hierarchy nodes that meet your selection criteria. If there is more than one hierarchy, each hierarchy appears as a list of underlying nodes and customers.

Maintenance Features

Customer hierarchies can be maintained as follows:

• Adding a new node or customer
• Changing the assignment of a node or customer from one node in the hierarchy to another
• Changing validity data of a node or customer
• Deleting a node or customer from the hierarchy.

Adding a New Customer Hierarchy Node in SAP SD

Use

You add a new node or customer to an existing hierarchy by creating an assignment (for information on this procedure, see "Assigning nodes within a hierarchy"). The system checks that the assignment and organizational data are valid. The indicators that determine relevance for pricing and rebate processing are copied automatically from the master record for the node.

Changing Customer Hierarchy Node Assignment in SAP SD

You can make changes in a customer hierarchy to reflect changes in the structure of a customer's organization. When you reassign a node or customer within a hierarchy, all dependent nodes and customer master records are automatically reassigned as well.

Steps

To reassign a customer within a customer hierarchy, proceed as follows:

1. In the
SD Master Data Screen select, Business partners ® Customer hierarchy ®Change.

You reach the selection screen for customer hierarchies.

2. Enter a customer hierarchy type (the standard version includes only one type: A), a validity date, and select Program
® Execute.

The system displays a list of existing customer hierarchies that are valid for the date you entered.

3. Place your cursor on the customer you want to move and select Edit
® Hierarchy nodes ® Cut.

The system removes the customer from the existing assignment and displays it as a single node in the overview screen.

4. Place your cursor on the customer and select Edit
® Nodes ® Reassign.

A dialog box lists all nodes with the same organizational data as the customer you want to reassign.

5. To select the appropriate node, double-click on the node or place your cursor on it and select Copy.

The system automatically assigns the customer to the new location.

6. Save your work.

Reassigning a Sub-Hierarchy

You can also move an entire sub-hierarchy to another location within a customer hierarchy or even - if the organizational data allows it - to another hierarchy. To move a sub-hierarchy from one location to another, proceed as follows:

1. Place your cursor on the highest-level node of the sub-hierarchy and select Edit
® Sub-hierarchy ® Cut.

The system removes the sub-hierarchy from the customer hierarchy and displays it as a separate hierarchy.

2. To reassign the sub-hierarchy to a different location in the original customer hierarchy, place your cursor on the highest-level node of the removed sub-hierarchy and select Edit
® Sub-hierarchy ® Reassign.

A dialog box lists all nodes with the same organizational data as the sub-hierarchy you want to reassign.

3. To select the appropriate node, double-click on the node or place your cursor on it and select Copy.

The system automatically makes the new assignment.

4. Save your work.

Changing Validity Data in a Customer Hierarchy in SAP SD

Use

When you create or make changes to a hierarchy node, you specify a valid-from date. For example, a customer advises you that the buying structure of his organization will change, effective the beginning of next year. You want to restructure the customer hierarchy in advance.

You maintain the hierarchy, changing the assignment of nodes as necessary and entering the valid-from date that corresponds to the change at the customer. Until that time the existing node assignments continue to function as before. In addition, you can also specify a valid-to date for a node. If you leave the valid-to date blank, the system automatically proposes 12/31/9999.

You may want to define a temporary reassignment for a node for which you have already defined a future change. The following example shows how the system automatically redetermines the validity period in such a situation. Two assignments exist for node 4712: a current assignment and an assignment that comes into effect 01/01/1995. The validity periods before the temporary reassignment look like this:

4712 ® 4711 (01.01.1993 - 31.12.1994)
4712 ® 5000 (01.01.1995 - 31.12.9999)

You now create a third, temporary reassignment: 4712 ® 4000. The system automatically redetermines all three validity periods. The resulting validity data looks like this:

4712 ® 4711 (01.01.1993 - 30.06.1994)
4712 ® 4000 (01.07.1994 - 31.12.1994)
4712 ® 5000 (01.01.1995 - 31.12.9999)

Deleting an Assignment in a Customer Hierarchy in SAP SD

Use

You can delete assignments in a hierarchy. When you make a deletion, the system reacts differently, depending on the validity period of the assignment. For example, other assignments may automatically be changed as a result of the deletion. The following scenarios describe possible system reactions:

• The valid-from date lies in the past.

The system updates the assignment and sets the valid-to date to yesterday's date.

• The valid-from date is today's date or lies in the future.

The system physically deletes the assignment.

• Other assignments exist for the nodes in question with adjoining validity periods.

The system checks whether validity periods of the remaining assignments can be extended (see following example).

The following assignments exist for the same node (one assignment effective now, the other later):

4712 ® 4711 (01.01.1993 - 31.12.1994)

4712 ® 5000 (01.01.1995 - 31.12.9999)

If you delete the second assignment on 02/02/1994, the system changes the valid-to date of the first assignment to 12/31/9999. However, if you delete the second assignment on 02/02/1995, the system changes the valid-to date of this assignment to 02/01/1995. If you delete the first assignment on 02/02/1994, the system advises you that a future validity for this assignment exists.

Showing posts with label Customer Hierarchies. Show all posts Updating a Customer Hierarchy in SAP SD

Steps

If you change data in a customer master record (for example, the pricing indicator) that is already assigned as part of a customer hierarchy, the system does not automatically update the data in the hierarchy assignments. Instead, when you change or display the hierarchy, the system displays a message telling you that related data has been changed. You then have the choice whether or not to update the hierarchy.

If you choose to update the hierarchy, proceed as follows:

1. Within the screen for displaying or changing customer hierarchies, select Edit
® Update attributes.

The system confirms that all assignment attributes were updated.

2. Save your work.