Related topics
In this file you identify all characteristics within your vertical. You define the header information, assigning a long description, description, the profile to which the characteristic belongs and the rules that govern the entry of characteristic values. You then add the values on detail level.
Characteristics are linked to either an Item classification profile 1 (through an Item classification group/main group) or to an Item classification profile 2 code and consequently to an item itself. They can also be used within layout definitions and formula definitions for generation of item code/descriptions and calculation of unit information respectively.
When you go through the process of applying the item classification definition to create the item, you must first indicate the grouping structure, defining the following:
- Item classification profile 1 code
- Item classification profile 2 code
The system will retrieve the main group and group to which the profile 1 code belongs. It will also display the characteristics which are linked to the profile codes.
You can then manually define the item code or let the system create it, if you have defined a layout definition for the grouping structure (i.e. main group, group, profile 1 and profile 2). You then enter/select the value for each listed characteristics (whether the value is mandatory or is to be validated depends on the settings on the header panel in this Work with characteristic file). Lastly you apply the definition (i.e. generate the item).
When the end-user searches for items via Characteristic search mode, the user will be able to narrow down the search using search criteria for the following:
- Main group
- Group
- Item classification profile 1 code
- Item classification profile 2 code
- Characteristic
- Values for any selected characteristic
Options
| Details | Select this option to maintain the characteristic details. Note: If an Item field override was defined for the characteristic on Header level, you will access the corresponding table maintenance program for the connected Item field override. |
| Translation | Not allowed for characteristics that have an Item field override defined. Select this option to either update or view information from the Table translation file. The following can be translated to any of the languages registered in the Language table and accessed in the following sequence:
|
| Item outlooks | Select this option to activate/deactive the item outlooks for the characteristic. This allows you to restrict the applicable characteristic from being visualized in one or several item outlooks. |
Selection fields
- Characteristic
- This column lists the characteristic code.
- Long description
- This column lists the long description (i.e. extended descriptive text) for the characteristic.
- Prf
- This column lists the Item classification profile to which the characteristic is connected.
- Chg
- This column indicates if the characteristic can be changed after the item as been created. If the characteristic is defined as not changeable, it will be protected and not possible to maintain. This changeable attribute is one of three attributes, (Validate and Mandatory are the others), that defines how a characteristic will behave throughout the system. You define these attributes on header level.
- A
- This column indicates if the characteristic is activated for at least one Item outlook. The Item outlook controls which characteristics are to be visualized by the user. When a characteristic is added, it is automatically activated, by default, for all item outlooks defined in the Item outlooks table. This means that the characteristic will be visible when Item characteristics are maintained or browsed by a user when utilizing the applicable item outlook. You can deactivate the item outlooks not applicable for the characteristic by clicking the option for Item outlooks and then selecting Activate/Deactivate for those applicable.
Note: The characteristic must be activated for at least one Item outlook to be able to create an item using the Item classification functionality. You can connect an Item outlook code to a user in the User profile table to restrict access to characteristics that may not be applicable for the user. Only those characteristics activated in the connected Item outlook code will be visible to the user.
Work with characteristics, Header (DMR10704)
On this panel you define the header information (assigning a long description, description, the profile to which the characteristic belongs and the rules for the actual characteristic values).
Before defining the header information it is important to evaluate current and future needs regarding the use of this characteristic within the system, primarily when it comes to field type and length. The reason for this is that once the characteristic is used by an item no changes to field type, length (and other values) will be allowed as a measure to ensure a good level of data integrity within the system. Ensure that the Header details being defined for the characteristic support current needs and is flexible enough to support any future requirements. For example, do not define a numeric field type with no decimals just because decimals will not be used today. If there is a possibility that decimals may be required in the future for this characteristic, define them, even if they are not currently required.
Function keys
| Translate/Display translations | Not allowed for characteristics that have an Item field override defined. Either update or view information from the Table translation file. The following can be translated to any of the languages registered in the Language table and accessed in the following sequence:
|
- Characteristic
- Long description
- Enter the extended descriptive text for the characteristic. It is primarily used as the main description when maintaining characteristics, however, it can also be selected as a special value when defining formulas for layout generation. The long description can be used to include comments or explanatory text about the characteristic as a means to more clearly identify the characteristic. For example: If you have a characteristic called BOARDCTYP, the characteristic’s Long description could be Describes core material of the board, while the characteristic’s Description could be Board core type (i.e. the lead text displayed wherever this characteristic is listed along with its value).
- Description
- Not allowed to be entered when Item field override is defined on this panel. In that case the applicable description for the item basic data field, connected through the Item field override field on this panel, will be retrieved and this field will be protected.
Enter the descriptive text for the characteristic. It will be used as the lead text for the characteristic, primarily in Item generation (when using Item classification to create the item) and characteristic maintenance panels. For example: If you have a characteristic called BOARDCTYP, the characteristic’s Description could be Board core type (i.e. the lead text displayed wherever this characteristic is listed along with its value), while the characteristic’s Long description could be Describes core material of the board.
- Profile
- Within Item classification, a characteristic is ultimately attached to an item. There are two ways to attach a characteristic to an item; one is through an Item classification profile 1 (which is connected to a group/main group) and the other is through an Item classification profile 2 code and consequently to an item itself. Enter the Item classification profile code for this characteristic. When you are in the process of applying the Item classification definition to create your items, the characteristics displayed and ultimately the values you can enter/select for the characteristic depend on the Item classification profile code chosen during that process.
- Item field override
- Indicate the (Item) basic data field that can be possible to override on the current item template when you generate an item using the Item classification functionality. This field will be protected if the characteristic holds details or it is attached to either an Item classification profile 1 or 2. See Item field override functionality for generated items via Item Classification for more information.
Details setup
In this section you define the rules for the characteristic values.
- Field type
- Not allowed when Item field override is defined on this panel. Enter the panel value code for alpha-numeric or numeric to indicate the type of data that is allowed to be entered for the characteristic. The value in this field cannot be changed if values for the characteristic are defined or the applicable characteristic is attached to an item classification profile (with or without a default value defined).
- Field length
- Not allowed when Item field override is defined on this panel. Indicate the length of the characteristic’s value. Expresses the number of characters when Field type is alpha-numeric and number of digits when type is numeric. For alpha-numeric field type, up to a maximum of 12 characters can be defined. For a numeric field type, up to a maximum of 10 digits can be defined. Must be greater than Number of decimals. The value in this field cannot be changed if values for the characteristic are defined or the applicable characteristic is attached to an item classification profile (with or without a default value defined).
- Number of decimals
- Optional entry. Only valid when Field type is defined as numeric and no Item field override is defined. Indicate how many of the number of digits, defined in Field length, are reserved for decimals. The value in this field cannot be changed if values for the characteristic are defined or the applicable characteristic is attached to an item classification profile (with or without a default value defined).
- Range from
- Optional entry. Only valid when Field type is defined as numeric and no Item field override is defined. When a characteristic is numeric a range of values can be defined. Enter the minimum value allowed for the numeric characteristic. When defining a range, it is also possible to generate these values automatically if a Generation interval is defined. If no generation interval is defined then no values will be generated automatically and the specified range will only be used to validate any manually entered value for the applicable characteristic.
- Range to
- Optional entry. Only valid when Field type is defined as numeric and no Item field override is defined. When a characteristic is numeric a range of values can be defined. Enter the maximum value allowed for the numeric characteristic. When defining a range, it is also possible to generate these values automatically if a Generation interval is defined. If no generation interval is defined then no values will be generated automatically and the specified range will only be used to validate any manually entered value for the applicable characteristic.
- Generation interval
- Optional entry. When a characteristic is numeric a range of values can be defined (in fields Range from and Range to) to specify that only those values within the given range will be allowed to be assigned to the applicable characteristic. When defining a range it is also possible to generate these values automatically if a Generation interval is defined. If so then values will be generated within the given range and following the defined interval. For example: Range from=100, Range to=5000 and Generation interval=100. Values generated would be: 100, 200, 300, 400,…, 5000. On the other hand, if left as zero then no values will be generated and the specified range will only be used to validate any manually entered value for the applicable characteristic.
- Description length
- Not allowed when Item field override is defined on this panel. Must not exceed 30 characters. At detail level, for a characteristic value, it is mandatory to enter both a description and a long description. The length of the description is the standard 30 characters. This length, however, can be restricted to an even shorter length through this field. This is useful when control over the description’s length is needed for all or certain characteristics whose description values are to be included in layout definitions for item descriptions / code generation. In this way, a standard can be implemented to ensure that no truncation of item description occurs when a layaout definition is applied due to a characteristic value description being longer that expected within the item description being generated.
- Fixed description
- Only allowed and mandatory when Range from/to is defined. When a range of values is defined it is very likely that all the values to be generated will share the same description. This field will give the possibility to assign a fixed description for all values to be generated. The description entered here will be defaulted as both description and long description. Useful when all values shall hold a constant description such as mm, %, MHz, etc. The defined Description length should not exceed the allowed length.
- Changeable
- This is one of three attributes, (Validate and Mandatory are the others), that defines how a characteristic will behave throughout the system. Characteristics are user defined, hence they can be anything and the user can use them as they please. Some characteristics like weight, length, etc, should theoretically be set as Changeable=NO. On the other hand, perhaps the user will use other characteristics as search words for that item and as such they should be allowed to be changed any time. Indicate if the characteristic can be changed after the item has been created. If a characteristic is defined as not changeable, it will be protected and not possible to maintain. Note: During copy of an item created via item classification, all characteristics will be open for maintenance regardless if its changeable flag is set as YES or NO.
- Validate
- This is one of three attributes (Changeable and Mandatory are the others), that defines how a characteristic will behave throughout the system. Indicate if the characteristic value entered anywhere within the system, e.g., during Item generation, Item characteristics maintenance, default value definition for item classification profiles, etc should be validated against existing values at detail level for the applicable characteristic. If NO, any value can be entered and accepted as long as it fulfils the type and length attributes defined at this Characteristic header level.
You may not want to validate characteristics in those cases when it is not possible to load all possible values for a characteristic. The system will handle this type of characteristic during Item creation and Item classification profile default value definition in the following way:
If the entered value does not currently exist in the Characteristics file for the applicable characteristic (setup as non-validate), the system will allow the addition of the new characteristic value from the panel within the applicable routine (mentioned above) by opening the characteristic value description field for input to allow the user to define the description for the new value. Once this is done, the value will be added to the applicable characteristic along with entered description being updated as both long and standard description.
- Mandatory
- This is one of three attributes (Changeable and Validate are the others), that defines how a characteristic will behave throughout the system. Indicate if the characteristic is a mandatory entry during Item generation (when adding new items in Item maintenance). Mandatory does not necessarily mean that the entered value must exist for the characteristic, as that is controlled by the Validate flag (described above).
Work with characteristics, Copy (DMR10705)
- Characteristic
- New characteristic