Using Merchandise Categories and Generic Articles for Variant Configuration

[Former Member]

Is it possible to assign a Configuration Profile, used in Variant Configuration, to a Generic Article via the Merchandise Category?

This would enable inheritance of the Variant Configuration (VC) to sub-ordinate articles (ie. Variant Articles). This would mean that users could create a Merchandise Category, then assign the Config Profile and create a Generic / Sub-ordinate articles which should copy all the Characteristics and Dependencies in the Configuration profile. This would save them time, instead of having to assign each article to a class and create individual config profiles each time?

We have read through this: http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-2086, which is useful, but it seems that we are missing a step as the Generic article can inherit a "Characteristic Profile", but although this uses Characteristics, it does not seem to have the same functionality as VC using a Class, Characteristics and Config Profile.

We are using IS-Retail ECC6.0

Any advice is appreciated.

[paul_gendreau · Accepted solution]

You are confusing two concepts.  On the one hand you have Generic and Variant Articles (http://help.sap.com/erp2005_ehp_06/helpdata/en/12/08480e470311d1894a0000e8323352/content.htm), and on the other hand you have Variant Configuration (LO-VC) (http://help.sap.com/saphelp_erp2005/helpdata/en/92/58d455417011d189ec0000e81ddfac/frameset.htm).  These two concepts are not related.

Yes, it is possible to assign a Characteristic Profile to a Mewrchandise Category, and Articles created in that Merchandise Category will inherit the Characteristics of the Characteristic Profile. 

--------------------------------------

Paul R. Gendreau, Jr.

Retail Practice Manager

SAP Retail, Inc.

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Thanks Paul, I agree that I was confusing two very similarly named concepts.

We have found our problem is assigning Classes and also creating Characteristic profiles for large numbers of articles to be quite time consuming when creating large amounts of master data. For example in CL24n you can only assign the objects:

• Class
• Article
• General maintenance task list
• Standard network

It would be useful to be able to assign the Merchandise Category, so that all the articles under that hierarchy would inherit the characteristics of that class, and then the configuration profile would only have to be configured once (in PMEVC) for the Class/Merch Cat combination. I hope that makes sense?

We found the solution was just to maintain the configuration at article level, but do the assignment and configuration profile creation via a LSMW. Good times!

Thanks for your reply.