The Best-Run Businesses Run SAP

SAP for Industries SAP for Engineering, Construction & Operations

SAP Discrete Industries and Mill Products

Classification System (CA-CL)

Purpose
The classification system allows you to use characteristics to describe all types of objects, and to group
similar objects in classes – to classify objects, in other words, so that you can find them more easily later.
You then use the classes to help you to find objects more easily, using the characteristics defined in them
as search criteria. This ensures that you can find objects with similar or identical characteristics as
quickly as possible.
Integration
The classification system allows you to classify all types of object. First, you must define certain settings
in Customizing for the classification system. For more information, see Customizing for the Classification
System.
SAP has predefined a number of object types (for example, materials, and equipment). The settings for
these object types have already been defined in Customizing, so you can start to set up your
classification system for these object types without defining further settings.
Features
Before you can use classification functions, you need to set up your classification system.
The there are three steps to setting up a classification system:
1. Defining the Properties of Objects
You use characteristics to describe the properties of objects. You create characteristics centrally in the
SAP R/3 System.
See the SAP Library, Characteristics (CA-CL-CHR).
2. Creating Classes
You need classes to classify objects. These classes must be set up. During set up you must assign
characteristics to the classes.
3. Assigning Objects
Once you have created the classes you require for classification, you can assign objects to these
classes. You use the characteristics of the class to describe the objects you classify.
This completes the data you require to use your classification system. You can then use your
classification system to find objects that match the criteria you require.
 For hints on setting up your classification system so as to optimize system performance for
finding objects, see
System Performance.
Once you have set up the classification system you can use it to find certain objects. To do this:
Find a class in which objects are classified
Find the object(s) you require in the class
When you use classification to find objects, you use the characteristics as search criteria, and the system
compares the values you enter with the values of the classified objects.
The following graphic is an overview of the functions of the classification system.

© COPYRIGHT BY SAP SE OR AN SAP AFFILIATE COMPANY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. –

PRINTED FROM SAP HELP PORTAL. (http://help.sap.com)