Product Definition

Scenario Overview
Click process
chevrons for details

Defining
Product Specifying
Properties Product
and Product Variants
Models

Scenario Scenario Description Open Legend

Explorer The Product Definition business scenario allows you to specify the product that you have sold to your customer and ensures that you
build the product exactly as it was specified. This is particularly relevant when your company offers products that come in many variants or
when it offers custom-built products described by detailed customer requirements. You can define possible product variants by product
Scenario/Processes properties, product models and product specifications and reuse them.
 Product properties describe the features a product can have.
Business Value  Product models describe the possible variations of a product.
 Product specifications describe individual customer requirements or products variants. You can create product specifications within
SAP Business ByDesign or import them from an external system.
Scenario Flow
Product Definition supports to streamline product portfolio and production, meet customer requirements in delivered product and to reduce
Further Information Product Master management effort.
The following business roles are involved in this scenario:

Product Product Sales

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Product Definition
Scenario Overview
Click process
chevrons for details

Defining
Product Specifying
Properties Product
and Product Variants
Models

Scenario Scenario Description Legend Open

CloseLegend
Legend
Explorer The Product Definition business scenario allows you to specify the product that you have sold to your customer and ensures that you
build the product exactly as it was specified. This is particularly relevant when your company offers products thatmainly
Process comedriven
in many variants
by the user or
when it offers custom-built products described by detailed customer requirements. You can define possible product variants by product
Scenario/Processes properties, product models and product specifications and reuse them. Process mainly driven by the system
 Product properties describe the features a product can have.
Manual process not supported by the
Business Value  Product models describe the possible variations of a product. system
 Product specifications describe individual customer requirements or products variants. You can create product
Process that specifications within
communicates with third-
SAP Business ByDesign or import them from an external system. party software (mouse-over for details)
Scenario Flow
Product Definition supports to streamline product portfolio and production, meet customer requirements in delivered product and to reduce
Process with relevance to Financials
Further Information Product Master management effort.
The following business roles are involved in this scenario: Related scenario

Info button with more information

Product Product Sales
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Product Definition
Process Details: Defining Product Properties and Product Models
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chevrons for details

Defining Product Properties and Product Models X

Create and Create and Assign Specifying

maintain maintain products to Product
properties product models Variants
models
i i i

Scenario Process Description Further Information

Explorer The Defining Product Properties and Product Models business process enables you to
define product properties and product models to structure product master data and thus Performed by
reduce the product master maintenance effort. Product properties describe characteristics Product Manager
Product Engineer
Scenario/Processes that a product can have, including the format (for example, unit of measure) and its value
range. A product model describes all possible variations of a product, using a combination of
properties, attachments and/or free text notes. You can restrict the allowed values for the
Business Value properties and define a default value or create new properties in the product model. You can In the Work Center
assign one or more products to a product model. The product model can then be used to Product Development
specify these products, which is particularly important in the sales process.
Scenario Flow

Further Information

©© 2013 SAP AG. All rights reserved.

Product Definition
Process Details: Specifying Product Variants
Click process
chevrons for details

X
Specifying Product Variants – Manual Creation
of Product Specifications

Defining Create and

Product maintain Release
Properties product product
and Product specifications specifications
Models
i i
Click here to display process variants

Scenario Process Description Further Information

Explorer The Specifying Product Variants business enables you to create a product specification
that consists of documents that specify a certain product in more detail than the product Performed by
master. These specific details, typically representing customer requirements, can be Sales Representative

Scenario/Processes documented in attachments, as free text (notes) and/or valuated properties.

If a model for this product already exists, you valuate the mandatory properties that are
Business Value defined in the model. The attachments and notes that are part of this model will also In the Work Center
automatically become a part of the product specification. It is also possible for you to change Product Development
those attachments and notes.
Scenario Flow
You can also create a product specification directly from a sales order.

Further Information When a product specification is included in a released sales order, it can be referred to in all
subsequent supply chain process steps.

©© 2013 SAP AG. All rights reserved.

Product Definition
Process Details: Specifying Product Variants
Click process
chevrons for details

X
Specifying Product Variants – Manual Creation
of Product Specifications

Defining Create and

Product maintain Release
Properties product product
and Product specifications specifications
Models
i i
Click here to hide process variants

i Specifying Product Variants – External

Creation of Product Specifications

Scenario Process Description Further Information

Explorer The Specifying Product Variants business enables you to create a product specification
that consists of documents that specify a certain product in more detail than the product Performed by
master. These specific details, typically representing customer requirements, can be Sales Representative

Scenario/Processes documented in attachments, as free text (notes) and/or valuated properties.

If a model for this product already exists, you valuate the mandatory properties that are
Business Value defined in the model. The attachments and notes that are part of this model will also In the Work Center
automatically become a part of the product specification. It is also possible for you to change Product Development
those attachments and notes.
Scenario Flow
You can also create a product specification directly from a sales order.

Further Information When a product specification is included in a released sales order, it can be referred to in all
subsequent supply chain process steps.

©© 2013 SAP AG. All rights reserved.

Product Definition
Business Value

Define Model Specify Sell

Import Variants
Specify
Manage Define Define from External Include in
Variants
Product Properties Variants Configuration Sales Order
Manually
System

Scenario Overview Key Benefits

Explorer For midsize companies that want to increase
engineering efficiency through reuse and
variant management.
Scenario/Processes You can increase customer satisfaction and
lower costs by defining your products in terms
of possible variants – the production process
Business Value can be streamlined when variants are known
in advance. The overall complexity of
handling too many products is reduced.
Scenario Flow
SAP Business ByDesign helps efficiently
manage the definition of product properties to
Further Information describe all possible variants of a product.
Sales is supported when specifying the
product variant ordered by the customer.
 Product Master Data can be managed centrally and de-centrally in all relevant
aspects, such as sourcing, pricing, etc.
 Product features can be formalized through Product Properties, given by their unit of
measure.
 All possible variants of a product can be described by the Product Model. A Product
Model combines Product Properties and possible values for that product. Product
Models reduce the complexity of handling many variants of the same.
 Product Specifications specify the product variant, either in a non-formal way by
attached document or notes, or by values assigned to properties in case the product
is a configurable one. The product specification is available in the subsequent
production and delivery process steps.
 A Product Specification can be included in a Sales Order, or it can be created at the
same time the Sales Order is created.

©© 2013 SAP AG. All rights reserved.

Product Definition
Scenario Flow Variant: Manual Creation of Product Specification

Product
Development

Order-to-Cash (Make-to-Order)
Defining Specifying
Product Order-to-Cash (Drop Shipment)
Product Order-to-Cash (Sell-from-Stock)
Properties and Variants
Product Models Make-to-Stock
Procure-to-Pay (Stock)

Scenario
Explorer

Scenario/Processes

Business Value

Scenario Flow Legend & Variants Variants of the Scenario:

Business  Manual
Further Information Process document flow  External
mainly Work
driven by
the user Center Related
scenarios

©© 2013 SAP AG. All rights reserved.

Product Definition
Scenario Flow Variant: External Creation of Product Specification

Product External
Development Configurator

Specifying Order-to-Cash (Make-to-Order)

Defining Product
Product Order-to-Cash (Drop Shipment)
Variants in Order-to-Cash (Sell-from-Stock)
Properties and external
Product Models Make-to-Stock
System
Procure-to-Pay (Stock)

Scenario
Explorer

Scenario/Processes

Business Value

Scenario Flow Legend & Variants Variants of the Scenario:

Business  Manual
Further Information Process document flow  External
mainly Work
driven by Additional
the user Center Application Related
scenarios

©© 2013 SAP AG. All rights reserved.

Product Definition
Further Information

Scenario Do you want to try it out? Do you need more information? Do you want to discuss with others?
Explorer
Self-Enablement Systems More Details Forum
If you want to try out the business SAP provides a complete product Get in touch with experts to
Scenario/Processes scenario, click here.* documentation, covering all discuss your specific
aspects of the business scenario. requirements. To enter the
For more details, click here. community, click here.*
Business Value

WIKI
Scenario Flow VV In addition to the product
documentation, SAP provides
Further Information Wikis that describe additional
aspects of SAP Business
ByDesign.
To access the WIKI, click here.*

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* Note that to access the links above you need to have a user in SAP Business Center. If you cannot access the page directly and if you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer®, please
check http://support.microsoft.com/kb/890474.