Define Field Selection

In this step you can set up the user interface for transaction management according to various criteria. All the fields that are visible in the entry screens are grouped according to business criteria. For each field group, you can define whether it should be shown or hidden and whether the entries should be required or optional. You can also configure the various tabs in the transaction entry screens (such as administration or correspondence); you can set the tabs to hidden, optional entry or display only. However, you cannot define tabs as mandatory.

Exception: You cannot hide the Structure tab. First of all, you define your settings as field selection strings. These field selection strings can then be assigned directly to a product category, which means they apply for all the product types within that product category, as long as no different settings are made for the individual product types. Once the field selection strings have been defined, they can be assigned at the following levels: 1. Product type and company code 2. Transaction type 3. Activity category 4. Function When you call up a transaction management function, the relevant field selection string is taken from this table. The system first searches for a field selection string for the function. If the search is unsuccessful, it searches for the field selection string for the activity category. If this search is also unsuccessful, it searches through the next level up. The last search level is the assignment to the product type and company code. You are not completely free to configure the field selection controls as you wish. You are not allowed to make settings that contradict the predefined system settings. For example, if you attempt to hide a field group regarded as mandatory by the system (essential to the business process or necessary for technical reasons), the system ignores the setting. Decision matrix:

Predefined settings in the system Req. (R) Opt. (O) Hide (H) Display (D) Preferred Setting

Required R R Optional O R Hide H R Display D R HD HH HD HD

Activities
Defining field selection strings 1. In the dialog structure, choose Field selection definition. 2. Choose New Entries. 3. Enter a name for the new field selection string. 4. You can assign this field selection string directly to a product category. 5. Save your entries. 6. Select the new field selection string and choose Field modification. The Change View "Define Field Selection": Overview appears. You see a list of the various field groups and tabs. The tabs begin with Tabstrip: ... while the names of the field groups begin with either Field group: ... (if the fields in the group appear in several application areas) or the name of the relevant application area for the group of fields. To display the fields in a field group, select a field group and choose Field check. 1. Make your settings for individual field groups or tabs and save your entries. Assigning field selection strings 1. In the dialog structure, choose Assignment to product types and company codes. 2. Choose New entries. 3. Select a product type. 4. If you want to have different field selection settings for this product type depending on the company code, select a company code. 5. Assign a field selection string. Choose F4 to display all the field selection strings that can be used for this product type (in other words, all the field selection strings that have not yet been assigned to a product type and the field selection string that was assigned to the corresponding product category). 6. If you want to have different field selection settings for this product type at transaction type level, select the product type and choose Assignment to transaction type in the dialog structure. 7. Proceed as for assigning field selection strings at product type and company code level. 8. Once you have assigned field selections at transaction type level, you can go on to differentiate the field selections according to activity category. From there, you can further differentiate the selections for the various functions.

Assign Fields to Field Selection Groups

To influence the field options (required entry, optional entry, display, or hide) of a field in a material master record, you must assign the field to a field selection group. Fields assigned to the same field selection group have the same field option. For more information on field options, see Maintain field selection for data screens. Note You may assign a field to only one field selection group. Before including customer-specific fields in a field selection group together with standard fields, or assigning standard fields to a field selection group other than that to which the field is assigned in the standard SAP R/3 System, check the assignment of fields to field selection groups made by SAP. Standard settings The values of the field selection groups have been preassigned as follows:

001-110 Material master for industry 111-120 Reserved for customers (except where the values are already in use) 121-150 Material master for industry 151-210 Material master for retail 211-240 Reserved for customers

Recommendation Use the setting in the standard R/3 System. No further action is then required. Activities 1. Check the setting in the standard R/3 System. For this, you require the following information:
o o

All fields defined on a screen in the material master The relevant field names

2. If necessary, change the assignment of fields to field selection groups as required.