Technical Articles
Adding Customer Attributes in Solution Documentation in SAP Solution Manager 7.2
Introduction
When using the Solution Documentation, it is sometimes necessary to create additional customer attributes which are describing the situation at the customer more in detail, for example an additional status schema for diagrams, a drop down box, etc.
This technical article describes how to create such a customer attribute and how to visualize it in the Solution Documentation in SAP Solution Manager 7.2.
For the customer attributes we need the following steps performed:
- Creating a development package where the elements in transaction SE11 are stored.
- Copying a standard domain for maintaining the values of the customer attributes
- Creating a data element to assign the domain
- Defining the customer attribute which should be displayed in the Solution Documentation. The created data element will be assigned as a reference to the customer attribute.
- Creating tile section for attribute in Solution Documentation
Create Package
The first step is to create a package in transaction SE80 to store the upcoming changes regarding the customer attribute.
Package Creation
Settings in transaction SE11
The following domain needs to be copied to customer namespace which is the prerequisite for the customer field.
Domain SMUD_ATTR_VALUE_255
This copy will be stored in your previous created package in transaction SE80.
After copying the customer specific values for the customer field needs to be maintained.
Maintain domain
After the domain is maintained and activated, a new data element needs to be created. For the new data element, the previous created domain must be assigned that both elements are connected to each other.
Creation of the data element
Maintaining and activation
Define Customer Attribute
In transaction SMUD_MODEL_WIZARD it is possible to add the customer attribute to the Solution Documentation. I can be defined whether the attribute should be added to all element types or a subset of elements. In this example the new field will be added to all structure element types.
In this transaction the following provided fields needs to be maintained:
- ID (technical name of the new attribute)
- Label (name of the attribute which is shown in the Solution Documentation)
- Reference data element (the data element which was created before and where the domain is assigned)
- Multi-value or single value (it needs to decided which type is used – for this example it is a single value attribute type
- UI element (which type of field, for example drop down, input field, checkbox)
- Attribute Group assignment should be CUSTOMER (for customer attributes)
Creating Customer Attribute
Assign element types
After executing the field will be generated. The generated field can be displayed in “Advanced Model Settings” to decide where the field should be displayed in the Solution Documentation. That means on which element type (like process, process steps, scenario, etc.).
Advanced Model Settings
Customer Attribute
In “Model Extensions” in the dialog structure it can be defined on which type of elements the attribute should be displayed. All entries can be deleted which are not used for the customer attribute.
Model Extensions
Assigned attribute to element types
Create tile section in Solution Documentation
If a tile section in the attribute pane of the Solution Documentation is needed for the created customer attribute, this can be done in “Advanced UI Settings”.
Create UI Settings
First, an attribute group needs to be created. In the “Text” field the name of the tile section needs to be defined.
Attribute Group
After that the created customer attribute must be assigned to the created group.
Assignment of group to attribute
Result
After executing all these steps the created customer attribute and the tile section is now displayed in the Solution Documentation at the assigned element types.
Displayed customer drop down box
Conclusion
Customer Attributes in Solution Documentation in SAP Solution Manager 7.2 are useful to describe and provide more relevant information for customer specific needs. With this provided steps on how-to create such attributes you are able to perform all the mandatory settings.
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Hi Adina,
Great blog and very nicely written.
I have question for you. Can customer attribute be made "display only" or non -editable? I am creating a customer attribute which reads the data from a table and display it on Soldoc UI. But I want this customer attribute field to be read only so that Soldoc end user does not change the value in it.
Regards,
Suhel
Hi Suhel,
Thank you for your comment.
I never tried to make customer fields "display only". But I asked some colleagues. The answer is a bit more complex. If you create an attribute for originals, the changeability can be related to whether you can change something in the library (also folder-based authorization). These would then not be changeable on reference. There is also an authorization group with which you could also try. Alternatively, there is also a BAdI that you could use to control BADI_SMUDE_NODE_W_PRECON_CHK
I hope this will help you.
Best regards,
Adina