| # Relation Management - master data You can define the following master data in the Relation Management (SMI) module: Basic master data The relation management parameters and the informational sessions that are used throughout the Relation Management module. Relation management employees The master data for working with employees. Feature definitions Fields that can be created in the Relation Management module and that can be used for business partners, activities, opportunities, letters, and reports. Basic master data Informational sessions The following sessions are not interdependent and are optional. Each session includes elementary relation management information: Salutations (tcmcs1120m000) Use this session to define salutations that can be used for introductions on letters addressed to contacts. Phases (tdsmi0103m000) Use this session to define phases in the opportunity, which enables you to keep track of the particular stage or phase of a relationship with a business partner. Sources (tdsmi0102m000) Use this session to define sources to keep track of where business partners are contacted. For example, a company that goes to trade shows might want to know how many new prospects they received by going to that trade show. Opportunity Types (tdsmi0107m000) Use this session to define opportunity types that can be used to classify opportunities. Job Titles (tcmcs1121m000) Use this session to define job titles, which can be entered to reference what the contact's position is. These can be printed on letters, reports, and so on. Promotions (tcmcs1123m000) Use this session to define promotions, which can be used to represent items given to contacts to show appreciation for their business, or to indicate what type of promotional activities have been used in conjunction with a given business partner. Attention Codes (tcmcs1122m000) Use this session to define attention codes, which are messages that you can link to any contact, opportunity, or activity. Parameters Define the following tabs in the Relation Management Parameters (tdsmi0100s000) session: Default Feature Set for the BP This tab contains feature sets for business partners. You can link a default feature set to various business partner roles. You can also indicate whether you want to use opportunities. Default Feature Set for the potential BP This tab contains feature sets for prospects. You can link a default feature set to various potential business partner roles. Miscellaneous This tab contains general parameters that are used throughout the Relation Management (SMI) module. Note You can use the Defaults by User (tdsmi0520m000) session to enter default settings for a user or a group of users. The settings in this session overrule the settings specified in the Relation Management Parameters (tdsmi0100s000) session. In addition, a relation management employee can be restricted to only one activity in the Defaults by User (tdsmi0520m000) session. Relation management employees Any employee defined in Common who must carry out relation management activities, must also be defined in the Relation Management module. A relation management employee can be a general employee or can be defined specifically as a sales representative. After defining the relation management employee, the employee can be assigned to business partners and marketing efforts related to those business partners based on the business partner's area, line of business, or zip code. Schedules are available to view for what activities the employees are responsible. Complete the following steps to define relation management employees: Define the employee in the Employees - General (tccom0101m000) session of Common. To allocate an employee to an activity, select the employee in the Relation Management Employees (tdsmi0190m000) session. Relation management employees can be assigned to activities automatically if the appropriate parameters are set in the Relation Management Parameters (tdsmi0100s000) session and if the relation management employees are linked to zip code ranges, areas, or lines of business. Multiple ranges can be assigned to a single employee, and overlap can occur among multiple employees. The following sessions are available for linking: ZIP Codes by Relation Management Employee (tdsmi0191m000) Areas by Relation Management Employee (tdsmi0192m000) Lines of Business by Relation Management Employee (tdsmi0193m000) For example, Charles Smith handles government sales and Brenda Jones handles sales with private customers. By assigning the appropriate line of business to both of them, activities can be assigned correctly by ERP LN. Feature definitions Features are extra information fields that you can link to business partners, opportunities, and/or activities. In addition, you can use feature information in reports and letters. You must complete the following steps to define features and feature sets: Step 1. Create features Frequently, organizations must modify or add business partner information. Business partner information maintenance is facilitated by feature definitions. Create feature definitions in the Feature Definitions (tdsmi0150s000) session. Notes The Display Max. Number of Text Lines field in the Relation Management Parameters (tdsmi0100s000) session determines the number of text lines that will appear if text is displayed on input. The fields on the Reference tab are optional. You need not fill them if no reference or zooming must occur. Feature fields are very similar to the ERP LN fields. For example, a calculator can be used on both the integer and fraction fields, the same way as in standard numeric ERP LN fields. The calendar can be used on date fields as well. If a feature is of the Option type, fill the options in the Options by Feature Definition (tdsmi0151m000) session. Step 2. Create feature sets When organizations decide to use the feature definition functionality, they will create multiple features to link to the business partner. If you want to attach the same features together, use the Feature Sets (tdsmi0152m000) session to create feature sets. Step 3. Link features to feature sets After the features and the feature sets are created, you can link the features to the feature set in the Feature Definitions by Feature Set (tdsmi0153m000) session. A feature may appear in more than one feature set. Feature sets can be added to the following sessions: Features by Trade Relation (tdsmi1101m000) Features (tdsmi1111m000) Features by Contact (tdsmi1121m000) Feature (tdsmi2101m000) If a feature set is added to an activity definition in the Activity Definitions (tdsmi0554m000) session, the features of this feature set are automatically displayed when the activity is used in the Activities (tdsmi2500m000) session. Step 4. Link features to business partners Features and feature sets can be used for several purposes. Features and/or feature sets are primarily linked to a business partner. Features can also be linked to a contact, an opportunity, an activity, and to activity history. Various ways exist to attach features to business partners, including: Features by Trade Relation (tdsmi1101m000) To add features to a business partner, click Features... in the Business Partners (tccom4100s000) session. As a result, the Features by Trade Relation (tdsmi1101m000) session starts in which you can add features one by one or by feature set. Global Addition of Features (tdsmi2210m000) This session is used to add a feature set to multiple business partners, opportunities, and so on, at one time. Global Addition of Activities (tdsmi2210m100) If you add feature sets to activities, you can use this session to add the activities to the linked feature sets. Default feature sets Use default feature sets, which you can define in the Defaults by User (tdsmi0520m000) session or in the Relation Management Parameters (tdsmi0100s000) session. The Defaults by User (tdsmi0520m000) session is used to define default feature sets by user for business partners, prospective business partners, opportunities, and contacts. The settings made in this session overrule the settings specified in the Relation Management Parameters (tdsmi0100s000) session. Step 5. Enter values for features Features must be defined for business partners, contacts, and so on, before the user can enter data in the feature fields for these business partners, contacts, and so on. Use the Features by Trade Relation (tdsmi1101m000) session to enter values for the feature fields. To enter values for feature fields that are defined for business partners, complete the following steps: Select a business partner in the Business Partners (tccom4500m000) session. In the Business Partners (tccom4100s000) session that opens, click Features.... The Features by Trade Relation (tdsmi1101m000) session starts. In the Features by Trade Relation (tdsmi1101m000) session, you are prompted to add features based on a default feature set if default feature sets are defined. You can click Yes or No. If a default feature set is not defined or if you deny, you can insert new features by clicking New. You are then prompted to add features one by one or by feature set. After you add a single feature or a group of features from the selected feature set, you can enter values for the feature fields. Based on the type of feature, the calculator or calendar can be available when you enter values. It is mandatory to enter a value if the feature is set up that way. Example Feature linked to a business partner A company has decided to check whether or not their suppliers are ISO 9000 certified. By creating a feature called ISO 9000? and linking this feature to each of their suppliers, the company can track this information. The company sets the default value for this expression to No. Feature linked to an activity A company has created an activity used to track complaints from the warehouse to suppliers. Attached to this activity is a feature set called COMP = Complaints, which lists the information that they wish to track each time an issue comes up. One of the features is a field in which the warehouse person rates the supplier's response. The available values are Great, Good, Poor, and Unacceptable. Feature set Each year a company conducts a customer satisfaction survey. Each of the survey questions is created as a feature and all of the questions are grouped as a feature set. Related topics Relation Management - functionality Overview of Relation Management |