1. Implementing Product Management
  2. Considerations While Creating Item Definition Organization and Reference Organization

Considerations While Creating Item Definition Organization and Reference Organization

When you create an item definition organization, you must consider how you want to manage the organization in your item-organization setup. In a reference organization, all item data are read-only. All item data comes from the associated definition organization.

The following list includes some of the item data that are read-only:

  • Attachments

  • Attributes

  • Category and Category Assignments

  • GTIN

  • Item Structures

  • Source System Cross References

  • Spoke Systems

  • Trading Partner Items

Consider the following points related to item definition organizations and reference organizations when you:

  • Create an organization

  • Update an existing organization

  • Convert an organization to a definition or a reference organization

  • Set up a manufacturing plant

Create an Organization

Consider the following points when you create an organization:

  • The default value for the Item Definition Organization field is the value that you select in the Master Organization field.

  • If the item attributes don't vary for the newly created organization, then select the organization from where you would reference the item records as the value for the item definition organization.

  • If your business requires item attributes to vary in the newly created organization, then use the same organization as the item definition organization. For example, if you create Vision Germany as the new organization for your business, then set Vision Germany as the item definition organization.

  • When you create a new reference organization, associate an existing item definition organization with the reference organization. After the association, a new row is created in the EGP_ITEM_ORG_ASSOCIATIONS table for every item that's assigned to its item definition organization.

Upgrade Existing Organizations

When you upgrade from a previous release to a new release, consider the following points related to organizations:

  • Update all master and child organizations of item organizations, and materials management organization in SCM, and define the item definition organizations to itself.

  • Update existing item definition organization to a reference organization. This will reduce the records in the EGP_SYSTEM_ITEMS_B table.

Convert a Definition Organization to a Reference Organization

To convert a definition organization to a reference organization, the organizations and items must meet certain conditions. If the conditions aren't met, then the validation checks result in an error and the conversion fails.

You can't convert a definition organization to a reference organization if any of the following conditions are met:

  • The revision code or effective date for an item are different in the reference and definition organizations

  • The supplier-organization association for an item is different in the reference and definition organizations

  • The item-category assignments for organization-controlled catalogs are different in the reference and definition organizations

  • The status of change order for an item is anything other than Completed or Failed

  • The structures are common from an organization other than definition organization.

  • The definition organization is a manufacturing plant.

Convert a Reference Organization to a Definition Organization

You can edit your items in a definition organization only. If you want to edit any items in a reference organization, then you have to first convert the reference organization to a definition organization. After the conversion, you can maintain a copy of the item record in the new definition organization. You initiate the conversion through a scheduled process and there are no validation checks for the conversion.

Change a Definition Organization of an Associated Reference Organization

You can convert a definition organization to a reference organization only after you have realigned all its associated reference organizations to another definition organization. You can also convert all the associated reference organizations to a definition organization. If you don't reassign the associated reference organization before the conversion, you will receive error messages depending on the validation checks, and the conversion will fail. However, if a reference organization is a manufacturing plant, you can't realign its definition organization to another definition organization.

Security Inheritance for Reference Organization Items

When you enable access control lists for items and the profile option to inherit item security, the corresponding item in each reference organization inherits its security access from the definition organization. You can manage the item’s access control list only in the definition organization; you don’t need to create or maintain separate security grants for its associated reference organizations. For more information, see the section Inherit Item Security in Reference Organization from Definition Organization in Access Control Lists for Items.

A user who has access to an item in the definition organization has the same access to the corresponding item in associated reference organizations. A user who doesn't have access to the item in the definition organization can't access the corresponding reference organization item.

This inheritance applies to item data and supported Product Management capabilities, including attributes, attachments, structures, where-used analysis, categories, relationships, search, workflows, deletion groups, and supported REST operations.

For example, you can add an item from a reference organization to a deletion group only when you have the required Delete permission for the corresponding definition organization item. The application applies the inherited item access control list permissions when you search for and select items or components for deletion.

Considerations for security inheritance

When you use access control lists to secure items, review the access control list on the definition organization item before associating reference organizations. The access control list assigned to the definition organization item controls user access to the corresponding items in all associated reference organizations. Note that this is applicable when you enable the profile options for security inheritance.

You can't grant a user access only to an item in a reference organization if the user doesn't have the required access to the corresponding definition organization item. To change user access, update the item access control list in the definition organization.

Test inherited access in a nonproduction environment before enabling it in production. Verify that users can access only the reference organization items, item tabs, and actions that their permissions on the definition organization item allow.

Set Up a Manufacturing Plant

Consider the following points when you set up a manufacturing plant:

  • You can define a new manufacturing plant either as a definition organization or a reference organization. However, if you're looking for the following capabilities in your organization, then don't set up a manufacturing plant as a reference organization:

    • You want to calculate manufacturing lead times and update the lead-time values for items.

    • You want organization-specific supply subinventory for an item.

    • You want organization-specific serial-control attributes and lot-control attributes for an item.

  • You can convert a manufacturing plant that's a reference organization to a definition organization. However, you can't convert a manufacturing plant that's a definition organization to a reference organization.

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