Topic overview

Master data replication is a function that enables cross-organizational master data maintenance. Based on the definition of a maintaining organization in which the master data is recorded and changed, identical or modified data records can be transferred to one or more dependent organizations with the same keys.

Carrying out a replication is based on the establishment of replication relationships and the replication data configured from them.

This article describes the Master data replication application. Instructions on how to use the application, e.g. how to record a new configuration, can be found in the article Procedures: Master Data Replication.

Application description

In the Master data replication application, you define the replication relationships between maintaining and dependent organizations. Here you specify for a maintaining organization which data objects (e.g. object accounts) should be transferred to which dependent organization. You also specify the replication behavior for the data objects and specify whether replicated data records may be deleted in the dependent organization.

By selecting a data object, you have the option of customizing the default attribute behavior of each individual data field. With the attribute behavior you control the changeability of the data fields in the dependent organizations. Data fields that should always be transferred are protected during master data maintenance in dependent organizations and cannot be changed.

With the application-related action Process replication, the data content of the data objects is transferred from the maintaining organization to the dependent organizations. In the dialog box that appears, you can specify which maintaining organizations, which dependent organizations, and which data objects should be taken into account. This action also serves to update the database after, for example, the attribute behavior of one or more data fields has been changed.

Depending on the size of the data objects and the number of dependent organizations, master data replication can take a long time and place a heavy load on the system. This can have a negative effect on access performance, especially in dialog processing. To counteract this, you can carry out the replication of certain master data with a time delay (as night processing). Here, only the data objects that are explicitly activated for a time-delayed replication are replicated.

The Master data replication application consists of a query and a work pane.

Query pane

In the query pane, fields are available for entering search characteristics that are used to limit the data displayed. The system determines all existing entries that correspond to the entered search characteristics and displays them.

The fields in detail:

• Maintaining organization – if necessary, enter one or more maintaining organizations as search criteria for the data to be displayed.
• Dependent organization – if necessary, enter one or more dependent organizations as search criteria for the data to be displayed.
• Data object – select one or more data objects as a search feature for the data to be displayed. The following values can be selected:
  • (All)
  • Deferment codes
  • Depreciation areas
  • Deduction code
  • Deduction profile
  • Asset group
  • Asset location
  • Write-off profile
  • Asset accounting transaction code
  • Posting definitions
  • Posting definition group
  • Dimension type
  • Withholding selections
  • Withholding codes
  • Withholding types
  • Cost type
  • Dunning profile
  • Declaration types
  • Optional dimension 1 to 20
  • Object accounts
  • Collective account group
  • Collective account profile
  • Key words
  • Definition of columns
  • Tax account number
  • Text group
  • Definition of rows
  • Interest profile
  • Interest group
• Replication type – select the desired data here based on the type of replication. The following settings can be selected:
  • (All)
  • Transfer always
  • Transfer always at creation
• Delete allowed – This field controls whether only certain replication relationships are displayed based on their deletion permissions. The valid values are:
  • Yes – Only replication relationships that allow deletion are displayed.
  • No – Only replication relationships that do not allow deletion are displayed.
  • Ignore – All replication relationships are considered, regardless of deletion permissions.
• Delay enabled – This field controls whether replication relationships with time-delayed execution are displayed. The valid values are:
  • Yes – Only replication relationships with delayed execution are displayed.
  • No – Only replication relationships without delayed execution are displayed.
  • Ignore – All replication relationships are considered, regardless of delay settings.
• Number of deviations – If needed, enter values for the number of special cases as a search filter. Selecting >0 will return all data objects with attributes that exhibit different behavior.

Work pane

The work pane of the application consists of the Data object configuration table and the Special cases attribute configuration tab.

Data object configuration tab

The table presents all of the data object configurations that match the query selection characteristics. In addition to the maintaining and dependent organizations, the data objects whose attributes are to be replicated from the maintaining organization are also displayed.

In addition, the type of replication that specifies the attribute behavior for all attributes of a data object is displayed. If a different attribute behavior is set for attributes of a data object, this is indicated by the number of special cases.

Create a new data object configuration for replication using the [New] button in the standard toolbar. The fields of the table are available for input in a dialog window.

The fields in detail:

• Maintaining organization – in a replication relationship, the maintaining organization is the organization in which the shared master data (e.g., object accounts) is maintained (new creation, deletion, duplication). In this field, enter the organization from which the master data should be replicated.[aler] Only organizations that have the Master data replication function activated in the Customizing application can be used as maintaining organizations. [/alert]
• Dependent organization – enter the dependent organization to which the master data of the maintaining organization should be replicated. You can select an existing organization using the input help for the field.[aler] Only organizations that have the Master data replication function activated in the Customizing application can be used as dependent organizations. [/alert]
• Data object – select one or more data objects to be replicated here. The following data objects can be selected individually or in combination:
  • (all)
  • deferment codes
  • depreciation areas
  • deduction code
  • deduction profile
  • asset group
  • asset location
  • write-off profile
  • asset accounting transaction code
  • posting definitions
  • posting definition group
  • dimension type
  • withholding selections
  • explanation
  • withholding codes
  • withholding types
  • cost type
  • dunning profile
  • declaration types
  • dimension 1 to 20
  • object accounts
  • collective account group
  • collective account profile
  • key words
  • definition of columns
  • tax account number
  • text group
  • definition of rows
  • interest profile
  • interest group
• Replication type – here you specify the type of replication with which the data object is to be replicated. The following settings are possible:
  • Transfer always – this selection means that an attribute value or the keys of the associated data records are always replicated, even if this creates an incorrect data object due to missing references. The incorrectly replicated master data must be corrected manually by the user using the corresponding master data application. The Cockpit: Incorrect replication data application is also available as a tool for this purpose.
  • Transfer always at creation – this selection means that an attribute value or the keys of the assigned data records are always replicated when a data object is created in the dependent organization. However, if you replicate to an existing data object, the content of a data attribute is only overwritten if the original attribute content in the data object of the dependent organization has not been changed and the overwriting does not create a reference error.
• Delete allowed – by checking this field, you allow the deletion of replicated records in the dependent organization, provided that the controls of the respective application allow it. However, the deleted records are automatically recreated from the maintaining organization when they are replicated again. Non-replicated data sets, on the other hand, always remain deletable, even in dependent organizations.
• Delay enabled – you use this field to control whether the replication of this data object is carried out directly or with a time delay (as night processing). This field is only open for input for large data objects (e.g., row scheme). [alet] If you activate this field for a specific data object in at least one dependent organization, deferred processing is activated for all dependent organizations. [/alert]
• Number of deviations – the value displayed here tells you how many attributes of the data object have different attribute behavior.

Using the [New] button, you can use the Duplicate action to copy the configuration of a dependent organization to another dependent organization. This assumes that you have restricted the Data Object Configuration table to the data of the dependent organization to be duplicated.

The maintaining and dependent organization whose data object configurations are to be duplicated are displayed for information in the dialog box that is displayed. In addition, information is required in the following fields:

• Maintaining organization – this field is defaulted with the maintaining organization from which the data is replicated to the dependent organization to be duplicated.
• Depending organization – enter one or more dependent organizations to which the data object configuration should be duplicated. You can use the input help Search dependent organizations to display and select all relevant organizations.
• Data object – here you select the data objects that are to be duplicated. All data objects of the dependent organization to be duplicated are available for selection.

If you confirm your information with the [OK] button, all configuration data of the existing dependent organization will be adopted. This includes both the selection of the data objects and the configuration for the behavior of the individual attributes of the data object.

During the transfer, a check is made whether the dependent organization already contains one or more of the selected data objects. Already existing data object configurations are not overwritten.

Deviating attribute configuration tab

The attributes of a previously selected data object for which a different attribute behavior is set are displayed in a table on this tab.

In this table you can customize the attribute behavior of individual attributes and add an attribute or delete it from the table using the toolbar actions.

If you delete an attribute from the table, its attribute behavior is reset to the set type of replication of the data object.

The [New] button opens a dialog window in which you can set a different attribute behavior for an attribute. The following fields are available for this:

• Business entity – here you select the business entity for whose attribute a different attribute behavior should be set.
• Attribute – select the attribute for which to set different attribute behavior.
• Attribute behavior – with the attribute behavior, you control the changeability of the data fields in the dependent organizations. Data fields that should always be transferred are protected during master data maintenance in dependent organizations and cannot be changed.
  • Here you define the behavior of the attribute for the replication from the maintaining to the dependent organization. The following settings are possible:
    • Transfer always – this selection means that the attribute value (field content) or, with an attribute #, the records of the assigned data objects are always replicated, even if an incorrect data object is generated due to missing references. The incorrectly replicated data objects must be corrected manually by the user using the corresponding master data application. The Cockpit: Replication data application is also available as a tool for this purpose.
    • Transfer always at creation – this selection means that the attribute value (field content) or, with an attribute #, the records of the assigned data objects are always replicated when a new data object is created in the dependent organization. If, on the other hand, a data object is replicated to an existing one, the content of a data attribute is only overwritten if the original attribute content in the data object of the dependent organization was not changed and the overwriting did not create a reference error. If the behavior refers to a replication attribute # for assigned data objects, changes are usually only taken into account for records with the same keys in the maintaining and dependent organization. This means that assigned data records are neither deleted nor newly created in the dependent organization.
    • Transfer if available – t selection is only applicable to foreign key attributes related to organization. It means that the value of the foreign key, e.g. a classification, is only replicated if this key is also created in the dependent organization. Otherwise, the original attribute value is retained in the data object of the dependent organization. If you replicate to an existing data object, the key is only overwritten if the original key in the data object of the dependent organization has not been changed.
    • Transfer only at creation – this selection means that the attribute value (field content) or with an attribute # the records of the assigned data objects are only replicated when a new data object is created in the dependent organization. If, on the other hand, a data object is replicated into one that already exists, the content of a data attribute is no longer overwritten or assigned data objects are no longer transferred if the base object was already saved correctly in the dependent organization.
    • Do not transfer – this selection means that the attribute value or the associated records will not be replicated as these are intended to be maintained individually in the dependent organization. In this case, the attribute is set to its default value when a data object is created in the dependent organization.
      Example

      For the data object Object account the attribute for OI Management is set to the default value Disabled if it is not to be inherited.

      However, this option is not always usable, since there are attributes or associated data sets that may not be initialized or may be omitted.

      Example

      The Description is a mandatory field in almost all data objects. A new creation without a description is usually not possible.

Application related action

The following action is available in the Master data replication application:

Execute replication

Execute repilcation

This action is used to replicate the master data. The transfer of the data content is controlled by the settings in the attribute behavior of the data object and any deviating definitions for individual attributes. To prevent individual adjustments in the dependent organizations from being overwritten again, the procedure for repeated replication is as follows:

Only those data fields that should always be accepted are

Only data fields that are to be transferred and whose content is identical before replication in the maintaining and the dependent organization are

When this action is called up via the clapperboard, the dialog window for the batch application Execute replication opens. In addition to the settings displayed for information purposes, the following information is taken into account:

• Maintaining organization – enter the identification of a maintaining organization or a search pattern here if you want to restrict the selection of maintaining organizations for this action. You can use the input help Search for maintaining organizations to display and select all of the relevant organizations.
• Depending organization – enter the identification of a dependent organization or a search pattern here if you want to restrict the selection of dependent organizations for this action. You can use the input help Search dependent organizations to display and select all relevant organizations.
• Data object – change the selection of data objects here if you only want to carry out this action for certain data objects. Any combination of the displayed data objects can be selected.

• Delayed replication only – if you activate this field, the replication is not carried out directly but with a time delay (as night processing). In addition, activating the field additionally restricts the replication.
  • Only data objects that have been activated for delayed replication via the Delay enabled field are then taken into account.

Customizing

In the Customizing application, the Master data replication function must be activated on the Comarch Financials Enterprise function for each participating organization.

Business Entities

The following business entity is relevant for the Master data replication application, which you use, for example, to

• Grant authorizations,
• Set up activity definitions or
• Import or export

Replication configuration

com.sem.ext.app.fin.general.obj.ReplicationConfiguration

The business entity is not assigned to a business entity group.

Authorizations

Authorizations can be granted both by means of authorization roles and by content-related authorizations (by assignment to organizations). You can read about the authorization concept in the article Authorizations.

Special abilities

There are no special abilities for the Master data replication application.

Organization assignments

If the Content-related authorizations function is activated in the Customizing application, then a person can only use the Rebuild tax settlement date application if an organization has been assigned to them in the partner master data that is in at least one of the is involved in the following organizational structures:

Financial accounting

Special features

There are no special features for the Master data replication application.

Authorizations for business partners

The Master data replication application is not released for business partners.