Ok.. sorry guys. .today I am going through the BPS and BW documentation
to get the finer stuff.. and want to record things that I thing are cool and useful in the long run from the SAP Help.
Please leave your comments on this topic also - whoever has used DATA SLICES extensively!
When you use data slices,
the following rules apply:
If no data slice is defined for a planning area, you can update data for any
characteristic value combination.
A characteristic value restriction in a data slice acts as a lock that prevents
changes. This means that you cannot update data for those characteristic value combinations that are included in the
restrictions. You can change all the other data.
You can create multiple data slices for a planning area. The change
locks set up using characteristic value restrictions have a cumulative effect. This means that, as you add more data slices,
you further restrict the data area where changes can be made.
Whenever more than one data slice exists for a planning
area, these act as one. Also, with multiple data slices, is not possible to have only some of them effective.
If a
planning area contains a data slice that includes no characteristic value restrictions at all, then the data slice acts as a
lock for postings of all types in the entire planning area. (this is a wicked one!!)
In line with the
hierarchical structure of the planning architecture, a data slice affects all planning levels and planning packages that
belong to the same planning area as the data slice.
After you have created a data slice, it is activated
automatically. This means, the settings made in the definition of the data slice have an immediate effect on the possibility
to update data. But you can also deactivate data slices. This can, for example, be useful in the following
situations:
You set up the Customizing for planning in your company. You already know in advance that update locks
will be necessary at a later point in time. But you want to prepare these locks now, without making them effective
immediately in order to complete Customizing fully. Activating the locks is to take place later.
You locked updating new
data with a data slice, but establish later that subsequent posting is required because of delayed deliveries or
payments.
To switch the status of a data slice, choose Activate or Deactivate in the context menu of the data slice.
In the list of data slices, the system displays the present status of the data slice with a traffic light symbol (green =
active, red = inactive).