Hi Stephen,

Thanks for your question! In short, the answer to your question is "Yes," there is another way to make mass updates to master data other than using CATT. I’ll touch on that in just a moment.

At the same time, why don’t I describe what is meant by CATT and its intended use? Then I’ll try to provide some pointers on your particular issue.

CATT — What Is It?

SAP provided the Computer Aided Test Tool — or "CATT" — to help us succeed with user acceptance and general functionality testing, by providing an automated way of performing otherwise manual end-user transactions.

So, instead of manually executing 75 slightly different versions of the "Post a Vendor’s Invoice" transaction, for example, we can set up one CATT to do all 75 iterations for us.

The CATT can also be set up to perform a "string" of transactions, such as Create a Purchase Order, then the Goods Receipt for Purchase Order, and finally the Invoice Receipt for Purchase Order.

Because of its powerful uses, many companies, like yours, have elected to use this tool to help create and change both master data and transaction data across the system landscape, as well as in the production client.

Using Variants in a CATT

The feature of CATT that you are specifically asking about is the ability to use variants. Variants allow the use of different sets of data to be passed to the CATT. In general, using variants in a CATT is easy.

Basically, just prepare, in a text file — using a spreadsheet application, which allows a tab-delimited format — the data entry values that you want the CATT to use. Then tell the system where to find your file when executing the CATT.

Below is a list of pointers that may be helpful when working with variants in a CATT and in determining the issue causing your particular error message:

• Make sure that the Customer Master fields that you would need to populate if you were manually performing the R/3 transaction are created in your CATT as "import parameters."

• Verify that your CATT contains default values for the import parameters only where this makes sense (i.e., if the value for the field "Company Code" never needs to change, then it is okay to allow that particular import parameter a default value).

• Create the External Variant as a TXT file (in R/3’s CATT, known as "exporting the variant"). Pay close attention to where the file is saved on your computer.

• Open the TXT file as a "tab-delimited" text spreadsheet (i.e., launch a spreadsheet application, and then choose: "File > Open"), populate with the data values you want the CATT to use, and save your data entry work also as the same TXT file as before.

• Upload the TXT file during execution of the CATT (in R/3’s CATT, known as "importing the variant"). Remember to direct R/3 to the specific directory on your computer where you saved the text file.

Now let’s talk about your second question — that easier, quicker way to perform the same update tasks — using the new "Cross-Application" Mass Maintenance Tool that was provided standard in R/3’s 4.5 version.¹

Mass Maintenance Tool — What Is It?

SAP provided the Mass Maintenance Tool to help facilitate changes to large amounts of master data without having to create a CATT, or maintain a spreadsheet, or write a custom upload program. This tool also includes a feature that allows you to create new data from existing data, as when extending an existing customer to another sales organization or a material to another plant.

Where Can I Use It?

Due to the newness of the Mass Maintenance Tool, it has limited availability. It is currently only supported in the following applications:

• Customer, Material, and Vendor Masters

• Purchasing Info Records

• Appropriation Requests

• Article Master (Retail)

• Rental Units (Real Estate Management)

How Do I Use It?

Let’s use your example for updating the "Sort Key" to explain how to work with this tool. You can get to the Mass Maintenance transaction through the Logistics / Central Functions menu path (transaction code: MASS). There are also other paths to the tool through the specific applications listed above — e.g., Customer Master via transaction XD99, or through the Sales & Distribution / Customer Master menu path.

1. If you go to the tool through the "MASS" transaction code or the Logistics / Central Functions menu path, you will need to enter an object type. The object type tells the system what application area you want to work in (from the list outlined above).

In this case, we are changing customer masters, so enter "KNA1" in the object type field, or select "KNA1" from the pull-down list,² as shown in Figure 1, and then go forward by clicking on the Execute icon (green and white clock).

Figure 1

Step 1 in Using the Mass Maintenance Tool: Choosing an "Object Type"

2. On the next screen, choose from the list the tables to be used as sources for search criteria fields and update fields. In this case, choose "KNA1" (Customer Master general data) and "KNB1" (Customer Master company code data).

By selecting multiple tables, all the fields from both tables will be available for you to use as the search criteria, enabling you to be very specific regarding which of your current Customer Masters are changed during this process. Execute the transaction.

3. At this point, you’ll have the chance to further define the search criteria by choosing the "Selection Fields" button from a screen that looks similar to the one shown in Figure 2 (next page).

For example, you can choose "customer account group" to be used as a filter so that only one specific group of your Customer Masters (e.g., the "Sold-To" customers) is selected for editing. Use the "Green check" to then copy that selection criteria.

Figure 2

Accessing the "Selection Fields" and "Fields" Buttons While Using the Mass Maintenance Tool

4. Once the search criteria are established, choose the "Fields" button from that screen (also shown in Figure 2).

In response, the Mass Maintenance Tool will display a list of which Customer Master fields it will allow you to make mass changes to. Using your example, you would select the "Sort Key" field.

5. At the bottom of the list, choose "Values" and enter the new value that you want the Mass Maintenance Tool to change the "Sort Key" field to. Use the "Green Check" icon to go forward.

6. You can now execute the transaction. You’ll be shown a list. Verify that the Customer Masters shown are the ones you want to be changed, and then click on the "save" icon.

During the "save," the system will update all of those Master Data records with your new Sort Key value.

That’s it … a lot fewer and simpler steps than when making changes to master data by creating and executing a CATT!

I hope that you will try out this new Mass Maintenance Tool functionality for future updates.

All for now, and thanks again for your question!

¹ Editor’s Note: The Mass Maintenance Tool can also be retrofitted to the 4.0B version system. Instructions on how to move this new functionality down to a 4.0B system are available through the Online Service System (OSS). Look up OSS Note #126198. Or, ask your R/3 database administrator to download this Note for you.

² Editor’s Note: If you had entered the Mass Maintenance Tool from a specific application area, the system would already know what tables to work with; therefore, there would be no need to specify the object type.