Defining common master data

The common master data must be present in every logistic and financial company. The companies of a multicompany structure can share much of the common master data. You only need to enter the shared common master data once. You can enter the shared data in any of the companies that share the data.

To enter the common master data:

1. Change to the company in which you want to enter the data. To change company, on the More menu, point to LN Options, and then click Change Company.

   Note: If the company shares the data with a company for which you have already entered the data, the data is already present. In this case, you can skip the corresponding steps.

2. Define the employees of your enterprise in the Employees (General) (tccom0101m000) session of LN Common Data.

   You do not need to register all your employees in LN. However, you must define the employees that have specific functions in any of the LN packages. For example, you must define these employees:

   • The employees whose hours must be accounted for in the Hours and Expenses module of LN People

   • The employees that you assign to the business partners. For example, you must assign:

     • Credit analysts to invoice-to business partners
     • Purchase contacts to buy-from business partners
     • Sales contacts to sold-to business partners
   • The employees with a specific function, for example, planner, buyer, and sales representative
   • The project employees that are part of the project's resources and that contribute to the project labor costs

   In every LN package, you can assign the employees to departments such as service centers and work centers. LN uses this information for production planning and capacity calculation. You define the service centers and work centers when you enter the master data for LN Service and LN Manufacturing.

   Note: If the logistic companies of a multicompany structure share the Employees (tccom001) table, you must not select departments for the employees. The reason for this is because the companies cannot share the Departments (tcmcs065) table.

   Later, you can use the LN People sessions to organize the employees into teams and to define the employees' skills, labor rates, and labor types.

3. Define your business partners and their contacts in the Business Partners (tccom4500m000) session, as described in LN Common Data - General Data (COM).

   In a multicompany structure, companies can share the main Business Partners (tccom100) table.

4. Define the base item data, as described in LN Common Data – Item Base Data (IBD).

   The item base data is the general item data that is valid for every LN package. You can define the package-specific item data when you enter the master data for each LN package that uses the items. For example, you enter the sales-related item data when you enter the LN Order Management master data, and you enter the service-related item data when you enter the LN Service master data.

5. Define the required addresses in the Addresses (tccom4530m000) session. When you enter the common master data, you must define the addresses for various entities, such as business partners, warehouses, and employees.
6. Define the required calendars in the Central Calendar Management (CCP) sessions. When you enter the common master data and the package master data, you can enter a calendar for many entities such as business partners, departments, and employees.