Multiple-Tab Search Screens


Many data entry fields, such as the Equipment and Material fields on the initial screen of the IW39 transaction (Figure 10.1), could accept many hundreds or thousands of codes for objects of many different stripes and colors. When you are searching for the correct codes for these fields, the short hit list search screen is not a practical tool.

Consider the case of searching for the correct code for the Equipment field on the initial screen of the IW39 transaction (Figure 10.1E). When you click the search button for this field, a multiple-tab search screen appears over this initial screen (Figure 10.5).

Figure 10.5. The multiple-tab search screen for the Equipment field. This screen is set to search for all pieces of equipment with the word pump in their descriptions.


The critical design elements on this search screen are its many data entry fields, which allow you to enter multiple criteria for searching for an object code. There are usually so many fields on the screens, in fact, that they are distributed throughout several subscreens, which can be displayed in one of three ways.

  • Click one of the tabs (A) at the top of the screen.

  • Click the left or right control arrow (B) to the right of the tabs to move to the next or previous subscreen in the series.

  • Click the list icon (C) to the right of the control arrows to display a list of subscreens (D), then scroll down and click the desired one.

You can enter one or more search criteria on any one subscreen of a multiple-tab search screen. For an example, we searched for the codes for all the pumps that are owned by a company by following this next procedure, which makes use of a single search criterion.

Procedure: Searching for a Code With a Single Search Criterion

Step 1.

Locate any subscreen that contains the Equipment descript field (Figure 10.5E), and enter the phrase *pump*. (We explain the significance of the asterisks in the next part of this lesson.)

Step 2.

Hit the Enter key on your keyboard, or

Click the Enter button (F) in the lower-left corner.

Step 3.

The system responds with a hit list of equipment that matches the single search criterion (Figure 10.6). Each line of this list displays the name and the object code for one piece of equipment that has the word pump in its description.

Figure 10.6. The hit list for a single-criterion search for an equipment code.


We scrolled through this list, located the desired pumps, and double-clicked its line to enter its code in the Equipment field of the initial screen.

Note: If you do not find the desired object code on the hit list, you may want to return to the multiple-tab search screen and enter a new set of search criteria. To return to that search screen, click the bar (A) directly below the tabs on the hit list.

But what if you wanted to search for pumps that were stored at one specific plant in a company? You would follow this next procedure to search for them with these two criteria.

Procedure: Searching for a Code With Multiple Search Criteria

Step 1.

Locate a subscreen that contains the Maintenance plant and Equipment descript fields (Figure 10.7).

Figure 10.7. The multiple-tab search screen for the Equipment field. This screen is set to search for all pieces of equipment at maintenance plant 1000 with the word pump in their descriptions.


Step 2.

Enter the plant code in the Maintenance plant field (A).

Step 3.

Enter the phrase *pump* in the Equipment descript field (B).

Step 4.

Hit the Enter key on your keyboard, or

Click the Enter button (C) in the lower-left corner.

Step 5.

The system responds with a hit list of every piece of equipment that meets the two search criteria (Figure 10.8). Once again, each line of this hit list displays the description and code of one piece of equipment with the word pump in its description. The header of the screen shows that all these pumps are located in the specified plant (A).

Figure 10.8. The hit list for a two-criteria search for an equipment code. The header shows that all the pumps are housed at maintenance plant 1000 (A).


Scroll through this hit list to locate the desired vehicle and double-click its line to enter its code in the Equipment field of the initial screen.



SAP R. 3 for Everyone. Step-by-Step Instructions, Practical Advice, and Other Tips and Tricks for Working with SAP
SAP R/3 for Everyone: Step-by-Step Instructions, Practical Advice, and Other Tips and Tricks for Working with SAP
ISBN: 0131860852
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 132

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