Customers and classificationsCustomers and classificationsWhen you create a classification, it is global by default. When you want to associate a customer with a classification, you must make the classification customer-specific. Customer-specific classifications are generally more restrictive than global classifications.
To control whether a classification is available to all customers or to specific customers you use the Classification tab of the Classifications (SP) application.
Customer-specific classifications can become more restrictive at each subsequent level of the classification hierarchy:
Global classifications can have children that are global, customer specific or a mix of both.
Customer-specific classifications can only have children that are customer specific. Child classifications can be associated with a customer only if their customer-specific parent classification is also associated with that customer.
If a parent is a global classification, you can associate customers with a customer-specific classification without restriction. When you associate a customer with a classification, that customer is associated with all ancestors in the hierarchy, unless the ancestor is a global classification or the customer is already associated with the ancestor classification.
In this example, each customer that is associated with a classification is also associated with the parent classification, unless the parent is global. The set of customers that is associated with this classification is more restrictive at each subsequent level of the classification hierarchy.
IT \ HARDWARE \ DESKTOP COMPUTER \ VIDEOCARD
IT is global
IT \ HARDWARE is customer specific
Customer 1
Customer 2
Customer 3
IT \ HARDWARE \ DESKTOP COMPUTER is customer specific
Customer 2
Customer 3
IT \ HARDWARE \ DESKTOP COMPUTER \ VIDEOCARD is customer specific
Customer 2
If you associate customer 4 to IT \ HARDWARE \ DESKTOP COMPUTER, then customer 4 is also added to the customer-specific ancestor, IT \ HARDWARE:
IT is global
IT \ HARDWARE is customer specific
Customer 1
Customer 2
Customer 3
Customer 4
IT \ HARDWARE \ DESKTOP COMPUTER is customer specific
Customer 2
Customer 3
Customer 4
IT \ HARDWARE \ DESKTOP COMPUTER \ VIDEOCARD is customer specific
Customer 2
You associate customer 5 to IT \ HARDWARE and choose to associate customers with child classifications by selecting the Associate Customers with Children check box. Customer 5 is automatically associated with the child classification IT \ HARDWARE \ DESKTOP COMPUTER. If the Associate Customers with Children check box is checked on IT \ HARDWARE \ DESKTOP COMPUTER, customer 5 is also associated with classification IT \ HARDWARE \ DESKTOP COMPUTER \ VIDEOCARD:
IT is global
IT \ HARDWARE is customer specific and Associate Customers with Children is selected – you associate customer 5.
Customer 1
Customer 2
Customer 3
Customer 4
Customer 5
IT \ HARDWARE \ DESKTOP COMPUTER is customer specific and Associate Customers with Children is selected
Customer 2
Customer 3
Customer 4
Customer 5 – automatically associated
IT \ HARDWARE \ DESKTOP COMPUTER \ VIDEOCARD is customer specific
Customer 2
Customer 5 – automatically associated
The associations are propagated to all subsequent levels in the hierarchy by using the current classification to determine when to add customers to children. Choosing to associate customers with children adds the customer association to all children. Choosing to associate customers with children has no effect on existing customer associations. In example 2, customer 3 and customer 4 were not added to the classification IT \ HARDWARE \ DESKTOP COMPUTER \ VIDEOCARD. Only customer 5, the new customer association, was added.