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Former M emb er
July 1, 2012 7 minute read

Catalog Profile
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31 Likes 39, 656 Views 19 Comments

Introduction
Data on problems, malfunctions, damages, causes and problem solutions or malfunction corrections
is recorded in the system or reported to the planner responsible in the form of technical findings
after a visual check, after the object has been inspected or checked, or the problem has been
determined. This data forms part of the service or maintenance notification and is entered in the
maintenance history.
Catalog profile will group different characteristics of the notification which will cater the needs of
management to analyse the company assets & to ascertain the decisions accordingly. Catalog
profiles have sub class of code groups which will group the codes as per their feature.

All the codes (Damage, Cause, Task & Activities) illustrate why an asset failed during production,
what is the cause for that failure, tasks to be performed & activities done for that failure. The use of
codes in a SAP system ensures a consistent way of documenting the key aspects of the damage,
cause, etc., event according to pre-defined categories. Some examples include:

 Breakage
 Corrosion
 Imbalance
 Misalignment
 Overheating
 Vibration

Why are they used?

Catalog Profile are used in SAP which enables subsequent analysis possible, which leads to net
improved system availability. For example, the number of times an instance of a particular failure
code occurs, divided by the total operating age of the equipment, approximates the failure rate. For
maintenance organizations that don’t use failure codes, determining any sort of failure trend is a
labor-intensive process of searching through work orders and making several educated guesses.

Why should you use them?

Knowing the failure rate for a failure code can help in doing the following:

 Optimize PM intervals
 Improve failure response
  Improve work practices

The consistent use of the failure codes / cause codes provides a convenient method of getting
statistics about equipment failures or breakdowns. They aid your ability to effectively identify
trends and problems. Let’s say that there are similar kinds of machines. A report could be run for a
period of time and, by selecting a failure code / cause code / object part code, determine how many
times the failure occurs / cause creates a damage / object part where damage happens on an
individual system. You can then compare this data across the entire fleet. If the failure rate / cause
rate is above average, it may be worthwhile proactively replacing parts or shortening the PM
interval.

Who should input the codes?

Ideally, it is best to have the data entered correctly closer to the event by those who investigated and
corrected the failure / found the cause and / or object part. In most cases, this is the technician that
responds to the failure / rectifies the cause to correct the failure.

How many should you have?

These codes should provide an easy way to quickly analyze equipment failures, problems, causes
andfaults. Without doubt, effective and accurate code lists are required for identifying trends but
deciding what selection choices to place on such pick lists is no trivial matter. Too few and they
would not support the level of data analysis desired or the data will be meaningless. Equally if there
are too many options, technicians tend to suffer from “choice overload” and the default will become
either the “Miscellaneous” or “Other” option, which will again render the data meaningless. Ideally,
you should aim for 20-30 codes under each heading

The Catalog will be consisting of different details like damages, causes, tasks, object parts, activities,
etc., Based on the equipment type, catalogs will be created. According to the equipment type, these
damages, causes, object parts, tasks, activities, etc., will be defined & assigned to catalog.

Subsequently, this catalog will be assigned to catalog profile, so that different catalogs will be
grouped & it can be assigned to equipment.

Definition of Code Groups & Codes

Definition of code groups & codes in SAP are very much important to build the common ERP
system among different category of people, among different skills of
people. In the general business practice, different catalog types will be used on regular basis. Each
company will have their own standards to define the catalog types. Each company will have their
own standard in naming those catalog types. As the names of these catalog types are different
within company across different locations, it will become cumbersome process to group the
categories.

To overcome that, many quality standards institutions like ISO, CMMS, etc., have suggested the
catalog types for each & every equipment types. Code groups & codes should be defined with global
naming convention with some standard technique so that it can be used by the company across
locations. CMMS has
suggested some naming convention standards for coding the Failures, Damages, etc.,

Failure Codes as per CMMS Standards:

Note: The complete list of Failure & other catalogs codes are available in CMMS websites.

By defining the Catalog codes as per some standards, these codes can be used & can be recognised
by different category of people & different level of people. This will make the common SAP system
across the locations of the company. Now in ERP system, similar kind of catalogs can be grouped
easily for the management analysis purpose.

Creation of Catalog Profiles in SAP

Step 2: Define Catalog code groups & codes

Here against each catalog (Damage, Cause, etc.,), code groups will be given to group those codes.
This code group naming convention will follow the naming convention of Equipment object types.
For example, for FIREEXTING – Fire Extinguishers, code group can be defined as FIREEXTN.

The status of the code groups should be as Released if the same can be used for assigning to catalog
profile. If the code groups are yet to be approved, the status can be as Being created.
Likewise, for all the equipment types, all the catalog types (Damage, Cause, Task, Object Part,
Activities, etc.,) should be defined & against those catalog types, code groups & codes should be
created.

Step 3: Creation of Catalog Profile:

After creating Catalog code groups & codes for those catalog groups, catalog profile will be created
according to object type of equipment.

For catalog profile, the equipment object types naming convention can be used as the naming convention.
As shown in above 2 figures, catalog profile will be created (as shown in fig1) & different catalogs
will be assigned (fig 2).

As the catalog for damages & causes, other catalogs like tasks, activities, object parts, etc., can be
grouped under the catalog profile.

Assignment of Catalog Profile

All the created Catalog Profiles will be assigned either to Notification types or in Equipment
Masters.

Catalog Profile Assignment to Notification Type

All the catalogs will be assigned to notification type to identify the exact catalog types against each
heading like Problems, Causes, Tasks, Activities, Object Parts, etc.,

Generally catalog profile should not be assigned to notification types. As notification is common
across different types of equipments & common across the company, assigning catalog profile to
notification type will make the process cumbersome i.e., the list will be large to select from the long
list. So catalog profile assignment to equipment is recommended here.

All the catalogs will be assigned against each heading to refer the specific (if customized) catalog
types which have defined & created in Catalog creation.

Assignment of Catalog Profile to Equipments:

The Catalog Profiles can also be assigned to equipment master. As per the Equipment Object Type,
catalog profiles have been created. In the equipment master,
according to Object type of equipment, catalog profile should be selected.
Application of Catalog Profile in Notifications
Based on the assignment of catalog profile either to notification type or equipment, the catalogs &
corresponding codes can be utilized in the notification. These catalogs will be used in the
management analysis part.
Apart from mentioning the catalogs in Notification header, if more than one object part or damage
happened or more than one cause for the damage, based on notification screen view template,
multiple catalogs can be assigned in notification.

Who should develop them?

These codes should be easily available and understandable to the people who request work, to the
maintenance personnel that complete the work and to the engineers who want to get the data they need
to understand what is occurring in the field. Fault coding development really requires an integrated
approach with these 3 groups, especially if there is a desire to do some sort of wide ranging analysis.
Ultimately, the codes have to allow the field personnel a relatively painless way to provide the
information that the engineers need. Unless that occurs, the end product will not be used.
 Benefits of Catalog Profile
General Usage:
1. Different management analysis report is available
2. Object part wise, Defect wise, Cause wise notifications can be listed.
3. By mentioning the catalogs in notification, maintenance department person can understand
the malfunction quickly.
4. It will make the PM process more transparent.

Important Transactions for Analysis:

1. MCI5 – Damage Analysis (Based on Damage, Cause & Activity, analysis can be done by
listing no. of notifications)
2. IW69 – List of Items with Damages, Causes & other catalog details
3. IW65 – List of Activities with Damages, Causes & other catalog details
4. IW67 – List of Tasks done for the Damages

Conclusion
In general, proper catalog profile with catalog codes for the purpose of analysis. Analysis, in turn,
provides knowledge of equipment behavior patterns with respect to other external and internal factors
such as “working” age, PM frequency, EHM parameters and decision models etc. We can then use this
knowledge to improve system availability and ultimately, the company’s bottom line.

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Assigned tags

 PLM Enterprise Asset Management (EAM)/Plant Maintenance (PM)

 catalog profile
 catalogs
 Enterprise Asset Management

Related Blog Posts

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By K Jogeswara Rao, Sep 03, 2015
 Create Defect Notification(background) for Test Equipment
By Former Member, Dec 31, 2015
 ETM Catalog – Input File Format and Analysis
By Former Member, Jun 13, 2014

Related Questions
  Standard Functionality of Catalog Profile in PM Notification
By Kalyan Chakravarthi, Apr 03, 2018
 Object part doesnt have matching code.All will be displayed in new created catlog profile
By Akta verma, Jan 02, 2017
 PM_Catalog Profile Issue
By Former Member, Jun 09, 2017
19 Comments
You must be Logged on to comment or reply to a post.

James Prabaharan

November 22, 2012 at 9:09 am

Dear Maheswaran,

This is an excellent overview on Catalog.

Thanks,

James Prabaharan

o Like(0)

Dipak Joshi

November 28, 2012 at 10:48 am

Good One..

Rgds,

o Like(0)

Former Member

February 6, 2013 at 5:47 am

Dear Maheswaran,

Very good document, great !

 Thanks,

Sahu

o Like(0)

Former Member

February 19, 2013 at 6:58 am

Dear Maheswaran,

Very good document, great !

Thanks,

Suri babu

o Like(0)

Former Member

May 31, 2013 at 12:52 pm

Very Helpful Document.

Thank You.

o Like(0)

Former Member

July 16, 2013 at 9:19 am

Very much helpful and plz keep posting these type of documents

o Like(0)

Former Member
 October 22, 2013 at 7:25 am

very good document

thank you…:)

o Like(0)

Former Member

October 29, 2013 at 4:11 pm

Can anyone explain the logic of how catalog object parts are displayed in the notification if the
Equipment Catalog profile does not match the Object Parts? I am seeing some very strange things.

Thanks.

o Like(0)

Former Member Post author

October 29, 2013 at 4:17 pm

Check the following points.

1. In notification, Assigned technical object is having catalog profile or not.

2. If the notification equipment is having catalog profile, check the object parts assigned
to that catalog profile
3. Check the catalog profile assigned to notification
4. Check the catalog profile assigned to notification type in configuration
Generally, equipment catalog profile will have preference than the notification type catalog
profile. Sometimes, catalog profile might be changed in notification.

 Like(0)

Former Member

October 29, 2013 at 4:22 pm

Here is my exact scenario

 Functional Location has PM Catalog of PMVEHICLE, there is not matching Object
Code of PMVEHICLE. When I create notification with the functional location, drop
down for object parts gives me PMENGINE. Default for notificaiton type is
PMGENERAL

 Like(0)

Former Member Post author

October 29, 2013 at 4:27 pm

You attach following screen shots.

1. Notification reference object

2. Notification Catalog profile (you can get it from menu)
3. Reference object(s) catalog profile assignment in its master data
 Like(0)

Former Member

October 9, 2014 at 7:08 am

very helpful

thank’s gurus,,

o Like(0)

Former Member

August 11, 2015 at 7:13 am

Very nice document.

Thank you.

o Like(0)

vijaya M
 September 7, 2015 at 10:45 am

Really a master piece for the new learners.

Good one!!

o Like(0)

Former Member

September 7, 2015 at 11:43 am

Nice reference document for Catalogs

Regards,

Ravindhar

o Like(0)

PS R

June 7, 2016 at 7:17 am

Hi Maheswaran, It’s really good guide . regards, PS R

o Like(0)

Former Member

June 28, 2016 at 10:12 am

Hi Maheswaran,

Step by Step catalog document very useful.

Regards,
 Ravinder

o Like(0)

Former Member

August 25, 2016 at 7:39 am

Hi Maheswaran,

Very profound information from your document. Thanks a million. Would you know if catalog profiling
can be made mandatory on final confirmation such that one is unable to save a final confirmation or
to TECO if they haven’t done cataloging?

o Like(0)

Aspire WF

December 22, 2017 at 5:41 pm

Thanks a bunch for this detailed document Maheswaran. I opened it with no understanding about catalog profile. I
kept hearing a lot about it without any idea what it means.

Your document laid out everything for me. Great work!

BR,

Aspire

o Like(0)

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