This FAQ blog deals with questions related to the partnership of SAP Business Network Asset Collaboration and the classification content provider ECLASS. Main aspects are how the ECLASS classification is made available in SAP Business Network Asset Collaboration, how customers can get access to the ECLASS classification content in SAP Business Network Asset Collaboration, and what to do if you are missing ECLASS classification content either in SAP Business Network Asset Collaboration or in ECLASS.
See Also: Blog on Classification Standards in SAP Intelligent Asset Management.
General Questions
What is ECLASS?
ECLASS is a cross-industry product-data standard for the classification and unique description of products and services.
For more information on the company and the standard, please refer to the official ECLASS Web pages (https://eclass.eu/).
How does SAP Business Network Asset Collaboration work with ECLASS?
SAP Business Network Asset Collaboration and ECLASS have a partnership, and ECLASS acts as a Content Provider in SAP Business Network Asset Collaboration. This means that ECLASS is a participant in the network and ECLASS classification objects get created by ECLASS in their account and will be shared by ECLASS with their licensees in the network.
Content-Related Questions
Which ECLASS version is available with SAP Business Network Asset Collaboration?
ECLASS versions 10.1 and 12.0 are currently available.
Which ECLASS objects will be available in SAP Business Network Asset Collaboration?
ECLASS classification objects will be loaded as SAP Business Network Asset Collaboration Template objects, i.e., classes, subclasses, attribute groups, nested structures, attributes, and code lists.
Note: In ECLASS version 10.1, you can still see ECLASS model templates. These were used as a temporary workaround to realize the loading of ECLASS aspects when SAP Business Network Asset Collaboration (then SAP Asset Intelligence Network) did not have the nested structures functionality yet.
With ECLASS version 12.0, ECLASS Blocks and Aspects are represented as nested structures in SAP Business Network Asset Collaboration.
The obsolete Model Templates (= representation of Aspects) are still visible in version 10.1 but should not be used anymore.
In the beginning the following ECLASS segments will be available in the productive landscape:
– Segment 19 (Information, communication and media technology)
– Segment 23 (Machine element, fixing, mounting)
– Segment 27 (Electric engineering, automation, process control engineering)
– Segment 36 (Machine, apparatus)
– Segment 37 (Industrial piping)
More segments will be made available in upcoming releases. The sequence/priority of additional segments will be decided based on customer requests (see below).
It looks like ECLASS is currently only available in English and German language? Will there be other languages available?
Yes, ECLASS classification is currently available in languages English and German. Further languages supported by ECLASS can be made available for version 12.0 upon request (see below).
What can I do if I need additional ECLASS segments or additional ECLASS languages in the SAP Business Network Asset Collaboration productive landscape?
Please create an incident under component SBN-AIN-ACF-CNT and request the segment or language you need. ECLASS will then upload the requested segment(s) as soon as possible.
Note: You should only create such a segment request for ECLASS if you already have an ECLASS license (see LICENSING section below).
What can I do if I need additional classification content in ECLASS?
Missing content can be requested from ECLASS. Please follow the general process of submitting Change Requests to the ECLASS standard (refer to https://eclass.eu/support/guides/change-request). For questions, please contact directly ECLASS Office: info@eclass.de.
Licensing Questions
Does ECLASS classification content come for free with SAP Business Network Asset Collaboration?
A subset of ECLASS structural elements will be made available for a free Trial in the Test and Demo system. The classification content (= ECLASS segments) which is available as free trial are:
– Segment 19 (Information, communication and media technology)
– Segment 27 (Electric engineering, automation, process control engineering)
– Segment 36 (Machine, apparatus)
– Segment 37 (Industrial piping)
To use this free trial content, please create a connection request with ECLASS e.V. in the Test and Demo system. ECLASS will then trigger the sharing of the free trial content for your account. For productive use – i.e., in SAP Business Network Asset Collaboration Production landscape – you require a dedicated license from ECLASS to be able to model business objects using ECLASS content.
Note: There will be no migration possible from the free trial version to the productive system.
How can I license ECLASS and what are the costs?
Licensing of ECLASS classification content is handled by ECLASS. You can view the available licensing models on the ECLASS Web site (https://eclass.eu/en/eclass-standard/licenses).
For direct inquiries regarding the exact licensing options for your company, please directly contact the ECLASS office (info@eclass.de).
My company already has an ECLASS license. Can I use this for SAP Business Network Asset Collaboration as well?
ECLASS will share their objects with their licensees based on their customer list. So, if you already have an ECLASS license this will also be valid for use of ECLASS in SAP Business Network Asset collaboration.
As an ECLASS licensee, please create a connection request with ECLASS e.V. in the Production system. ECLASS will then trigger the sharing of their content for your account. For any license-related questions (including ECLASS sharing via SAP Business Network Asset Collaboration) you can also contact ECLASS directly (e-mail: info@eclass.de).
I have a Premium account in SAP Business Network Asset Collaboration, and I want my Invitee accounts to create classification content based on ECLASS classification. Will my Invitees need an own ECLASS license for this?
If objects are to be modelled based on ECLASS classification objects a dedicated ECLASS license is required independent of the SAP Business Network Asset Collaboration account type. Therefore, Invitees who model objects in SAP Business Network Asset Collaboration based on ECLASS classification content need an own ECLASS license.
