Overview on working with tracking states

The following schematic offers a comprehensive view on relations between components involved in working with tracking states:

The following items arranged on the left side of the schematic resemble master data:

• Definitions of characteristics for Tracking state (upper left) are the foundation of all other definitions. The enumeration of available tracking state values also specifies the representation of the status values by text, color and, optionally, icons.

• A dynamic enumeration for Tracking state type (lower left) may be used to specify different types of tracking states to refer to, when 'Tracking state attributes' are assigned to business objects.
  Tracking state workflows (middle left) use Tracking state transformation matrices per Tracking state type to define restrictions for sequences in Tracking state assignments to business objects.

The right side in the schematic features the transactional objects linked to tracking state handling:

• Tracking state entries (upper right) are created, when a Tracking state is assigned to a business object (or a contained line item). They are handled as independent entities, which represent a link between a Tracking state (master data) with a certain business object or one of its line items. This relation is defined in the data of the 'Tracking state entry' by properties 'Owner' (statusOwner) and statusOwnerId. Each individual tracking state entry can carry more or less complex further details, possibly stored in Typed Attributes.

• Adding Tracking state entries linked to business objects or their line items, primarily adds content to the respective Tracking state history. On the other hand, it causes an evaluation, if the added status entry implies changes to the current value of one or more Tracking state types for the 'owner' referred to. This evaluations considers applicable Tracking state workflows, if any, to determine whether adding the new entry would result in 'allowed' tracking state transformations per Tracking state type. If this is the case, the respective 'Tracking state attribute' of the business object (or line item) is updated, provided the new entry resembles the chronologically latest information available. The page Tracking state transformations explains the interpretation logic for Tracking state transformation matrices.

Adding 'Tracking states' (or rather 'Tracking state entries') is possible by the following methods:

• Importing tracking state entries via Lobster_data

• Interactive adding of tracking states via ribbon buttons ('Tracking state/Add', see Available commands) or Tracking state history

• Event handling involving event actions Trackingstatus hinzufügen or Propagate tracking state down (Manifests only)