AVC Characteristic Groups and Interface Design: The Fiori Way

One of the biggest changes when moving from LO-VC to AVC is how you design the configuration screen.

In LO-VC, you use CU50 to create an interface design — a static layout with characteristic groups, row/column positions, and visibility rules. It works, but it's rigid and SAP GUI-only.

In AVC, the interface is driven by Characteristic Groups. These are master data objects created in a Fiori app. They're reusable across materials, sortable, and directly tied to the AVC configuration profile. No more CU50.

Source: This article draws on the SAP Community blog "SAP S/4HANA Advanced Variant Configuration" by Shubham Khandelwal (May 2022, 38 kudos), available at SAP Community.

What changed: CU50 vs Characteristic Groups

Aspect	LO-VC (CU50)	AVC (Characteristic Groups)
Tool	Transaction CU50 (SAP GUI)	Fiori app "Manage Characteristic Groups"
Storage	Interface design ID linked to config profile	Reusable master data object
Layout	Row/column grid with position numbers	Ordered list, drag-and-drop in Fiori
Reusability	Tied to one profile	One group can be used in multiple profiles
RESTRICTABLE flag	Must flag characteristics manually	All characteristics are restrictable by default
Multi-value chars	Cannot be restricted	Fully supported

Prerequisites

S/4HANA system with AVC enabled
Access to Fiori apps: Manage Characteristic Groups, Configuration Profile
Classic transactions: CL01, CT04, CU41 (as backup)

Step 1: Create characteristics and class (standard process)

This is the same as any VC model. Create your characteristics in CT04, your variant class in CL01 (type 300), and assign them.

For this guide, let's assume you have a configurable bike with:

COLOR (CHAR 10, values: RED, BLACK, WHITE)
ENGINE_CC (NUM 3, values: 100, 150, 200)
BRAKE_TYPE (CHAR 10, values: DISC, DRUM)
FRAME_SIZE (CHAR 5, values: S, M, L)
ACCESSORY_PACK (CHAR 10, values: SPORT, COMFORT, NONE)

Source: SAP Help — Creating Characteristics (CT04). Navigate to Cross-Application Components → Classification System → Master Data → Characteristics → Create.

Source: SAP Help — Creating a Class (CL01). Navigate to Cross-Application Components → Classification System → Master Data → Classes → Create. Class type 300.

Step 2: Create Characteristic Groups (Fiori app)

Open the Manage Characteristic Groups Fiori app. This app lists all existing groups and lets you create new ones.

Click Create. Give it a name and description. For our bike:

Group Name	Description	Characteristics
BIKE_BASICS	Basic specifications	COLOR, FRAME_SIZE
BIKE_PERFORMANCE	Performance options	ENGINE_CC, BRAKE_TYPE
BIKE_EXTRAS	Additional packages	ACCESSORY_PACK

Within each group, add characteristics in the order you want them to appear on the configuration screen. Drag to reorder.

Source: SAP Help — Characteristic Groups. Navigate to the Fiori app "Manage Characteristic Groups" from the SAP Fiori Launchpad. Component: LO-VC.

Step 3: Assign groups to a configuration profile

Open the Configuration Profile Fiori app (or use transaction CU41).

Select your material
Switch to the Characteristic Groups tab
Assign the groups you created

The order of groups here determines the tab or section order on the configuration screen.

You can assign the same group to multiple materials — reuse is built in.

Source: SAP Help — Configuration Profile (CU41). Navigate to Logistics → Central Functions → Variant Configuration → Configuration Profile → Create/Change. In the profile, use the Characteristic Groups tab for AVC mode.

Step 4: Test in PMEVC or Fiori simulation

Open the material in PMEVC or use the Simulate Configuration Models Fiori app.

The characteristics should appear in the order defined by your groups. In AVC, the interface respects the group structure automatically — no manual positioning needed.

What about the old CU50 approach?

If you're migrating from LO-VC and have existing interface designs created in CU50, here's what happens:

AVC mode with no characteristic groups: AVC ignores the CU50 interface design. Characteristics appear in alphabetical order — usually not what you want.
AVC mode with characteristic groups: AVC uses the groups. Much better.
Mixed mode (AVC + LO-VC BOM): High-level config uses groups. BOM selection still uses selection conditions in LO-VC mode.

Recommendation: Create characteristic groups before switching to AVC mode. Otherwise your users will see a jumbled alphabetical list.

The RESTRICTABLE flag

In LO-VC, if you wanted to use a characteristic in a constraint restriction, you had to flag it as "RESTRICTABLE" in CU50. Miss this, and the constraint silently fails.

In AVC, all characteristics are restrictable. No flag needed. This is a major improvement, especially for multi-value characteristics (which couldn't be restricted at all in LO-VC).

Source: SAP Help — Differences Between Constraints and Procedures. Constraint syntax reference: AVC constraint syntax allows RESTRICTION on all characteristics without prior flagging.

Practical example: Engine restriction based on frame

Let's say a small frame (FRAME_SIZE = S) can't have a 200cc engine. In AVC, you write a constraint:

OBJECTS:
  X IS_A (300)CL_BIKE.

RESTRICTION:
  (X.FRAME_SIZE = 'S') → (X.ENGINE_CC <> 200).

No RESTRICTABLE flag needed on ENGINE_CC. The constraint just works, and the interface will gray out 200cc when S is selected.

Summary

Task	LO-VC	AVC
Design config screen	CU50 with interface design ID	Characteristic Groups (Fiori app)
Reuse layout	Copy interface design	Assign same group to multiple profiles
Restrict characteristics	Flag RESTRICTABLE in CU50	Not needed — all chars are restrictable
Position characteristics	Row/column numbers	Drag-and-drop order in group
Multi-value chars	Cannot be restricted in constraints	Fully supported

The Characteristic Groups approach is cleaner, more flexible, and Fiori-native. If you're planning an AVC migration, build your groups first — the interface is the first thing your users will notice, and alphabetical chaos is not a good first impression.

Source: SAP Community — SAP S/4HANA Advanced Variant Configuration (May 2022, 38 kudos). Available at SAP Community.