Understanding SAP Event Management (SAP EM)

What is it and What can it do for you?

 What We’ll Cover …
• SAP Event Management described
• Terminology
• SAP EM setup – How does it work?
• Design Considerations
• Implementation Considerations
• Wrap up
• Where to next?

1
 SAP Event Management
“SAP Event Management is an application that supports
control processes for managing events within and
between companies. It consists of a set of integrated
software functionality that supports five business
processes: monitor, notify, simulate, control and
measure supply chain activities.” AMR Research,
January 2000

2
 Why SAP EM?
•Provides visibility on statuses, location, partners across processes
•Manages sequence of expected events or milestones
•Allows you the ability to “Manage by Exception” by handling unexpected events
•Ensures events are measured against when they are expected to occur
•Ensures that quantitative data is within the defined values
•React to expected events that are not reported
•Tight BW integration for reporting

STEP 1
Planned Sequence: Step 1,2,3

STEP 2

STEP 3

Actual Sequence: 1,3,4 => ALERT!!! STEP 4

3
 What We’ll Cover …
• SAP Event Management described
• Terminology
• SAP EM setup – How does it work?
• Design Considerations
• Implementation Considerations
• Wrap up
• Where to next?

4
 SAP EM Terminology
• Business Process Type (BPT)
 The Business Object or Process for which events are managed
 1 BPT can have many AOTs
 E.g. Shipment, Production Order, Purchasing Process
• Application Object Type (AOT)
 Distinct business object or collection of business objects or part of a business
object subject to SAP EM relevance or against which events can be reported
 Should be chosen based on who’s viewing the object. Carriers => Shipments,
Customers => Deliveries
 1 AOT can have many EHs
 E.g. Container shipment, Procurement Process
• Application System (AS)
 Any mySAP system, R3 system, B2B, 3rd party or legacy system that holds
Application Objects (as described above) that are managed on SAP EM
 E.g. ECC, SCM, 4.6C, Java Application, Flex Application
• Event Management (EM)
 mySAP SCM component handling event management

5
 Event Handlers
• Event Handlers are of a certain Event Handler Type
 What objects are to be managed?
 How do they relate to each other?
• Event Handler Types determine the behavior of an Event Handler at processing
time
 Determines Rule Set to use – How to process inbound events related to the event handler
 Determines Expected Event Profile – Which events are required and where do they get
mapped from
 Determines Status Attribute Profile – What Phases and Status Values can an event handler
go through?
• For each event handler we store data
 Expected Events, Unexpected Events, Event Messages
 Status attribute values
 Tracking IDs, Query IDs, Application Object ID
 Parameter values – Name value pairs – Control, Info and System
 Authorization Data
 Measurement Data

6
Event Handlers
 To create an EH the system performs these steps:
 In the Application System (AS)
 Determines relevant AOTs
 Extracts applicable Business Object Data to allow it to set up the EH
 Checks status of all applicable EHs for the business object
 Extracts parameter data for the EH
 Posts parameters to SAP EM
 Logs transaction status in application log
 In SAP Event Management
 Generalize parameter set for specific SAP EM view
 Determine correct EH Type
 Create / Update / Delete EHs

7
 Events
•2 types of events:
 Events that you expect to happen -
Milestones
 Events that actually happen
•These can be broken down further: Actual Events

 Regular event
 Early / Late event

Unexpected
Early eVent

Late Event
Regular
 Unexpected Event
 Unreported event Unexpected
Event

• Can be entered via:

Unreported EE
Regular EE

Regular EE
 the web (WCL)
 XML -> XI Regular Early / Late Unreported
 IDoc Event event event

 RFC (SAP Systems preferred) Planned / Expected Events

 BAPI
 RFD
 SAP EM directly (/SAPTRX/MI02)

8
 Expected Event Data
• Event Code
• Location ID – Where should the events occur?
• Partner ID – Who should perform / report the event?
• Early, Late, Main date and times for Event AND Message
• Item identifier
• Distance, Duration to next stop

9
EH Entity Relationship Diagram
Application System
Event Message

/SAPTRX/
Event BAPI_EH_ADDEVENTMSG_02

SCEM
Event Message Event Handler Set
Rule Set
/SAPTRX/EVM_HDR /SAPTRX/EH_SET

Expected Event Profile

Status Attribute Profile

PROFILE [1:1]
EVM [1:n] EH [1:n]
Expected Events
/SAPTRX/EH_EXPEV

Status Attributes
EH Message Event Handler [1:n] /SAPTRX/EH_STAT

/SAPTRX/EH_EVMSG EVM [1:1] EH Type Tracking IDs

/SAPTRX/EH_TRKID

/SAPTRX/EH_HDR Parameters
/SAPTRX/EH_CNTRL and INFO

Measurement
/SAPTRX/EH_MEASR

History
EEHST, MEHST, STHT

10
 What We’ll Cover …
• SAP Event Management described
• Terminology
• SAP EM setup – How does it work?
• Design Considerations
• Implementation Considerations
• Wrap up
• Where to next?

11
 Functional Elements of SAP EM
• Application System (AS)
 Execute data processing in Application
system. E.g. ECC
 BAdIs
• Application Interface (AI) Application Interface Application Interface

 Determine EM relevance; Extract data

ECC SCM
 Basis Plug-in
• Control Channel (CC)
 Generalize extracted EM data;
Consolidate processes
• SAP Event Management (SAP EM)
` Control Channel

Event Senders Comms Layer

 React to Events / non-events Reporting Layer

• Business Warehouse (BW) BW

`
 Supply data for analysis
Event Senders SAP EM
• Event Senders
 Create event messages

12
 SAP EM System Overview
•Application Interface
 Through customizing we can have a
common interface from the ASs
 All tables containing data that could be
ECC APO ...
used in EM should be sent to the AI
•Data Communicated to SAP EM
Application Interface
BAPI
Status Retrieval Idoc

 AOID
XI

 Logical System, AOT, ID

 Parameter set
BAPI

BW
 Control data
 Tracking IDs (IDs used to identify the
BAPI
Idoc
EH from events)
Information data (For reporting)
XI
Event Capture 
SAP EM
 Expected Events
EDI / XML  Query IDs (AOIDs of other business
objects which may retrieve status
data)

13
 Application Interface Operation
· Save Business Object
· Transfer Data Container
· Set BPT
· Get AOTs for BPT
· Check AOT Relevance
· Check if EH already exists
for App Objects
Synch. RFC · Check if EH can be
created
· Return status and logs

· Collect all parameter data · Create / Update /

(Control, Info, Expected Softdelete EH
Events, Tracking and Query · Check if EH can be
IDs) created
Asynch. RFC
· Post data to EM · Create EH
· Write App log · Post events to EH if also
· Return to Business Object passed

SAP EM ECC

• The AI has 3 major function modules

 /SAPTRX/EVENT_MGR_CHECK
 Is there SAP EM defined for this AS?
 /SAPTRX/EVENT_MGR_FILL_TABCONT
 Passes data to the AI
 /SAPTRX/EVENT_MGR_COMMUNICATE
 After finding a relevant AOT – Communicates with SAP EM
14
 What We’ll Cover …
• SAP Event Management described
• Terminology
• SAP EM setup – How does it work?
• Design Considerations
• Implementation Considerations
• Wrap up
• Where to next?

15
 Designing Questions - AOT
Answering these questions for your business process will
help you define the business elements of the Application
Object Type:
 Under which condition does an Application Object need to be
considered for EM? (Event Management Relevance)
 Where does planned event data come from?
 Where do info and control parameters come from?
 How are query and tracking IDs determined?
 What is the key that connects the Application Object and the Event
Handler? (Application Object ID)
 From which tables in the application system does the data come?
(BPT, Main/Master Table)
 What is the corresponding SAP Event Manager?

16
 Designing Questions - EH
Answering these questions for your business process will
help you define the elements of the Event Handler:
 What are the events you want to manage using the Event Manager?
(Expected Events and Event Codes)
 How do you identify your event handler? (Tracking/Query ID)
 What additional information or data do you require? (Parameters)
 What data do you need to get a quick overview of the status of an
event handler? (Status)
 What, and under which conditions, does this event handler need to
be created? (Event Handler Type and Condition)
 To build a complete business process, which event handler types
should be grouped together? (Event Handler Set)

17
SAP EM Template

18
 What We’ll Cover …
• SAP Event Management described
• Terminology
• SAP EM setup – How does it work?
• Design Considerations
• Implementation Considerations
• Wrap up
• Where to next?

19
 A SAP EM Implementation
•ECC – Application System
 Set up communication to SAP EM
 Define Event Manager
 Configure the following:
 Business Process Type (BPT)
 Application Object Type (AOT)
 Event Types
 Code the following:
 Relevance function
 Extractor functions
 ID extractors
 Parameter extractors
 Expected event extractor
 Business Object extractor
 BAdI for calling SAP EM
•SCM – SAP EM Event Manager
 Set up communication to AS
 Define Application System
 Configure the following:
 Event Handlers / sets
 Tracking / Query Ids
 Parameters
 Status profiles
 Expected / unexpected events
 Event codes
 Rules and Rule sets
 Locations
 Partners
 WCL layout
 BW Config
 Archive Config
20
 What We’ll Cover …
• SAP Event Management described
• Terminology
• SAP EM setup – How does it work?
• Design Considerations
• Implementation Considerations
• Wrap up
• Where to next?

21
 Lessons Learned
• Extensive design work up-front
 Event handlers
 Event Messages
 BW reporting needs
• Go easy on Expected event modifications (Performance)
 Don’t do it unless absolutely necessary
• Keep your Event Handlers simple
• Code your own BW extractor
• Review Queues (SMQ1/2) and their performance
 Use custom code in BAdIs to enable parallel queues
• Stick to standard WCL or Web Dynpro reporting
• Code your rule sets very efficiently
 Don’t run rules unnecessarily – Use true rules
 Use function modules instead of check conditions

22
 7 Key Points to Take Home
1. SAP Event Management => track process status
2. Don’t confuse workflow and SAP EM
 Workflow: Focused on pre-defined tasks performed by business objects
or people
 SAP EM: Focused on Statusing and Events to determine proactive and
reactive actions
3. SAP EM is a stand alone utility. Track SAP and non-SAP events
4. KPIs for performance across a process or parts of a process =>
SAP EM and BW
5. Leverage the standard visibility scenarios given by SAP to jump
start your implementation
6. SAP EM is extremely configurable and complex. It is difficult for a
part time resource to “pick it up” => full time resource
7. Exception based management => SAP EM

23
 What We’ll Cover …
• SAP Event Management described
• Terminology
• SAP EM setup – How does it work?
• Design Considerations
• Implementation Considerations
• Wrap up
• Where to next?

24
Next Steps: The Q Data SAP EM “Quick Hit” – 5 days

Analyze Assessment Findings Recommendations

- Summary of Opportunities
- Recommendations
- Road Map

25