ALE/IDoc Interface

Trainers Prakash Kumar Bodicherla Ajay Thota

Day 1
Brief introduction on Idoc Development of Segments, Idoc Types, Extensions and Idoc enhancements Idoc views, Message type attachments Configuration steps for ALE/EDI

Exercise
Creation of Segments, Idoc types, Extension types Custom Idoc creation and Extension Idoc data population Configuration steps

Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.

Day 2
Filters, Conversion Rules, Reduction of Message type, Change Pointers Introduction to EDI Mapping documents and TDS Idoc trouble shooting

Exercise
ALE filters, conversion Rules and Reduction Message type Sample EDI Mapping document of 850 and 855 (Outbound and Inbound)

Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.

Introduction to ALE (SALE)

A Distributed process is one in which part of a business process is carried out on one system and part on another. Reasons for distributing
Geographical Location Consolidation of several business units Mission Critical Applications Upgrading a module separately Data Security
Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved. 4

IDoc Structure
Control Record
IDoc-ID Sender-ID Receiver-ID IDoc type and logical message External structure IDoc-ID Sequence/Hierarchy Segment Format definition for
header data item data

Data Record

Status Record

IDoc-ID Status information

Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.

IDoc Types

Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.

IDoc Data Flow

Outbound
Application

Data
MM SD ...

Inbound
Application

Message Control

Workflow

IDoc Interface & ALE Services

IDoc

IDoc Interface & ALE Services

System 2
e.g. EDI subsystem

File tRFC XML ...

System 2
e.g. EDI subsystem

Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.

Inbound Data Flow

System 2, e.g. EDI subsystem
IDoc

IDoc Interface & ALE Services

IDoc + Process

SAP Business Workflow

Document

IDoc + Function Module

SAP Application

Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.

Outbound Status Transitions

42 01 29 06 26 25 08 07 05 37 39 24 04

10 30 40 03 02 22 18 20 14 16 31
Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.

09

41

12

11

15 17

Inbound Status Transitions

74 50 65 60 61 56

64 66

Notifications from the EDI subsystem prior to IDoc creation, can be received via message TXTRAW.

62

63

52

51

53

68

Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.

10

Extension of IDoc types and Development of New IDoc

IDoc Development

Developing IDoc Interfaces

Definitions How to Extend ? Exercises to Extend IDoc Processing Development of Data Structure
Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved. 12

Development Areas of an IDoc Process

Application
Function Module Program Business Workflow Function Module

ut O

nd ou

Pr

s es oc

IDoc Type

Segment

b In
Segment Name

nd ou

Pr

s es oc

Segment Type

IDoc Interface

D
Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.

r St ata

t ur uc

13

Definition: IDoc Type Basis Type = IDoc Type Basis Type Extension IDoc Type

+ =

Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.

14

What Kind of Development, and When

The IDoc type requested is available, and matches all requirements: Nothing to be done ! The IDoc type requested is available, but does not match in all the requirements: Development as extension ! The IDoc type requested is not available, or matches only in few requirements: Development as basic type !
Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved. 15

Advantages of Extensions

The standard code of processing is still

in use.

Developments and corrections of

standard code are available automatically.

Extensions are much less effort than

developments.

Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.

16

Custom Segments and IDoc

Naming Convention:
Names assigned to an IDoc type should be meaningful. It should tell the user what that IDoc does. Maximum length allowed is 30 characters for release 4x. Here is a format for naming custom IDocs. Z <meaningful name> <version number> Custom IDoc type must start with Z and end with two numeric characters. This number denotes the version of the IDoc. In general the version number is incremented by one. Example: ZEMP_MNT_RPT01. For the next version, this IDoc will be ZEMP_MNT_RPT02. Naming Segments requires the following format Z1 <meaningful name> All custom segments begin with Z1 and all SAP Segments begin with E1

Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.

17

Segment Fomatting Guidelines

Data fields in a segment can contain only alphanumeric values.
Data Types
CHAR CLNT CUKY DATS LANG NUMC TIMS

Description
Character String Client Currency Key, referenced by CURR fields Date Field ( YYYYMMDD) stored as char(8) Language Key Character field with only digits Time Field (HHMMSS), stored as char(6)

Fields should be left aligned. Character fields are automatically left aligned, but number values when assigned to a character field are padded with spaces on the left. These spaces must be removed from the fields programmatically using the condense command. Data is not case sensitive. Negative values are indicated by a minus sign after the value. Therefore 123 is written as 123-. Numbers with fractional values use a period to represent the decimal point. Floating-point numbers also use a period to represent the decimal point. No formatting is used to separate values in the thousands. E.g 29,000.00 29000.00

Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.

18

Create Segment

Segment Type Segment Definition

Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.

19

Fundamental Rules-Custom Extensions

Additional custom fields are assembled in separate custom segments. Custom segments are assigned to standard segments as child-segments. Processing of custom segments is implemented in custom-exits. The custom-exits are called in standard code.

Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.

20

IDoc Views
IDoc types can be used for more than one message, that is, for more than one business process. As a result, the IDoc types usually contain more segments than necessary for the individual application cases. To improve performance when generating IDocs, you can use views to ensure that only the segments relevant to the current business process are filled with data. Views are therefore only important for IDoc outbound processing.
1. WE32 View Development 2. Enter a name for the view and choose Create button 3. Assign a message type (logical message) and a basic type to the view (the assignment of an extension to the view is optional). His assignment is checked in the partner profiles 4. Position the cursor on a segment, which is to be included in the view. 5. The following segments must be included in the view 1. Qualified Segments 2. Mandatory Segments 1. Save your entries. 2. In the Partner profiles, enter the view for the corresponding combination of partner and message.

Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.

21

Basic Rules for Development

Segments are formed as logical units based on the
(application) field. They are reusable modules of IDoc development.

Segment groups are formed as logical units from segments. IDoc types are derived from segments and segment groups.
Tehy are the data structure of an application document for the transmission.

During development IDoc types are created as basic IDoc

types.

The business process itself is not identified through an IDoc

type, but rather through the logical message.

Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.

22

Creation of new Basic Type

There are six phases involved in the methodology to create an IDoc for any Outbound Process (With or without MC). Analysis: Analyze the business requirements and compare them with what SAP Provides. Preparation: Identify various parameters used in the process Setup: Configure the EDI components and build the necessary Master Data. Testing: test the setup phase. Execution: Execute the process Verification: Verify the results

Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.

23

ALE Business Processes

ALE Business Processes

An ALE business process is an integrated, cross-system business process ALE business processes run between: - Several R/3 Systems Logistics, Financial Accounting and HR on separate systems, for example - R/3 and non-R/3 systems Warehouse Management in R/3, external warehouse control system, for example Integrated ALE business processes - Loose integration (asynchronous, message-based) - Close integration (synchronous) - A combination of both

Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.

25

Example of an ALE Business Process

Exchange of messages
BLAORD, BLAOCH BLAREL EKSEKS FIDCMT FIROLL BLAOR BLAOCH BLAREL EKSEKS FIDCMT FIROLL

Headquarters
Accounting Central purchasing Purchasing Information System

Contract/change Change Release order statistics Purchasing Information System FI document FI rollup

PRODUCTION
Local purchasing Invoice verification

Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.

26

SMD Tool for Distributing Master Data

Application Engineering change management ALE layer SMD Customizing

Create/change master data

Generate change document ALE relevant? Write pointers

Batch job / manual

Standard ALE outbound processing

Generate IDocs

master data Master

Change documents

Change pointers

Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.

27

Useful TCodes

Main Menus WEDI BALE SALE NACE Main menu for EDI-related activities Main menu for ALE-related activities. Main menu for ALE configuration. Main menu for Message Control configuration

IDoc Definition SE11 WE31 WE30 BD53 WE60 WE61 Data Dictionary Segment Editor IDoc editor to create and extend IDoc type Reduce IDoc for master data IDoc documentation (IDoc structure and segment definition) IDoc Documentation (control record, data record, and status records)

IDoc Monitoring WE02 WE05 WE07 IDoc Display IDoc Lists IDoc Statistics

Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.

29

Configuration (Basic Infrastructure for ALE & EDI) Maintain partner profile manually WE20 BD82 WE21 SM59 BD64 BD71 Generate partner profiles automatically Port Definition RFC Destination Maintain customer model Distribute customer model

Reprocessing IDocs Process outbound IDocs BD88 BD87 Process inbound IDocs

Configuration of New IDoc Components Create new message type WE81 WE82 WE41 WE42 WE57 BD51 BD67 Link IDoc type and message type Create outbound process code Create inbound process code Allocate inbound function module to message type Define settings for inbound function module Assign input methods for a process code (inbound)

Testing WE19 WE12 WE16 WE17 Test tool for IDocs Convert an outbound to inbound IDoc. Process an incoming IDoc file Process an incoming status file

Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.

30

Questions

Copyright 2004 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved.

31