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www.sap-press.com 1

Mastering SAP NetWeaver Master Data Management

Bernd Schloemer

Contents

1 Introduction .................................................. 3

1.1 Contents of the Individual Chapters ....... 3

1.2 Acknowledgments ................................. 4

2 The Sample Project ........................................ 5

2.1 Process .................................................. 5

2.2 Consolidation and Harmonization .......... 5

2.3 Importing the Sample Repository ........... 6

2.4 Summary ............................................... 7

3 The Repository .............................................. 9

3.1 Repository Structure .............................. 9

3.2 Creating a Repository ............................. 9

3.3 Loading a Repository ............................. 11

3.4 Creating the Necessary Tables ................ 11

3.5 Creating the Client Systems ................... 13

3.6 Creating Users and Roles ....................... 14

3.7 Conguring Change Tracking .................. 16

3.8 Summary ............................................... 16

4 Preparatory Data Maintenance ...................... 17

4.1 Data Manager: Startup and Overview .... 17

4.2 Data Maintenance in Tables ................... 18

Flat Table .......................................... 18

Hierarchy Table ................................. 18

Image Table ....................................... 20

Products Table ................................... 21

4.3 Summary ............................................... 23

5 Importing Master Data ................................. 25

5.1 Loading Data from a Microsoft

Excel File ............................................... 25

Import Manager ................................ 25

Assigning a Source and a Destination 26

Value Mapping .................................. 28

Performing the Import Process .......... 30Checking the Import in the Data

Manager ........................................... 31

5.2 Batch Import ......................................... 31

5.3 Importing an XML File ........................... 32

5.4 Summary ............................................... 34

6 Data Maintenance Using the Data

Manager ........................................................ 35

6.1 Searching ............................................... 35

Limiting the Data .............................. 35Free-Form Search .............................. 35

Operator ........................................... 36

Reset Search ..................................... 36

Saving the Search .............................. 36

Searching in Hierarchy Tables ............ 36

6.2 Comparing Items ................................... 36

6.3 Protecting Entries .................................. 37

6.4 Check-In and Check-Out ....................... 38

6.5 Validations ............................................. 40

Grouping Validations ......................... 42

Extending the Encoding .................... 44

6.6 Relationships ......................................... 44

6.7 Masks .................................................... 48

6.8 Attributes .............................................. 49

6.9 Modeling the Workow ......................... 51

Start Step .......................................... 52

Process Step ...................................... 52

Validation Step .................................. 52

Process Step (2) ................................ 53


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Contents

2 Galileo Press 2008. All rights reserved.

Validation Step (2) ............................ 53

Approve Step .................................... 53

End Step ........................................... 53

6.10 Executing the Workow ......................... 53

6.11 Summary ............................................... 56

7 Consolidation ................................................ 57

7.1 Consolidation with the Import Manager 57

7.2 Consolidation with the Data Manager .... 60

Matching Based on a Search .............. 60

Matching in the Data Manager .......... 63

7.3 Summary ............................................... 66

8 Exporting Master Data .................................. 67

8.1 Syndicator GUI ...................................... 67

Export into a Flat File ........................ 68

Export into an XML File .................... 69

8.2 SyndicatorBatch ..................................... 71

9 Summary and Outlook .................................. 73

Index ............................................................. 75


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www.sap-press.com 35

This chapter discusses the various Data Manager func-

tionalities that are required for data maintenance. At rst

you will become familiar with the different possibilities

of searching data or managing searches within the Data

Manager. Additionally, we will explain other function-

alities such as comparing data records or check-in and

check-out functionalities. Using the examples, you will

also learn about the concept of attributes as well as vali-dations as a prestage to the workow.

Searching6.1

The Data Manager supports various procedures for

searching for data in the different table types. In addi-

tion to thefree-form search, you can also use restrictions

for the referenced tables (Colors, Category, etc.) to

limit the view of the Record area. As a rst step, we will

use the free-form search for searching for entries in the

Products table. For this purpose, switch to the Record

Mode and select the Products table from the toolbar.

Limiting the Data

To limit the data displayed in the Record view according

to your own criteria use the referenced tables, for exam-

ple, Category, as a selection criterion. To display all data

records of the Products table that have a value ofPC in

the Category table, proceed as follows:

Change to the1. Record Mode.

In the list box of the menu bar, select the2. Productstable.

In the tree structure of the3. Category tab, click on the

PC entry (see Figure 6.1).

Note how the number of rows changes in the

Record area when you click on different nodes of

the tree structure.

Select the4. Color tab and repeat the procedure. Note

that in this view, Color only displays the values that

are actually referenced in the Products table.

Selecting the CategoryFigure 6.1

Free-Form Search

In the table view, click on the Free-Form Search tab. You

will see a view similar to that shown in Figure 6.2.

In the entry eld to the right of Name, enter Hard

drive in the Value column and note how the number of

rows changes in the Record area.

Free-Form SearchFigure 6.2

Data Maintenance6 Using the Data Manager


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6 Data Maintenance Using the Data Manager

Operator

For every search, you can select the operator for every

eld to be searched from the list box. (See Figure 6.3.)

Changing the OperatorFigure 6.3

By combining individual search operators with the elds

to be searched, the Data Manager provides an ef-cient search tool. The following search operators are

supported:

containsE

starts withE

ends withE

equalsE

excludesE

sounds likeE

language layerE

is NULLE

Reset Search

An active searchand thus the display of data in the

Record areacan be reset at any time by clicking on the

Reset Search button in the toolbar (see Figure 6.4).

Resetting the SearchFigure 6.4

Saving the Search

A search can be saved via the Search menu. Additionally,

you can use the Search menu to delete or call existing

searches. This is a useful feature, particularly for recur-

ring searches with search parameters in several elds (see

Figure 6.5).

Saving and Managing SearchesFigure 6.5

Searching in Hierarchy Tables

Hierarchy tables can be searched in a similar way as the

free-form search. First change to the Hierarchy Mode

and then search for all rows that contain the string PC

(see Figure 6.6).

Searching Hierarchy TablesFigure 6.6

Tip

Note that the methods for searching and restricting

data shown previously can be combined. For this pur-

pose, you can rst limit the number of data records in

the Record area, for instance, by selecting a category.

Then you can further limit the result set of the data re-

cords using a free-form search, for example.

Comparing Items6.2

For the comparison of several items, MDM provides the

compare function, which enables a simultaneous presen-

tation of the selected items. To use this function, change

to the Record Mode and from the list box, select the

Products table (see Figure 6.7).


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6.3 Protecting Entries

Selecting the Products TableFigure 6.7

In the table, select several products of the same type, for

instance, all hard drives, and then in the right-click con-

text menu select Compare Records... (see Figure 6.8). As

a result, you are presented with a view in which you can

compare the selected entries (see Figure 6.9).

Selecting and Comparing Products of the Same KindFigure 6.8

Comparing ProductsFigure 6.9

Protecting Entries6.3

Depending on the business process, it makes sense to

protect individual entries in the Products table, for

example, against changes. For this purpose, switch back

to the Record Mode and select the Products table from

the list box. Select several entries, and in the context

menu go to RemovefromMaskProtectionProtect

(see Figure 6.10).

Protecting Entries against ChangesFigure 6.10

As a result, the selected entries will be displayed with a

padlock icon in the rst column; these entries are now

locked (see Figure 6.11). Select one of the items marked

with such a padlock and try to change individual elds in


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the Record Detail area. As can be expected, you will not

succeed because all elds are protected against changes.

Locked EntriesFigure 6.11

Individual or all protected entries can also be unlocked

again via the context menu (Protection Unprotect)

(see Figure 6.12).

Unlocking EntriesFigure 6.12

Check-In and Check-Out6.4

Similar to the Protect functionality, MDM also provides

a check-in and check-out mechanism that enables you to

protect one or several entries against changes by other

users. This functionality is applied, for example, when

several people simultaneously work in a repository and

make changes. An entry with a check-out cannot be

changed by other users until the check-in. To test this

functionality, change to the Record Mode and from the

list box, select the Products table. Mark an entry in the

Record area, and in the context menu select CheckIn/

OutCheckOutExclusive (see Figure 6.13).

As you can see, there are other options apart from

the exclusive check-out. The check-out for new records

is particularly interesting. It can be used to protect new

records against being changed immediately after their

creation.

A record with a check-out is identied by the yellow

icon in the second column of the Records area (see Fig-

ure 6.14).

In the Record Detail area, now change the Manufac-

turer from ATI to Dummy and click in the Records area

to save your change. This means you check out the data

and try to change it in the second Data Manager. Open

the Data Manager a second time and log on as the Copy-

writer user.

Selecting Check-In and Check-OutFigure 6.13

Record with Check-OutFigure 6.14


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6.4 Check-In and Check-Out

Note

It is important that you log on as another user in the

second Data Manager instance instead of the one you

are currently using.

As you can see in Figure 6.15, the record also has the

check-out icon here and is also marked light blue. It is

therefore not possible to change the elds for this record

in the Data Manager.

Record with Check-Out IconFigure 6.15

Change to the Data Manager with your Admin user. The

Manufacturer eld still shows a value of Dummy (see

Figure 6.16).

Dummy Value in the Manufacturer FieldFigure 6.16

In the Check In/Out context menu, now select the Roll

Back menu option (see Figure 6.17). This function resets

the changes to the Manufacturer eld to the original

value. Additionally, the check-out icon has been removed(see Figure 6.18). You could have used the Check In menu

option to accept your change and to check the record

back in, that is, release it to be edited by other users.

Selecting the Roll Back OptionFigure 6.17

Original ValueFigure 6.18

The Modify Join Permissions context menu option opens

another window (see Figure 6.19), in which you can useAdd to allow other users to edit one of the checked-out

records.


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Modify Join PermissionsFigure 6.19

When a record is edited by several users, to ensure that a

eld cannot be edited simultaneously by multiple users,

an error message as shown in Figure 6.20 is displayed

when other users are trying to change the same eld.

Error MessageFigure 6.20

Validations6.5

With validations, the Data Manager allows you to check

the contents of individual or several records at a time.

A validation always returns a boolean value (true or

false). This value is indicated in the Records area as a

new column with a red or a green icon (red for false,

green for true). To create a validation, in the Record

Detail area go to the Validations tab. Now right-click

within the area below Validations and select Add Valida-

tion from the context menu (see Figure 6.21).

Creating a ValidationFigure 6.21

The rst validation is to check whether all entries in Prod-

ucts have a price. As the name of the validation, enter

Check Price (see Figure 6.22). In the Table eld, enter

Products as the table name.

Entering a Name for the ValidationFigure 6.22

You can start the Code Editor for the validation by click-

ing on the [Validation Expression] button in the Valida-

tion eld (see Figure 6.23).

Starting the Code EditorFigure 6.23

The Code Editor is now displayed (see Figure 6.24) and

enables you to use the list boxes (Fields, Operators,

Functions, etc.) to conveniently access predened func-

tions and the elds of your tables.


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6.5 Validations

Functions of the Code EditorFigure 6.24

To check the contents of a eld, you can use the Is Null

function. For an empty eld, this would return true

(green icon). However, it makes more sense to have a red

icon in our case; therefore we will use the Is Not Null

function, which will return false. Now select this func-

tion as shown in Figure 6.25.

Selecting the Is Not Null FunctionFigure 6.25

The Editor window now displays the inserted function.In the Editor window, place the cursor between the

two parentheses of the function, and from the list box

select the Price eld (see Figure 6.26). Your Editor should

now display the entry IS_NOT_NULL(Price) (see Figure

6.27).

Field SelectionFigure 6.26

Entry in the Code EditorFigure 6.27


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Exit the Editor by clicking on the OK button. Before you

test the next validation, in the Products table add a data

record without a value for Price. As shown in Figure 6.28,

use the Add menu option from the context menu.

Creating an EntryFigure 6.28

In the Products table, select all entries by pressing

[Ctrl-A], and then in the context menu, go to Valida-

tionsExecuteCheckPrice as shown in Figure 6.29.

Checking the PriceFigure 6.29

As a result of the validation, a new column, Check Price,

is created in the Records area, and all entries except forthe new data record have a green icon (see Figure 6.30).

Entries with Checked PriceFigure 6.30

Proceed in the same way to create the validations Check

Image (see Figure 6.31) and Check Desc(see Figure 6.32)

that will check the contents of the Image and Descrip-

tion elds.

Validation Check ImageFigure 6.31

Validation Check DescriptionFigure 6.32

Once you have entered these validations, your Data Man-

ager should display the entries shown in Figure 6.33.

ValidationFigure 6.33 s in the Data Manager

Now check your new validations as described previously.

As you might have noticed, you can only run one valida-

tion at a time. To run several validations simultaneously,

SAP NetWeaver MDM provides two options:

Group the validations.1.

Extend the encoding.2.

Lets rst have a look at grouping validations.

Grouping Validations

To create a validation group, right-click in the Validation

area and from the context menu, select Check Price

EditValidationGroups... (see Figure 6.34). Then right-

click on Validation Groups and select Add Child (see Fig-

ure 6.35).


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6.5 Validations

Edit Validation GroupsFigure 6.34

Specify a name for your new validation group, for exam-

ple, CheckProd, and close the window by clicking on

the OK button (see Figure 6.36).

Add ChildFigure 6.35

Validation Group CheckProdFigure 6.36

Change to the Check Price validation and then open the

list box in the Group eld. Use the Add button to add the

CheckProd group to your validation (see Figure 6.37).

Adding a Validation to a GroupFigure 6.37

Repeat these steps for the Check Images validation and

add it to the CheckProd group as well.

Test the validation group by selecting all entries in theRecords area by pressing [Ctrl-A] and selecting Check-

Prod from the context menu, as shown in Figure 6.38.

As a result, you will see two new columns correspond-

ing to the two validations in the CheckProd group (see

Figure 6.39).

Testing a Validation GroupFigure 6.38

Validation ResultFigure 6.39

Lets now take a look at the second option of running

several validations simultaneously: the extension of the

encoding.


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Extending the Encoding

Another option for merging several validations is to join

the validations in the Code Editor. Create a new valida-

tion named Check All and call it in the Code Editor. Use

the list boxes to create the code shown in Figure 6.40.The AND can be obtained via the Operators list box.

Code in the Code EditorFigure 6.40

Save this validation and check it. Now select the new

validation from the context menu (see Figure 6.41). This

results in a new column [Check All], the rows of which

should each display a red icon as the validation result

(false) (see Figure 6.42).

Selecting Check AllFigure 6.41

New Column [Check All]Figure 6.42

Relationships6.6

In SAP NetWeaver MDM, a relationship is an option of

expressing dependencies between entries, for example,

between different products. In real life, relationships are

used for the following purposes:

To illustrate that a material belongs to an assemblyE

To dene alternative materials for a material.E

Assembly is a term used for grouping materials on dif-

ferent levels. For example, a car engine consists of vari-

ous individual materials that are grouped in the engine

assembly.

Before we can use relationships we must create the

appropriate tables in the MDM Console. Close the Data

Manager and change to the MDM Console. First unload

the current mdm_book repository by going to Unload

RepositoryImmediate so that you can make changes

(see Figure 6.43).

Unloading a RepositoryFigure 6.43

Change to the Relationships table and right-click in

the Records area. Select Add Relationship (see Figure6.44).

Adding a RelationshipFigure 6.44


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In addition to this manual method, you can also

import relationships from a le. Such import les are sim-

ple text les that contain two elds per row. These elds

are separated by tabs. The following listing illustrates the

setup of such an import le:

Name [tab]Name

PC INTEL CELERON[tab]Power Supply

PC INTEL CELERON[tab]Mainboard AMD

PC INTEL CELERON[tab]Hard drive 300G

To import relationships, select Import from File in the

Relationships menu and select the relation.txt le (see

Figure 6.54).

Relationship EditorFigure 6.49

Select the parts tab and click again on your Data

Manager to select the following rows in the Products

table:

Hard drive 300GE

Mainboard AMDE

Power SupplyE

VGA cardE

Then select Add to Group in the Relationships menu

(see Figure 6.50).

Selecting PartsFigure 6.50

The selected rows are transferred to the Relationship Edi-

tor and listed as PC AMD Sempron children (see Figure

6.51).

Assigned ChildrenFigure 6.51

Now, close the Relationship Editor and select again PC

AMD Sempron in the Records area. As shown in Figure

6.52, the Record Detail area shows that the parts

entry has four relationships with other entries.

Entry Including RelationshipsFigure 6.52

In this example, you added the selected parts by selecting

the assembly (PC AMD Sempron). You can also select a

part directly and assign it to an assembly by using the PC

tab in the Relationship Editor (see Figure 6.53).


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6.6 Relationships

Direct Selection of a Component and Assignment to an AssemblyFigure 6.53

Importing a RelationshipFigure 6.54

A status report is displayed after the import has been com-

pleted (see Figure 6.55). The status report enables you to

determine whether all relationships can be created.

Status Report with Successfully Imported RelationshipsFigure 6.55


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Masks6.7

In SAP NetWeaver MDM, masks enable you to create

one or more subsets of the current repository without

having to store the master data in duplicate. To create a

new mask, select the Masks table in the list box of the

menu bar (see Figure 6.56).

Creating a New MaskFigure 6.56

Right-click in the Records area and select Add in the con-

text menu. Name the new mask Demomask (see Fig-

ure 6.57).

Naming a MaskFigure 6.57

Having saved the mask, change to the Products table

and select the tab for the free-form search. Search for

entries that contain the VGA value in the Name eld (see

Figure 6.58).

Free-Form SearchFigure 6.58 for VGA Value

Select the two entries found and select Add to Mask

Demomask in the context menu, as shown in Figure

6.59. You can now see that your demo mask was entered

in the Masks eld in the Record Detail area (see Figure

6.60).

Context Menu: Add to MaskFigure 6.59

DemomaskFigure 6.60 in the Record Detail Area

First, delete possibly active searches using the Reset

Search button (see Figure 6.61). Then, select the Mask

tab and switch between both entries [None] and Demo-

mask. Note how the number of the data records changes

(see Figure 6.62).

Resetting a SearchFigure 6.61

Selecting a MaskFigure 6.62

The context menu provides other functions, such as

Remove from Mask to remove masks and Replace in

Mask to replace masks (see Figure 6.63).


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6.8 Attributes

Other Functions in the Context MenuFigure 6.63

Using the MDM Console, you can assign masks with the

appropriate authorizations to a role. This enables you to

easily set up different authorization concepts within a

repository.

Attributes6.8

In the case study, we used the taxonomy table, Cate-

gories, that is already dened to divide the products

into different areas (ofce supplies, PC, etc.). Using the

attributes concept, SAP NetWeaver MDM enables youto divide the products into other categories based on the

taxonomy tables. This case study provides a category for

PC hard drives. However, another classication of the

hard drives into capacities would be useful. To imple-

ment this requirement, create a Size attribute as well as

different areas for capacities. The new attribute is pro-

vided for entries in the Products table that are assigned

to the PC Hard drives category.

To create a new attribute, change to Taxonomy Mode.

Right-click in the Records area and select Add in the con-

text menu (see Figure 6.64).

Creating a New AttributeFigure 6.64

Enter the following values in the Attribute Detail area

(see Figure 6.65):

Name Drive capacity

Alias Capacity

Defnition Capacity for hard drives

The Attribute Detail tabFigure 6.65

Now, click on the Add button and enter the followingvalues in the following order (see also Figure 6.66):

Text:

< 100 GBE

100 200 GBE

200 300 GBE

> 300 GBE

Selecting an AttributeFigure 6.66

The attribute can be saved by clicking in the Records

area. In the next step, you must link the attribute with

one or more entries of the taxonomy table. In our case

study, you should only link the attribute with the PC

Hard drives value. Thus, select this value and then Link

in the context menu, as shown in Figure 6.67.


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AAction item, 27, 30, 59

Adapter, 6

Approve step, 53

Assembly, 44

Attribute, 22, 49

Link, 50

Select, 49

BBatch import, 31

Batch Import Manager, 25, 30

Boolean value, 40

CCategories, 18, 19

Changes

Protection against, 37

Change tracking, 16

Check-in/Check-out, 38

Child, 19

Client systems, 13, 25

Code Editor, 41, 44

Color, 18

Command line, 31

Compare function, 36

Comparing data records, 35

Consolidation, 5, 57

Contains, 36

DDatabase account, 10

Database server, 10

Data group, 20

Data maintenance, 35

Data Manager, 5, 9, 17, 31, 35, 57

Consolidation with, 60

Record, 17

Record details, 17

Record infos, 17

Tables, 17

Data, restrict, 16

Demo mask, 48

Description, 22

Destination

Assigning, 26

EEditing modes, 18

End step, 53

Ends with, 36

Equals, 36

Excludes, 36

Execute import, 59

Export, 67

Into an XML file, 69

Into a flat file, 68

Into an XML file, 71

Expression Editor, 61

FFamily mode, 18

Field mapping, 26, 28, 33

Flat table, 18

Free-form search, 35, 48, 61

HHarmonization, 5, 6

Hierarchy, 10

Hierarchy mode, 18

Hierarchy table, 18

Searching, 36

IImages, 20

Image table, 20

Import, 25, 30

Check, 31

Perform, 30

Processing steps, specifying, 26

Start, 26

Using an XML file, 32

Import action, 30, 59

Change, 30

Create, 59

Replace, 59

Skip, 59

Update (All Mapped Fields), 59

Update (Null Fields only), 59

ImportBatch.ini, 31

Import format, 25

Import Manager, 5, 9, 25, 26, 32, 57

Consolidation with, 57

Import status, 27

INI file, 31

Is NULL, 36

ItemCode, 22

Item Editor, 68

ItemName, 22

Items, 68

LLanguage layer, 36

Limiting the data, 35

Log file, 31, 32

MManufacturItemCode, 22

Map, 30, 31, 34, 60, 69

Mapping, 31

Mask, 48

Index


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76 Galileo Press 2008 All rights reserved

Index

Matching

Based on a search, 60

Check, 20, 59

Field, 58

In the Data Manager, 63

Matching field, 34, 60Matching mode, 18

Match records, 65

MDM, 5

MDM Console, 5, 7, 9, 44, 49

MDM server, 7, 9, 10

Logon, 17

Startup, 17

MDMWorkflowInstall.exe, 51

Merge, 66

Merge Editor, 62

Microsoft Excel file, 25

Mount, 10

OOperator, 36, 44

Change, 36

Contains, 36

Ends with, 36

Equals, 36

Excludes, 36

Is NULL, 36

Language layer, 36

Sounds like, 36

Starts with, 36

PPort, 11

Price, 22

Process step, 52, 53

Products, 21

RRead/Write, 15

Record, 18

Record mode, 18

Reference, 20

Relationship, 44

Import, 47

Relationship Editor, 46

Repository, 6, 9, 11

Being loaded, 11Create, 9, 10

Load, 11, 45

Must be updated, 11

Selection, 17

Stopped, 11

Unload, 44

Reset search, 36

Role, 14, 16

Assign, 16

Create, 14

Roll back, 39

Rule, 64

SSample project, 5

SAP NetWeaver Exchange Infrastructure

(SAP NetWeaver XI), 5, 67

SAP NetWeaver Master Data

Management (MDM), 5

Scheduler, 71

Search

Saving, 36

Search expression, 61

Search operator, 36, 60

Sibling, 19

Sounds like, 36

Source

Assigning, 26

Source preview, 26

Start step, 52

Starts with, 36

Strategy, 64

Syndication, 67, 71

Syndicator, 6, 9, 67

SyndicatorBatch, 71Syndicator GUI, 67

Syndicator Server, 67

TTables

Create, 11

Taxonomy mode, 18

Transformation, 63

Trigger, 52

UUnarchive repository, 7

User, 14

VValidate step, 52, 53

Validation group, 42, 43

Validations, 40, 43, 52

Running simultaneously, 42

Value mapping, 28, 29, 33, 58, 59

Visio, 51, 52

WWeight, 22

Workflow, 5, 51, 53, 54, 56

Workflow tasks, 54

XXML file, 25, 32

Import, 32

Structure, 32

XML schema, 70

ZZip file, 6

Zoom, 23

Documents

176_leseprobe