ALEIDocs Overview

7/30/2019 ALEIDocs Overview

1/68

1.

ALE AND IDOCS OVERVIEW


2/68

2.

ALE

ALE is a business solution to a very real need emerging in the SAPmarket. This is the need for businesses to move towards tighterintegration between systems, yet, at the same time, provideindependence to the various business units within the company.In the past the move was towards centralized systems

Standardization of business processes accompanied by ever tighterintegration within the central system no longer represents a practicableapproach to this problem. The following are some of the most commonlyencountered difficulties:

technical bottlenecks upgrade problems the effect of time zones on international

Corporations excessively long response times in large centralized

systems


3/68

3.

The SAP Solution - ALE

SAP has provided ALE (Application Link Enabling) as the solution to theseissues. It allows you to:

Distribute your applications across several SAP systems,

such that centralized functions, as well as decentralized

functions can operate in the same company arena

Maintain and distribute master data elements from a central

system, thus maintaining unique number ranges acrossseveral systems

Couple R/2 and R/3 systems, in some instances

Couple SAP and external systems, via IDocs (Intermediatedocuments) and an external translation mechanism


4/68

4.

How ALE Works?

ALE allows the user to perform an SAP transaction in the sending system,after which the following steps occur:

One or more communication IDocs (intermediate documents: container forthe application data) are created in the sending system database. An ALE

distribution model, that needs to have been configured, determines whichsystems the IDocs are to be sent

These communication IDocs, that contain the relevant application data of thetransaction that was performed, are then passed to the ALE communicationlayer

This layer performs an RFC call using the port definition and RFC destinationdetermined through the customer model

The IDocs are then transferred to the respective receiving systems. Thesecould be SAP R/3, R/2 or external systems


5/685.

IDoc INTERFACE

Business data is exchanged with an external system using the IDoc Interface.The IDoc Interface consists of the definition of a data structure and aprocessing logic for this.

The data structure is the IDoc. It is the exchange format that unites the

communicating systems. Using IDocs you can define an exception handlingwithin the R/3 System using SAP Business Workflow, without the need for thedata to already be an SAP application document.

You require the IDoc Interface in the following scenarios:

Electronic Data Exchange (EDI)Application Link Enabling (ALE)

Linking to any other business application systems (for example, PCapplications, external workflow tools) using IDoc.


6/686.

What is an IDoc ?

The term IDoc stands for Intermediate Document. Its not aprocess. An IDoc is simply a data container that is used toexchange information between any two processes that canunderstand the syntax and semantics of the data.

An IDoc is created as a result of execution of an outbound ALE orEDI process. In an inbound ALE or EDI process, an IDoc serves asan input to create application document.

IDocs are independent of sending and receiving system. They

can be used for SAP to SAP and SAP to non-SAP processcommunications as long as the participating processes canunderstand the syntax and semantics of the data.


7/687.

IDocs are independent of the direction of data exchange.An IDoc canbe used by an inbound as well as an outbound process.

For e.g the ORDERS01 IDoc is used by the purchasing module tosend a purchase order and is also used by the sales and distributionmodule to accept a sales order. This avoids creating redundant IDoc

types for the same information.


8/688.

S AP AG 1999 ID o cE n jo y (T h . Be cke r ) / 5

ID o c C o n c e p t

A s y n c h r o n o u s

D o c u m e n t -r e la t e d

R /3 S y s t e m

S y s t e m 1

S A P

D o c u m e n t

E D I s u b s y s t e m

R / 3 S y s t e m

R / 2 S y s t e m

3 r d p a r t y s o f t w a r e

S y s t e m 2

D o c u m e n t

T r a n s a c t i o n

M e s s a g e

I D o c


9/689.

The business data is saved in IDoc format in the IDoc interface and is

forwarded as IDocs. If an error occurs, exception handling is triggeredvia workflow tasks. The agents who are responsible for these tasks and

have the relevant authorizations are defined in the IDoc interface.The IDoc interface supports three types of data flow with the external

system:

Outbound Processing

IDocs are transferred to a receiving system from your SAP System

Inbound ProcessingIDocs are transferred to your SAP System from an upstream system.

Status Processing

The receiving system confirms the processing status of outbound

Idocs to your SAP System.


10/6810.

SAP AG 1999 IDocEnjoy (Th. Becker) / 1

IDoc Data Flow

File

tRFC

XML

...

Application

Message Control

IDoc Interface &ALE Services

System 2e.g. EDI subsy stem

MMSD...

IDoc

Appl ication

Workflow

IDoc Interface &ALE Services

System 2e.g. EDI subsy stem

Ou t bo u n d Data In b o un d


11/6811.


Outbound Data Flow

IDoc

NASTRecord

Document

Document

SAPApplicat io n

MessageControl (NAST)

System 2, e.g. EDIsubsystem

IDoc Interface & ALE Services


12/6812.

Inbound Data Flow

SAPapplication

SAP Business Workflow

System 2, e.g. EDIsubsystem

IDoc Interface & ALE Services

Document

IDoc +

Process

IDoc

IDoc +Function Module


13/6813.

ADVANTAGES OF USING IDocsFor e.g Standard IDoc MATMAS01 is used to exchange material master informationwith the legacy system in version 3.1G. Now the company decides to go in for aversion upgrade to 3.1H in which MATMAS01 has been enhanced .You can continue

to use the older version and then decide to switch to the enhanced IDoc later.

Ability to create and enhance IDocs

Using the standard tools ( IDoc editor and segment editor ) you can either enhance

standard SAP IDocs or create new IDocs in the system to support custom interface.

The newly developed IDocs integrate seamlessly into the standard ALE/ EDI interfacebecause they are developed using standard tools provided by the system. They alsobecome available in the standard list of SAP IDocs and can take advantage of all the

tools are designed like IDoc monitoring, error handling and archiving.


14/68

14.

Following are the benefits of IDocs over Flat files.

Independence from Applications

The biggest advantage of using the IDoc interface is that its an openinterface i.e independent of the internal structure used by SAP to store

data and independent of sending and receiving applications.

Communication with Back-Level IDocs

The standard IDocs and the segments within the IDoc have a version

associated with them.Each time a standard IDoc or a segment is enhanced,the system assigns it a newer version. Partner applications that were developedusing a previous version of the IDocs are fully supported.SAP can generate and process back-level IDocs. This version managementtechnology offers backward compatibility.


15/68

15.

Custom IDocs are distinguished from SAP IDocs by their names,

as they start with Z.

Standard Monitoring Tools

Several tools are available to monitor the state of the system. They

range from simple IDoc display to IDoc statistics.

IDoc type Documentation

Each IDoc in the system is thoroughly documented .The usage is

detailed down to the field level with possible values for each field andhow it affects the process.

The documentation of any IDoc can be obtained using transactionWE60.

Archiving ToolsTools are available for miscellaneous tasks such as archiving ,data cleanup and restoring information back into SAP.


16/68

16.

USE OF IDocs

EDI integration

EDI is electronic exchange of business documents between SAP and non-SAP systems.Several applications ( purchasing, sales or shipping ) in SAP are enabled for EDI.

To use EDI first the application document viz.. purchase order is created. EDI interfacelayer converts the application document into an IDoc which is transferred to an EDIsubsystem.The EDI subsystem translates the IDoc into an industry-standard formatand then transfers it to a business partner over a network.

ALE Integration

ALE (Application Link Enabling) enables the exchange of data between two SAPsystems.This system allows SAP businessprocesses and applications to be distributed

across multiple SAP systems.ALE ensures integration in a distributed SAPenvironment.


17/68

17.

OCR Application integration

OCR( Optical Character Recognition ) is a technology that scans and interprets printedmatter using pattern recognition. You can integrate an OCR application with SAP viaIDocs. Documents in a standard format can be scanned to generate IDocs, which

then can be transferred to the SAP system for processing.

ICR Application integration

Bar-code system is an example ICR ( Intelligent Character Recognition ) technology.

Data encoded using bar-codes can be captured and stored as an IDoc, which thencan be passed to SAP for further processing.


18/68

18.

Comparing Flat File Structure

to

IDoc Structure


19/68

19.

The best way to explain the IDoc architecture is to compare your legacy world to howSAP implements the same concept in IDoc.

Assume that you have an application that records an employees weekly hours .At the end of the month, a file containing the monthly report data for each issent to external system. This application has been replaced by the SAP system ,and a standard IDoc has been developed to support the process.

Lname(10) Fname(10) SSN(11) DOB(8) Employee header occurs once mandatory

Week no(1) Hrs worked(3) Hrly rate(3) Client site(20) Work des.(50) Weekly details multiple

Total hrs(3) Total amount(10) Summary once


20/68

20.

Following are some properties of the file:

It has three types of records: employee header information,weekly details and monthly summaries.

Each record type has certain properties ,such as whether itsoptional or mandatory, number of times it can be repeated,field names, data type for each field, and length of each field.

The client site and work description in the weekly details isnot always available.


21/68

21.

ZMREPT01 Segments

Z1EMHDR(M,1,1)

Z1WKDET(O,1,99999)

Z1CLDET(O,1,1)

Z1SUMRY(O,1,1)

Lname Fname SSN Dob

Week no Hrly Rate Tot Hrs

Clsite Work desc.

Tot hrs Tot amount

IDOC vers ion of the flat fi le


22/68

22.

An example of the mon thly report f ile fo r one par ticular emp loyee

Smith John 123-45-6789 102668

1 30 40 Houston Brewery Beer Testing

2 30 40 Network Computers High Level Consulting3 30 50 Network Computers Programming

4 50 60 DSP Systems EDI Programming

140 6900

Comparison


23/68


24/68

24.

List of permitted segments:

These segments make up the IDoc structure. The current example has four segments:Z1EMHDR, Z1WKDET , Z1CLDET and Z1SUMRY.

Arrangement of segments:

Arrangement specifies the physical sequence and any parent-child relationship in thesegments. A parent-child relationship signifies that the child segment cannot existwithout the parent and is commonly used for text segments. It gives an IDoc type ahierarchical structure.


25/68

25.

Mandatory versus Optional segments:

When used in an IDoc type,each segment has an attribute that defines whether thesegment is optional or mandatory.

In the example given, Z1EMHDRis a mandatory segment because the monthly reportwill not make sense without the employees basic information.

Minimum / Maximum range for each segment:

Each segment has an attribute that defines the minimum and the maximum numberof times a data record corresponding to a segment can exist in an IDoc.

In the example given, data records corresponding to the Z1WKDET segment can

occur multiple times.


26/68

26.

SEGMENTS

A segment defines the format and structure of a data record. Segments are reusablecomponents, which means they can be used in more than one IDoc type. A segmentconsists of various fields that represent data in a data record.

Segment Components

A segment in the SAP system is technically implemented as three physically separatepieces.

1) Segment typeThis is version independent name of the segment. SAP provided segment types beginwith E1, whereas custom-defined segment types begin with Z1.

In the example Z1EMPHDR and Z1WKDET are segment types.


27/68

27.

2) Segment definition

This is version dependent definition of a segment where you specify the fields thatbelong to the segment. SAP segment definitions start with E2, whereas customersegment definitions start with Z2.

The name of a segment definition is 10 characters long and is automatically assignedby the system from the name of the segment type.

For e.g for the segment type E1EDKA1, the segment definition is

E2EDKA1.

The last three characters represent the version of the segment.The first segmentdefinition has spaces in last three characters.The last three characters areincremented by 1 to reflect the new definition.


28/68

28.

Segment definitions Z2TEST Z2TEST001 Z2TEST002

Field 1

Field 2

Field 3

Field 4

Field 1

Field 2

Field 3

Field 4

Field 5

Field 1

Field 2

Field 3

Field 4

Field 5

Field 6

IDOC Defin it ion Components


29/68

29.

3) Segment Documentation

This represents the data dictionary documentation for each field in the segmentdefinition.Segment documentation of SAP-provided segments begins with E3,whereas the segment documentation of customer-defined segment types with Z3.

There is only one segment documentation per segment.


30/68

30.

IDoc RUN TIME COMPONENTS:

Although there are several records in an IDoc,they are still classified as oneof the three record type.

Control Record

Data RecordStatus Record

At run time the following events occur:-

A unique IDoc number is allocated.

One control record is attached to the IDoc.Segments translate into data records.Status records are attached.

Syntax rules are checked.


31/68

31.

Structure of a Idoc type

Idoc are nothing but container of data for ALE and EDI processIt is basically a structured format for carrying data.Idoc type is a Idoc structure without the data , at run time it iscalled as Idoc.

Message type is mapped to a Idoc type.Each Idoc type will have a inbound program and a Outboundprogram. The program will create the particular Idoc.

NameSegments (no. of segments will be present in Idoc , Segmentdefinition,Segment documentation,)Segments are stored seperatelySegments can be mandatory or optional

Segment definition is 10 char Auto generated + 3 char for SAPversion (hence backward compatibility)


32/68

32.


IDoc Reco rd Typ es

Status Record IDoc-IDStatus information

Data Record IDoc-IDSequence/HierarchySegment Format definition for

header data item data

Control Record IDoc-IDSender-IDReceiver-IDIDoc type and logical messageExternal structure


33/68

33.

Transaction WE02 0r WE05 ( IDoc Display )


34/68

34.

Control Record

As the name suggests contains all of the control information about an IDoc, thisbasically includes IDoc number, sender and receiver information such as themessage type it represents and the IDoc type.

A control record can be compared to an envelope of a letter,by looking at theenvelope,you can identify the sender and the recipient.

It has following characteristics

There is one and only one control record per IDoc. The structure of the control record is the same for all Idocs and is

defined by SAP. It is stored in EDIDC table


35/68

35.

Control Record as viewed by IDoc display tool


36/68

36.

Data Records

In an IDoc, data records contain the application data.The employee headerinformation,weekly details,client details and summary information reside indata records.

A data record has two parts: an administrative section and a data section.

Administrative section contains the segment name,segment numberand hierarchy level.

Data section is where the actual data resides.This is mapped to asegment type.

Data records are stored in the EDIDD table.

The complete documentation of the data record can be viewed byusing transaction WE61.


37/68

37.

Status Record

These are attached to an IDoc throughout the process as the IDoc achievesdifferent milestones.At every milestone a status code,date and time are assigned.The latest status code is also maintained in the control record.

Status records have following characteristics:-

Multiple status records are usually attached to an IDoc.In outbound processes, after the IDoc is passed from SAP to thesubsystem,the subsystem generates the status records and passesthem to SAP.For inbound processes,SAP generates the status records.

List of status code and there details can be seen by executingtransaction WE47.


38/68

38.

Details of a status code WE47

ID o c T y p e s


39/68

39.

SA P AG 1999 IDocE njoy (Th. Becker) / 7

C o n t r o l R e c o r d

S t at u s R e c o r d s

D a t a R e c o r d s

T r ee o f S eg m e n t s

E 1H D D O C

M 1

E 1T LS U M

C 1

E 1 H D A D R

C 5

C 99

E1ITSCH

C 5

E1ITDOC

M 1

C


40/68

40.


IDoc View Concept

z An IDoc v iew is a selection of segmen ts of a g iven IDoctype and is compat ib le w ith the IDoc types syntax.

z IDo c views are applied in outbound processing of

selected applications.

z Advantages o f views:

Enhancing the performance by restr icting the number oftables read

Reducing the data volume in internal tables at run time


41/68

41.

ALE Configuration :-

1. Setting Up Clients2. Defining Logical System Names for Clients3. Defining Communication Parameters4. Modeling the Distribution5. Generating Partner Profiles in the Sending System6. Distributing the Distribution Model7. Generating Partner Profiles in the Receiving System8. Creating Vendor Master Data9. Sending Vendor Master Data10.Checking Processing Status


42/68

42.

Setting Up Clients

Set up two clients to enable communication between logical systems.The two clients may be located in the same R/3 System or inseparate systems.

To set up a new client, from the SAP standard menu choose Tools ->

Administration -> Administration -> Client administration -> Clientmaintenance.

Defining Logical System Names for Clients

The name of the logical system is used as the unique ID. This nameis assigned explicitly to one client in an R/3 System.You can find the functions required for this in the R/3Implementation Guide(SPRO) under BasisComponents -> Application

Link Enabling (ALE) under Sending and Receiving Systems -> LogicalSystems.

SETTING UP CLIENTS


43/68

43.

DEFINING LOGICAL SYSTEMS FOR CLIENT


44/68

44.

ASSIGNING LOGICAL SYSTEMS TO CLIENT


45/68

45.


46/68

46.


47/68

47.

Defining the Communication Parameters

For the two logical systems to be able to communicate with one another, theymust know how to connect to each other. The RFC destination provides thisinformation.

In each of the two clients, you must assign the RFC destination for the otherlogical system. In Customizing for ALE choose Sending and Receiving Systems-> Configure Systems in Network-> Define RFC Destination.

Execute the function.Choose Create.

Enter the RFC destination:Use the name of the logical system that is to be the destination(use UPPERCASE letters).

DEFINING THE COMMUNICATION PARAMETERS


48/68

48.


49/68

49.

Modeling the Distribution


50/68

50.

Logon to the logical system from which you want to send materials toanother system (sending system LOGSYS010) .

From the R/3 Implementation Guide screen, choose Basis ->Application Link Enabling (ALE) -> Modeling and Implementing

Business Processes -> Maintain Distribution Model.

Create the model view. Select Create model view. Enter the technicalname VENDMODEL and a description for it.

Define the sending and receiving systems and the message type.Position the cursor on VENDMODEL and selectAdd message type.

A dialog box appears.Enter the logical system name of the sender LOGSY010 and the

receiver LOGSY500 and the message type CREMAS .

Save the distribution model.

CREATING A MODEL VIEW


51/68

51.

Generating Partner Profiles in the Sending


52/68

52.

Generating Partner Profiles in the Sending

System

First, generate the partner profiles in the sending system (LOGSY010). To dothis, log on to the relevant logical system.

In the R/3 Implementation Guide under Basis, choose:Application Link Enabling (ALE)-> Modeling and Implementing Business Processes-> Partner Profiles and Processing Time-> Generate Partner Profiles

Enter VENDMODEL as the name of your distribution model.Without changing the parameters proposed by the system, execute theprogram.The partner profiles required have now been generated on the sendingsystem.

GENARATING PARTNER PROFILES IN SENDING SYSTEM


53/68

53.

Distributing the Distribution Model


54/68

54.

g

Transport the distribution model views from the sending system to thereceiving system.Carry out the following steps in the sending system:

In the R/3 Implementation Guide under Basis Components, choose:Application Link Enabling (ALE)

-> Modeling and Implementing Business Processes-> Maintain Distribution ModelEdit -> Model View -> Distribute.Enter the model view VENDMODEL .Select LOGSY500 , the name of the receiving logical system.

Execute the program.Your distribution model view will be copied to the receiving system.

DISTRIBUTING THE MODEL VIEW


55/68

55.

Generating Partner Profiles in the ReceivingS


56/68

56.

Systemyou have copied the distribution model to the receiving system, you can alsogenerate the partner profiles here. To do this, log on to the receiving logicalsystem (for example, LOGSY500 ).

In the R/3 Implementation Guide under Basis Components, choose:Application Link Enabling (ALE)

-> Modeling and Implementing Business Processes-> Partner Profiles and Processing Time-> Generate Partner ProfilesEnter the name of your distribution model view, in this case,VENDMODEL.

Without changing the parameters proposed by the system, execute theprogram.

The required partner profiles will be generated in the receiving system.

GENARATING PARTNER PROFILES IN RECIEVING SYSTEM


57/68

57.

Creating Vendor Master Data


58/68

58.

Creating Vendor Master Data

Once you have made all the settings required to distribute materials, you cancreate a material and then distribute it.Log on again to the sending system and follow these steps:

Choose the transaction XK01 for entering vendor details


59/68

59.

Sending Vendor Master DataYou are now going to send the vendor you have just created to the receivingsystem.

Choose TOOLS-> ALE -> MASTERDATADISTRIBUTION ->-> CROSS APPLICATION-> VENDOR -> SEND

Enter the vendorl you have created (for example, Vendor001).Use CREMAS Message type:Enter LOGSY500, the logical receiving system

Execute the program.You should now be able to display your vendor in the receiving system. If the

material is not available here, either the transmission has not yet finished or anerror has occurred. The next step shows you how to check the communicationand detect any errors.

SENDING VENDOR MASTER DATA


60/68

60.

Checking Processing Status


61/68

61.

Checking Processing Status

The system provides functions for monitoring communication. Thesefunctions enable you to confirm whether ALE messages have beenprocessed and transferred correctly or whether errors occurred. If an error

did occur, the type of error is indicated.You can monitor the processing status in both the sending system and thereceiving system. Choose Tools -> ALE -> Administration -> Monitoring ->Status monitor for ALE messages.Execute the function, and select the IDocs of the logical message type

MATMAS which you created today.A list of inbound and outbound IDocs grouped by status is displayed:


62/68

62.

A list of inbound and outbound IDocs grouped by status is displayed:OUTBOUND IDocs

Status Description of Status

03, 12, 38 IDoc successfully transferred

02, 04, 05, 25 ,26, 29 Processing error

30 Waiting status (still processing...)

>=50 Inbound IDoc (not relevant in this

context)

Other Not relevant in this context


63/68

63.


64/68

64.

INBOUND IDocs

Status Description of Status

53 IDoc successfully updated by application

64 Waiting status (still processing...)


65/68

65.

To display a list of IDocs with a particular status, double-click on a line.For detailed information on one of these IDocs, double-click on it. If an


66/68

66.

,error occurs, you can display information about the cause of it bychoosing Process -> Incorrect segments.

Error Handling

If an error has occurred, use the monitoring function to resolve it. The

cause of the error is likely to be a value in your material that thereceiving system does not know and therefore cannot process it. Try toeliminate the cause of the error and send your material again.

If your IDoc in the sending system was successfully transferred (status03) but does not appear in the receiving system, a technical

communication error is the likely cause. You can use the status monitorin the sending system to check this. Choose Goto -> Transactional RFC-> Display calls.

If an error occurs you should consult your system administrator.

Transaction codes for ALE and IDoc:-


67/68

67.

SALE for defining and assign logical systemsSM59 RFC destinationBD64 Customer distribution model.BD82 Generating Partner Profile

BD10 Sending MaterialBD11 Getting the material

WE31 Segment creationWE30 Idoc Type creationWE41 Process code for OutboundWE40 Process code for InboundWE81 Creating Message types


68/68

68.

Thanks