ALE /IDOC’S

Serialization of IDOC Message type (More details) ALE - Error handling through Workflow (More details) Archiving IDocs (More details)  IDOC Filtration (More details)   Distributing Material Master Data using Standalone programs and Change Pointers

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Serialization of IDOC Message type

Serialization for Sending and Receiving Data

With serialized message distribution, IDocs are created, sent and posted in a specific order. This prevents errors occurring when inbound IDocs are processed. Interdependent messages can be distributed serially in different ways, as described in the following sections.

Serialization Using Message Types Serialization Using Business Objects

In this Tutorial we will learn Serialization using IDOC Message types and the details steps involved.

Serialization Using Message Types

When master data is distributed, interdependent objects are often distributed together (for example, purchasing info record is distributed with vendor and material). With serialized message distribution IDocs are created, dispatched and posted in a specific order. The interdependency of objects is at message type level and this avoids errors occurring during inbound processing of IDocs. Serialization groups in which the messages to be used and the posting order is specified, are used to distribute interdependent messages serially.

Example

If you distribute materials and the material classes, they must be distributed together. You cannot process classification data in the receiver system, if this system does not also have the data of the material to be classified. For this reason materials should be included with the associated classifications in a serialization group. To use serialized distribution you must carry out the following steps in Customizing:

Steps to be followed: -

Define Serialization Groups Assign Message Types to the Serialization Group

In addition to the message types used, the dispatch of the message type SERDAT must be modeled in the distribution model.

STEP 1 à Define Serialization Groups

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In this section you create serialization groups and assign message types and the processing order to each group. Both the sender and the receiver of the serialization group must know the assignments. This means this step needs to be carried out in both the receiving system and the sending system.

Serialization groups are required to distribute interdependent objects together so that they are processed in the correct order.

Example

The message types MATMAS (material master) and CLFMAS (classification) are assigned to a serialization group for dispatching materials and their accompanying classifications. The message type MATMAS is assigned the suffix 1 and the message type CLFMAS the suffix 2, so that the materials are processed first and then the classifications.

Create serialization group: Goto IMG à Modelling and Implementing Business Proccess àMaster Data Distribution à Serialization for sending and Receiving data à Serialization using Message types and click on DEFINE SERIALIZATION GROUPS

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On the next screen Choose 'New entries' in the view 'Serialization groups' to add a new entry, In our case we will just modify one of the existing groups provided by SAP.

We will modify the existing group GRP_MATMAS – Material Master Complete. So select the group from the list and Place the cursor on a serialization group and choose 'Assign message types to serialization group'.

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Click on the Change/Display button and Select 'New entries'. In our case we will add one more message type in this group. The message type to be added is CLSMAS. After adding the new entry we need to adjust the sequence of serialization if required.

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Enter the message types used and add a sequence number for each one.

Save your entries.

Further notes

The message types in a serialization group are processed in ascending order of the sequence number added. You can also leave spaces between the individual numbers. (For example: 1,2,4,10,20).

If the serialization group is to be dispatched later a setting must be made so that the outbound IDocs are collected and inbound processing is carried out in the background for all message types. This is set under Partner Profiles -> Generate Partner Profiles. You can also make these settings in the SAP Menu for each partner profile and message type (choose ALE -> ALE Administration -> Services -> Runtime Settings -> Partner Profiles).

Step 2 à Maintain Distribution Model

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Maintain the Distribution model as per the requirement and add the additional message type SERDAT as shown in the screen shot below.

Note: The distribution model needs to have all the message types that will be distributed between systems. It however need not have all the message types defined in the Serialization groups.

Select the option from the menu to generate the partner profile

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On the next screen select EXECUTE

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Once you execute the system will generate the partner profiles in the sending system and update the partner profiles with the associated messages

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You can cross check the details by going into WE20 and checking the partner profile.

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As seen from the above by automatically generating the partner profile the system creates the required entries.

Select all the message types and ensure that the option TRANSFER IDOC IMMEDIATELY is selected. PLEASE NOTE THIS OPTION MUST BE SET ONLY IN THE OUTBOUND PARMETERS OR IN THE SENDING SYSTEM.

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Similarly maintain for all the other messages in the partner profile and once done save your entries.

Next distribute the model created in the sending system to the receiving system. To do this select the menu option as shown below.

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Step 3 à Define Inbound Processing

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In this section you can make the settings for processing inbound message types for a serialization group. These settings are made in the receiving system.

You can specify the size of the IDoc packet forwarded to the application, whether the packet is transferred in parallel and what server group is used.

Example

For a serialization group containing materials and associated classifications you can specify how the message types MATMAS (material) and CLFMAS (classification) are processed.

For the message SERDAT processing in the inbound partner profiles should be set to 'immediate processing'.

From the SALE transaction select Define inbound processing as shown in the image below

 

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On the next screen click on NEW ENTRIES button and add the details as shown below

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Under the groups column mention the Serialization group name created in the first step. Under the Message Type define the messages assigned to the Serialization group. Under the sending system column enter the sending systems. If the data is sent to more than one system then all these steps have to repeated for all the individual receiving systems. Under the Object column enter the number of objects per process. In our case we will use 1 per process.

For Example: Number of objects (e.g. materials, vendors, customers) assigned to an available process.

Under the Indicator: Parallel processing yes/no set the indicator as per your requirement. Generally it is set to YES.

If the indicator is set then the inbound processing of the application uses one free dialog process for each IDoc packet on the application server ('asynchronous RFC' is used for this). This means that the packets can be processed in parallel. If several IDoc packets have been selected, then the IDoc processing will occupy all the dialog processes on the application server. 

If the indicator is not set then the IDocs will not be processed in parallel. This means that each packet will passed to the application in turn. Only one work process will be used for this action on the application server.

Under the RFC server group define the server which will be used by the transaction in parallel processing.

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You can check the server group from the transaction RZ12.

Once done save your entries.

Step 4 à Enable Change pointers in the system globally using BD61 transaction and also for all the message types using the BD50 transaction.

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Change pointer has to be activated to enable data distribution through Change documents.  

SETTINGS IN THE RECEIVING SYSTEM

Once you have completed the above steps in the sending system login to the receiving system and do the following steps.

Step 1à Maintain the serialization group as done in the above steps in the receiving system as well.

Step 2 à Go to to the distribution model and select the model that was distributed from the sending system. And from the menu generate the partner profile in the receiving system. This step will create the partner profiles in the receiving system.

Step 3 à Change the partner profile settings for all the message types EXCEPT the SERDAT message type to TRIGGER BY BACKGROUND PROGRAM

As shown below

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BUT DO NOT CHANGE THE SETTINGS FOR THE SERDAT message type.

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SERDAT will have the option TRIGGER IMMEDIATELY.

Once these settings are done both the systems are now ready for distributing data in a serialized order.

To dispatch a serialization group two steps are required:

     The IDocs belonging to a serialization group are created

     These IDocs are then dispatched

These two activities are scheduled as a periodic job in the sending system.

Creating IDocs

The report RBDSER01 creates the IDocs for a serialization group. The serialization group to be created is specified as a parameter in this report. The report selects all the master data change pointers assigned to this serialization group. The IDocs are then created from the change pointers.

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Dispatching IDocs

After the IDocs have been created the report RBDSER02 dispatches the IDocs belonging to a serialization group. The name of the serialization group to be sent is specified as a parameter in this report. You can also specify the receiving systems and in the time period that IDocs can be created/changed.

The report also schedules the report RBDSER03 which checks whether all the IDocs have been successfully sent to the receiving system. If they have, a control message of message type SERDAT is sent to the receiving system and posts the serialization group there. To do this specify in the parameters of report RBDSER02 the time that should be scheduled after sending report RBDSER03.

You also have the option to always dispatch the control message. This means dispatch it even if all the IDocs have not been passed to the receiving system. This means that IDocs arriving in the receiving system can be processed even if some IDocs are still being transferred. However, serialization difficulties may occur.

Further notes

You can schedule reports RBDSER01 and RBDSER02 after each other in the same job (choose SAP Menu -> Tools -> ALE -> ALE Administration -> Services -> Periodic Processing -> Outbox -> Serialized Distribution Using Message Types - SM36).

The report RBDSER03 can be scheduled as an independent job. In this case you should not enter the date and time.

The processing of inbound IDocs of a serialzation group can be directly started by the Report RBDSER04.

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