ALE IDoc Training PDF

ALE IDocs
© 2010 Wipro Ltd – Internal and Restricted

Agenda
1 Introduction to ALE, EDI & IDOC
2 IDOCs
3 Components of ALE
4 ALE Configuration
5 Filters & Conversions
6 Monitoring IDOCs
2
1. Introduction to ALE, EDI, IDOC
3
Why Distributed Applications?
MM-
GL
PUR
PS
PP
CO
SD-
MM- SHP
INV
SD-
ORD
MM-
INV
 One central system is not always optimal for unifying business

processes with integrated applications
4
What is ALE?
 Application Link and Enabling
 ALE is SAP’s proprietary technology for integrating/ distributing

business processes across several SAP systems
 Applications are integrated by messaging, not through a single

common database
5
Distributed Business Processes
 Financials
 Central controlling
 Central SOP
 Information Systems:
 Inventory
 Purchasing
 Sales
 Central purchasing  Sales, shipping and
 PP  Reference system for billing
 Inventory management Master Data and Control  Purchasing of
 Internal sales, shipping Data trading goods
and billing  Inventory management
 Local purchasing  Local controlling
 PM
 Local SOP
6
Why ALE?
 ALE can integrate business processes between R/3 Systems and

non-R/3 systems as well as between R/3 Systems.
 Data is exchanged asynchronously, whereby the data arrives in the

receiver system, even if the receiver system cannot be connected to
at the time the data is sent.
 ALE uses synchronous communication for reading data only.
 Message distribution is based on IDocs. IDocs are created and

dispatched in distributed systems using message types and SAP
business object methods (BAPIs).
7
A Typical Business Scenario
Transaction Data Messages
BLAORD,
HEAD QUARTERS
BLAOCH  Financials
 Centralpurchasing
BLAREL
 Purchasing info.
EKSEKS
system
FIDCMT
FIROLL
BLAOR.. Blanket order/changes

PRODUCTION BLAREL Release statistics
EKSEKS Purchasing information
Local purchasing, invoice verification FIDCMT A/C receivable
FIROLL G/L rollup
8
Example
9
What is EDI?
 Electronic Data Interchange
 An internationally recognized standard for formatting and

exchanging information
 EDI Standards and Formats

– The main EDI standard is EDIFACT - the UN supported International
Standard
– There are also Industry subsets (EANCOM, EDIFICE etc.) of the

EDIFACT Standard
– Other common Standards include ANSI X.12 (American),

TRADACOMS (British), ODETTE (European Motor Trade), GENCOD
(French) and VDA (German).
10
EDI Process
 The EDI enabling software converts the appropriate data into an EDI
format, conforming to the Standard agreed between the two
organizations
 This EDI data is transmitted using a mutually agreed electronic
communications method
 On receipt of the EDI data, the recipient organization, using its own
EDI enabling software, translates the data back into a format which
can be used by its own business application.
 EDI subsystem – A software component that converts in house
formats to standard EDI structures. An EDI subsystem, therefore, is
a link in an EDI communication chain.
11
Differences between ALE & EDI
ALE EDI
1. Used from SAP to SAP systems 1. Used from SAP to Non-SAP
systems
2. Uses tRFC ports 2. Uses File ports
3. Data stored in memory buffer 3. Data stored in files
4. Uses R/3 connection 4. Uses TCP/IP Connection
5. Uses IDOC to transfer data 5. Uses EDI subsystems to transfer
data
12
IDoc’s
13
IDoc
 Intermediate Documents
 An IDoc is a container for exchanging data between R/3, R/2 and

non-SAP systems.
 ALE uses IDocs to exchange data between logical systems. Non

SAP-systems can use IDocs as the standard interface for data
transfer.
 IDocs are created by message types and (object) methods when

data is to be distributed.
 An IDoc is a runtime instance of an IDoc Type
14
IDoc (Contd.).
 Master IDoc
– Stored in temporary storage areas
– Only 1 Master IDoc generated for any number of receivers for the same
data
 Communication IDoc
– Stored in the database
– Number depends on the number of receivers for the same data
15
Structure of an IDoc
16
Structure of an IDoc (Contd.).
Control Record IDoc-ID

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

Status information
17
Runtime Components of an IDoc
 There are three types of records

– Control Record
– Data Record
– Status Record
 Control Record - contains the key information like RFC destination,

IDoc type, message type, port and sender information.
 Control records are of EDIDC type of structure
18
Record types in an IDoc
19
Record types in an IDoc (Contd.).
 Data Records - This contains two parts

– Administrative Section and
– Data Section
 Administrative Section consists of Idoc number, Segment Name,

Segment number, Version, Segment Hierarchy etc.
 Data Section contains the data of respective segment
 Data records are of EDIDD type of structure
20
Record types in an IDoc (Contd.).
 Status Record - whenever IDoc processing takes place, system will

generate status records.
 We can identify the process with the number of status record.

– 01 - 49 for Outbound Process
– 50 - 75 for Inbound Process
 When IDoc is processed the messages are:

– 01 - IDoc is created
– 30 - IDoc is ready for dispatch
– 03 - IDoc is processed
21
3. Components of ALE
22
ALE Components
 Logical System
 Message Type
 IDoc Type and IDoc
 Segment Type
 RFC Destination
 Ports
 Partner Profiles
 Process Codes
 Customer Distribution Model
23
Logical System
 A logical system ( LS ) is the representation of an R/3 or external

system in SAP R/3 for the distribution of data to and from the R/3
system.
 The systems involved in distributed processing are assigned a

logical name, which uniquely identifies a system in a distributed
environment.
 The name can have up to 10 alphanumeric characters.
 Is configured through transaction SALE.
24
Message Type
 A message type represents the application message exchanged

between R/3 systems and R/3 and an external system. A message
type characterizes the data sent across systems and relates to the
structure of the data called an IDOC type.
 Examples
– MATMAS – Material Master
– DEBMAS – Customer Master
– CREMAS – Vendor Master
– GLMAST – General Ledger Master
– ORDERS – Sales Order
25
IDoc Type & IDoc
 An IDOC type represents the structure of the data associated with

a message type ( DEBMAS02 for message type DEBMAS ) while
an IDOC is an object containing the data of a particular message
type.
 Every IDoc is identified by a 16 digit unique number
 An IDOC consists of three record types:

– Control Record ( EDIDC ).
– Data Record ( EDIDD )
– Status Record ( EDIDS )
 The IDoc structure consists of several segments, and segments

consist of several data fields.
26
Segment
 A Segment defines the format and structure of a data record.

 A segment in SAP system is technically implemented as three
physically separate pieces.
– Segment type
– Segment definition
– Segment documentation
 Collection of data fields filled with alphanumeric characters
 Non character values (ie floating point) have to be converted to
alphanumeric characters
 Fields are aligned left
 Currencies, countries and units of measure have to be named in ISO-
codes
 The complete data in a segment can have a maximum length of 1000
bytes
27
Segment (Contd.).
 Segment Type
– Segment Type is the version independent name of the segment.
– SAP segment type starts with E1.
– Custom-defined segment types begin with Z1.
 Segment definition
– Segment definition is the version dependent name.
– SAP segment definition starts with E2.
– Custom-defined segment definitions start with Z2.
– Automatically assigned by the system from Segment Type.
– The last three Characters represent the version of the segment.
28
Example of Segment
MONREP04 IDOC type SEGMENTS
E1EMHDR LNAME FNAME SSN DOB

(10) (10) (11) (8)
E1WKDET WEEKNO TOTHOURS HRLYRATE

(1) (3) (3)
E1CLDET CLSITE WORKDESC
(20) (40)
TOTHOURS TOTAMOUNT
EISUMRY (3) (10)
29
RFC Destination
 Remote Function Call (RFC) is the standard SAP interface for

communication between SAP systems.
 The RFC(Remote Function Call) destination is a logical name used

to define the characteristic of a communication link to a remote
system on which a function needs to be executed.
 The parameters of the connection are mentioned in the form of a

Destination
 Destination defines the type of Connection, the partner program,

the target system
 Transaction SM59 can be used for its configuration.
30
Ports
 A port is a logical representation of a communication channel in SAP

with the data communicated being IDOCs.
 A port defines the medium in which data is exchanged between the

two systems.
 Transaction WE21 is used for configuration.
 Types of Ports:
– tRFC ports used for ALE communication
– File ports used by EDI
– R/2 system ports - communicate with R/2 systems
– Internet ports - connect with Internet applications.
31
Partner Profiles
 A partner profile specifies :

– Characteristics of data that you exchange with a business partner.
– Mode of operation.
– Person responsible for handling errors for that business partner
 In ALE, a partner is a remote SAP system or legacy system with

which you exchange data.
 Transaction WE20 can be used for its configuration.
 In EDI, a partner can be a customer, vendor, bank, or any entity with

which your company does business.
 Partner profile of type LS (Logical System) is used for ALE

communications.
32
Process Codes
 Process Codes are used in ALE and EDI to identify the function
modules to be invoked for subsequent processing
 Inbound interface uses a process code to determine the application

module that will process the inbound IDOC. Stored in table TEDE1.
33
Customer Distribution Model
 Models a distributed environment in which one specifies various

messages exchanged between sending & receiving systems.
 A customer model is maintained on only one system. It is distributed

to other systems for use.
 Two models cannot distribute the same message between the same
set of senders & receivers.
 The client on which you create a model becomes the owner of the
model.
34
4. ALE Configuration
35
ALE Process Flow
Application Layer Distribution / ALE Layer Communication

Layer
Master
Master
IDOC
Master Determine Filter/Convert Comm.
IDOC
Receipients Data, Create IDOC IDOC
Application IDOC
Carrier
Application Application
Filter/Convert
Data Comm.
Functions
Data IDOC
36
ALE Configuration
 Inbound Configuration
 Outbound Configuration
37
Configuration Steps
 Define Logical Systems (SALE or BD54)
 Assign Logical Systems to Clients (SALE or SCC4)
 Create RFC Destination (SM59)
 Define Port Definition (WE21)
 Generate Partner Profile (WE20)
 Maintain Distribution Model (BD64)
38
Defining Logical System - Outbound
 Go to TCode SALE OR Tcode BD54
39
Allocate Logical System to Client - Outbound
 Go to TCode SALE OR TCode SCC4
40
Create RFC Destination - Outbound
 T Code SM59
 Select ABAP Connections and click on Create
41
Create RFC Destination (Contd.).
42
Define Port Definition - Outbound
 T Code WE21
 Select Transactional RFC and click on Create
43
Define Port Definition (Contd.).
 Ports can be created in two ways:
 Generate port name – System generates a port name

 Own port name – User has the provision to enter their own name
44
Define Partner Profiles - Outbound
 T Code - WE20
 Select Partner type LS and Create
 Enter the partner number and configure the outbound parameter
45
Define Partner Profiles (Contd.).
 Enter the Message Type, Receiver port name, Output Mode & Basic
Type
46
Defining Logical System - Inbound
 Go to TCode SALE OR Tcode BD54
47
Assign Logical System to Client -
Inbound
 T Code SALE OR SCC4
48
Define Partner Profile - Inbound
 T Code WE20
 Configure the inbound parameters
 Enter the Message Type and Process Code
49
Maintain Distribution Model
 Transaction BD64
 Create Model View
 Add Message Type
 Generate Partner Profiles
 Distribute Model View
50
Maintain Distribution Model (Contd.).
 Save Model View
 Goto Environment -> Generate Partner Profiles
 Execute
51
Maintain Distribution Model (Contd.).
 Go to EDIT -> Model View -> Distribute
52
Standard Transactions – BD10, BD12,
BD14
53
Check Idoc Status
 Go to T Code WE05
 Check for your IDOC
 If the Output Mode
has been specified as
Transfer immediately,
the status will be 03.
If Collect IDOC’s has
been selected, the
status will be 30.
In that case the program
RSEOUT00 needs to
be executed to change
the status to 03
54
IDoc Status Numbers
55
Change Pointers
 Change Pointers are R/3 objects that mark changes to SAP Master
data.
 CD objects record the changes in table CDHDR & CDPOS.
 Internal mechanisms update table BDCP & BDCPS which host the
change pointer.
 Activate change pointers for message type or generally.
56
Change Pointers - Configuration
 Enable Change Pointers globally

 Transaction – BD61
57
Change Pointers – Configuration
(Contd.).
 Enable Change Pointer for a Message Type
 Change pointer Configuration has to be done in Receiver system

also
58
IDoc Processing – Change Pointers
 Execute program RBDMIDOC to generate idocs by processing

change pointers. Check the idoc status and take appropriate action.
 Go to T Code SE38
 Execute the program RBDMIDOC
 Specify the Message Type
 All the Changes associated with the message type are converted to
IDocs.
59
Output Types / Message Control
 This type of Configuration is used for sending Transactional data

 Go to Transaction NACE
60
(Contd.).
 Select the row “EF Purchase Order” and click on “Procedures”
61
(Contd.).
62
(Contd.).
 Now click on “Processing Routines” on the left hand side
 Ensure that there is an entry for Medium ‘A’ (Distribution ALE).
63
Partner Profiles – Message Control
 In addition to configuring the Partner profiles, you need to configure

the Message Control.
64
Customized Approach
 When the standard components provided SAP do not our

requirements we go in for a Customized Approach by creating the
Message Type, Segments, IDoc Type.
 Based on the requirements you may have to:

– Create a Message Type
– Create Segments
– Create an IDoc Type
– Assign IDoc Type to Message Type
65
Create Message Type - Outbound
 Transaction WE81
66
Create a Segment - Outbound
67
Create a Segment – Outbound (Contd.).
68
Create a Segment – Outbound (Contd.).
69
Create an IDoc Type - Outbound
70
Create an IDoc Type – Outbound
(Contd.).
71
(Contd.).
72
(Contd.).
73
Assign IDoc Type to Message Type -
Outbound
74
Other Configuration Steps - Outbound
 Create RFC Destination - SM59
 Create Port – WE21
 Create Partner Profile – WE20
75
Standalone Program
 A standalone executable program needs to be created
 The application program takes care of distributing the data
 Uses the function module ‘MASTER_IDOC_DISTRIBUTE’ to

distribute the data
76
Inbound Configuration
 Create Message Type
 Create Segment
 Release Segment
 Create IDoc Type
 Release IDoc Type
 Assign IDoc Type to Message Type
 Creation of Partner Profiles
77
Create Function Module
 Remote-enabled function module to upload the data into the

database
 Takes care of reading the data from the IDOC generated in the
receiver system
 Function module assigned to a Process code
 Assign Characteristics of Function Module – BD51
 Assign Function Module to Message Type & IDoc Type – WE57
78
Create Process Code
79
IDoc Extension
 An SAP IDoc structure can be extended by appending new sub-

segments with additional data.
 Adding fields to original SAP segments is not allowed.
 Transaction: WE30.
 Dynamic menu: Transaction SALE; Extensions; IDoc types; Maintain

IDoc type.
 Menu path: Tools -> Administration; Administration -> Process

Technology; IDoc -> IDoc Basis; Development -> IDoc types.
80
IDoc Extension (Contd.).
81
82
83
IDOC EXTENSIONS IN INBOUND AND OUTBOUND

TRANSACTIONS
 To post and extract data to and from an IDoc extension, find a user
exit in the application code.
 User exits are found in the function modules, which are tied to the
process codes used by ALE.
 The ABAP code to process an IDoc extension is added within an
include statement in the user exit.
84
IDoc Reduction
 Transaction: BD53.
 Dynamic menu: transaction SALE; Distribution scenarios; Master
data distribution; Reduce IDoc types for master data.
 Creating a New Message Type
85
IDoc Reduction (Contd.).
86
87
88
89
5. Filters & Conversion
90
Conversions
 Conversions are defined in ALE configuration in 3 steps
– Define Conversion Rule
– Create the Conversion Rule
– Assign the Conversion Rule to a Sender Receiver Combination
91
Define Conversion Rule
92
Maintain Conversion Rule
93
Maintain Conversion Rule (Contd.).
94
Assign Conversion Rule
95
Filters
 Filters can be set in the ALE configuration in the many ways:

 Segment Level Filtering
 Field Level Filtering
 Filters in the Distribution Model
96
Filters in Distribution Model
97
Filters in Distribution Model (Contd.).
98
6. Monitoring IDoc’s
99
Status Monitor of IDoc
100
Transaction WE14
101
Transaction WE19
102
IDoc Status – WE47
103
Thank You

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ALE IDocs

© 2010 Wipro Ltd – Internal and Restricted

1 Introduction to ALE, EDI & IDOC

5 Filters & Conversions

 One central system is not always optimal for unifying business

 Application Link and Enabling

 ALE is SAP’s proprietary technology for integrating/ distributing

 Applications are integrated by messaging, not through a single

 ALE can integrate business processes between R/3 Systems and

 Data is exchanged asynchronously, whereby the data arrives in the

 ALE uses synchronous communication for reading data only.

 Message distribution is based on IDocs. IDocs are created and

Transaction Data Messages

BLAOR.. Blanket order/changes

 Electronic Data Interchange

 An internationally recognized standard for formatting and

 EDI Standards and Formats

– There are also Industry subsets (EANCOM, EDIFICE etc.) of the

– Other common Standards include ANSI X.12 (American),

 An IDoc is a container for exchanging data between R/3, R/2 and

 ALE uses IDocs to exchange data between logical systems. Non

 IDocs are created by message types and (object) methods when

 An IDoc is a runtime instance of an IDoc Type

– Stored in temporary storage areas

– Stored in the database

– Number depends on the number of receivers for the same data

Control Record IDoc-ID

Status Record IDoc-ID

 There are three types of records

 Control Record - contains the key information like RFC destination,

 Control records are of EDIDC type of structure

 Data Records - This contains two parts

 Administrative Section consists of Idoc number, Segment Name,

 Data Section contains the data of respective segment

 Data records are of EDIDD type of structure

 Status Record - whenever IDoc processing takes place, system will

 We can identify the process with the number of status record.

 When IDoc is processed the messages are:

 A logical system ( LS ) is the representation of an R/3 or external

 The systems involved in distributed processing are assigned a

 The name can have up to 10 alphanumeric characters.

 Is configured through transaction SALE.

 A message type represents the application message exchanged

 An IDOC type represents the structure of the data associated with

 Every IDoc is identified by a 16 digit unique number

 An IDOC consists of three record types:

 The IDoc structure consists of several segments, and segments

 A Segment defines the format and structure of a data record.

MONREP04 IDOC type SEGMENTS

E1EMHDR LNAME FNAME SSN DOB

E1WKDET WEEKNO TOTHOURS HRLYRATE

 Remote Function Call (RFC) is the standard SAP interface for

 The RFC(Remote Function Call) destination is a logical name used

 The parameters of the connection are mentioned in the form of a

 Destination defines the type of Connection, the partner program,

 Transaction SM59 can be used for its configuration.

 A port is a logical representation of a communication channel in SAP

 A port defines the medium in which data is exchanged between the

 Transaction WE21 is used for configuration.

 A partner profile specifies :

 In ALE, a partner is a remote SAP system or legacy system with

 Transaction WE20 can be used for its configuration.

 In EDI, a partner can be a customer, vendor, bank, or any entity with