Architecting EDI with SAP Idocs

The Comprehensive Guide
2. Enlarged Auflage 2013
ISBN: 978-1-59229-871-6
Verlag: Rheinwerk Publishing, Inc.

Buch, Englisch, 910 Seiten, Format (B × H): 179 mm x 236 mm, Gewicht: 1741 g

Reihe: SAP PRESS Englisch

Welcome to Hollywood! Follow the saga of the Acme Pictures movie studio as it exchanges information with its vendor and its primary customer to put low-budget sci-fi movies on shelves. This entertaining case study showcases the requirements, standards, and capabilities for building an SAP EDI system and optimizing electronic information exchange via IDocs. From configuring IDocs, to customizing IDocs with ALE, to generating purchase orders and goods receipts, to processing invoices, this script teaches you how to make your EDI system a star.

Highlights include:

- Business process integration

- IDoc architecture and configuration

- Custom IDocs and extensions

- Mapping specifications

- Message control

- Customer purchase orders

- Replication services

- Inbound goods receipts and invoices

- Outbound advance shipments and invoices

- Custom IDoc tools

- EDI and IDocs troubleshooting and recovery

Autoren/Hrsg.

Hadzipetros, Emmanuel

Fachgebiete

• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Betriebswirtschaft Wirtschaftsinformatik, SAP, IT-Management
• Mathematik | Informatik EDV | Informatik Computerkommunikation & -vernetzung Elektronischer Datenaustausch (EDI)
• Mathematik | Informatik EDV | Informatik Business Application Unternehmenssoftware SAP

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Prologue. 23

ACT I: Hollywood, DVDs, and the After-Life of Movies. 31


1. Hollywood's B-Movie Queen Does SAP and EDI. 33

1.1. SAP and EDI: Getting to Know Each Other. 34

1.2. A Brief History of Fame: Our Imaginary Dream Factory. 35

1.3. Defining Some Basic Ground Rules. 42

1.4. Summary. 50

2. The Blueprint: Discovery and Documentation. 51

2.1. A Business Process Overview. 52

2.2. Legacy Systems, Data Flows, and Interfaces. 63

2.3. Legacy EDI Data Flows. 69

2.4. Summary. 78

3. Designing the New SAP EDI Architecture. 79

3.1. The To-Be Systems and Interfaces Emerge. 80

3.2. Laying the Foundations for EDI: Master Data. 87

3.3. The Typical Lifecycle of an Order from Gordy. 94

3.4. Interfaces in the Order-to-Cash Cycle. 110

3.5. Considering the Project Plan. 111

3.6. Summary. 112

ACT II: Taming Chaos with Standards--EDI in an SAP Environment. 113

4. EDI: The Ugly Stepsister of E-Commerce. 115

4.1. A Brief History of e-Commerce. 116

4.2. The Anatomy of an EDIFACT Interchange. 125

4.3. The Anatomy of an X12 Interchange. 128

4.4. Enveloping and De-enveloping: The X12 in Action. 145

4.5. Summary. 148

5. Real-World Business Process Integration with EDI. 149

5.1. The Basic EDI Interface. 150

5.2. Trading Partner Management. 151

5.3. The Impact of VMI Collaboration through EDI. 154

5.4. The Role of Acme's EDI RIM. 155

5.5. Reporting EDI Status to SAP. 171

5.6. Putting All the Pieces Together. 190

5.7. Archiving and Deleting IDocs in SAP. 196

5.8. Summary. 207

6. EDI Architecture in SAP: IDoc Basics. 209

6.1. Intelligent Messages: The Anatomy of an IDoc. 210

6.2. IDoc Architecture and the Data Dictionary. 230

6.3. One-Time EDI Configuration for IDocs in SAP. 235

6.4. Summary. 241

7. Configuring IDocs in SAP for EDI Exchange. 243

7.1. Inbound Configuration is About Posting IDocs. 243

7.2. Outbound Configuration Generates IDocs. 274

7.3. Summary. 308

8. Custom IDocs and IDoc Extensions. 309

8.1. IDoc Development and Configuration Tools. 309

8.2. Building a Custom IDoc: Inbound Inventory Report. 324

8.3. Extending an IDoc: Outbound PO with BOMs. 341

8.4. Summary. 363

ACT III: Realizing the Dream--Building Acme's SAP EDI System. 365

9. Generating the PO for Replication Services. 367

9.1. Technical Overview of the Interface. 368

9.2. Functional Specifications. 370

9.3. Generating the ORDERS PO with Message Control. 374

9.4. Technical Specifications. 382

9.5. Mapping Specifications. 384

9.6. EDI Configuration in SAP. 388

9.7. Summary. 392

10. The Inbound Goods Receipt. 395

10.1. Technical Overview of Interface. 396

10.2. Functional Specifications. 398

10.3. End-to-End Process Flow. 402

10.4. Technical Specifications. 406

10.5. Mapping Specifications. 407

10.6. EDI Configuration in SAP. 409

10.7. Summary. 411

11. Processing the Incoming Supplier Invoice. 413

11.1. Technical Overview of Interface. 414

11.2. Functional Specifications. 415

11.3. End-to-End Process Flow. 426

11.4. Technical Specifications. 430

11.5. Mapping Specifications. 431

11.6. EDI Configuration in SAP. 435

11.7. Summary. 438

12. The Inbound Customer Purchase Order. 441

12.1. Technical Overview of Interface. 442

12.2. Functional Specifications. 443

12.3. End-to-End Process Flow. 449

12.4. Technical Specifications. 455

12.5. Mapping Specifications. 456

12.6. SDQ Processing Program Logic. 465

12.7. Duplicate Checking Enhancement. 471

12.8. EDI Configuration in SAP. 476

12.9. Summary. 479

13. Building the Outbound Order Confirmation. 481

13.1. Technical Overview. 482

13.2. Functional Specifications. 483

13.3. Generating the ORDRSP with Message Control. 489

13.4. Technical Specifications. 499

13.5. Mapping Specifications. 534

13.6. EDI Configuration in SAP. 538

13.7. Summary. 544

14. Sending a Shipping Order to the Supplier. 547

14.1. Technical Overview of Interface. 548

14.2. Functional Specifications. 549

14.3. Generating a SHPORD IDoc with Message Control. 557

14.4. Technical Specifications. 565

14.5. Mapping Specifications. 567

14.6. EDI Configuration in SAP. 570

14.7. Summary. 573

15. The Inbound Shipping Confirmation. 575

15.1. Technical Overview of the Interface. 576

15.2. Functional Specifications. 577

15.3. End-to-End Process Flow. 585

15.4. Technical Specifications. 588

15.5. Mapping Specifications. 590

15.6. EDI Configuration in SAP. 600

15.7. Summary. 602

16. The Advanced Shipping Notice to the Customer. 605

16.1. Technical Overview of Interface. 606

16.2. Functional Specifications. 608

16.3. Generating an ASN IDoc with Message Control. 615

16.4. Technical Specifications. 626

16.5. Mapping Specifications. 627

16.6. EDI Configuration in SAP. 632

16.7. Summary. 636

17. Generating the Outbound Customer Invoice. 639

17.1. Technical Overview of Interface. 640

17.2. Functional Specifications. 642

17.3. Generating an INVOIC IDoc with Message Control. 651

17.4. Technical Specifications. 663

17.5. Mapping Specifications. 694

17.6. EDI Configuration in SAP. 697

17.7. Summary. 700

18. Processing the Inbound Payment Advice. 703

18.1. Technical Overview of the Interface. 704

18.2. Functional Specifications. 706

18.3. End-to-End Process Flow. 713

18.4. Technical Specifications. 717

18.5. Mapping Specifications. 725

18.6. EDI Configuration in SAP. 731

18.7. Summary. 735

ACT IV: Finishing Touches. 737

19. Extending the Interface: Custom IDoc Tools. 739

19.1. EDI to IDoc Trading Partner Conversion. 740

19.2. Mass Upload of Partner Profiles to SAP. 749

19.3. Mass Transfer of IDocs between Systems. 764

19.4. Sending IDoc Status to an External System. 772

19.5. Adding Qualifiers to IDoc XML Schema. 778

19.6. Summary. 786

20. Testing the EDI System in SAP. 787

20.1. IDoc Test Tools. 788

20.2. Interface Testing Strategy. 798

20.3. Unit Testing. 805

20.4. String Testing. 808

20.5. Interface Testing. 815

20.6. Integration Testing. 822

20.7. Stress Testing. 835

20.8. Summary. 839

21. Troubleshooting and Recovery. 841

21.1. Identifying Issues. 842

21.2. Monitoring and Recovery Tools. 850

21.3. Recovering from Key Failure Points. 873

21.4. Summary. 888

Epilogue. 889

The Author. 893

Index. 895

Über Autor(innen)

Hadzipetros, Emmanuel
Emmanuel Hadzipetros is an ABAP developer and IDoc and EDI specialist who has been fascinated with data flows and systems integration throughout his 15 years of SAP project experience. As a consultant and independent contractor in four countries and three continents he served a large number of small, mid-size, and Fortune 500 clients in a variety of industries.
Emmanuel prides himself on a practical approach to building and integrating systems. Throughout his career he’s worked with a wide range of tools to integrate SAP with internal and legacy systems and external trading partners including flat file FTP transfers, ALE, XI/PI, and third-party EDI integration systems.
Emmanuel has been happily playing with the IDoc interface for more than 10 years and believes that it’s one of SAP’s hidden jewels.