Generate
Distribution Model
When you use a WMS, communication between the
central ERP system and the decentralized WMS is necessary. Communication
generally is asynchronous and takes place using IDocs and ALE. Only for some
inquiries, the synchronous link between the two systems is used.
To allow communication via ALE, you must
maintain a distribution model. In the distribution model, you define all
objects (message types and methods), for which communication is required.
These objects are both master data that needs to be distributed, and
application data that is exchanged between the two systems.
Maintaining the distribution model requires
that the necessary objects to be distributed are known. Use the option of
generating the distribution automatically through the IMG. With this process,
all necessary entries in the ALE distribution model are considered for the
decentralized WMS.
Take note of the following when you generate
the distribution model:
- Decentralized processing is activated for a
specific warehouse number. This warehouse number must be entered for the
distribution and must be pre-defined in the system.
- So that the generated distribution for the
decentralized WMS is visible in the distribution model, you must enter a name
for the model view. You can then use this name to locate the generated
distribution in the distribution model.
If you generate the
distribution for a specific warehouse number for the first time, enter a new
name for the view to be generated. If you want to expand an existing view, you
must enter the corresponding existing name.
- Enter the systems between which communication
takes place as logical system names so that the partner relationship can be
defined in the distribution model.
- Defining the distribution objects for the
application data does not require any further specifications since in this
case the distribution takes place based on the decentralized warehouse number.
The warehouse number or the plant/storage location combination assigned to the
warehouse number is used as the filter object for distributing these
objects.
- Master data distribution is customer-specific.
The standard system provides numerous options of defining the filtering
process within master data distribution. This is why the generation task
includes several specific selection parameters as filter objects.
You can select the
following filter objects for the material master:
- Sales organisation and distribution
channel
- Plant and storage location assigned to the
selected decentralized warehouse number are automatically defined as filter
objects. For the customer master, you can define the sales organisation and
the distribution channel as filter objects.
The material master
and the customer master must always be distributed. It depends on your
application whether the other master data needs to be distributed as
well.
- If the vendor master is to be distributed, you
must enter the corresponding message type (CREMAS by default).
- If you work with materials that are to be
handled in batches, you must activate the distribution of the batches. If you
use batch classification, you must also activate the distribution for batch
classes.
- If you use the SAP Retail System, the
necessary objects are considered in the distribution model for the
distribution of the article masters. If your system is configured as a pure
retail system (system setting '00' = 'SAP Retail System'), only the article
masters are distributed; the distribution for the material masters is not
generated. However, if you use the SAP Retail System in connection with the
Manufacturing System (standard system) (system setting '99' = mixed), the
distribution is generated for both the article master and the material
master.
You can select the
following filter objects for the article master:
- Sales organisation and distribution
channel
- Plant and storage location assigned to the
selected decentralized warehouse number are automatically defined as filter
objects
- If you use the address file, the addresses for
the customer and vendor masters must also be distributed.
The adresses are
distributed separately from their master objects (customer/vendor); this
means, that they are distributed as stand-alone objects. To ensure that the
addresses are only sent to those systems to which their master objects are
directed, dependencies between the methods of the address objects and the
default message types of customer/vendor were defined. For defining the
distribution of the address data in connection with the customer/vendor
master, the system provides a separate generation task that you can access
from within the closing screen of the WMS distribution
generation.
For more information on distributing the
individual objects, refer to the documentation on the individual distribution
objects.
Application-relevant update
Once the distribution model is generated, the
individual objects for the defined warehouse number can be distributed. The
distribution for decentralized processing is controlled based on the
distribution model and the application. Both the model and the application
must be maintained consistently since only then the distribution can be
recognized and performed. In the central ERP system, you must activate the
warehouse number for decentralized processing. In the decentralized WMS, you
must activate the reference to the ERP system at storage location and plant
level. After the distribution model is generated, all necessary settings are
activated in the application irrespective of the individual maintenance. Since
several updates are carried out in the partner system when the settings are
activated in the application, direct communication with this system is
necessary. If the distribution model is generated in the central system,
synchronous communication with the decentralized WMS is required. If the
distribution model is generated in the decentralized WMS, then the synchronous
communication link to the ERP system is used. For more information on defining
synchronous communication, refer to the documentation
Distribution.
Requirements
Start this report in test mode, before you
generate the distribution for the decentralized WMS. The system lists the
individual methods and message types which are required for this scenario and
which are defined in the distribution model when the report is run in
production mode.
The warehouse number which has been defined for
decentralized WMS processing, must be fully maintained both in the central and
in the decentralized system.
The following data must be pre-defined in the
system so that the distribution can be generated:
- The logical systems for the central ERP system
and the decentralized WM system
- The RFC destination for communication between
the ERP system and the WM system
- The definition of the synchronous
communication between the ERP system and the WM system
For more information on the distribution
requirements, refer to the dcocumentation
Distribution.
Standard
Settings
The following relevant methods are generated
for the data exchange of the WMS application:
1.
'OutboundDelivery.SaveReplica', to send outbound deliveries from the ERP
system to the WM system
2.
'InboundDelivery.SaveReplica', to send inbound deliveries from the ERP system
to the WM system
3.
'OutboundDelivery.ConfirmDecentral', to send confirmations of the outbound
deliveries from the WM system to the ERP system
4.
'InboundDelivery.ConfirmDecentral', to send confirmations of the inbound
deliveries from the WM system to the ERP system
5.
'GoodsMovement.CreateFromData', to report stock transfers/posting
changes/differences from the WM system to the ERP system
As far as methods 1 to 4 are concerned, the
warehouse number to be distributed is defined as a filter object. For
'GoodsMovement.CreateFromData', the plant/storage location is the filter
object.
The following message types are generated for
the master data distribution:
1. MATMAS (or a
customer-specific reduced message) for distributing the material masters from
the ERP system to the WM system.
The additional
selection parameters on the initial screen are used as filter
objects:
- Plant and storage location assigned to the
selected decentralized warehouse number are automatically defined as filter
objects
If the distribution
is to take place using classes, this filtering type is activated when the
distribution model is generated. For information on how to proceed in case of
class-based distribution, refer to the documentation
Distributing the material masters.
If you want to
define additional filter objects, you must maintain these objects directly in
the distribution model once the distribution has been generated.
2. DEBMAS (or a
customer-specific reduced message) for distributing the customer masters from
the ERP system to the WM system.
The additional
selection parameters on the initial screen are used as filter objects: sales
organisation and distribution channel.
If the distribution
is to take place using classes, this filtering type is activated when the
distribution model is generated. For information on how to proceed in case of
class-based distribution, refer to the documentation
Distributing the customer masters.
If you want to
define additional filter objects, you must maintain these objects directly in
the distribution model once the distribution has been generated.
3. CREMAS (or a
customer-specific reduced message) for distributing the vendor masters from
the ERP system to the WM system.
For this message
type, no filter objects are available for the generation process. You can only
activate class-based distribution. For more information on how to proceed in
the case of class-based sdistribution, refer to the documentation
Distributing the vendor masters.
If you want to
define filter objects, you must maintain these objects directly in the
distribution model once the distribution has been generated.
4. CLSMAS, for
distributing the classes from the ERP system to the WM system if batch
classification is used.
Class type '023' is
used as the filter object for batch classification. It is assigned
automatically to the message type when the distribution is generated. In
addition, the reference to dependent message types (to MATMAS in this case) is
created.
5. CLFMAS, for
distributing the classification from the ERP system to the WM system if batch
classification is used.
Class type '023' is
used as the filter object for batch classification. It is assigned
automatically to the message type when the distribution is generated. In
addition, the reference to dependent message types (to MATMAS in this case) is
created.
6. CHRMAS, for
distributing the characteristics from the ERP system to the WM system, if
batch classification is used.
For this message
type, no filter objects can be defined.
7. For
distributing the batches between the two systems (the distribution can be
initiated both in the ERP and the WM system), method 'Batch.SaveReplica' has
been defined.
The plants assigned
to the selected decentralized warehouse number are automatically defined as
filter objects for this method.
8. For the
distribution of the addresses, three address types are considered that are
distributed using the following methods:
a)
'AddressOrg.SaveReplica' for distributing company addresses
b)
'AddressPers.SaveReplica' for distributing personal addresses
c)
'AddressContPart.SaveReplica' for distributing contact addresses
Recommendation
SAP recommends that you define your own message
types for the distribution of master data by reducing the standard
messages.
Activities
1. Start the
generation task in test mode first.
The system displays
a list that contains all relevant distribution objects for decentralized WMS
processing.
2. If the
requirements for defining the distribution are met, start the generation task
in production mode.
The closing screen
displays the generated distribution objects together with corresponding notes.
Should errors occur, repeat the generation step. In any case, enter the same
name for the model view.
3. If you want
to distribute the addresses, access the generation task for the address data
distribution from within the closing screen.
4. When the
generation process has completed successfully, check the generated model view
in the distribution model. From within the closing screen of the generation
task, you can directly switch to the distribution model.
5. If you want
to define additional filters for the master data distribution, maintain these
in the generated model views.
6. Use the
other functions that the distribution model provides:
- Distribute model view
When you use this function, the defined distribution within a model view is
passed on to the systems involved. You can only execute this function if the
synchronous communication link between the system works.
- Generate partner profile
When you use this function, the necessary partner profiles are generated for
all messages and methods within the generated model view.
Further
Notes
With this function, you are defining the
distribution model for the decentralized warehouse .
The distribution model must be defined in both
the ERP (SAP R/3 or other host) system and in the R/3 decentralized Warehouse
Management System (WMS). For this purpose, there are three different scenarios
that determine how you maintain the distribution model:
1. Both the ERP
system and the WMS are SAP systems
2. The ERP
system is an SAP system, but the WMS is not an SAP system
3. The ERP
system is not an SAP system, but the WMS is an SAP system
For scenario 1, the maintenance of the
distribution model will take place within only one system, both for matters
related to ERP -> WMS and for WMS -> ERP.
Afterwards, the maintained model view must then
be distributed accordingly. Since other distributions are also defined in the
ERP system, it is advantageous then to maintain data for this scenario
centrally in the ERP system and then to transmit it to the WMS.
For scenario 2, the distribution model must be
maintained in the ERP system.
For scenario 3, the distribution model must be
maintained in WMS.
Note on
multiple decentralized warehouse numbers
The distribution model is always generated for
one warehouse number. If you have defined a new warehouse number for
decentralized processing that is to be distributed to the same decentralized
system, it is not possible to generate the distribution for this warehouse
number. The distribution model always refers to the communication between two
systems. If the individual distribution objects between two systems have
already been defined, you cannot create them any more, even if you use a new
model view. You must manually maintain the filter objects for the methods and
messages in the existing model view.