SAP System Settings and Modification Concept 

Purpose

This section provides you with an overview of the necessary settings within the SAP system and information on additional modifications which are possible in connection with user exits.

Sources of Information

The following information is available:

  1. Implementation Guide (online)

    2. Tools ® Business engineer ® Customizing - Implem. projects ® SAP Reference IMG ® Logistics Execution ® Warehouse management ® Interfaces ® External systems ® Define ALE link

    You will be guided through the necessary table settings in order to specify, on the application side, which processes are relevant for an external system.

  2. Master menu (online)

    3. Logistics ® Logistics Execution ® Warehouse management ® Environment ® External systems ® ALE functions

    The ALE functions enable dedicated monitoring of the IDocs that have been received and sent.

  3. The following documentation (in hard copy form) is also available:

Detailed technical description of the programming interface.

General information on ALE and its functions

General information on the WorkFlow concept (see error handling)
  1. Evaluation Report

This evaluation report enables you to display the application object numbers for IDocs that were posted with status 53 (posted without errors). For example, it is possible to see which IDoc number has created which transfer order. The prerequisite is that the application enables this.

To display this report from the menu bar, choose Environment ® External systems ® Evaluations ® Linked objects.

Customizing

SAP uses the term "customizing" to refer to the table settings that must be made on the application side in order to specify, for example, when a transfer order is to be sent to an external system etc. Detailed online information on this is available in the system in the Implementation Guide.

Error Handling

TCP/IP is used as a basis for transmission. If an error occurs during transmission, a fault will occur in the connection between the sender and receiver. The sender is then able to check whether or not a call has been successful via the return codes of the RFC functions used. In the case of TCP/IP errors, the connection must be cleared down and the IDoc resent.

Errors that occur in the ALE layer during transmission and reception of the IDocs are referred to as technical errors. If technical or logical (see below) errors occur, the SAP system will create a work item for each IDoc in error. A work item is part of a work flow. The work item is basically an error message which is sent to all users in the system who are assigned to a specific position. The error message contains the error text. If one of the users picks up the message from their inbox, analyzes the error and posts the document, the error message will disappear from all of the other inboxes.

When the IDoc is received, it is stored in the database before processing is initiated. Communication is thus separate from the processing side. If an error occurs during processing, e.g. posting with an impermissible or incorrect movement type, i.e. a logical application error, the SAP system will create a work item with the appropriate error text.