Address Checks
When addresses are maintained, they are checked according to certain criteria (completeness, consistency, plausibility, and correctness) if the corresponding checks are activated. Part of the checks depends on the country specified in the address.
An address can only be stored if the country is specified because check rules have to be determined from the country.
The checks can relate to all components of an address, as well as to the corresponding communication data. Addresses that are recognized as incorrect are not accepted by the system and cannot be stored.
Messages output during address checks are collected in a message table (Error_Table). As soon as a partial check finds an error, the complete check is terminated and the address record is marked as incorrect.
For certain application purposes (for example, initial data transfer), it is possible to either deactivate address checks using a parameter or to output errors in the postal check as warnings only so that the address is still accepted.
Postal codes are particularly suitable for check procedures.
Examples of checks that can be carried out:
- Is the postal code the right length?
- Has the postal code got the correct structure?
- Does the specified postal code exist for the city entered?
Some of the checks are automatically activated because they are integrated in Business Address Services (formerly: Central address management), others can be implemented with optional solutions. These can be SAP solutions, such as the SAP regional structure, or external products that can be integrated using the open BAS interface.
All checks take place independently of the dialog context and can, therefore, also be performed in BAPIs, for example.