Function documentationReplicating Material Master Data from SAP ERP to SAP CRM

 

Material master data is transferred from SAP ERP to SAP CRM using middleware. The relevant middleware object is MATERIAL.

A single initial download is used to download the materials required and to create them as products in SAP CRM. Subsequent changes and any new materials created in SAP ERP after this point are transferred by delta downloads, which are triggered automatically when the initial download has been completed.

Note Note

You cannot download SAP ERP products with the product type Material as products with the product type Service in SAP CRM.

End of the note.

Prerequisites

Before the initial download can take place, you must have:

  • Transferred Customizing for general settings (in particular, transferred the units of measure, languages, and countries, using middleware objects beginning with DNL_CUST_BASIS)

  • Transferred Customizing for organizational management (for example, transferred the sales offices)

    In Customizing for Customer Relationship Management, choose Start of the navigation path Master Data Next navigation step Organizational Management Next navigation step Data Transfer End of the navigation path.

  • Transferred Customizing for sales (for example, transferred the product groups, using middleware object DNL_CUST_SPROD)

  • Defined the mapping of sales tax data from the SAP ERP to the SAP CRM format

    In Customizing for Customer Relationship Management, choose Start of the navigation path Basic Functions Next navigation step Taxes Next navigation step Basic Settings Next navigation step Tax Types and Tax Groups Next navigation step Assign Tax Groups to SAP ERP Tax Classifications (Product) End of the navigation path.

  • Defined how the product ID is stored

    In Customizing for Cross-Application Components, choose Start of the navigation path SAP Product Next navigation step Basic Settings Next navigation step Define Output Format and Storage Format of Product IDs End of the navigation path. We recommended that you use the same settings in both systems. See the documentation for this Customizing activity for more information.

  • Transferred the middleware object CUSTOMER

  • Transferred the following middleware objects for the class CUSTOMIZING:

    • DNL_CUST_PROD0

    • DNL_CUST_PROD1

    • DNL_CUST_PROD3

For more information, see Initial Load of Customizing Objects (Solution Manager: Start of the navigation path SAP CRM Next navigation step Configuration Structures Next navigation step SAP CRM Next navigation step Basic Settings for SAP CRM Next navigation step Data Replication Next navigation step Replication of Customizing Objects End of the navigation path).

Features

The material data downloaded from SAP ERP includes the following data in particular:

  • General material data such as the base unit of measure, alternative units of measure, and material descriptions and general texts (such as basic texts)

  • Grouping characteristics, in particular the product hierarchy, material group, and material type

  • Sales data and sales texts

    The SAP ERP sales statuses are created in SAP CRM as statuses of the status object Sales Product (PRS). The following system statuses are available:

    • I1001 (created)

    • I1050 (blocked with warning)

    • I1051 (blocked with error message)

    Only one sales status is defined at distribution chain level (combination of sales organization and distribution channel). There is no general sales status for the product.

Activities

  1. Define which materials you want to download.

    You do this in the filter conditions in middleware object management for the object MATERIAL using transaction R3AC1.

    The filter conditions must be specified appropriately for the database format of the corresponding fields in the backend system. In particular, numeric material numbers must have 18 positions and include leading zeros (unless you have specified the lexicographical storage format for material numbers). See SAP Note 515706Information published on SAP site for information about potential problems.

    Save your entries in the initial screen. This takes approximately 1 minute, since modules are generated automatically.

  2. Start the data transfer for the object MATERIAL using transaction R3AS.

  3. Use transaction CRMM_PRPROD to check whether problems have occurred in the assignment of pricing reference materials during the transfer.

    Note Note

    Do not create a product master using a client copy or similar procedure either in SAP CRM or SAP ERP. If you want to set up new systems with product master data or change or create a connection between existing systems, see SAP Note 418886Information published on SAP site (and related notes). This SAP Note contains important information about how to avoid inconsistencies at database level.

    End of the note.