UPS Serialization (SAP Library - PLM Product Data Replication)

UPS Serialization

Use

The Uniform Packaging Service can be used flexibly in different scenarios. If it is used to distribute large business object units (such as product models), the distribution units are not always independent of each other. For this reason, it is possible to serialize ALE distribution units.

The serialization of ALE distribution units uses explicit manual listing of predecessor units. Predecessors can only be specified in the original packet. Since this is static, it cannot be changed by correction packets.

If predecessors are specified in an ALE distribution unit, the transaction post (see UPS Status) cannot be executed until all predecessors have been posted.

Prerequisites

In Customizing for the UPS, under Define Packet Type, you can define whether automated predecessor determination can be run. This setting is only relevant if an ALE distribution unit is created using API.

Features

There are two strategies for predecessor determination:

Strategy	Description
Using same packet type	All ALE distribution units of the same packet type are regarded as predecessors. Since a packet type usually maps a distribution scenario, all ALE distribution units in a scenario are serialized.
Using the seam importing object	All ALE distribution units affecting the "importing" object are regarded as predecessors. The importing object is the business-relevant object that represents the object list of the ALE distribution unit (such as a product). So if several ALE distribution units contain information on this object (such as product versions), they need to be serialized.

Note

The explicit naming of predecessors leads to networked queuing of ALE distribution units in inbound processing in the target system. As for queuing mechanisms in general, the failure of an ALE distribution unit due to rejection or incorrect posting holds up all subsequent ALE distribution units. Since the rejection of an ALE distribution unit is final, all subsequent ALE distribution units can no longer be posted.

Since UPS serialization ensures that ALE distribution units are posted in the correct order, filtering of objects can work restrictively. An object is filtered out when it has been sent (distribution status S). If the filter waited until the object was posted, several serialized ALE distribution units may contain the same object. However, since the first unit must post this object to allow the others to post it, the transfer would be redundant.