Technical Background Information

Use

Synchronization object, source, and target components

A synchronization object is a customizing object which must be synchronized in various systems in a system landscape. Synchronization objects can have different structures in two components in a system landscape. A synchronization object can, for example, be based on a table which has different names in the ERP system and in SAP CRM. Synchronization objects are release-specific (see below).

The software components in a system landscape whose synchronization objects are compared and adjusted to each other, are referred to as source and target components. The Customizing Scout and Customizing Distribution only use one source component; usually the software component SAP_APPL or SAP_BASIS. All other components in a system landscape can be the target components of a comparison or synchronization. Examples of target components are BBPCRM and SAP_APO.

Mapping

Mapping In the simplest case, the structures of customizing objects in a source and a target component (for example, SAP_APPL and BBPCRM), match. If the objects do not match, the Customizing Scout and Customizing Distribution use descriptions in the system of how the objects correspond. The synchronization object specification tool provides an environment to create these descriptions. The descriptions specify which customizing object in the target component corresponds to a customizing object in a source component, that is, a customizing object in the target component is mapped onto a customizing object in a source component. The assignment starts with the objects in the target component, i.e. tables and field names of the object in the target component are captured first in the specification tool, and assigned to tables and field names in the corresponding object in the source component.

The following types of mapping are currently supported:

  • No Mapping Required (same data): the table and field names are identical in the target and source components. The field attributes must be convertable (example: Numc -> Integer or Char). Not all fields must be in both tables. You only need to choose No Mapping Required in the specification tool.

  • Different Table Names: the field names are the same in the target and source components, but the table names are different. The field attributes must be convertable (example: Numc -> Integer or Char). Not all fields must be in both tables. You must specify which tables in the target componente are mapped onto which tables in the source component, in the specification tool.

  • Different Table and Field Names: Both the table name and the field names differ in the target and source components. The field attributes must be convertable (example: Numc -> Integer or Char). Not all fields must be in both tables. You must specify which tables and fields in the target component are mapped onto which tables and fields in the source component, in the specification tool. At least one table in the source component must contain all the key fields in the target component. All other tables depend on this primary table.

  • Programmed Mapping: A customizing object in a source component is converted into a customizing object in a target component by a function module.

Release-dependence of the mapping

The Customizing Scout and Customizing Distribution first get information about the components in a system landscape, including the release (e.g. BBPCRM 3.1 and SAP_APPL 4.0B). The descriptions of which customizing objects in the source component correspond to which customizing object in the target component, are release-dependent. The release or releases to which the mapping applies, must also be specified for each synchronization object, in the specification tool.

Types of customizing objects

The synchronization objects comprise one or more customizing objects of the following types:

  • Table (space)

  • View (V)

  • Table with text table (S)

You do not need to specify these types in the specification tool, they are displayed automatically when you enter a customizing object.

For other types of customizing objects, before input:

  • View clusters (type C) are be resolved into individual views; these views are then entered in the specification tool.

  • Customizing objects of type T (individual transaction) or L (logical transport object) are resolved into their tables (space, V, S); and these tables must be entered in the specification tool.