Checks Against the SAP Regional Structure

Use

Using the SAP regional structure, addresses entered (for example, for business partners, orders, or purchase orders) are checked for correctness (spelling, correct postal code, ...) against reference data. Address entry is facilitated by search helps and automatic supplements.

The SAP regional structure is automatically available to objects that use Business Address Services (in releases up to Basis 4.6D: Central address management). Other applications can use the SAP regional structure by installing the function module ADDR_REGIONAL_DATA_CHECK.

Prerequisites

Reference data has to have been created for the postal codes, cities, and streets of the countries for which the SAP regional structure is to be activated. There are two ways in which you can fill the SAP regional structure:

You can use report RSADRLSM02 to import the reference data as of Release 4.5B. This is the standard procedure for filling the SAP regional structure. For more information, see SAP Note 132948.
You can also maintain the individual objects separately in the SAP reference IMG, transaction SPRO, by choosing SAP Web Application Server Basis Services Address Management Regional Structure/City File <Object> (Postal Codes, Cities, Streets). Transactions for creating, changing, and displaying cities, streets, and postal codes can be found here.

Activating the SAP Regional Structure

The address check against the regional structure can be activated by country. There is a switch for this in field XREGS of the country table T005. This field can be maintained in transaction OY17 or transaction SPRO ( Start of the navigation path SAP Reference IMG Next navigation step General Settings Set Countries Set Country-Specific Checks End of the navigation path ) (input field "City file active").

Features

When an address is entered, the following points are checked:

Are the city, district, and street spelt correctly?
Have the city, street, and postal code been entered (if required)?
Do the district and street match the city, and the district match the street?
Does the postal code exist (also the postal code for the P.O. Box)?
Is the postal code permitted for postal delivery or for P.O. boxes?
Is the postal code permitted in the city? Does the postal code match the postal street section if a postal code is maintained there? Does the postal code match the district if a postal code is stored there?

If an incomplete address is entered, the system tries to determine the missing entries independently.

Note

The country always has to be entered. That is subsequently presupposed. The following is possible, for example:

Only the postal code is entered. The system gets the city and the street, if they depend unambiguously on the postal code. If there are several options, a dialog box with selection options is displayed.
City, street, and house number are entered, the postal code and district are determined.
The region is determined from the remaining entries.

There are search fields for the fields Street and City that can be used to fill several address fields in one go. The search help for the street returns, for example, the city, country, and region, as well as the street.