Data Cleansing

Use

Data cleansing allows you to compare, include and merge redundant business partner master records (potential duplicates) in data cleansing cases. When the data cleansing process has been completed, you can remove data records from the system using archiving.

Integration

Before you can carry out data cleansing, you have to determine which data in your system is invalid, and include it in data cleansing cases.

You have the following options for duplicate recognition and the creation of data cleansing cases:

  • The Business Address Services (BAS) provide interfaces for integrating the relevant external software (search engines).

  • User-defined programs

  • Services of business information providers, who check their data for possible duplicates. For more information, see the documentation for the report BUPA_BIP_FILE_EXPORT.

In the options described above, the data cleansing cases are created by the system, and entered in the data cleansing worklist for further processing.

  • In individual cases you can find potential business partner duplicates in the hit list of the business partner search, and create your own data cleansing case.

After you have connected the non-SAP software (search engines), the system starts duplicate recognition (Delta Scan) with every change to, or new entry of a business partner for this specific individual record. You should perform a full scan of the complete dataset at the beginning of the consolidation process using the non-SAP software. This registers all potential duplicates in data cleansing cases and makes them available for further processing.

Duplicate Check Process

The connection of a third party provider tool to the BAS interface allows address data for business partners to be checked (including the address data for contact persons and employee relationships).

The duplicate check can take place in the SAP GUI dialog for maintaining business partners, or also using BAPIs.

A duplicate check is carried out in the following cases:

  • Duplicate check of the central address data

    • When a business partner is created with address data

    • When a business partner is changed

  • Duplicate check of the address data for relationships

    • When a CP relationship (or an employee relationship) is created with a firm's address

      The check is carried out only if an address was assigned.

    • When a CP relationship or employee relationship is changed

Duplicate Check Dialog

If a duplicate is identified during one of the above-mentioned actions, a dialog box appears with the relevant options for processing the duplicates.

You can use the following functions in this dialog:

  • Navigation to the display of a potential duplicate

  • Navigation to the relevant duplicate during the creation of a business partner or a relationship

    You can choose whether you want to accept the changes made to the business partner that is being maintained.

  • Creation of a data cleansing case for further maintenance in transaction BUPA_CLEAR

  • Navigation to the display of the relationship for a duplicate relating to contact person or employee data

  • Display of the similarity of the duplicate in percent

    Note Note

    You can adapt the display of the duplicates to your specific requirements. You can use the standard functions of the SAP List Viewer (ALV) for this purpose. For more information, see the user documentation for the SAP List Viewer.

    End of the note.

Prerequisites

You need to have determined the redundant data records in your system.

To use the interface of the Business Address Services, make the following settings in the IMG in the Customizing of the address management: Start of the navigation path SAP NetWeaver Next navigation step Application Server Next navigation step Basis Services Next navigation step Address Management Next navigation step Duplicate Check Next navigation step Activate Duplicate Check and Determine Limit for BAPIs. End of the navigation path

Note Note

Make sure that the duplicate check has been activated on both index pools (tables BUT000 and BUT052).

End of the note.

Make the following system settings in the IMG of the SAP Business Partner: Start of the navigation path Cross-Application Components Next navigation step SAP Business Partner Next navigation step Data Cleansing Next navigation step Maintain Number Ranges / Define Priorities / Activate Duplicate Cleansing End of the navigation path .

Activities

Register data cleansing cases using BAPIs or create them in the dialog for business partner maintenance from the worklist or the business partner search.

Process the created data cleansing cases in a separate process step afterwards.