Set Up Agents in Customizing

You want to use the Agent Framework for your applications and make the Customizing Settings required by the SAP implementation guide.

The Agent Framework is based on the functionality of the Change Notification Service (CNS). For this reason, you have to make the Customizing settings for the Change Notification Service before you can make the settings for the Agent Framework. The Customizing activities for the Change Notification Service are listed here and their contents are described in relationship to the Agent Framework. Then you will find a short description of the settings required in Customizing for the Agent Framework and Job Control.

Making settings for the Change Notification Service

You can find the Customizing activities for the Change Notification Service in the SAP implementation guide under  Cross-Application Components  General Application Functions  Change Notification Service . For more information about the individual activities, see the documentation about Customizing activities.

1. Create Applications that Generate Change Pointers

   In this Customizing activity you create those application for whose events the Change Notification Service is to generate change points on behalf of the Agent Framework and then make this agents available to be called.

2. Create Export Object Types

   In this Customizing activity you define which business object categories (for example, loan account or current account) and for which events belonging to this business object category (for example, unscheduled repayment or limit change) the Change Notification Service (and therefore the Agent Framework) is to be active in an application.

3. Create Applications that Receive Change Pointers

   In the Customizing activity you define those applications that are to be informed of an event by the agents in the Agent Framework (for example, unscheduled repayment of a loan).

4. Assign permitted export object categories and make export object category settings.

   In this Customizing activity you assign the created export object categories to the applications. Here, you also define the retention period in the system for written change pointers and specify whether the Change Notification Service is to provide images of the export object events to the agents.

5. Activate Applications that Receive Change Pointers

   In this Customizing activity you assign generating and receiving applications to one another.

6. Register Applications that Receive Change Pointers

   In this Customizing activity you release the previously assigned application for the Change Notification Service.

In the Customizing activity Check Customizing for the Change Notification Service you can then check whether your entries are consistent.

Make settings for the Agent Framework:

You can find the relevant Customizing activities for the Change Notification Service in the SAP implementation guide under  Cross-Application Components  General Application Functions  Agent Framework . For more information about the individual activities, see the documentation about Customizing activities.

1. Declare Recipient as Agent

   If you want to create an agent, select the receiving application for the Change Notification Service as the agent in this Customizing activity. By doing so, you register the agent to events that the Change Notification Services records by writing change pointers. In addition, you store a previously programmed implementation for each agent. For more information, see Programming Agents

2. Configure Agents

   If you want to execute an agent automatically right after an event has occurred, you can set the Execute Immediately indicator in this Customizing activity. You use the Suppress Locks indicator to override the locks in the Change Notification Service if this becomes necessary for performance reasons.

Make settings for Job Control:

If you want to use the simplified, integrated job control in the Agent Framework to schedule your agents, you need to make the following Customizing settings: You can find them in the SAP Implementation Guide under  Cross-Application Components  General Application Functions  Agent Framework . These settings replace the Customizing settings for general job control in background processing.

1. Create Job Scheduling Template

2. Create Scheduling Group for Agents

3. Assign Agent Scheduling Group

If you want to use the general job control settings for background processing (transactions SM36 and SM37), you will find the relevant Customizing activities in Customizing for  Cross-Application Components  General Application Functions  Parallel Processing and Job Control .

If you also want to create a change pointer history, you can use the available Business Add—In (BAdI) BAdI:History Management of Mass Run Data. You can find this Customizing for  Cross-Application Components  General Application Functions  Parallel Processing and Job Control  Parallel Processing .

For more information about scheduling opportunities for background job of agents, see Executing Agents.

Once you have programmed your agents and made all the described Customizing settings, you can schedule and execute your agents. For more information, see Executing Agents.