Replication and Synchronization of Business Partners
Note
The replication and synchronization described here is only available to you if you use the industry component Contract Accounts Receivable and Payable.
SAP Customer Relationship Management (CRM) uses the SAP business partner to represent customer data. SAP ERP (ERP) uses the SAP business partner, the customer, the supplier, and the vendor to represent master data in various components in parallel.
In a scenario, in which you use SAP CRM and the CRM system is your leading system, you create master data there as business partners and distribute them to SAP ERP using CRM Middleware. When you create a business partner, you can have the system automatically create the corresponding customer or vendor master record. SAP ERP then synchronizes the business partner with the customer or vendor master record using customer/vendor integration (CVI). SAP ERP also distributes changes to business partner data in SAP CRM in the same way.
In a scenario, in which you use SAP CRM and the ERP system is your leading system, you create master data there as business partners and distribute them to SAP CRM using CRM Middleware. During the distribution to SAP CRM, the system takes into account the sales data from the customer master record in addition to the business partner data from SAP ERP. When you create a business partner in the ERP system, you can have the system automatically create the corresponding customer or vendor master record. SAP ERP then synchronizes the business partner with the customer or vendor master record using customer/vendor integration (CVI). SAP ERP also distributes changes to business partner data in the same way.
In Contract Accounts Receivable and Payable, you create business partners with customer or vendor master records manually. On the SAP Easy Access screen, choose 
Accounting
Financial Accounting
Contract Accounts Receivable and Payable
Master Data
Business Partner
Customer/Customer Integration
Create Business Partner with Customer
and Supplier/Vendor Integration
Create Business Partner with Vendor
. There you can also access transactions for changing and displaying master data. These transactions use role groupings that already contain the necessary roles for synchronous creation of customers/customers and suppliers/vendors. This ensures that the system creates the business partner in the role MKK
, and that you can enter information on the company code and sales (or the company code and purchasing) using the roles FLCU00
and FLCU01
or FLVN00
and FLVN01
.
Prerequisites
You are familiar with the basic settings of the master data objects business partner, customer, and vendor.
You have experience with configuring the data exchange using CRM middleware – assuming that SAP CRM is part of your scenario.
During the synchronization and replication, both the ERP system and the CRM system are available – assuming CRM is part of your scenario.
Note
For more information, see the following SAP Notes:
SAP Note | Description |
| |
Useful Notes – CVI for Master Data Synchronization | |
| |
| |
| |
| |
Business Partner Replication Between CRM and ECC with Active CVI |
Activities
If you are using the integration between SAP CRM and SAP ERP, then you have to make the settings described in all of the following topics. If you are using only SAP ERP, then only make the settings described in the following two topics:
The synchronization and replication of master data between SAP CRM and SAP ERP requires extensive settings:
For the SAP business partner in the ERP system and CRM system
For the CRM middleware in the ERP system and CRM system
For customer/vendor integration (CVI) in the ERP system
For the Postprocessing Office in the ERP system
In a scenario with SAP CRM as your leading system, newly created business partner master records and subsequent changes – as long as the necessary settings have been made – are distributed automatically from the CRM system to the ERP system.
If you use the appropriate CRM partner roles, then the system creates the customer or vendor master records synchronously, or updates them, as depicted in the following table.
SAP CRM | SAP ERP | Synchronized Master Data |
|
| Customer master record with FI data Customer master record with Sales data Contract partner |
|
| Vendor master record with FI data Vendor master record with Sales data Contract Partner |
If you are using only ERP, then the system synchronizes and updates the master data as depicted in the following table:
SAP ERP: Role Grouping | SAP ERP: Role | Synchronized Master Data |
|
| Customer master record with FI data Customer master record with sales data Contract Partner |
|
| Vendor master record with FI data Vendor master record with sales data Contract Partner |
Note
If you want to create the business partner with a customer or vendor, then you first have to compare the required fields of the customer and vendor master record with those of the business partner. If you create a business partner in SAP ERP of the type 'person', then you have to make sure that it is possible to enter the correspondence language. Only then is it possible for the synchronization to take place using CVI. If errors occur during the synchronization, you can get help in the Business Data Toolset by removing the function module BUA_BUPA_EVENT_FMOD2
for field group 62. To do so, in the menu for the Business Data Toolset (transaction BUPT), choose Business Partner
Control
Screen Layout
Field Groups
.
Note
During the replication of business partners from SAP CRM to SAP ERP, the standard system sets the Relevant for agency business
indicator for the customers created using CVI.