File Upload

You use this Web Dynpro application (USMD_FILE_UPLOAD) to copy master data from a file to the database tables defined in the data model for Master Data Governance.

Note Note

You can also copy master data from the database tables to a local file in CSV format using a file download.

End of the note.

Prerequisites

You are the current processor of a change request, which is used to approve and track changes.
A standard data model has been assigned to you. If a standard data model has not been assigned to you by means of the user master record, you must assign a data model in this Web Dynpro application by choosing Change Model.
The file that is to be uploaded is a text file (for example, a CSV file).
Binary files are not supported.

Field values can be separated by a semi-colon, tab, comma, or other printable character. With the exception of the tab, the system does not support hidden characters.
You have saved the file that is to be uploaded on either the presentation server (that is, your local PC) or the application server.

Features

The application enables you to enter all of the parameters relevant for the file upload and then starts the upload process.

You upload the file for a specific entity type (and for a specific edition if an edition is required for the edition type). When you do so, you can only upload master data for entity types with the storage and use types (SU type) 1 (Changeable via Change Request; Generated Database Tables) or 4 (Changeable via Other Entity Type; Generated Database Tables).

You can also specify how the existing master data is to be handled during the upload process as follows:

The system deletes all existing master data. It then recreates the data records contained in the upload file.
The system deletes only the existing master data for which the upload file contains data records. It then recreates the data records contained in the upload file.
The system overwrites only those attributes in the existing master data that are contained in the upload file. All other attributes are retained.

If the data records contained in the upload file are in an external format (the format that you see on the user interface), you can convert them automatically to internal format (the format in which the data is stored in the database tables).

You can save the current settings as a variant. This means that you do not have to reconfigure the parameters each time you upload a file.

The system logs each file upload automatically in an application log. You can view the log in transaction SLG1 (object FMDM, subobject UPLOAD).

Activities

If you have installed the Business Package for Financial MDM 1.51 in SAP NetWeaver Portal, you can call this Web Dynpro application in the Financial Master Data Governance work center by choosing the File Upload service in the Distribution Monitor workset.

The application includes the following steps:

Define entity type
Define file structure
Specify upload settings
Check and execute
Confirm

Define Entity Type

In this step, select a previously saved variant or configure the general parameters for the file upload as follows:

Under Entity Type, select the relevant entity type for the file upload.
Use the transfer type to specify which master data of the entity type is to be uploaded (attributes, language-dependent texts, or hierarchies).

Note
The Language-Dependent Texts transfer type can be selected only for entity types of (SU type) 1 that have language-dependent texts.

You can upload texts directly in the respective logon language using the Attributes transfer type.

When you upload language-dependent texts, you must always fill in the Language Key field.

End of the note.

Define File Structure

In this step, select the entity types or attributes that you want to include in the upload data.

Specify Upload Settings

In this step, make the following settings:

Upload Mode
- In the Delete All and Add Records upload mode and the Attributes transfer type, the system deletes all existing master data. It then recreates the data records contained in the upload file. This upload mode is only offered if the settings of the Entity Type view of the Customizing activity Edit Data Model under General Settings Data Modeling allow for deletion. However, this is permitted only if:
  - The master data to be deleted is not already used as a node in a hierarchy.
    
    Note
    The system automatically deletes master data that is used as leaves in a hierarchy.
    
    End of the note.
  - The master data to be deleted is not used in any other entity types.
    
    Note
    Examples from the Financials area that show why master data must not be used in any other entity types are as follows:
    
    Each account is assigned to exactly one chart of accounts. If the chart of accounts is deleted, the accounts that belong to it become invalid.
    An account has the attribute Breakdown Type. If the breakdown type is deleted, the master data for the account becomes invalid.
    
    End of the note.
- In the Overwrite or Add Records upload mode, the system deletes master data for which there are data records in the upload file. It then recreates the data records contained in the upload file. This upload mode is only offered if the settings of the Entity Type view of the Customizing activity Edit Data Model under General Settings Data Modeling allow for deletion.
  If the upload process does not include all of the attributes, the system sets the missing attributes to initial. If attributes that are specified as required entry fields are not uploaded, the system issues an error message.
- In the Overwrite or Add Attributes upload mode, the system deletes attributes for which there are attributes in the upload file. It then recreates the attributes contained in the upload file in the following way:
  - If the upload file contains an attribute with an empty value for an existing attribute of the MDG system, the system overwrites the existing attribute of the MDG system with the empty value of the upload file.
  - If the upload file contains no attribute for an existing attribute of the MDG system, the system keeps the existing attribute of the MDG system.
  - If the upload file contains an attribute with a filled value for which there was no existing attribute in the MDG system before, the system adds the attribute from the upload file to the MDG system.
Conversion
As a result of the settings in the user master record (transaction SU01 – Fixed Values tab page), it may be necessary to convert the format of data records from external to internal format (date values and figures). To specify that the system is to carry out a conversion, select the Execute Conversion option.
File Store
- The file to be uploaded can be stored on either the presentation server (local PC) or on the application server.
  If the file is stored on the application server, you must enter the absolute (complete) file path as the File Name.
  
  Note
  You can display the file system of the application server using transaction AL11.
  
  End of the note.
File Format
- In general, the system accepts only text files for the file upload.
  You can specify whether field values are to be separated by a semi-colon, tab, comma, or other printable character.
  
  Note
  With the exception of the tab, the system does not support hidden characters.
  
  End of the note.
- You can specify the character used to begin a comment row in the upload file. The first column of each comment row must then contain this character.

Check and Execute

In this step, the system uploads the data and checks it for consistency.

If you have selected the Delete Uploaded upload mode, the system also identifies the master data that is to be deleted.

Before the system can delete the existing master data and save the uploaded master data in this step, changes to the master data must be requested, approved, and logged using one or more change requests. As a result, the following must also be taken into account in this file upload step:

If the uploaded master data and the data to be deleted is not yet included in a change request, the system prompts the user to enter a change request.
To enter a change request, at least one change request must be assigned to the user with a status that enables objects to be processed. This change request cannot contain a fixed (predefined) object list.

Note
To ensure that users are aware of the change request in which the master data change has been requested, they are prompted to enter the change request during the file upload process even if only one change request is assigned to them.

End of the note.
If the uploaded master data and the data to be deleted is not fully contained in a change request with a fixed object list, the user must enter a change request during the file upload process.

Note
The change request type defines whether a change request has a fixed object list. You define the change request type in Customizing for Master Data Governance under General Settings Process Modeling Change Requests Create Change Request Type .

End of the note.
If the uploaded master data and the data to be deleted is already contained in a change request that has not yet been released, a distinction must be made between the following cases:
- The change request is assigned to the user who uploads the file.
  In this case, no further steps are required.
- The change request is assigned to a different user.
  This leads to a termination.
If part of the uploaded master data and the data to be deleted is contained in different change requests (that are assigned to the user and not yet released) and part is not assigned to a change request, only the master data that is not assigned to a change request is requested and logged in the change request specified by the user during the file upload process.
If master data is to be deleted during the file upload and deleting the data automatically causes hierarchy entries to be deleted, the hierarchy changes are also included in the change request. However, these hierarchy entries must not be already used in a different change request of the user that has not yet been released.

Example

Initial population of master data tables during production startup.