Using the Component for Creating Inbound IDoc Documents (SAP Library - IDoc Connector for XML Component (BC-FES-AIT))

Using the Component for Creating Inbound IDoc Documents

Purpose

The IDoc Connector for XML component can accept one or more XML document(s) or file(s) and send them as inbound IDoc(s) to a specified R/3 system.

Prerequisites

The receiving R/3 system must be set up to accept inbound IDocs. This involves setting up the ALE and IDoc infrastructure. See the details in the Prerequisite Setup topic and in the ALE and IDoc documentation mentioned there.

An XML document containing the tags for creating a well formed IDoc (meaning a valid IDoc that is appropriate for the receiving R/3 application) must be available. The XML document can exist in a file or you can create the XML document in your client program.

Note that when sending inbound IDoc documents, the IDoc Connector for XML only verifies the syntax of the XML tags in the XML document you provide. It does not verify the resulting IDoc, or the data in it.

You can obtain a skeleton XML file for a specific IDoc type by using the SAP Assistant product (which is a part of SAP Automation). See the topic Creating the XML Document for Inbound IDocs.

Process Flow

To use this feature, of sending inbound IDocs from XML documents, you use the SAPIDocProcessorInbound object in your application.

Create an instance of the SAPIDocProcessorInbound object.

Provide connection information for logging into the receiving R/3 system.

You can do so in one of the following ways:

Method

Details

By using an existing Destination entry from the SAP DCOM Connector product

Use the SetConnectionParameters method of the SAPIDocProcessorInbound object, specifying the Destination name (from the SAP DCOM Connector) as a parameter.

See the documentation of the SAP DCOM Connector product for how to set up destinations. Note that the complete documentation for the product is available after you install the product.

By allowing an end use to enter connection information through a logon dialog

Use the DCOM Connector Logon Component (from the SAP Automation suite of tools) to display a Logon dialog to the user.

When the user finishes entering logon information, the DCOM Connector Logon Component makes the logon information available through its Connection object.

Assign this Connection object to the Connection property of the SAPIDocProcessorInbound object.

Send the document to R/3 either synchronously or asynchronously. Do so by calling the SendIDocToR3 method of the SAPIDocProcessorInbound object.

This connects to the destination system using the connection information you have set up in the previous step. It converts the specified XML document into an IDoc, and sends it to the receiving R/3 system.

Visual Basic Example

The following example uses a destination name that had been defined in the SAP DCOM Connector (SYS1). It then uses the XML file the end user specifies to send an inbound IDoc to R/3.

Private Sub SendDoc_Click()
'Instantiate the inbound object:
Dim idoc As New SAPIDOCPROCLib.SAPIDocProcessorInbound
On Error GoTo bad_news
idoc.SetConnectionParameters ("SYS1")
                        'SYS1 is an existing destination entry
                          'in SAP DCOM Connector
'
'Send the IDoc synchronously.
'   Let the user specify the XML file path in an edit box (Text1):
Call idoc.SendIDocToR3(INBOUND_IDOC_PROCESS, Text1.Text)
MsgBox "IDoc processed and sent to R/3", vbInformation, "Cheers."
Exit Sub
bad_news:
    MsgBox Err.Description & " " & Err.Source, vbCritical, Err.Number
    Exit Sub
End Sub