Interface to an External WM System: Scenario 5 (SAP Library - IDoc Interface: EDI Application Scenarios (BC-SRV-EDI))

Interface to an External WM System: Scenario 5

Purpose

The external system is to assume full responsibility for storage functions as well as warehouse management and warehouse control for an entire warehouse.

Scenarios 3, 4 and 5 must be considered in conjunction with an automatic warehouse. This section describes the fifth scenario. You should consider all three scenarios if, in a concrete situation, a decision regarding the use of the WM system in an automatic warehouse is to be made.

When a WM system is used, communication takes place between the SAP-WM system and the external system, i.e. an interface between Materials Management (MM), Sales and Distribution (SD) or Production Planning (PP) and the external system is not necessary in this case for any of the warehouse processes since it is always the WM system that is activated first. There are, however, warehouses for which the use of an external warehouse management system (not SAP-WM) would, in fact be appropriate. The following reasons can be cited for implementing an external warehouse management system:

The warehouse is fully automatic with highly complex storage techniques, i.e. based on a warehouse like the one in scenario 4; there are, however, no longer any warehouses that can be managed using conventional methods. As described in scenario 4, the WM system should not normally be used in a highly automated warehouse.

The functionality of the WM system is far from capable of managing the warehouse. The outlay for adapting standards to the requirements of the warehouse is too high.

The customer uses the SAP system in a storage section which is already being run by means of warehouse management software. This warehouse management system should be retained by all means.

The SAP system does not currently feature a standard interface for connecting the individual components MM, SD and PP to an external warehouse management system. The task of interfacing an external WMS system is left, therefore, left entirely to the customer; for example, in a project with the supplier of this system. A number of standard SAP objects can be used here:

Inventory Management (IM):

IM - external WMS:

A user exit ‘MB_CF001’ can be activated in the Inventory Management module when a material document is posted. This user exit can be used to format and send the necessary data for the external WMS in accordance with individual customer requirements. The standard IDoc WMMBID01 can be used for this. Sample coding is available in the documentation of the user exit as of Release 3.0C.

External WMS - IM:

The goods movements in an external WMS are reported to the IM system via the standard IDoc WMMBID01 as with the mobile data entry interface.

Production Planning (PP):

In the production planning component, there ia a user exit for production requests as of Release 3.0C. You can call this up using Transaction /nCMOD for development class CO.

As of Release 3.0D, SAP provides a user exit to be able to send transfer requirements for material staging for production requests (WM-PP link) to an external system. Here, too, sample coding is provided in the documentation of the user exit.

Sales and Distribution (SD):

SD - external WMS:

Pick requests are sent from the Sales and Distribution module to an external system with the standard IDoc SDPIOD01

External WMS - SD:

The picking procedure is reported by the external system to the Sales and Distribution module via the standard IDoc SDPIID01.

The shipping units are reported by the external system to the Sales and Distribution module via the standard IDoc SDPAID01.