Application Link Enabling (ALE) is the technique by which data is exchanged between a central application and distributed applications running on different logical computer systems, sometimes in different countries, in a communications network.
Communication between applications is carried out via the medium of the IDOC (intermediate document). The configuration of all information structures is based on one central reference IDOC. An IDOC used for Sales & Operations Planning (SOP) has ten segments for key figures, one segment for characteristic values , and one segment for the planning version.
You maintain a distribution model for the IDOC of each information structure , in which you define the reference as the sender and the client as the receiver. You can then set up this distribution model such that organizational units (characteristic values) receive only data (key figures) which is relevant to them. For example, you specify that sales organization Florida is to be sent its own target sales quantities but not the target sales quantities of sales organization Texas, and not the total target sales quantities for all sales organizations. You configure distribution models in Customizing for Application Link Enabling (under "Distribution" in "Cross-application functions").
In order to be able to send the data of a particular information structure, you must have the system generate a type for it. You do this in Customizing for Sales & Operations Planning (the step "Application Link Enabling" under "Functions"). This ensures that an IDOC containing planning data is transmitted to the receiver whenever the data of this information structure is saved. This may be a sales plan, a production plan, or any planning data saved in an information structure. Previous planning data at the receiver location is overwritten in this process. Thus, if the user wishes to resend data for any reason, he or she must call up the planning data and save it. All message types generated for Sales & Operations Planning have the format "LIPxxx" (xxx stands for the three figures after the leading "S" in the name of the information structure).
At the receiving end, the Workflow Management module records the arrival of an IDOC, checks its date, and ensures that the most recent data is saved. If subsequently it is decided that the older data is needed after all, it has to be sent again.
The attribute "not ready for input" can be assigned to a line in the planning table. It is therefore possible to set planning targets centrally such that they can be displayed but not changed decentrally.
The information structure must be present both centrally and decentrally so that characteristic values can be recognized on both sides.
You configure information structures for use in Application Link Enabling (ALE) in Application Link Enabling (ALE).
To use ALE for Sales & Operations Planning, you must also make a number of settings centrally in Distribution.