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Copy Management

You can use the Logistics Data Warehouse to tailor the Logistics Information System (LIS) to meet your requirements.

The design of the information structures is instrumental for guaranteeing a high level of performance for updating and evaluations, as well as for ensuring that the statistical data is up-to-date and consistent.

To achieve these goals, Copy Management offers the following options:

Every run of the Copy Management function consists of three steps:

1. Reading statistical data
The statistical data is either read from a source information structure in LIS or from any other data sources that you choose.
In order to read the latter data, you can use the function exit RMCAF000.
2. Adapting, enhancing and aggregating statistical data
This step is divided up into two parts:
a) The period unit of the information structures is converted, i.e. the periods of the source information structure are automatically adapted to the periods of the target information structure, where the period unit in the source information structure has to be smaller or equal to the period in the target information structure.
If, for example, the source information structure is updated on a daily basis, but the target information structure is updated on a monthly basis, then automatic conversion takes place and it is aggregated into monthly values.
In some cases, it is not possible to clearly convert periods, e.g. when the source information structure is updated on a weekly basis, but the target information structure is updated on a monthly basis. In this case, the data for the entire week is added to the month which contains the last day of this week.
If the automatic period conversion does not suit your specific requirements, you can always create your own period conversion program manually.
b) The system also offers the option of automatic aggregation, i.e. the contents of the fields (characteristics, key figures and units) with identical field names in the source and target information will be assigned to the target information structure from the source information structure.
If the characteristics in the target information structure form part of the characteristics in the source information structure, i.e. if the target information structure has a higher level of aggregation than the source information structure, this automatic assignment will result in a logical aggregation from the source information structure to the target information structure.
In addition, Copy Management also provides a function for automatic data enhancement. Automatic data enhancement enables you to adapt statistical data from master data and to enhance statistical data with additional master data.
When using automatic data enhancement you can identify, for example, the current division for a material or the current MRP controller for a plant and material, and thus adapt the statistical data on the basis of these current allocations.
If you want to make use of automatic data enhancement, proceed as follows:
Start from the initial screen of Copy Management or from the work table, and select Goto -> Automatic data enhancement.
If you have not yet fixed any methods for automatic data enhancement, select the function Edit -> New entries .
Define both the source and target information structure. Source and target information structure can be identical.
If you want to select an entry from the overview of the methods for automatic data enhancement that already exist, mark it and select Source field allocations . Here, you can specify, for the fields of the target information structure, those fields that are to be defined from the master data that is read.
In the fields source table and source field, you define the place where the system reads the required allocation. If the current division, for example, is to be read from the material master, you must specify MARA as the source table and SPART as the source field.
Caution
For the system to read the source table, all of the key fields of the specified source table must be able to be supplied from fields of the source information structure. For this reason, the system tries to make the following allocations:
If there are fields with the same name in the source information structure and in the source table, they will be allocated.
In a further step, the system tries to make allocations by using the same data elements.
Finally, the system tries to make allocations by using the same domains. F4 Help provides all the tables which satisfy this condition.

You can perform complex transformations of statistical data by using methods. You can branch to methods maintenance of Copy Management as follows:

The procedure for this is described in Methods maintenance.

3. Writing altered data to an LIS information structure
The generated data records are automatically written to the target information structure.
Key figures that can be cumulated (floating decimals, whole figures, packed numbers), which are indicated as such in the information structure definition, are added and then aggregated to values that already exist. The summation indicator is set for cumulative key figures in the information structure display.
All other key figures are updated by data transport, which overwrites values that already exist.
In addition to these standard procedures, the behavior of the key figures in Copy Management can be manipulated such that they can be aggregated, replaced, initialized (deleted) or excluded (not changed).
If the source and target information structure as well as the source and target versions are identical, the source data is deleted and replaced by the target data. In this case, the system assumes that the statistical data will be updated with the help of Copy Management (for example, adapting the data after the sales areas have been reorganized).
You can set the parameters of each Copy Management run so that data in the source information structure can be changed. You can use this option to indicate those data records that have already been processed, for instance.
It is also possible to set the parameters of a Copy Management run so that the system deletes those data records of the source information structure that have already been processed.
Caution
If you wish to change source data, then online updating must be switched off for the assigned source information structure, at least in the area that is processed by Copy Management.

Technical information

Source data is changed as follows:

If you have changed a data record, this data record will be deleted from the source table and then added to the source information structure in its altered form via MODIFY.

Caution

If you use a method to change key fields of the source information structure, then a data record that already exists under this key will be overwritten by the changed data record.

Activities

1. Specify the name of the source information structure.
2. Press Enter to reach the work table.
3. Specify the name of the variant for the Copy Management run.
You can use the pushbutton Maintain to branch to function selection.
4. In the function selection of LIS Copy Management you define the settings for the further processing of the Copy Management run. In doing so, you select:
@01@Function is selected
@5B@Function can be selected without current settings being changed
@5C@Function can be selected, but current settings are changed
@02@Function cannot be selected
1. Choose Enter to reach the selection screen.
2. Here, you define the following parameters:
Data source
This is where you specify the name of the information structure which contains the data you want to process using Copy Management.
Source Version
This is where you specify the number of the version in the source information structure.
Data packet size
This parameter is only available in the expert mode. The setting Data packet size indicates how many data records within a database LUW are read from the database table of the source information structure in order to be further processed in Copy Management. The standard (default setting) is: 1000 in user mode, 10000 in the expert mode, and 50000 when reading external data.
Sorted reading
When you set this indicator, reading is sorted according to the primary key of the source table (source info structure). Sorted reading is a prerequisite for continuing a cancelled Copy Management run, and can be necessary for the process of self-defined methods.
If you set this indicator, the system does not read the source information structure to determine the source data, but uses the functional enhancement RMCAF000 instead.
Note
If you use the SAP enhancement RMCAF000 to determine the source data, the options found under Edit are not possible and are therefore deactivated when you press enter.
File path
Control indicator
Can be freely used in the SAP enhancement RMCAF000.
Change source data when copying
(Change source data in the function selection)
Delete source data after copying
(Delete source data in the function selection)
Change only selected data
(Change data in the function selection)
Delete only selected data
(Delete data in the function selection)
Select and delete only initial data records
This indicator is only available in Expert mode and Delete data were selected in the function selection.
If this indicator is set, the only data records selected and deleted are those in which all key figures are populated with the relevant initial values, which means they are either blank or = 0. From a technical point of view, they are selected using the condition 'WHERE field_x = SPACE OR field_x IS NULL'
0 -- Block (information structure/version) no tables
1 -- Block (information structure/version) source table
2 -- Block (information structure/version) target table
3 -- Block (information structure/version) source and target table
Here you specify the number of the version in the information structure to which the data is to be written after it has been processed by Copy Management. If source and target information structures are identical, then the source and target versions can also be identical.
Transformation
No Copy Method (default)
If you wish to use a method that you have designed yourself, you need to enter the name of this method in the Copy method field and also mark this field.
If you wish to use a method with automatic data enhancement, you need to enter the name of this method in the Copy method field and also mark this field.
You can find a description of this functionality in this chapter under 2b.
At present, SAP provides methods for the Sales Information System (SIS) and the Retail Information System (RIS).
You can display these methods from the work table: Goto -> SAP Methods.
If you wish to use one of these methods, you need to both specify the name of the method in the field Copy method and mark this field.
This is where you specify the name of the method for transforming the data, if necessary.
Key figure
This parameter is only available in the expert mode.
In the parameter settings for key figure processing, you can define the rules according to which the key figures of the target information structure are processed during the Copy Management run.
The processing types that can be set are:
@3Z@Total
The contents of the field are added to the relevant field in the database.
This is a default setting for all key figures of type F (floating point number, Float), I (whole number, Integer), N (numeric text) and P (packed number , Packed), for which the totals indicator is set in the definition of the information structure. This processing type is not available for key figures of other types.
@7X@Replace
The contents of the field replace the field in the database table.
This is a default setting for all key figures of types other than F, I, N and P, and all fields of these types, for which the totals indicator was not set in the definition of the information structure.
@84@Exclude
This field is excluded from processing during a Copy Management run so that the content of the relevant database field cannot be changed.
@5C@Delete
The content of the database table field is deleted (in other words, reset to the initial value).
The first time the selection screen "Key figure processing" is called, the default settings are copied from the information structure definition. The setting Total is made for the 'FINP' key figures with the totals indicator, and Replace is set for all other key figures.
The options that appear in the application toolbar have the following effect:
@2L@Save
All settings that differ from the aforementioned default settings are saved.
Copying based on these settings will begin immediately.
@42@Initialization
The settings in the selection screen are reset to their orginal status which means they are reset to the default and other settings.
@11@Delete
All rules that differ from the default settings are deleted.
The rules from the definition of the information structure apply again for copying, with immediate effect.
Do not copy initial records
If the indicator 'Do not copy initial data records' is set, the only data records in the target information structure that are copied are those in which at least one of the key figures is not initial (usually not equal to 0, or not blank). From a technical point of view, the condition 'IF NOT field_x IS INITIAL' is used for copying.
Note
When choosing an option, bear in mind that initial key figures can also be relevant to statistics.
If you set this indicator, the values in the target version of the target information structure are initialized before copying takes place.
Initialize target structure
This indicator is only available if Delete data was selected in the expert mode, and should always be used together with Delete/set up indexes . If you set this indicator, the structure of the target table in the database is removed and set up again. This removes all the data in the target information structure.
Attention
All data in the information structure in the system is deleted, in all clients!
If you set this indicator, the system does not carry out any automatic period conversion.
In this case, you need to perform the period conversion in the method you are using. This period conversion is not checked by the system.
Follow-up processing
If you want to send a mail to a user after the Copy Management run has ended, enter the name of the user here.
The information about Copy Management is transferred to the distribution list that you specify here.
1. Save the variant (Edit -> Attribute, Maintain meaning and Save).
2. Fix the print parameters.
This setting determines whether and in what way WRITE statements from methods maintenance appear (e.g. to display errors).
3. Define the start date values for the Copy Management run.
4. Plan the Copy Management via CM run -> Schedule job.

Additional Functions in the Work Table

and
If these prerequisites are met, the restart logic is supported in two ways, depending on the parameters and processing progress of the job.
These two types of support are:
In this case, it is not possible to support restart logic, because no program variant can be created from the last data record to have been processed.
Using the method reference created here, a self-defined method can be created, with which the terminated job can be restarted. During processing, this method "filters" out the data records that have already been processed (the filter can be described as: "anything smaller than the data record key will not be processed").
In doing so, all data records are first read again, including those already processed. For the sake of performance, you should check if the data records that have definitely already been processed can be excluded using manual entries in the selection options.
In this case, it is possible to provide the program variant(s) with the relevant selection options. If you click on the icon in front of the text, the selection screen of the program RMCAnnn5 (nnn = numbers from the source information structure) appears with the selection options/parameters already populated. These settings should be saved as a variant, and the variant can be scheduled in Copy Management.
Note
If a job in which only data is to be deleted terminates, you must create just one program variant (in the detailed overview, a row "Create program variant" is displayed).
If a job terminates, in which more than just deletion was to take place, generally two program variants must be created (the row "Create 1./2. program variants" is shown).

Further notes

The Copy Management functionality and that of the LIS inbound interface overlap in certain respects.

When faced with the choice as to which tool is the more suitable, SAP recommends that you use Copy Management instead of the LIS inbound interface in the following cases:

The above is merely a suggestion. The final decision as to which tool you should use obviously depends on your specific requirements.