Central Address Management (BC-SRV-ADR) 
Purpose
Central address management (CAM) offers functions for managing addresses in applications. Using various address types, you can store and further process addresses. An address is subordinate to an associated application object (such as a customer, a purchase order or a plant).
Implementation Considerations
For standard functions such as creating, changing, displaying and finding addresses, CAM provides flexible dialog integration. CAM therefore helps users find their way through different applications when they maintain addresses.
CAM function modules enable the application to store the addresses for the associated application object in CAM tables. These tables contain addresses of all applications that make use of CAM in a system. Functions and data storage in address management are central with regard to a client in a system.
Integration
CAM is already used by a broad range of applications, including, for example:
- Customer and vendor master
- Site master (Retail)
- Bank addresses
- Sales and Distribution documents: document addresses and one-time customer addresses
- User addresses
- SAPoffice addresses (external communication)
- Customizing addresses (sm30)
- MM Purchasing: permanent delivery addresses, manual delivery addresses in purchase orders, purchase requisitions, one-time vendors
- PM/SM (functional locations, equipment, notification, order)
- IS-U (connection objects, contracts)
- IS-Oil (service stations)
- SAP Business Partners
- New Dimension products such as SFA, BW, APO, CRM
In addition, CAM provides functions to support other tools and interfaces.
- Integration into SAPconnect
- Providing archiving classes for the Archive Development Kit (ADK)
- Supporting addresses as objects in the BOR
- Providing interfaces for application-specific enhancements
- Automatically writing change documents for address data changes
Features
General Characteristics
Together with the address, you can enter data for all common communication types (for example, telephone number, fax, email, and so on).
International address requirements (print output according to international mail standards, multiple address formats, for example, for Asian countries) are considered.
By means of a where-used list you can determine which application objects reference an address as an attribute.
Checks against city and street directories are performed through interfaces (for example, for partner solutions) or as a function in the standard system (city and street files are delivered without content and can be filled by means of transfer programs).
Duplicate check and error-tolerant search through interfaces for third-party vendors that can be validated
CAM provides functions for using addresses in combination with other tools (see Integration).
Integration into the Application
Three address types are available to map addresses of the application onto CAM data structures: company addresses, personal addresses and workplace addresses
Dialogs for maintaining addresses can be integrated flexibly into the application (as a dialog box, subscreen or full screen). You can parametrize the screens to hide fields or define fields as required, for example.
Address data is updated together with the application data.
Addresses are grouped by their assignment to an application which can be used as a filter for searches and authorization checks.
Address Distribution and Transport
Address used for |
Example |
Transport or distribution methods or tools used by CAM |
Master data |
Customer, vendor |
Distribution through ALE (Application Link Enabling) |
Customizing objects |
Plant, sales organization |
Methods for transporting addresses within the normal Customizing object transport process |
System user |
System user |
Methods for client copy and BAPIs for central user management (cross-system in this case) |
Constraints
The functions of central address management are not cross-system. However, you can use the tools and methods mentioned above to transport and distribute addresses.
Time-dependent addresses (that are valid for a limited period only, such as the vacation address of a newspaper subscriber) are currently not supported.