Standard ALE communication is used for the distribution of AFS Material Master to SAP Retail Article Master. Specific AFS to Retail customizing (launched through the AFS system) is used to synchronize both systems in certain areas.

In order to facilitate the customizing (), SAP Retail data such as Merchandise Categories can be transferred to the AFS system, in specific tables used only by the AFS to Retail interface ( Œ, , Ž).

The Materials can be sent upon request ( ^a), or automatically after their creation or modification, if this data transfer functionality is activated (  ^b).

See also EDI and ALE Requirements.