Integration of Quality Collaboration with SAP ERP

You can integrate quality collaboration in SAP Supply Network Collaboration (SAP SNC) with an SAP customer back-end system as of enhancement package 5 of SAP ERP 6.0.

To integrate quality collaboration in SAP SNC with SAP ERP, you must use an SAP back-end system with enhancement package 5 for SAP ERP 6.0 and activate the Quality Management: Extensions in FMEA and Q-Notifications (OPS_QM_EXTENSION_2) business function.

Features

XML Messages

You can use the QualityIssueNotificationSUITENotification XML message to transfer quality notifications between SAP SNC and SAP ERP. To ensure that the mandatory fields in SAP SNC are entered in a quality notification in SAP ERP and transferred via XML message to SAP SNC, you must set mandatory fields in SAP ERP. For more information, see SAP Note 1323484.

Catalogs, Catalog Profiles, Codes, and Code Groups

The catalogs, codes, and code groups that you use in SAP SNC must also be available in the customer back-end system. That is, you must create the same data in SAP SNC as in SAP ERP.

Synchronizing Codes

You can use the customizing distribution function of SAP Solution Manager to transfer the codes in your SAP ERP back-end system to SAP SNC. After you have transferred the codes, you use the /SCA/QN_FILL_CUST report to assign customer numbers to the transferred data.

For more information, see the documentation in Customizing for Supply Network Collaboration, under Start of the navigation path Quality Next navigation step Perform Postprocessing for Distribution of Quality Notification Customizing End of the navigation path .

For more information about using customizing distribution in general, see SAP Library for SAP Solution Manager at http://help.sap.com under Start of the navigation path SAP Solution Manager Next navigation step English Implementing and Upgrading SAP Solutions Customizing Synchronization End of the navigation path .

Notification Types

You use notification types to classify the quality notification. We deliver We deliver the notification types in the following table that correspond to notification types available as of enhancement package 5 of SAP ERP 6.0. In an SAP back-end system, these notification types are assigned to the Quality Notification categories.

Notification Type	Description (SAP SNC)	Description (SAP ERP)
Q8	Complaint from Customer	Complaint from Customer (Ext.)
Q9	Complaint from Supplier	Complaint from Vendor (Ext.)

Number Ranges

Consider the following when defining the number range for the quality notification number in SAP SNC:

The quality notification number range must be the same as the external number range for notification type Q9 in the back-end system..
Do not use prefixes or suffixes for the quality notification number range in SAP SNC.
The length of the quatliy notification number must not exceed 12 characters.

In your SAP back-end system, the number ranges for the Q8 and Q9 notification types must not overlap.

For more information about number ranges for quality notifications in SAP SNC, see Master Data and Settings for Quality Collaboration. For more information about number ranges in an SAP back-end system, see Customizing in SAP ERP for Quality Management, under Start of the navigation path Quality Notifications Next navigation step Notification Creation Notification Type Define Number Ranges End of the navigation path .

Item Numbers

When integrating with SAP ERP, item numbers are used as follows:

Quality Notification Originates in SAP SNC

When a defect item is created, SAP SNC assigns the defect item number and ordinal number based on the number range interval that has been defined. SAP SNC assigns an external item number (not visible on the Web UI) using an increment of 1.

When the quality notification is sent to SAP ERP, SAP ERP uses the item numbers as follows:

the defect item number from SAP SNC is copied to the sort number of the quality notification in SAP ERP.
the external number from SAP SNC is copied to the item number of the quality notification in SAP ERP.

If a customer changes the sort number in SAP ERP and sends an updated quality notification to SAP SNC, SAP SNC updates the ordinal number with the sort number from SAP ERP. The external number and defect item number remain unchanged.

Quality Notification Originates in SAP ERP

When a quality notification is received from SAP ERP in SAP SNC, SAP SNC fills the defect item number and the ordinal number with the sort number from SAP ERP. SAP SNC fills the external number with the item number from SAP ERP.

Date Calculation Based on Priorities

In an SAP ERP back-end system, the start and end dates of a quality notification that was created by a supplier in SAP SNC can be changed automatically, for example, based on the priority in the quality notification. In such a case, the quality notification with the changed dates can be transferred back to SAP SNC using an XML message and the existing dates in SAP SNC overwritten with the new dates from SAP ERP. For more information about date calculation based on priority in SAP ERP, see Customizing for Quality Management under Start of the navigation path Quality Notifications Next navigation step Notification Processing Response Control Define Priorities End of the navigation path .