Using the Device Type Selection Function 

Use

You use this function in transaction SPAD to find the most suitable device types for your output devices.   

 

Prerequisites

To be able to choose the best combination of device type and printer model for your output device, this function requires a set of information such as the name of the printer manufacturer and the language in which the documents should be printed. This and more information is stored in two database tables which must be filled once and updated later on a regular basis.

 

Procedure

Create or change your output device in SPAD as described in Output Devices in the SAP Spool System. On the output device maintenance screen, choose  next to the dropdown menu of the Device Type field to open this function.  

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If you use this function for the first time in a system, the Setup Database Tables dialog screen will be displayed. Follow the step-by-step description on how to fill the database tables. You must upload an XML file to the system which contains the current set of information about printer model/device type combinations. The required file is attached to SAP Note 1036961.

 

If the database tables are already filled, the device type selection screen appears. The Dataset Version field in the top-right corner of the selection screen shows the date of the last update.

In the top section of the device type selection screen, choose a manufacturer from the dropdown menu. The value ‘Generic’ is used for manufacturer-independent printing such as Windows front end printing using a SAPWIN family device type. The manufacturer field is mandatory while the other selection criteria are optional and can be used to narrow down the search result. For more information, see Examples for Effective Device Type Search.

 

Now select  Show Printers. A list of printer models and device types will be displayed. You can now mark one of the entries in the ALV Grid list and choose  to get detailed information.  

The fields below the list will be filled then with information about the language group covered by this combination, whether it is capable of Unicode Printing and so on. If you want to know which single languages are supported by the selected combination, choose  Supported Languages.

 

In the bottom section Select Device Type there are three radio buttons Default, Alternative and Customer’s. Some or all of them become active depending on whether or not the corresponding device type(s) are available in your system. If you choose  next to the device type name, more information about this device type will be displayed.

If a device type is not yet installed in the system, you can install it right away. Choose  and follow the instructions displayed on the next screen.

Result

When you are sure you have found the suitable printer model/device type combination, mark the entry in the ALV Grid list and choose . This device type will then be inserted on the output device maintenance screen in SPAD.