Definition of Spool and Output Requests 

 

The SAP system differentiates between two types of request when printing:

 

·        Spool request: A spool request is a document for which a print function has been selected. However, it has not yet been output on a printer or another device. The output data for the print document is stored in a partly formatted form in a data store until an output request is created from it, that is, until it is sent to a particular output device.

The spool system uses a spool request to store the print data temporarily and to be able to access it. The data is stored in a temporary format. You can also display the print document.

The system automatically assigns a 10 digit ID number to a spool request.

 

·        Output request: From the point of view of the SAP spool system, an output request is outputting the print data of a spool request on a particular output device.

Multiple output requests may exist for a single spool request. Each represents an instance of the output of the same spool request. Each of these output requests may have different attributes, such as the target printer, number of copies and so on.

By differentiating between spool request and output requests, the spool system provides way of storing the data temporarily.

 

You create spool requests (and, in some cases, also output requests) using the print window.

You can administer spool requests and output requests using the Output Controller (Transaction SP01).