External List Management in BI 

Use

The steps used for External List Management in the BI system are very similar to those in the CRM system. However, there are some functional differences, which are explained below.

Features

·        Mapping

In the SAP business partner structure, you use the mapping format 0ELM_I to convert the data transferred from the BI system to SAP CRM. The mapping format ID is coded in the implementation of the Business Add-In Define Set Up of Field List for BW Data (CRM_MKTLIST_BW_FIELD).

In SAP CRM, if you have enhanced structures where the data from the address list is stored until business partners are created and if you have defined an implementation of the BAdI (CRM_MKTLIST_BW_FIELD) you must define a mapping format. This mapping format must cover the enhanced structure in SAP CRM. For more information, refer to the documentation for DataSource 0ELM_GUID_I_ATTR.

·        Data structure in the BI system

There are a few differences between the data structures in the BI system and the CRM system. The field for the correspondence languages exists only in the CRM structure. Furthermore, the standard structure in the BI system has fields for only one address, that is, street, city, and zip code. The default implementation of the BAdI maps the address data to the correct CRM fields depending on the type of data, whether it is Business-to-Business (B2B) or Business-to-Customer (B2C) data.

If you have enhanced the standard structure, you must define your own BAdI implementation. You must also create your own mapping format. You can copy the SAP standard format 0ELM_I.

·        Maintenance of basic data

When you transfer address list entries from the BI system to SAP CRM, the address list basic data is also available in the CRM system. You can maintain the basic data and the long text of the list using the interface provided in SAP CRM. The changed data is extracted to the BI system with the next extraction run.

·        Combination of several files in one address list

Unlike in the CRM system, you can combine several address list files to make one address list in the BI system.

·        Deletion

If an address list is created in the BI system and then transferred to SAP CRM using the Segment Builder, this address list is also available in the CRM system. If you have transferred data between the BI system and the CRM system, you must delete the address lists in both systems. SAP recommends that you delete the address list in the SAP CRM first and then in the BI system.

·        Creation of business partners

The address list entries from the BI system are only created as business partners in the CRM system if they have been selected and created as target group members in the Segment Builder. For this reason, unlike in CRM lists, all members of an external list are not automatically created as business partners.