Function documentationReplication of Equipment Between SAP CRM and SAP ERP

 

You can use this function to download pieces of equipment from SAP ERP customer service to SAP CRM, where they are stored as object components of installed bases. Replication is bidirectional, ensuring that, regardless of the system in which a change was made, the data remains consistent in both systems automatically.

Integration

The initial download of data is triggered in SAP CRM and is executed by middleware. Uploads and delta downloads take place automatically when data is changed in SAP CRM and SAP ERP respectively.

To use this function you require the following releases, or higher:

  • SAP CRM 7.0 (with active middleware)

  • SAP enhancement package 4 for SAP ERP 6.0

Prerequisites

  • Materials and business partners have been downloaded from SAP ERP to SAP CRM.

  • You have defined default settings for replication in Customizing for Customer Relationship Management, under Start of the navigation path Master Data Next navigation step Installed Base Next navigation step Replication of Technical Objects from SAP ERP Next navigation step Define Default Settings for Replication of Equipment End of the navigation path.

  • If you want to reflect assignment of materials to equipment after replication (see Equipment in SAP CRM below), you have done the following:

    • Allowed product references for objects in Customizing for Cross-Application Components, under Start of the navigation path SAP Product Next navigation step Basic Settings Next navigation step Allow Product References for Individual Objects End of the navigation path.

    • In the CRM WebClient UI on the Product Hierarchy page, assigned the relationship type PROREF to the product categories for equipment or for functional location.

  • You have checked that the delivered implementation of Business Add-In (BAdI) Creation of Objects by Equipment Download (CRM_EQUI_LOAD) meets your requirements and is activated.

    This BAdI offers comprehensive options for influencing the mapping between equipment and objects. It enables you to flexibly enhance the data transfer and validation in SAP CRM.

    You can find this BAdI in Customizing for Customer Relationship Management under Start of the navigation path Master Data Next navigation step Installed Base Next navigation step Replication of Technical Objects from SAP ERP Next navigation step Business Add-Ins End of the navigation path.

Features

The following data is exchanged between both systems:

  • Description

  • Long texts

  • Hierarchy

  • Business partners

  • Address

  • Status

    SAP ERP is the leading system for the system status; you cannot change the status in SAP CRM.

  • Variant configuration

  • Manufacturer

  • ERP identification (such as equipment number)

Equipment in SAP CRM

Pieces of equipment are represented in SAP CRM as objects of an installed base. If the equipment has an underlying structure, this structure is displayed as a hierarchy in the installed base.

If a piece of equipment has a construction type maintained in SAP ERP, the corresponding material is assigned as the reference product of the equipment object in SAP CRM.

If a customer/vendor warranty start and end date is entered in SAP ERP for a piece of equipment, SAP CRM checks for a corresponding customer/vendor warranty in the SAP CRM system when the equipment is downloaded. If a warranty template exists for the sales area and reference product of the equipment in SAP CRM, this is automatically copied to the Warranties assignment block of the object. The warranty validity dates in this block are copied from SAP ERP.

If you also replicate functional locations (see Replication of Functional Locations Between SAP CRM and SAP ERP), equipment installed at a functional location in SAP ERP is inserted in the installed base structure in SAP CRM. The relevant objects are inserted below the object component representing the functional location.

Download

The pieces of equipment from SAP ERP are transferred to SAP CRM through an initial load. New pieces of equipment from SAP ERP are automatically transferred to SAP CRM by means of permanent load. The following changes are transferred via delta load if you have activated it:

  • Initial load

    The initial load is used to transfer data the first time.

  • Permanent load

    The permanent load is used for the permanent transfer of equipment that is newly created in SAP ERP to SAP CRM.

  • Delta load

    The delta load is used to transfer all of the changes (deltas) made in SAP ERP to SAP CRM and to update the data available there.

Upload

The upload function ensures that the data remains consistent in both systems. Data changes in SAP CRM are replicated immediately to SAP ERP if you activated the upload function.

Activities

Initial Load

  1. If you want to transfer warranty information from SAP ERP to SAP CRM, start transaction R3AC1 and ensure that, for the business adapter object EQUIPMENT, the source table BGMKOBJ is not set to Inactive.

  2. To run the initial download, start transaction R3AS, specify the load object EQUIPMENT, and then select an SAP ERP system as the source site and an SAP CRM system as the destination site.

Delta Load

This function is delivered in an inactive state to prevent data being overwritten in an uncontrolled manner by the delta load (a problem of a leading system). See SAP Note 637173Information published on SAP site for a project implementation.

Note Note

If you change the filter settings for business adapter object EQUIPMENT (in transaction R3AC1), objects previously created by equipment download are not updated to reflect your changes.

End of the note.
Upload

  1. Enter the adapter object DNL_EQUIPMENT for object family 0401 in Customizing for Customer Relationship Management under Start of the navigation path Master Data Next navigation step Products Next navigation step Objects Next navigation step Specify Adapter Object for Uploading Objects End of the navigation path.

  2. Activate adapter objects DNL_EQUIPMENT and DNL_EQUI_HIER in transaction R3AC1.

    Choose the In-/Active pushbutton to display inactive objects, then deselect the Inactive checkbox for the objects.

Note Note

  • You can only upload hierarchy changes (adapter object DNL_EQUI_HIER) for installed base category 03 (Object Structure).

  • If you do not want to upload hierarchy changes, you can leave the adapter object DNL_EQUI_HIER inactive, in which case only master data changes to the object are transferred to SAP ERP.

End of the note.

More Information

  • For information about the technical process of replication, see Customizing for Customer Relationship Management, under Start of the navigation path Master Data Next navigation step Installed Base Next navigation step Replication of Technical Objects from SAP ERP Next navigation step Replication of Equipment: Prerequisites and General Information End of the navigation path.

  • You can find documentation on the download of materials in SAP Solution Manager under Start of the navigation path Solutions Next navigation step SAP CRM Next navigation step Configuration Structures Next navigation step SAP CRM Next navigation step Basic Settings for SAP CRM Next navigation step Data Replication Next navigation step <Public Sector>: Replication of Master Data Next navigation step Replication of Material End of the navigation path.

  • Documentation for downloading business partner data: Distribution of Business Partner Master Data

  • Documentation for downloading product configuration: Configurable Products

  • Replication of Serial Numbers from SAP ERP to SAP CRM