Integration of the SAP Visual Enterprise (VE) Viewer enables you to make complex, interactive product graphics available in the master data of products and objects. This gives your service employees a clearer overview of products without the need for them to have knowledge of graphics software.
In SAP CRM, you can use visualization in product master data and in service orders. For more information about visualization in service orders, see Visualization of Products and Work Instructions in Service Orders.
The SAP VE Viewer files (file suffix .rh
) are stored in the back-end system.
SAP CRM
The file is stored as an attachment of the product/object master data (technically in the content management system). To enable the file to be displayed, you need to specify the document type CRM_VEV
for the attachment and select the Default Document
checkbox.
SAP ERP
The file is stored in the document management system (DMS) in a document info record, and is linked to the material master record. The SAP CRM system uses the SAP ERP material number to find the file for a product and the equipment number to find the file for an object.
For more information about document management in SAP ERP, see SAP Library for SAP ERP Central Component on SAP Help Portal, under
.The SAP VE Viewer is installed locally on client PCs.
A browser plug-in is automatically installed along with the viewer.
Buttons and menu options for accessing the viewer on the UI are activated.
To display buttons you have assigned a functional profile containing the parameter VEV_ENABLED
with the value TRUE
to the
appropriate business role. For more information about the definition of roles, see Business Roles.
You can view products (and objects) as static or interactive images on the Products
and Objects
pages, by choosing Graphical Viewer
. SAP VE Viewer files that are stored in SAP CRM appear in the Attachments
assignment
block.
Determination of Files
For data retrieval, the system uses a standard Business Add-In (BAdI) implementation, which searches for SAP VE Viewer files as follows:
Searches in the SAP CRM system using the reference object ID or reference product ID.
If no file is found in the SAP CRM system, searches for the file in SAP ERP system with the corresponding equipment number (for objects) or material number (for products).
If no file is found for an object, the search runs again for the reference product of the object.
The system generates a URL referencing the product image, the product thumbnail, or the animated graphic.
Determination of Correct File if Multiple Files Are Found
If more than one SAP VE Viewer file is available, the system proceeds as follows:
If the system finds more than one file in SAP CRM, it displays the file marked as Default Document
in the Attachments
assignment block in the master data.
If the system finds more than one file in the material master record in SAP ERP, it displays a random file.
If no file is found for the chosen product, a message appears.
Determination of Correct SAP ERP File Version
SAP VE Viewer files in SAP ERP can have multiple versions. The BAdI determines the most recent file version, relative to the following dates
Product master data: current date
Service order: manufacture date for reference objects; reference date of service order for reference products
If neither of these dates are filled, the current date is used.
You can use you own implementation of the same BAdI to change the determination logic for retrieval of an SAP VE Viewer file, for example, by calling an external document retrieval system. The BAdI is available in Customizing for Customer Relationship Management
under .
For more information about the SAP VE Viewer, see SAP Library on SAP Help Portal at
.