XCM: Specific Settings for the Product Configuration Interface (SAP Library

XCM: Specific Settings for the Product Configuration Interface

Use

This process gives you an overview of all the settings that you need to make in Extended Configuration Management (XCM) for the product configuration interface.

Features

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1. CRM Enterprise scenario: Maintaining customer-specific application configurations

Until SAP CRM 4.0, it was not necessary to maintain the Configuration Engine connection data in XCM for the CRM Enterprise scenario. The default application configurations provided all required settings to run the user interface.

As of SAP CRM 5.0, the product configuration user interface connects directly to the CRM application server where the Configuration Engine is integrated. The customer has to specify their own application configurations for CRM order maintenance and CRM product maintenance. For more information, see point 2 below, XCM parameters for connection to the back-end system.

Note

The application configurations that have to be defined for the CRM Enterprise scenario must have “server_connect” as the “Base Configuration”. For more information about the configuration of the JCo connection, see SAP Note 1080945.

The names of the created application configurations have to be maintained in table COMM_IPC_PROP.

Example

The customer created an application configuration for the CRM order with the name "my_crmordermaintain". The customer then has to make the following entries in table COMM_IPC_PROP so that this application configuration is used for the CRM order.

TYPE	caller
TYPENAME	crmordermaintain
PARNAME	scenario.xcm
VALUE	my_crmordermaintain (name of the customer's application configuration)

Example

The customer has called the application configuration "my_crmproductsimulation". The following information must be entered for the application configuration that the customer created for CRM product maintenance:

TYPE	caller
TYPENAME	crmproductsimulation
PARNAME	scenario.xcm
VALUE	my_crmproductsimulation (name of the customer's application configuration)

Example

The customer has called the application configuration "my_crmproductcatalog". The following information must be entered for the application configuration that the customer created for the CRM product catalog:

TYPE	caller
TYPENAME	crmproductcatalog
PARNAME	scenario.xcm
VALUE	my_ crmproductcatalog (name of the customer's application configuration)

2. XCM parameters for connection to the back-end system

As of SAP CRM 5.0, the Configuration Engine is part of the CRM back-end system. The product configuration interface communicates with the Configuration Engine via RFC. Defining this connection to the back-end system in Extended Configuration Management (XCM) is necessary for each scenario in which the product configuration interface is used.

The XCM parameters for connection to the back-end system that you have to configure are significantly different from the connection parameters you configured for previous versions. For this reason, the connection parameters from the previous versions are not relevant for SAP CRM 5.0.

The component "jco" contains the XCM parameters that define the JCo connection to the back-end system.

You can create a connection using an application server, by selecting component configuration "server_connect" as the “Base Configuration” for your customer-specific application configuration. You have to specify the following parameters for this:

XCM Parameter Name	Example Value	Name
Client	505	Client used to log on to the SAP system
Lang	EN	Default language
Sysnr	91	System number of SAP system
Ashost	us0091.wdf.sap.corp	Application server host name
User		User name
Passwd		Password for SAP system

You can find more information about the setup of an XCM scenario, by choosing SAP Solution Manager ® SAP CRM ® Configuration Structures ® SAP CRM 6.0 ® Basic Settings for SAP CRM ® Web Applications.

Note

● Although this connection is a complete and testable connection definition, it will be overwritten with the parameters client, lang, ashost, sysnr and maxcon that are valid during the user's session.

● The parameters that are not sent via the HTTP request, and not overwritten at runtime are user name and password.

This results in two options for defining XCM application configurations:

a. One application configuration per client and caller

You may specify a separate user and password depending on the client and caller.

b. One application configuration per caller for all clients in your system

You only need to specify one user and password for all clients.

Note

The user you define in this connection definition needs to have the same password in all clients in your system.

You must have created a user for the product configuration interface. The product configuration interface utilizes this user to log on to the system. Special authorizations are required for this user. You therefore need to have assigned the role SAP_IPC to the user (see SAP Note 896242).

3. Setting of parameter values

When the product configuration interface is called, it receives the parameters that are part of the original request. During the initialization of the interface's user session, the interface application merges the request parameter with the XCM parameter. Existing request parameters are not overwritten by the XCM settings. If neither the request nor XCM sets a parameter, a hard-coded default value is used.

As a consequence, the following hierarchy applies:

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a. Values set by the caller in the original HTTP request

These override values of the XCM.

b. Parameters that are valid for a certain UI name string defined in the knowledge base

This enables a model-specific UI.

c. Values defined in XCM

This is where most of the Customizing takes place. You may use the default entries or set scenario-specific entries which depend on the calling application.

You change these parameter values in XCM. By changing the values in XCM, you do not have to make any changes in the source code.

○ As explained above, you cannot override parameters that are set by the calling applications. The settings of the XCM are settings on application level. They can be defined for certain scenarios such as CRM Enterprise, CRM Web Channel and so on. The XCM Administrator is the user interface for the maintenance of these settings.

Note

You have to restart the Web application for the product configuration interface after changing XCM settings.

○ Request (caller):

The manipulation of the parameters of the original request varies with the scenario.
If you run an ABAP scenario (CRM, ECC), you can make certain settings as part of Customizing activities in the Implementation Guide (IMG).

4. Extension Framework

You can change the look and the feel of the product configuration interface. You are also provided with a framework that supports a number of typical enhancements:

○ Customer-specific pushbuttons: defined in XCM without having to program anything in the JSPs.

○ Customer-specific tab pages: there is a pre-defined tab page in the multi-function area. You can easily include custom JSPs here.

5. IMG Customizing compared to XCM settings

You can set all the parameters that you specify as part of the XCM configuration in the Implementation Guide. These parameters are used when calling the product configuration interface via HTTP request in all CRM server-based scenarios, the Interaction Center, for example. The parameters transferred in the HTTP request overwrite (replace) the parameters of the XCM settings.

The settings are made within table COMM_IPC_PROP using transaction SM30.

Using the entries in the Type and Type Name fields, you specify the area on which the parameter has an effect. The following type/type name combinations are available:

Type	Type Name
caller	crmordermaintain
	crmproductsimulation
	crmproductcatalog
uiname	simple
	complex
	noconflictexpl
	<customer-specific type name>
User	<logon-user>

Example Displaying or hiding the Settings pushbutton on the product configuration interface

Example 1:

The following entry defines that the Settings pushbutton is not displayed in the CRM order. This setting overwrites the originally-defined XCM setting.

Type	Type Name	Parameter	Parameter Value
caller	crmordermaintain	behavior.enablesettings	F

Example 2:

The following entry defines that the Settings pushbutton is displayed for all configurable products with type uiname and type name simple. The defined XCM setting is used for configurable products with different type/type name combinations.

Type	Type Name	Parameter	Parameter Value
uiname	simple	behavior.enablesettings	T

Example 3:

The following entry defines that the Settings pushbutton is not displayed on the product configuration interface for a specific user. This setting overwrites the originally-defined XCM setting. The XCM setting is used for other users.

Type	Type Name	Parameter	Parameter Value
user	<logon-user>	behavior.enablesettings	F