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 Logical Communication Processes Between the SAP System and the Transportation Planning System Locate this document in the navigation structure

The communication processes between the SAP system and the transportation planning system can be divided up into

  • Location master data

  • Transaction data – that is, planning requests (deliveries) and planned shipments

  • Status transfer and error processing

Location Master Data

The location master data needs to be the same in both systems. Depending on the functionality of the external system, this can be ensured with an initial data compare with changes administered via IDoc TPSLOC01 or via a direct location data transfer during communication within IDoc TPSDLS01.

Location master data includes the following:

  • Customer master records with address and goods receiving hours of the unloading points

  • Vendor master records with address

  • External service agent master records with address (service agents are used for vendor details)

  • Plant master records with address

  • Shipping point master records with address

  • Transportation planning point master records with address and details

The transfer of the master data with IDoc TPSLOC01 can be carried out at the following times:

  • Initial transfer of all necessary location master data after the external system has been activated using transaction VT60

  • Semi-automatic transfer of all changed location master data for customers, vendors and service agents using the ALE change indicator for IDoc category TPSLOC (note in change table, transfer by program)

  • Manual transfer of all changed location master data (plants, shipping points, transportation connection points) after modification.

When data is being transferred from the SAP system to the transportation planning system, the address data records of the locations used are transferred in IDoc TPSDLS01, along with the deliveries to be planned. This is so that the correct data for dispatch and points of destination are available in planning systems that may not maintain their own location master data records. The address data transfer with the deliveries to be planned is used for reference purposes with all external systems, especially when one-time customers (CPD) are involved.

Transaction Data

The transfer of transaction data is carried out in two directions. Planning requests (that is, deliveries that have to be planned and assigned to shipments) are transferred to the planning system from the SAP system and planned shipments are transferred back from the planning system to the SAP system.

For newly created deliveries that are to be assigned to shipments, the scenario can be described as follows:

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text.

Outgoing Delivery / Planning Requests

For the transfer of planning requests (that is, transfer of deliveries to be planned to a transportation planning), the SAP system is provided with different procedures and points of communication of data, such as:

  • Implicit transfer by message control after creating a delivery (if no special criteria are relevant, for example, when all deliveries are to be sent to the transportation planning system)

  • Explicit transfer by calling a program via transaction VT61 with the option to select deliveries according to several criteria. The actual transfer is carried out via message control or as a direct transfer.

  • Automatic transfer by starting transfer program RV56LFTP at specified times (definition of selection variants, transfer in background processing). The actual transfer takes place via message control or as a direct transfer.

  • Implicit transfer by planning a delivery via transaction VT68 without deleting it in the SAP system. The actual transfer takes place via message control or as a direct transfer.

Mandatory:

  • Implicit retransfer via message control after a delivery has been changed

  • Implicit transfer via direct transfer when a delivery is deleted. Selection of deliveries to be planned is carried out in the SAP system by either:

    • Using a report with an option screen that is started via transaction VT61

    • Calling report RV56LFTP with variants at regular intervals

      The report uses the delivery selection function in the same way as for shipment processing (transaction VT01). In addition, a transportation planning point must be specified that corresponds to the transportation planning system.

Transfer of deliveries is carried out as follows:

  1. Determination of a transportation planning system (transportation planning point)

  2. Selection of deliveries according to the criteria specified

  3. Combining of deliveries and accompanying items.

  4. Determination of the transportation-relevant items (optional)

  5. Determination of dispatch location and point of destination of the delivery and possibility of additional shipments, for example, the main leg for sea transportation (optional)

  6. Cumulation of delivery items with the goods classes of the materials being delivered and a specified goods type directory(optional)

  7. Customer functions for user-specific changes or enhancements of the combined delivery data and the IDoc

  8. Creation of the IDoc (one IDoc per delivery document with the option to combine several IDocs into packets)

  9. Transmission of the IDocs to a planning system

    Deliveries that are changed in the SAP system (transaction VL02) after they have already been reported to the transportation planning system are automatically retransferred after the changes are posted (provided they are relevant to transportation). This function is activated by the link to message control. When a change is made, the entire document is retransferred, not just the changed data).

    The scenario for transportation-relevant deliveries that have been changed after data was transferred to the transportation planning system, can be described as follows:

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text.

If a delivery is deleted in the SAP system, this deletion command is transferred automatically to all transportation planning systems that had previously been planning the relevant delivery for assignment to shipments. Deletion of the delivery document in the SAP system is carried out, although, in certain circumstances, some references to this delivery can remain open in the externally planned SAP shipment documents. Shipment documents with these open references cannot be changed in the SAP system until the change command is received from the transportation planning system for the document in which the delivery no longer exists.

Incoming Shipment

The incoming shipment IDocs TPSSHT01 are interpreted, checked and then serve as the basis for the creation, changing or deletion of SAP shipment documents that are then posted in the database.

The functional process flow can be described as follows:

  • Importing the IDocs via the ALE layer

  • Interpretation of the IDocs, resulting in the creation, changing or deletion of shipment documents. The individual stages for creating/changing each shipment document are determined by the shipment header, the shipment items, the dates and the shipping units.

  • Posting the created/changed documents.

    Shipment documents created by a transportation planning system can only be changed within very narrow limits in the SAP system. Changing transportation-relevant data can be limited or completely forbidden in the Customizing settings. Data that should not be changed includes all data that would make it necessary to change documents in the transportation planning system (legs, delivery assignment, external service agents, means of transport, document numbers).

Outgoing Shipment

For an externally planned shipment document, a freeze or release message can be sent to the transportation planning system depending on the allowed shipment status specified in Customizing. IDoc TPSSHT01 is used for this. After the freeze message is transmitted for a shipment document in the SAP system, the corresponding shipment in the planning system can no longer be changed. Similarly, a release message from the SAP system means that the shipment document can be changed again in the planning system.

Status Transfer and Error Processing

Automatic processing of logical errors (that is, errors that occur as a result of the message content), is carried out in the SAP system using the workflow options provided by the ALE layer. The receiving system can react to a logical error by sending back an error message using IDoc SYSTAT01. The IDoc is constructed so that the error source can be localized precisely.

Workflow can be set in the SAP system so that the employee responsible is informed when this error message is received as a reply to the transfer of delivery data to a transportation planning system.

You can make the relevant settings in Customizing for the SAP transportation planning point so that an error message can be created and sent as an answer to the transportation planning system upon receipt of incorrect incoming shipment documents.