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 Application Transactions of the Interface Locate this document in the navigation structure

The following sections describe the application transactions and programs with which the user can access the functionality of the transportation planning interface for transfer of data from the SAP system to a transportation planning system.

Transfer of Location Data

The following sections describe the functions for transfer of location data.

Initial Transfer

The initial transfer of location data should take place when the interface is activated. All necessary master data should be copied into the database of the transportation planning system. During this process, the SAP system always represents the reference.

You can start master data transfer via menu path   Logistics   Central Functions   SCP Interfaces   TPS Interface   Send master data.  

The transfer program runs in two stages: the first program (RV56LMTP) serves to define the planning system (Transportation planning point) and the location master data to be transferred. This program then starts the actual transfer program (RV56LMSL), the selection screen of which allows you to specify exactly which location master data you want to transfer.

In the selection screen of the first program RV56LMTP, only transportation planning points that are linked to an external planning system are accepted. You can also use check-boxes to select which location master data types will appear on the selection screen of the second program RV56LMSL.

Automatic Transfer of Changed Master Records

The master data of customers, vendors and also of forwarding agents are connected to the ALE-change indicator. The function is available after activating the change indicator for message type ‘TPSLOC’ in Customizing. If a data field relevant to the interface is changed in a master record that has already had details transferred, then a change indicator is created automatically.

The change indicators must then be evaluated. This involves transferring the changed master data documents. The evaluation of the change indicators is carried out via   Logistics   Central Functions   SCP Interfaces   TPS Interface   Send master data.   Here, you enter message type ‘TPSLOC’.

Regular, automatic evaluations of the change indicators can be carried out as a job via program RBDMIDOC .

Manual Transfer of Changed Master Records

The master data records for plants, shipping points and transportation planning points cannot be connected to the ALE change indicator for technical reasons. If these master data records are changed or if new ones are added, then you need to carry out a manual transfer using the functionality described in the section on ‘ Initial Transfer’ .

If the changed or new master data can be restricted (by entry date, for example) then automatic transfer can be carried out as a job with program RV56LMSL . The selection criteria can then be entered as selection variants.

Setting the Partner Profile

In the partner profile for the IDoc for location master data, combined shipping must be set in order to carry out shipping as efficiently as possible. This involves creating IDocs and then transmitting them using report RSEOUT00 (transaction BD88).

Transfer of Planning Requests

Explicit Transfer by Application Transaction

Using explicit transfer you can transfer a large number of deliveries chosen from the selection requirements and which are also available in manual shipment processing (transaction VT01) to a transportation planning system. Specifying the transportation planning point (planning system) and the processing type (outbound and inbound shipment) is mandatory.

Note Note

At the moment it is not possible to select outbound deliveries and inbound shipping notifications together with a selection run.

End of the note.

You can start the transfer of planning requests by calling up transaction VT61 or via menu path   Logistics   Central Functions   SCP Interfaces   TPS Interface   Send deliveries.  

Note Note

Deliveries that have already been transferred to a planning system once, can only then be retransferred to the same system if the delivery has been changed and message control has been activated. If you do not want this block then it can be switched off for direct transfer via a customer function. You can read more about this in the chapter SAP System settings and modifications as well as the online help for the customer function.

End of the note.
Regular Transfer per Job

Deliveries can be transferred regularly and automatically to one or more planning systems according to certain selection criteria. This is appropriate, for example, if all shipments should be planned overnight.

To do this, program RV56LFTP should be included as a job. Parameters must include transportation planning point, processing type, the deleted indicator for displaying the selection screen as well as selection variants for program RV56LFSL.

Fully Automatic Transfer

Fully automatic transfer of planning requests for generating deliveries is a special case. It should only be applied if a company wishes to plan all its deliveries with an external planning system in transportation but where only one planning system, i.e. only one transportation planning point, is available. In this case the function can be activated via a special configuration of message control (more information in ‘ Procedure for Transferring Planning Requests - Automatic Transfer’ ). Depending on the message control configuration the message transfer will either take place immediately after posting the delivery or in later collective processing.

Deallocating Planning Requests

If deliveries should be taken out of the planning system because planning should be either carried out manually, using another system or not at all, the following options can be used.

Explicit Deallocation

Explicit deallocation means taking a delivery out of a planning system without deleting the delivery in the SAP system. You can deallocate deliveries by calling up transaction VT68 or by using menu path   Logistics   Central Functions   SCP Interfaces   TPS Interface   Plan deliveries  

Once you have entered the delivery document number for the delivery to be deallocated, you will receive a lists of the all the planning systems, to which the delivery has been transferred. You can select the system and start the process using Execute .

Automatic Deallocation by Deleting a Delivery

If a delivery is deleted in the SAP system, this is then automatically deallocated from all the planning systems that it has already been transferred to. This procedure does not need any previous configuration.

Receipt of Planned Shipments

The receipt of planned shipments in the SAP system takes place automatically via the ALE layer mechanisms. Some functions are available within inbound processing and further document processing which affect the transportation planning interface. In addition you need to take into account other attributes that can be partially influenced using Customizing settings.

Deleting Shipments or Shipping Units within a Shipment

Deleting shipping elements that have been created in a shipment or deleting a whole shipment is not possible in the transportation planning system if a shipping unit is not empty (that is, if something has been packed into the shipping unit).

Note Note

If materials have been packed manually into a shipping unit in an externally planned shipment document, they must first be unpacked before the planning system can delete the shipping unit or the shipment.

End of the note.
Automatically Setting ‘Planned’ Status

‘Planned’ status is automatically set on receipt of an externally planned shipment document. This happens regardless of whether a planned date has been transferred to the incoming document or not.

Note Note

If the planning date is transferred from an external planning system, this is copied over to the planning date in the shipment document. If a planning date is not transferred, the planning date in the SAP document is set at the date of receipt of the external document.

End of the note.
Locking Document Status for External Planning Systems

Document status can be set to two values for external planning systems:

  • Document changeable in planning system

  • Document not changeable in planning system

    You can set the status of document changeability in the SAP shipment document depending on the shipment overall status. In Customizing you can set from which shipment status (for example, loading begun) changing the shipment in the planning system is no longer appropriate or permitted.

    If the given status is reached or overstepped from manually setting in SAP transportation activities, a message will be sent automatically to the transportation planning system for fixing the corresponding shipment document, whereby the shipment document must be set to “do not change” in the planning system.

    If the given status is overstepped in SAP transportation activities by resetting the shipment overall status, a message is sent to the planning system, which makes it possible to re-release the processing of the shipment document.

Changeability of Externally Planned Shipments

The limit to which externally planned shipments can be changed in the SAP system can be restricted, using settings in Customizing for the planning system. The following settings are possible:

  • No planning relevant change permitted

  • No planning relevant change permitted, apart from service agent data

  • No restrictions on changes.