Use

If you previously stored your data in non-SAP systems but now intend to transfer it into the SAP system for use in applications such as Cost Center Accounting, you need to use the external data transfer function. For example, you can transfer your planned primary costs to SAP-internal structures. The SAP system checks the data to be transferred in the same way as for the corresponding dialog functions.

This section contains the general procedure for data transfer from non-SAP systems. It also describes how to set up the interface parameters required for data transfer.

The external data is divided into plan data and actual data.

Prerequisites

Since you need to create your own program for the steps required to transfer external data, you should have previous experience in ABAP programming.

To simplify the external data transfer process, SAP demonstration programs are available. These programs contain sample calls of the function modules, which control the data transfer.

Activities

You can transfer plan data by calling up the appropriate function module directly in the program. The SAP system uses this function module for all the checks on the data to be transferred in a plan data transfer.

You can transfer actual data in the background, or by using immediate update. The function modules transfer the data directly to the corresponding screens. The SAP system performs checks in the screen, and not while the function module is being processed. This enables you to analyze any errors that occur. There are three SAP demonstration programs for actual data transfer, which include important steps for the transfer of actual data.

Before transferring external data to the SAP system (for example, from a sequential file with a specific structure), you need to change the data structure to conform with the existing structure. This means that you must assign the external data to the fields of the SAP structure.

The program for external data transfer must contain the following steps: