Show TOC

IdentifiersLocate this document in the navigation structure

Use

Definition

Identifiers are used to identify objects uniquely.

An identifier comprises the following:

  • Agency

    Defines the identification scheme and issues names for the objects to be identified.

  • Identification Scheme (or 'scheme' for short)

    Constitutes the reference framework within which objects are uniquely identified by names.

  • Name/Value

    A name or value that identifies the object within the given identification scheme.

An object can only be uniquely identified when all three have been specified.

A person can be identified in many different ways, for example, by their customer number at a mail order company, or their name or employee number at their place of work. To able to identify a person uniquely, it is not sufficient to just know the customer number, for example, you must know that this number is a customer number. Only once the frame of reference (the identification scheme Customer Number ) is also known can a person be identified uniquely (by using the number).

In the example, the agencyMail Order Company manages the identification scheme Customer Number . Different customers are issued unique names (customer numbers) within this scheme.

Use

Identifiers play a role in the following areas of SAP NetWeaver Process Integration:

  • To identify communication parties

  • In value mappings .

  • To set a receiver in the proxy runtime (ABAP proxy runtime, see Routing ; Java proxy runtime, see

    Setting the Receiver )

Identifying Communication Parties

Multiple globally-recognized identifiers are supported for identifying companies involved in cross-company processes (for example, D&B D-U-N-S-Number ). You can specify multiple alternative identifiers for one communication party . Alternative identifiers are then used to identify this party.

An identifier for a communication party comprises the agency , scheme , and name of the party. Internally, a communication party is identified uniquely by its name (in the Integration Directory).

In a particular collaboration step, two parties must agree on a particular identifier. You define this in the collaboration agreement (in the assigned communication channel ).

Note

In certain adapter types, addressing is specified at communication component level (unlike that of communication parties). Adapter-type-specific identifiers are created in the System Landscape Directory for these adapter types (see: Communication Component ).

Value Mapping

In a value mapping , you can use identifiers to form different representations of objects.

Note

In association with value mappings, an identifier comprises the agency , scheme , and a value . Any entities can be represented by identifiers in value mapping. The rules for identifiers for communication parties are different.

Integration

An agency can represent an organizational unit or a technical unit (a system).

Attribute

Meaning

Example

Organization

Manages an identification scheme to identify companies uniquely across the world and issues the values.

The organization Dun & Bradstreet manages the identification schema D&B D-U-N-S-Number .

Technical Unit

Contains an object, which, together with a namespace, forms an identification scheme.

The business system BS_1 (agency) contains the object ' Customer '. In this case, an identification scheme is given by the object type Customer and a namespace. Within this identification schema, a customer (an instance of the Customer object) can be uniquely identified by a name ( 00001 ).