IDoc Interface

Purpose

IDoc (Intermediate Document) is a standard SAP document format. IDocs enable the connection of different application systems using a message-based interface. The use of IDocs has three main aims:

• Structured exchange and automatic posting of application documents.
• Reduction of the varying complex structures of different application systems to one simple structure. For example, the structure of an SAP application document and the structure of the corresponding EDI message according to the UN/EDIFACT standard.
• Detailed error handling before the data is posted in the application.

IDocs can be regarded and defined on two levels: On a technical level and on an application level. The technical level enables the support of cross-application functions such as routing and technical error handling.

 

Technical view

This view is defined by three different types of structure that are generated by the IDoc interface:

• Control record
• Data record
• Status record

Application view

This view is defined by the segments of an IDoc. Segments are structures that are used for the interpretation of the field SDATA in the data record. An IDoc type is defined by the corresponding:

• Segments
• Attributes of these segments
  (for example, maximum number, hierarchical sequence, segment status)

Further Information

·       IDoc Interface/ALE