Managing Supplier Master Data with SAP ERP

You can set up a system landscape in which SAP ERP is the system in which supplier master data is managed centrally and is consolidated. This system is referred to as the leading SAP ERP system. RFC connections are used for communication between this system and the buy side in SAP Supplier Lifecycle Management. Communication between the SAP ERP system and the other back-end systems is customer-specific.

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text.

Prerequisites

Settings in SAP ERP

You can perform the following activities in Customizing for the integration component for SAP ERP under Integration with Other mySAP.com Components SAP Supplier Lifecycle Management Supplier Integration :
- Define Duplicate Checks for Supplier Master Data Transfer
- Define Maximum Number of Duplicates Allowed
- Control Update of Supplier Master Data
- Differentiate Credit Information No. and Dun&Bradstreet No.
You can implement the BAdI Modify Creation and Change Process of Suppliers for Central SAP ERP System (SMC_BD_SUPPLIER_CREATE_MD), if required. With this BAdI, you can control the supplier creation and change process. If you do not implement this BAdI, the standard supplier creation and change process is used.

Buy-Side Settings in SAP Supplier Lifecycle Management

You have activated the business function SLC, Supplier Portfolio Management (SMC_SUPPL_DATA_MGT_1).
You have specified that the SAP ERP system is the leading system. You do this in Customizing for SAP Supplier Lifecycle Management under Buy Side Basic Settings for SAP Supplier Lifecycle Management Cross-System Communication Define System Landscape and Back-End-Specific Distribution Data . The relevant system characteristic is SAP ERP Central Supplier Master Data System.
You have connected the buy side of SAP Supplier Lifecycle Management to SAP ERP using RFC communication. You do this in Customizing for SAP Supplier Lifecycle Management under Buy Side Basic Settings for SAP Supplier Lifecycle Management Cross-System Communication Create RFC Connections .
You have scheduled report Transfer Supplier Master Data (Delayed Update) (/SRMSMC/UPDATE_FROM_CHGINFO).

Features

New suppliers or changes to supplier master data on the buy side in SAP Supplier Lifecycle Management are transferred to the leading SAP ERP system, and vendors are created or changed in this system.
There is no distribution of suppliers from the buy side of SAP Supplier Lifecycle Management to the other back-end systems.

Process

You create suppliers in the leading SAP ERP system:
The supplier master data is transferred automatically to the buy side of SAP Supplier Lifecycle Management.
You change suppliers in the leading SAP ERP system:
The supplier master data changes are transferred to the buy side of SAP Supplier Lifecycle Management.
You create suppliers in SAP Supplier Lifecycle Management:
- The supplier master data is transferred through the Distribution Cockpit.
- Follow-on activities, for example, approval processes, are specific to SAP ERP. The creation of vendors goes through an approval process.
You change suppliers in SAP Supplier Lifecycle Management:
The supplier master data changes are transferred automatically to the leading SAP ERP system and to the sell side.

Note Note

If you have created or changed vendor master records, either by implementing Modify Creation and Change Process of Suppliers for Central SAP ERP System (SMC_BD_SUPPLIER_CREATE_MD) or by using the standard SAP ERP transactions, you can use function module SMC_SUPPLIER_MODIFY_SLC to transfer the supplier master data to the buy side of SAP Supplier Lifecycle Management. In the buy-side system, the scheduled report Transfer Supplier Master Data (Delayed Update) (/SRMSMC/UPDATE_FROM_CHGINFO) triggers the transfer of the changed supplier master data to the sell side.

End of the note.