Show TOC

Function documentationInitial Replication of Master Data Locate this document in the navigation structure

 

You can introduce master data in three different ways, depending on how frequently the data changes and has to be updated in the SAP ERP and the SAP Sourcing systems. You can replicate master data using system-to-system interface-like processes, pre-delivery during the initial system installation, or you can carry out the configuration manually.

Note Note

In the following documentation all the data that must be transferred from SAP ERP to SAP Sourcing is referred to as master data.

End of the note.

Features

You can group master data into four types, depending on how frequently the data changes:

Type 1: Master data that changes frequently

Master data that changes frequently requires interface-like processes for integration and error monitoring. No user interaction is required for this type of extraction, unless exceptions are generated. The following master data must be introduced in this way:

  • Material (requires delta mechanism)

  • Vendor (SAP ERP)/Supplier (SAP Sourcing) (requires delta mechanism)

  • Exchange Rate (date—dependent and uniform across systems; does not need delta mechanism, initial/refresh upload only)

Type 2: Master data that changes infrequently

Configuration master data that changes infrequently does not require a full-scale system-to-system interface with delta process handling. The data can be extracted manually using extract tools and import tools or flat files (such as MS Excel). The following master data can be introduced in this way:

  • Product Category

  • Material Type

  • Plant

  • Purchasing Organization

  • Purchasing Group

  • Company Code

  • Payment Term

  • Relationships (plant-company code; plant-purchasing organization) Before you extract the relationship data you must make sure that the master data for the plant, the company code, and the purchasing organization is already replicated.

Type 3: Master data that does not change after initial set-up

Configuration master data that usually does not change after initial set-up of the system landscape and that is already part of the SAP standard configuration to a great extent must exist in SAP Sourcing and must be identical in SAP Sourcing and back-end systems. For this type of master data, correct reference or configuration is sufficient, meaning you do not have to set up interface-like processes for integration. The following configuration master data must be consistent in both systems:

  • SAP ERP Transaction Type and Subtype

  • Unit of Measure ISO Code (uniform across systems)

  • Internal Unit of Measure (uniform across systems linked to ISO UoM's)

  • Currency Code (including ISO currency codes, uniform across systems)

  • Incoterms (uniform across systems)

  • Pricing Condition Type (value list)

  • Vendor Account Group (value list)

Type 4: Master data that is not replicated to SAP Sourcing

This type of master data is generally only required in SAP ERP and is not replicated to SAP Sourcing. Since this data relates to specific procurement or financial processes that are not supported by SAP Sourcing, this data does not need to exist in the SAP Sourcing system.

More Information

Since some master data is interdependent, it is important that you introduce the master data in a special sequence. For more information, see Sequence of Master Data Replication.

After replicating master data from an SAP ERP system to an integrated SAP Sourcing system, you can change and delete those master data only in the SAP ERP system. For more information, see Changes to Master Data and Deletion of Master Data.

For more information on master data integration and configuring SAP ERP and SAP Sourcing, see the configuration guide for the integration of SAP ERP and SAP Sourcing on SAP Service Marketplace at http://service.sap.com/eso.