Overview of ALE /

EDI / IDOCs

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Overview of ALE/IDOCs

EDI

What is EDI?
Type of EDI process
Outbound EDI Process
Inbound EDI Process

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Overview of ALE/ID

What is EDI?

EDI is electronic exchange of business documents

between the computer systems of business partner
using a standard format over a communication network
EDI is also called a paperless exchange.

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Overview of ALE/ID

Typical EDI/IDOC Scenario

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Overview of ALE/ID

Outbound Process

With Message Control

Directly -With out Message Control

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Overview of ALE/ID

Inbound Process

With Function Module

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Overview of ALE/ID

EDI Configuration

How to Set Up an RFC Destination in SAP

The Port Definitions
Configure Partner Profile
Configure Message Control

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Overview of ALE/ID

Complete EDI/ ALE scenario

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Overview of ALE/ID

ALE
What is ALE?
Components of ALE.
Anatomy of an IDoc.
ALE Processing
Transactions For Monitoring and Processing IDocs.
Questions

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Overview of ALE/ID

ALE Terminology
ALE - Application Linking & Enabling
IDoc - Intermediate Document
EDI - Electronic Data Interchange

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ALE Objective

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ALE!! What is it ??

It is a set of
Tools,
programs and
data definitions

Provides distribution model and technology

that enables SAP Customer to interconnect
programs across various platforms and
systems.

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Overview of ALE/ID

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Features ALE / IDocs

Distributed System yet integrated with SAP R/3

Based on Application-to-Application integration using Message

Architecture

Reliable communication

Data is exchanged using IDocs

Support both R/2, R/3 and External system

If network problem, message is buffered

ALE support backward compatibility

ALE ensure that , data is transferred only once

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Overview of ALE/ID

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ALE Scenario
Document

SAP System R/3

IDoc

SAP System R/3

IDoc

IDoc

EDI Subsystem

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EDI Subsystem

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Topics to cover
What is ALE ?
Components of ALE.
Anatomy of an IDoc.
ALE Processing
Transactions For Monitoring and Processing IDocs.
Trouble Shooting
Questions

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Components of ALE

Services:
Application Services
Distribution Services
Communication Services

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Application Services
Services:
Application Services
Distribution Services
Communication Services

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This is where the SAP

applications ( SD, FI,
MM etc. ) generate
their data and
documents

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Distribution Services
Services:
Application Services
Distribution Services
Communication Services

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Recipients
Formats and
Filters the data
Creates IDocs
( Intermediate
Documents

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Communication Services
Services:
Application Services
Distribution Services
Communication Services

TCP/IP
RFC
tRFC
etc

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In a Nut Shell
Application
Layer
Application
Application

Distribution/ALE
Layer

Master
IDOC

Determine
Determine
Receipients
Receipients

Communication
Layer

Filter/Convert
Filter/Convert
Data,
Data, Create
Create IDOC
IDOC

Comm.
IDOC

Carrier
Carrier

Application
Data

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Application
Application
Functions
Functions

Filter/Convert
Filter/Convert
Data
Data

Overview of ALE/ID

Comm.
IDOC

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Topics to cover
What is ALE ?
Components of ALE.
Anatomy of an IDoc.
ALE Processing
Transactions For Monitoring and Processing IDocs.
Trouble Shooting
Questions

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IDoc Concept
System 1
SAP
Document

R/3 System

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System 2
IDoc

EDI subsystem
R/3 System
R/2 System
3rd party software
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IDoc Structure
Control Record

IDoc-ID
Sender-ID
Receiver-ID
IDoc type and logical message
External structure

Data Record

IDoc-ID
Sequence/Hierarchy
Format definition for
Segment
header data
item data

Status Record

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IDoc-ID
Status information

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Control record
Data Record
Status Record

IDOC
Intermediate
Document

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Control Record

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The very first record of an IDoc package is always

a control record. The
structure of this control record of the structure
EDIDC and describes the contents of the data
contained in the package. The control record goes to
table EDIDC

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Message Type
Message Type indicates How to Know what the data Means
Data Exchanged by IDOC and EDI is known as Messages
Message of same kind belong to the same message type.
Message types are stored in table EDMSG

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Data Record

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All records in the IDoc, which come after the

control record, are the IDoc data. They are all
structured alike, with a segment information part
and a data part, which is 1000 character in
length, filling the rest of the line. Data &
Segment info is stored in EDID4 for release 4.x
and EDID3 for release 2.x and 3.x.

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Status Record

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Information about the IDoc status like:

IDoc identification number
Status number - table verified
IDoc type
Direction
Data and time stamp; Structure:
EDIDS

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Status of IDOC
A two-digit status is assigned to an IDoc to allow the processing to
be monitored.
The statuses for outbound IDocs are between '01' and '49', while the
statuses for inbound IDocs begin with '50'.

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Overview of ALE/ID

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Idoc Segments

TCODE:
WE31

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Idoc Types

TCODE:
WE30

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How to Attach Segments

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Message Types

WE81

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Overview of ALE/ID

WE82

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IDOC Type/ Message Type/ Processing Function

Module
Valid combination of Message type and IDOC type are stored in table
EDIMSG
Combination of message type and IDOC type determine the
processing algorithm. This is usually a function module and is set up in
table EDIFCT.

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Topics to cover
What is ALE ?
Components of ALE.
Anatomy of an IDoc.
ALE Processing.
i.Outbound Processing
ii.Inbound Processing

Transactions For Monitoring and Processing IDocs.

Trouble Shooting
Questions

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Outbound Processing

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Outbound processing: direct

Application
posting

ALE layer

Need to
create IDOC?

Create master
IDOC

Comm. layer

Customer
Distribution Model

asynch. RFC
or
EDI

Receiver determination

System call FM
( INBOUND_
IDOC_
PROCESS )
On destination

Segment filter
Field value conversion
Application document
posted simultaneously
with IDOCs
Database

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Version change

Links

Dispatch
control

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Dispatch control
Application
posting

ALE layer

Need to
create IDOC?

Create master
IDOC

Comm. layer

Customer
Distribution Model

Receiver determination
-

Segment filter
-

Field value conversion

Application document
posted simultaneously
with IDocs
Database

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Version change

Links

Dispatch
control

Overview of ALE/ID

asynch. RFC
or
EDI RFC
asynch.
Technical comms parameters are
or
defined
EDI or aRFCEDI
(asynch. remote
function call)
Send immediately or cumulate
and send via batch job
If batch, packet size is
determined

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Scenario analysis
How does the IDOC look like ?
How is data being sent ?
How is the data being received ?

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Overview of ALE/ID

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Outbound program development

Program logic
How is the IDOC being created ?
Triggering
How is the IDOC creation kicked off ?

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Program logic
IDOC program
Select data from application tables
Fill data into IDOC
Pass IDOC to ALE layer
(Call function MASTER_IDOC_DISTRIBUTE)
Commit Work

MASTER_IDOC_DISTRIBUTE
Receiver determination
Segment filtering
Version Control
Dispatch Control

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Overview of ALE/ID

ALE layer

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MASTER_IDOC_DISTRIBUTE
Call function MASTER_IDOC_DISTRIBUTE

Exporting

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master_idoc_control:

IDOC control record

Tables

communication_idoc_control:

returned information
about the distribution

master_idoc_data:

IDOC data segments

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Filling an EDIDD structure

EDIDD

Z1SEG

Header (55bytes)
. SEGNAM .

Field1

Field2

10

ABC

SDATA (1000bytes)

Field3

Field4

MOVE Z1SEG to EDIDD-SEGNAM

MOVE 10 to Z1SEG-FIELD1
MOVE ABC to Z1SEG-FIELD2
MOVE Z1SEG to EDIDD-SDATA

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General Programming rules

Design Guidelines for creating IDOC data records:
Left-justified filing of IDOC Fields

Replacing SAP codes with ISO codes

currency keys
country keys
unit of measure
shipping instructions

Converting Currency Amounts

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Left-justified Filling
All fields must be left-justified

Character fields:

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automatic

Non-character fields:

Condense statement must be used

All types unequal to char, cuky, clnt, accp, numc,

dats, tims or unit require a condense

Check IDOC documentation to find out which fields

require a condense

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Code Conversions
Replacing SAP codes with ISO codes

Currency keys:
currency_code_sap_to_iso
Country keys:
country_code_sap_to_iso
Units of measure:
unit_of_measure_sap_to_iso
Shipping instructions: sap_iso_package_type_code

Conversion of currency amounts

currency_amount_sap_to_iso

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Basic Configuration Elements

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Define RFC Destinations

Define Ports
Maintain Customer Model
Create Partner Profiles

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Maintaining RFC Destinations

TCODE:
SM59

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Displaying and Maintaining Ports

TCODE:
WE21

A port is a logical representation of a

communication channel in SAP with
the data communicated being IDocs.
IDocs

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Partner Profiles

TCODE:
WE20

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Partner Profiles-Inbound

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Partner Profiles-Outbound

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ALE For Transactional data ---- Output

Determination

NACE

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Output Determination -- Output Types

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Output Types -- Details

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Inbound Processing

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Inbound Processing.
Comm. layer

ALE layer

Application
posting

C
Version change

asynch. RFC
or
EDI

Segment filter
Field value conversion
Input
control

Serialization

A
Process IDOC

Simultaneously update
IDOC's status

Database

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Overview of ALE/ID

Post application
document

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Input Control
Comm. layer

ALE layer

Application
posting

C
Version change
For each message type and sender
one can define
Segment filter
when
asynch.
RFCto process
or(immediate/batch)
whether to call application Field value conversion
EDIdirectly or start customer
workflow
Input
who should get work items in
control
case of error
Incoming IDOC packets are passed to
A
application
Serialization
-

A
Process IDOC

Simultaneously update
IDOC's status

Database

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Overview of ALE/ID

Post application
document

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Application Input
Comm. layer

ALE layer

Application
posting

C
Version change
Segment filter

asynch. RFC
or
EDI

Field value conversion

-

Input
Inbound IDOCs are passed
to
control
the application via a
standardized function
A
Serialization
interface

A
Process IDOC

Simultaneously update
IDOC's status

Database

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Overview of ALE/ID

Post application
document

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Serialization
Comm. layer

ALE layer

Application
posting

C
Version change
-

When processing the

Segment filter
asynch. RFC
inbound IDOC, the
or
application
can call an ALE Field value conversion
EDI
API (function module) to
check that the IDOC has not
been overtaken
If change No. 1 arrives
after change No. 2, the
IDOC containing it has
been overtaken (by the
IDOC containing the
later change)

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Input
control

Serialization

A
Process IDOC

Simultaneously update
IDOC's status

Database

Overview of ALE/ID

Post application
document

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FM Assignment to Message Type and

IDoc type

TCODE:
WE57

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Process Codes

WE41

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Overview of ALE/ID

WE42

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Process Codes in Inbound and Outbound

TCODE:
WE64

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FM For Inbound EDI

TCODE:
BD67

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Inbound Program Development

INBOUND_IDOC_PROCESS
IDOC

Version change
Segment filter
Field conversion
Call function

Return Variables

ALE configuration
Partner Profiles
Process Code
Function module attribute
Function module registry

IDOC_INPUT_<MSGTYPE>
Read IDOC data
Post Application data
Send Success info back to ALE layer

If ERROR, trigger
Workflow Task
ALE layer

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Basic Scenario

Direct Method
Call Transaction Method

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Advanced Scenario

Mass processing
Serialization
Advanced Workflow

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Flow Of Program

Read IDOC-Lock IDOC-Call Inbound ProgramWrite Status-Commit Work-Unlock IDOC

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Interface of Inbound FM

Importing Parameter
-Input Method
-Mass_processing

EXPORT parameter .
-Workflow_result
-Application_variable
-In_Update_task
-Call_transaction_done
Tables parameter :
IDOC_Control
IDOC_DATA
IDOC_STATUS
Return_variable

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Topics to cover
What is ALE ?
Components of ALE.
Anatomy of an IDoc.
ALE Processing
Transactions For Monitoring and Processing IDocs.
Questions

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Monitoring IDocs
The IDoc interface offers 2 different approaches for tracking of data
load and data flow:
Reports for monitoring
Workflow for notifications

Both approaches are based on the concept of status transitions, i.e.

an IDoc changes its status from a given value to another value.

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List Of All IDocs Created. (Default, Additional, EDI)-- WE02/

WE05

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Selection Program For Issuing Output -WE15

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Test Tool For Idoc Processing (WE19)

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Idoc Search For Business Contents

(Database). WE09

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Questions

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