Overview of ALE /

EDI / IDOCs

03/22/17 Overview of ALE/IDOCs 1

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

03/22/17 Overview of ALE/ID 2

 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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Typical EDI/IDOC Scenario

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Outbound Process
With Message Control
Directly -With out Message Control

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Inbound Process
With Function Module

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EDI Configuration
How to Set Up an RFC Destination in SAP
The Port Definitions
Configure Partner Profile
Configure Message Control

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Complete EDI/ ALE scenario

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

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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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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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ALE Scenario

Document

IDoc
SAP System R/3 SAP System R/3

IDoc IDoc

EDI Subsystem 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
This is where the SAP
Distribution Services
applications ( SD, FI,
Communication Services
MM etc. ) generate
their data and
documents

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Distribution Services
Services:
Application Services Recipients
Distribution Services Formats and
Communication Services
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 Distribution/ALE Communication

Layer Layer Layer

Master
Application
Application IDOC Determine
Determine Filter/Convert
Filter/Convert Comm.
Receipients
Receipients Data,
Data, Create
Create IDOC
IDOC IDOC

Carrier
Carrier

Application
Data Application
Application Filter/Convert
Filter/Convert Comm.
Functions
Functions Data
Data 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 System 2

SAP
Document
IDoc

R/3 System 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
Segment Format definition for
header data
item data

Status Record IDoc-ID

Status information

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 Control record
Data Record
Status Record

IDOC
Intermediate
Document

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Control Record 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 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 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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 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
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 ALE layer Comm. layer
posting

Need to Customer
create IDOC? Distribution Model
asynch. RFC
Create master or
M Receiver determination
IDOC EDI
System call FM
Segment filter
( INBOUND_
IDOC_
Field value conversion PROCESS )
Application document On destination
posted simultaneously Version change
with IDOCs
Dispatch
Links
C control C
Database

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Dispatch control
Application ALE layer Comm. layer
posting

Need to Customer
create IDOC? Distribution Model
asynch. RFC
Create master or
M Receiver determination
IDOC EDI RFC
asynch.
- Technical comms parameters are
Segment filter defined or
- EDI or aRFCEDI
(asynch. remote
Field value conversion function call)
- Send immediately or cumulate
Application document
Version change and send via batch job
posted simultaneously
If batch, packet size is
with IDocs
determined
Dispatch
Links
C control C
Database

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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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 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
ALE layer

03/22/17 Overview of ALE/ID 41

 MASTER_IDOC_DISTRIBUTE

Call function MASTER_IDOC_DISTRIBUTE

Exporting
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
Header (55bytes) SDATA (1000bytes)
EDIDD . SEGNAM .

Field1 Field2 Field3 Field4

Z1SEG
10 ABC

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:
automatic

Non-character fields:
Condense statement must be used
Check IDOC documentation to find out which fields
require a condense
All types unequal to char, cuky, clnt, accp, numc,
dats, tims or unit 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
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 Segment filter

or
EDI Field value conversion

Input
control A
A Serialization Process IDOC

Simultaneously update
IDOC's status
Post application
Database document

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Input Control
Comm. layer ALE layer Application
posting
C

- For each message type and senderVersion change

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

Simultaneously update
IDOC's status
Post application
Database document

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Application Input
Comm. layer ALE layer Application
posting
C
Version change

asynch. RFC Segment filter

or
EDI Field value conversion

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

Simultaneously update
IDOC's status
Post application
Database 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 Input
control A
If change No. 1 arrives
after change No. 2, the A Serialization Process IDOC
IDOC containing it has
been overtaken (by the
Simultaneously update
IDOC containing the IDOC's status
later change) Post application
Database document

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 FM Assignment to Message Type and
IDoc type

TCODE:
WE57

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 Process Codes

WE41
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
ALE configuration
INBOUND_IDOC_PROCESS Partner Profiles
IDOC Version change Process Code
Function module attribute
Segment filter Function module registry
Field conversion
Call function
IDOC_INPUT_<MSGTYPE>

Read IDOC data

Return Variables 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 Program-
Write 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

03/22/17 Overview of ALE/ID 70

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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