IDOC Complete picture for a ABAP Programmer

The IDoc Interface is used to exchange business data between two different systems.The IDoc interface consists of the definition of a data structure and the processing logic for this data structure.The data structure is the IDoc. The systems involved must both recognize the data format used to exchange the data. IDocs allow exception handling to be defined within the R/3 System via SAP Business Workflow, without the data having to be available as an SAP application document.

You require the IDoc Interface in the following scenarios:

• Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
• Application Link Enabling (ALE)
• Connection of any other business application systems (for example, PC applications, external workflow tools) via IDoc.

Features

For functions performed, all those from the initial node of the IDoc interface are displayed: From the R/3 initial screen choose Tools, Business Communication,  IDoc, IDoc Basis .

Processing IDocs

This section describes the possible paths in inbound and outbound processing and the status processing. It is intended for administrators and also the end users.

Configuring ports

The technical linkage to the external system and the operating system level is described here. Port configuration is the basic prerequisite for data exchange with the external system. This section is intended for administrators.

Defining partner

A further prerequisite for data exchange is the partner profiles: Here, it is determined who can exchange which messages via which port with the R/3 System. This section is intended for administrators.

Processing tests

The IDoc interface provides tools for testing IDoc processing. Tests should be carried out both when new messages are used and for new definitions of IDoc types. This section is intended for administrators.

Monitoring

Both passive (processing display) and active monitoring (sending of warnings and advice) is documented. The section is intended for administrators and also the end users of the application.

Archiving IDocs

The archiving possibilities of IDocs are described here . This section is intended for administrators.


Processing IDocs



The business data is saved in IDoc format in the IDoc interface and is forwarded as IDocs. If an error occurs, exception handling is triggered via workflow tasks. The agents who are responsible for these tasks and have the relevant authorizations are defined in the IDoc interface.

Features

The IDoc interface supports three types of data flow with the external system:

• Outbound processing :IDocs are transferred to a receiving system from your SAP System.
• Inbound processing :IDocs are transferred to your SAP System from an upstream system.
• Status processing :The receiving system confirms the processing status of outbound IDocs to your SAP System.

Control records and data records are sent for IDoc inbound processing and IDoc outbound processing. Status records are sent in the status confirmation data flow (exception: status confirmation via the specific IDoc type SYSTAT01).




Prerequisites

Setting up IDoc processing always requires you to define your partner. In particular for MC, you must assign the application and the MC output type uniquely to an IDoc type in partner profiles. You do this with the additional outbound parameters under MC.

Activities

• The Message Control module "finds" one or more messages by selecting those that match the relevant business process from a set of predefined messages. The messages are defined in the application in so-called condition tables. The messages found are "proposed" by the MC: That can be several per document. In many applications you can view and modify ("process") messages before you release the data, post the document and send the messages as IDocs.

In the specified case (message processing through IDoc dispatch) the system additionally checks messages found to determine whether the message partner was processed as a partner in the IDoc interface. The message is only proposed if this is the case, and can then be further processed. Many applications provide determination analysis, which helps you to trace message determination and locate possible errors.

• The Message Control module can process the messages immediately (after the application document has been updated). You can also process the messages found manually or in the background at a predefined time. Since you can also define the time at which IDocs are to be generated by the IDoc interface, you should combine these two times. These combinations are described in the following section: Procedure

An order for the vendor VEND is to be created in Purchasing. This order is to be sent via an EDI subsystem after being written as an IDoc of type ORDERS01. In order to do this, define the output type "NEU" (new) for VEND in purchasing master data and assign the Message Control dispatch time "4" (immediately with application update) and the transmission medium "EDI".

Choose the output mode "Transfer IDoc immediately" and "Start subsystem immediately" for VEND in the partner profiles of the IDoc interface and assign the logical message ORDERS to the combination "Application: Purchasing orders", "Output type: NEU" (new). IDoc type ORDERS01 is assigned to this logical message.


Outbound Processing under Message Control: Procedure


Message determination: Call the master data from the application and create the message as a message- or condition record, that is to say, you define the conditions under which the message is found and proposed, as well as the message properties. For example, you can enter the purchasing organization and the business partner as the conditions and the output medium (in this case 6 for EDI), dispatch time and language in which the message is to be sent as the output properties.


Message processing through IDoc dispatch: The messages are sent by the Message Control module as defined in the condition record, especially with regard to the selected dispatch time. You must also define a dispatch time ("output mode") in the partner profiles of the IDoc interface: standard combinations of the two times are shown in the table below. The Message Control parameters from the partner profiles must also match the corresponding fields in the output type. These parameters include:


Application
Partner
Partner function
Output type

Dispatch time combinations for the Message Control module and IDoc interface and the EDI equivalents

MC: Dispatch time IDoc interface: Output mode EDI equivalent
4 (= immediately) Send IDoc immediately
Start subsystem Real time
1 (= send with next selection run) Send IDoc immediately
Start subsystem Fast batch
1 Collect IDocs
Start subsystem Batch
1 Collect IDocs Do not
start subsystem Batch

If you specify that the subsystem (= follow-on system) is not to be started in the partner profiles, the receiving system determines the dispatch time in accordance with the time plan set in the system, that is to say you do not have any control over when the IDoc arrives at the target system.

• Message determination: The conditions, under which a message is to be found, are stored in the condition tables . These tables are read in an access sequence . The condition tables also contain the key fields for the application, that is to say, the fields which the application uses to access the condition records (for example the "purchasing organization" and "vendor" application fields in Purchasing). The condition tables are assigned to an output type (for example "NEU" (new) for a purchase order from Purchasing). The output types are combined in Procedures , which are assigned to the application (key, for example purchase order).


This organizational structure allows message determination to run in a structured manner and under complex conditions. The output types and tables and the access sequences and procedures are already defined in Customizing for the relevant application.

The output type is sometimes also referred to as the condition type.

• Message processing through IDoc dispatch: the central selection program of the Message Control module, RSNAST00, locates and triggers the form routine EDI_PROCESSING in the program RSNASTED in table TNAPR for the selected output type. EDI_PROCESSING reads the partner profiles and uses the process code to determine the function module which is to generate the IDoc. The process code also determines the type of further processing, for example whether the IDocs are to be processed by the ALE service.


The function modules for generating the IDocs are usually called IDOC_OUTPUT_, where represents the relevant message type. Depending on the output mode, the generated IDocs are either collected or forwarded for immediate dispatch. If the IDocs are collected, the report RSEOUT00 must be scheduled in order to forward the IDocs for dispatch.

Direct Outbound Processing: Procedure

Choose the relevant send transaction in the application and enter the parameters accordingly. Make sure that the specified communication parameters (such as the target system) are also maintained as a port in the partner profiles of the IDoc interface. In ALE scenarios a "tRFC" port type should be entered and the partner should be an "LS" type (for "logical system").


Direct Outbound Processing: Implementation for ALE :

The way in which the IDoc is generated depends on the respective application. The following is an example of an ALE scenario in which a function module is responsible for generating the IDocs.

The function module is called in the application transaction. The function module generates a so-called master IDoc, which is transferred to the administration module MASTER_IDOC_DISTRIBUTE, which checks the control record and then calls the function module COMMUNICATION_IDOC_CREATE. This module "filters" the master IDoc (that is to say removes any data which is not required for communication).

This "filtered" IDoc is referred to as the communication IDoc and is forwarded for further processing to the function module EDI_OUTPUT_NEW by MASTER_IDOC_DISTRIBUTE.


Inbound Processing


In inbound processing, IDocs are transferred to the interface and stored in the R/3 System. The document data is generated in a second step, also in the course of a workflow.

Features

The upstream system transfers an IDoc to the IDoc interface via the R/3 System port. For this reason, you do not have to specify a port in the inbound partner profiles; the IDoc interface only has to "recognize" the upstream system as a port. A port definition, which provides a unique ID for the upstream system, must be available for the port. The technical parameters of this port definition can (and usually are) overwritten by the upstream system.

The IDoc is "accepted", that is, saved in the database, if the upstream system is recognized. If your partner is defined with the corresponding message in your partner profiles, the IDoc is then processed further. This is done independently in a second step. This ensures that the external system can receive the data quickly and reliably (automatically).

The following paths are available for further processing:

• The direct path via a function module which transfers the IDoc data to the corresponding application document.
• The indirect path via SAP Business Workflow (single- or multistep task). When an IDoc is received, a work item is created as an instance of the corresponding task. The work item appears in the integrated inbox of the selected agent.IDoc type TXTRAW02 is processed via the single-step task TS30000008: A mail is sent to the SAPoffice user (or the organizational unit) that is entered as the recipient in segment E1TXTAD. If this segment is missing, the permitted agent is determined from the partner profiles as the recipient. The mail contains the text from the IDoc data records. You can also send mail attributes such as priority or "executability".

Inbound Processing: Procedure

Purpose

Therefore, you must always configure inbound processing when you want to implement new business processes where data will be received by IDoc. An example is EDI inbound processing of standard orders.

Prerequisites

You must only activate the event-receiver linkage for the IDoc interface once, because an event is always triggered when an IDoc is received (exception: port type "tRFC"). This takes place in Customizing, activity Activate event-receiver linkage for IDoc inbound processing.

Process flow

The inbound IDoc is linked to the required processing type via the process code in the partner profiles. You can decide whether a workflow or a function module is triggered when an IDoc is received.

The process codes supplied with the standard system are already assigned to workflows or function modules. You can display this assignment: from the initial screen of the IDoc interface (transaction WEDI), choose Control  Process code inbound. This is also the initial screen for new assignments when you want to define new IDoc types or processing types. For more information, see define new IDoc types

A vendor receives a purchase order for a material via an IDoc of type ORDERS01. The vendor has assigned the function module IDOC_INPUT_ORDERS, which converts the IDoc data to the corresponding application data, to the ORDERS message via the process code ORDE. The vendor, therefore, selects the direct path via a function module.

There are IDoc types for which inbound processing only takes place in Basis, for example TXTRAW02. These IDoc types are only processed by workflow. The corresponding tasks are grouped together in task group TG70000016. Inbound processing by workflow in logistics is located in task group TG20000011. Task groups make the search for tasks in the Business Workflow Explorer (Area menu SWLD) easier.

For exception handling in inbound processing you must assign the possible agents to the corresponding tasks. You have two alternatives:

•You must classify all tasks as general tasks in IDoc Customizing.
•You maintain the allocation for each individual task via transaction PFTC. The section on Exception handling: procedure describes which tasks are used.

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