IDOC’S- Intermediate Document- Full Overview explanation for Consultants- SAP MM

IDOC’S- Intermediate Document:

Basic Concepts to learn before learning Partner profile:

·       Concept: 

    IDOC is an intermediate document where many industries will use to transfer their data from one system to other system, it can be SAP to SAP or SAP to Non- SAP.

As an SAP MM consultant, we will work less on IDOC’s, but we should know the concept behind the IDOC for resolving the issues by Monitoring the IDOC.

·       Overview: 

      IDOC is an SAP object where data will be transferred inflow and outflow through electronic message, the main use of IDOC is transfer of data from SAP to Non-SAP through EDI and SAP to SAP through ALE.

Here we have 2 types of flows in SAP, where data will be flowed into SAP and other is data transfer to other tool from SAP through Inbound and Outbound.

·       Inbound: Data that received from other tool to SAP in the form electronic message.

·       Outbound: Data that will be flowed to other systems through SAP in terms of electronic message.

We have 2 IDOC types

·       1.Basic Type- It sends the information to the receiver port as per the mapping fields done by us.

·       2.Extension- When we want any extra information to send to receiving party then we have this IDOC extension.

Conversion Format:

If data is transferring SAP to Non-SAP then data format is required that EDI acts as a data converter, it converts data to XML format and loads the data and sends to another tool respectively.

Mapping of fields has been done as per the size and data fields.

Mapping is same as LSMW method and it will be done by MM technical consultant and as a functional consultant we need check the port number and few major things explained below.

**** we have segments, where fields will be stored in the segments and mapping will be done according to the segments available in the IDOC****

We have Parent segment and Child segment; different fields will be stored in different segments.

Note: IDOC direction explains whether the data is flowing inbound or outbound.

Partner:

We have 3 partners in SAP R/3, where data will get exchanged within this and they are LI-Vendor, KU- Customer, LS- Logical system.

Vendor- Normally we use work with vendor for PO, Order confirmation, Order acknowledgement and Invoice.

Customer- SD side, Sales order

Logical system- we have other department systems, where weight lift measuring tool.

Data flows inside and outside as per the above examples.

Port:

The port we maintain it contain IP address of the source or receiving system and this port number will be provided by Basis Consultant.

Ø Partner Profile maintenance:

Partner profile should be maintained for all business partners where if we want to receive/send information to all the vendors.

T-code to maintain the partner profile is WE20.

Double click on partner and click on LI-vendor, if we are setting partner profile with vendor.

Once we enter on vendor, we can see above screen where we can have options to enter inbound and outbound entries, as I told this will be electronic message where data flows.

We have message type in which we see inbound or outbound and, we can see contact information.

·       Select any of the two – either inbound or outbound

And system will ask for receiver port number and this will be given by Basis consultant and here every filed is mapped and after they will provide the receiver port number to maintain in the below screen.

2.Next tab- Message Control:

If we are sending PO copy, we have message type for PO, insert message type and enter the link code ME10.

Whenever PO copy is created for this message type then IDOC number will be generated and transferred to receiver.

Change message: In message control we can see change message option where if there is any change in document the IDOC will sends the changes automatically for that we need to maintain 1 more line in message control with change indicator.

3.Inbound options- Inbound Parameters:

Here we need to select the trigger by background program, so that it will take the parameters after saving and as per mapping it will send to receiver automatically.

4.Post processing:

Here we will maintain the agent who should receive the notification when EDI processing fails, System will send the log data and reason for failure.

5.Telephone:

 We can enter the telephone number of receivers.

6.EDI standard:

Here we can update the message type as per the purchase order.

Overview Explanation of above everything:

*****

Receiver port means – the receiver IP address or data that is mapped and created a port that is receiver port.

We have IDOC type where it contains the segments in which it mapped all the fields, we will maintain the idoc type in outbound and it should be purchasing/sales

Once we have IDOC type, we had message type where what kind of data that is transferring or mapped it can be purchase order, Acknowledgement, Contract.

Process code – where we have message type and idoc type contains the sending data information, now to process this we need some code that is process code.

By above 3 Idoc will trigger and sent to receiver

. ******

Ø IDOC Structure and records- Monitoring of IDOC:

IDOC structure is divided into 3 records.

1.     Control record

2.     Data record

3.     Status record

1.Control record: 

Control records contain few data like.

IDOC number

Direction of IDOC

IDOC Status

Basic type

Receipt information

Sender information

Port number

2.Data record: Contains data that flows through EDI

Data record will have segment and child segments

Each segment will have some data with fields and as per segment the data will flow to receiver.

3.Status record: 

we can find the status of IDOC processing:

We can find the PO’s processed with help of IDOC, whether its inbound or outbound.

For outbound idocs- 16 is the number for success

For inbound idocs- 53 is the number for success

---if we get error then want to find the idoc number in PO, then go to attachment tab in PO and click on relationship.

Tickets and Questions related to IDOC’s

How to monitor the IDOC?

Answer:

T-codes IDOC

WE31- Create IDOC Segment

WE30- IDOC Type

WE20- Partner Profile

               For this partner what type of information we are sending to receiver.

WE02- Monitor the IDOC

WE05- List of IDOC’s

WE21- Delete the IDOC

WE19- Testing of IDOC

Customized T-code- Status change.

Manual processing of IDOC – BD87

WE09- Searching for specific information like PO

45.1 Why do you reprocess IDOC?

All failed IDOCs should be reprocessed for the confirmation of output messages to vendor

We have own tcode for reprocessing the IDOC

IDOC Statuses?

1-     50 will represent the outbound status

03- IDOC has been triggered

16-Succesfully generated successfully

51- 78 will represent the inbound status

        53- Successfully posted inbound

59- IDOC error

All Error Status:

02- Error transferring data to port

04- Error in EDI information

05- Error during conversion

45.2 Frequent IDOC errors.

1. When the receiving info mapping has required fields and sending info is missed that data, then IDOC failure will happen.

2.When they edit PO and reprocessing the IDOC, then IDOC will gets failed as IDOC will trigger automatically.

3.Failed to transfer data to port, its error from BASIS side, where data is not able to reach the port.

4.when there is an application type mistake was happened then also EL is for contract and EF is for Purchase order.

For all IDOC errors we need to change the status manually to status 30- ready for shipment- We have customized tcode for changing the status.

5.with the same order number IDOC receivers one more output then IDOC will gets failed with status 59.