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E-Commerce and ERP.

2015-09-04T10:01:00.000+05:30

E-Commerce has become the buzz word of entire business community in the recent times. There are lot of scope for acquiring new customers with Low cost using the E-Commerce plat form. The challenge comes when the business tries to integrate the E-commerce sites with the existing business. Especially for the business houses where ERP is already in place.

Lot of people are working towards the seamless integration of e-commerce platform to their ERP system. Before a year or two, the E-Commerce segment was traditionally dominated by the E-Commerce companies. Now the trend is changing. Though, by Volume, still the E-Commerce companies dominate the segment globally, there are lot of traditional production businesses looking at the implementation of E-Commerce sites to directly sell the products to their end users.

E-Commerce sites will be traditionally focused on Business to Customers segment. But for a traditional production based Business houses they can use the E-Commerce to target any of the below user groups below.

1) Business to Business – To their corporate customers.

2) Business to Business – To their Dealers.

3) Business to Customer – To their End user.

Advantages of E-Commerce in Production houses.

The main advantage of ERP in Production houses is the cost involved in the acquisition of new customer. When they directly connect with any of the customers above, there is a high chance that they can avoid middle layers which will have its own cost for handling and commission etc. Though there are lot of other media available to show case their products online, E-Commerce is the best way to showcase their product and arrive at a deal online.

Advantages of integrating it with ERP

When you integrate the E-Commerce with the ERP in the production houses. All the Orders from the E-Commerce will be placed directly in your ERP. And there is no manual activities involved. This approach will reduce the time involved. And if you are in male to order model, you directly send the notification to the production floor which will save precious time. And you can ship the product As early as Possible.

We will continue to discuss about this in the further articles.

Basics of ABAP : Creating T-Code for a Table maintenance generator

2012-07-29T00:28:00.003+05:30

Create a transaction code to run the table maintenance generator.
Go to Tcode SE93
Transaction code: ZTAB
Short text: Test Table Maintenance Events
Start Object: Transaction with parameters (Parameter Transaction)

Transaction: SM30
Skip first Screen: Check ON
Default Values:
View Name ZTAB
Update X

Execute the transaction code:

Execute the transaction code ZTAB and click on New Entries button.

Now press the new entries button, You can able to enter the new entries into the table.

Basics of ABAP- Adding Custom Events in Table maintenance generator

2012-07-29T00:20:00.002+05:30

While creating the tables, sometimes we may need to update the table fields in the background. For example, if we create a table with 10 fields and in those 10 fields there are 2 fields which are User name and the Date, these 2 fields should update automatically when a record Inserted/Updated in the table. It also can be used when we want provide various validations on creating, changing or saving entries in a table.

Event Handling

When we provide event handling on table maintenance, table fields will be updated automatically when a new record inserted into the table or an existed record changes through the table maintenance generator.

To achieve the event handling in table maintenance, we need to create a table maintenance generator and then create events. Process is as follows:

Create a table maintenance generator for the table:

To create table maintenance generator go Utilities -> Table Maintenance Generator and provide following information:

Authorization Group: &NC&

Function group: Any suitable FC

Maintenance type: Two Step

Maint. screen no: Overview screen 8005

Single screen 8006

Click on Create.

Create Events for table Maintenance:

To create events on table maintenance go to Environment -> Modification -> Events -> New Entries

List of events available:

Choose maintenance event 05-Creating New Entry and provide a name of the event (This will become perform/subroutine).

Click on Editor Button to provide event handling code.

A popup will be appear, It will ask to create an include program, in which we'll write the event handling code.
Click on continue.

Write the code in include for the event in the include created

Basics of ABAP : Table Maintenance Generator and Its Events

2012-05-28T23:51:00.001+05:30

Table maintenance generator is a user interface tool which is used to change the entry of the table or delete an entry from the table or create an entry for the table. Without Table maintenance generator, we cant' change the table entries directly in the system. we can change the data in a table only through the program.

While creating the database table, we need to maintain the flag in the 'Delivery and Maintenance' tab, the 'Table View Maint.' should have the "Maintenance allowed" property defined.

Creating TMG (Table maintenance generator):

Go to SE11 and create a table with the fields as per the requirement.

In table change mode, click on Utilities and then click on Table maintenance generator.

Implementation of table maintenance generator for a custom table:

Go to SE11 and create a table with the fields as per the requirement.
In table change mode, click on Utilities and then click on Table maintenance generator.

Following screen will be displayed for setting up the Maintenance generator

Following are the available options available for the users

Authorization Group: this option is to provide authority to certain users to maintain the data, if it is not needed fill it as NC.

Function group this is the function group under which the maintenance function module will be generated.

Maintenance screens: Maintenance can be done in 2 ways
1. Maintenance and Overview both on one screen
2. Maintenance on one screen and Overview on another screen.

Maint. Screen number : A screen number should be given, if it is a single screen, only one screen is enough. If there are 2 screens you need to provide 2 screen numbers.

Please note that when this table maintenance generated, It will generate screens under the function group hence the screen number should not be utilised already in the function group.

Dialogue data Transport details.

There are 2 options one is standard recording routine and the user recording routine,

If you select the standard record routine then you will get a option of storing the data under the transport request and move it across the system.

After saving the changes, go to SM30 for maintaining the table.

Basics Of ABAP : Creating tables

2012-01-14T11:51:00.000+05:30

Creation of actual table

Parameters to be passed for creation of table:

Short description: Mandatory field.

Delivery class: As per User Requirement

Table fields: Specify whether primary key. In this case it is mandatory to enter data element.

Data class: Establishes the physical area of the database.

Size category: Allows you to specify estimated space requirement for the table.

Further down under buffering square box, the system allows specifying whether table is going to be buffered. When a table is buffered, it is loaded into the table buffer from the application server memory and it will remain there until you switch off or reboot system.

If the table is to be buffered, you need to specify the type of buffering. Full is for entire table while partial is for only those records which are being accessed.

Once the table is created, it has to be generated or activated to be able to access by other objects like programs.

Here are the steps to create transparent tables.

1. Execute tcode se11, give a table name ztable1 and click CREATE.

2. Give the table a description And Select Delivery Class To A (Application Table), Data Browser into Display/Maintenance Allowed.

3. Click on the Fields tab and begin to create your field names here. If you’re creating a table that will be referenced to another table (A relational tables) you need to create data element using the same data type domain, this way you can link between these fields as the key. (Primary and foreign key), you can’t link between fields from two or more tables that don’t have the same domain.

4. Click on the technical settings tab, select APPL0 (master data, transparent table) for the data class, and 1 as the size category.

5. Click Extras > Enhancement Category and select the table can be enhanced.

6. Save and activate.

Basics of ABAP : Creating Data Element

2012-01-11T08:10:00.000+05:30

The second step of table creation is to create data element. It assigns a certain meaning to the table fields, which are defined using that data element. A Data element always needs to be defined over a domain and field is always defined over a data element. This allows all fields with same technical properties to use the same data element.

Parameters to be passed when creating a data element:

Short text: Mandatory field.

Domain: A mandatory field. If the domain does not exist, SAP can take

you directly to domain definition screen.

Text element: You can enter description is short or long text for the field.

This text is used when entering data for these fields.

To create a data element go to t-code SE11.

Select the Data type radio button, enter the name of the data element and press create.

Select the Data Element radio button and press continue.

Enter short description. Assign a domain to the data element. Press field label tab to maintain the field labels for the data element.

Enter the field labels in Field labels tab , Save and activate the data element.

Basics of ABAP : Creating Domain

2012-01-11T08:02:00.000+05:30

Domain as already explained defines the technical properties of a field such as type and value range. A domain can be created from initial screen of data dictionary by clicking on create and clicking domain Radiobutton.

Parameters to be passed are:

Data type: Where you need to enter the data type available in SAP.

Field length: Field length is the number of valid position.

Value table: Name of a table to be entered. The fields referring to this domain may only assume values contained in the value table.

Once the domain is created, save and activate it, so that it can be used for

further objects (basic rule of dictionary ).

To create a domain go to t-code SE11.

Select the Domain radio button, enter the the name of the domain that you want to create and press create.

Enter the short description. Place the cursor in the data type and press F4 to get the list of SAP data types.

In the popup window select the correct data type.

You can enter the Value table in the Value Range tab, also you can include Static values instead of value table

Enter the number of characters. Enter the decimal places if it applicable to data type that you have selected. Save and activate the domain.

Just for Fun

2012-01-11T07:09:00.000+05:30

Client: “Our next requirement, this is something big, you know, we need an elephant…”

Consultant : Mr. Richard but why don’t you adjust with a buffalo, even it is big…. and black?”

C: No , we need only elephant, let me explain our current process……………..” (client explains for an hour)

cons: Fine Richard, i understand ur requirement. But ours supports only buffalo…

C: Samy..our central bank regulations needs only elephant!

cons: Ok.. Let me see if i can customize”

Requirement taken : Bank wants a big black four legged animal, long tail, less hair. Having trunk is mandatory.

The same was documented, signed off and sent to offshore for development!

Offshore Development Centre, Chennai, 11.30pm

Design/Development – Base on requirement all features are supported in base product (as buffalo) , for trunk alone a separate customization is done.

Finally the customization is shown to client

client looks ....
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and faints!!!

ABAP/4 Basics : Native SQL

2012-01-10T23:27:00.002+05:30

Native SQL

Native SQL allows you to use database-specific SQL statements in an ABAP program. This means that you can use database tables that are not administered by the ABAP Dictionary, and therefore integrate data that is not part of the R/3 System.
ABAP Native SQL allows you to include database-specific SQL statements in an ABAP program. Most ABAP programs containing database-specific SQL statements do not run with different databases. If different databases are involved, use Open SQL. To execute ABAP Native SQL in an ABAP program, use the statement EXEC. Open SQL (Subset of standard SQL statements), allows you to access all database tables available in the R/3 System, regardless of the manufacturer. To avoid conflicts between database tables and to keep ABAP programs independent from the database system used, SAP has generated its own set of SQL statements known as Open SQL.
If you create a table by using database tools, without ABAP Dictionary, you are not able to use Open SQL to reach this table. You just can use Native SQL to do that.
Native SQL statements bypass the R/3 database interface. There is no table logging, and no synchronization with the database buffer on the application server. For this reason, you should, wherever possible, use Open SQL to change database tables declared in the ABAP Dictionary. In particular, tables declared in the ABAP Dictionary that contain log columns with types LCHR and LRAW should only be addressed using Open SQL, since the columns contain extra, database-specific length information for the column. Native SQL does not take this information into account, and may therefore produce incorrect results. Furthermore, Native SQL does not support automatic client handling. Instead, you must treat client fields like any other.
To ensure that transactions in the R/3 System are consistent, you should not use any transaction control statements (COMMIT, ROLLBACK WORK), or any statements that set transaction parameters (isolation level…) using Native SQL.
Using Native SQL, you can

Transfer values from ABAP fields to the database
Read data from the database and process it in ABAP programs.

Native SQL works without the administrative data about database tables stored in the ABAP Dictionary. Consequently, it cannot perform all of the consistency check used in Open SQL. This places a larger degree responsibility on application developers to work with ABAP fields of the correct type. You should always ensure that the ABAP data type and the type of database column are identical.

Native SQL Advantages and Disadvantages - EXEC SQL statement

Advantages

Tables are not declared in ABAP Dictionary can be accessed. (e.g. Tables belonging to sys or system user of Oracle, etc.)
To use some of the special features supported by the database-specific SQL. (e.g. Passing hints to Oracle optimizer.)

Disadvanteges

No syntax check is performed whatever is written between EXEC and ENDEXEC.
ABAP program containing database-specific SQL statements will not run under different database systems.
There is no automatic clien handling for client dependent tables.
Care has to be taken during migration to higher versions.

ABAP/4 Basics : Open SQL

2012-01-10T23:22:00.000+05:30

OPEN SQL

In the R/3 System, long-life data is stored in relational database tables. Structured Query Language (SQL) was created for accessing relational Database. SQL has two statement types: Data Definition Language (DDL) statements and Data Manipulation Language (DML) statements. TO include SQL statements in an ABAP/4 program, use Native SQL. To avoid incompatibilities between different database tables and also to make ABAP/4 program independent of the database system in use, SAP has created a set of separate SQL statements called Open SQL. Open SQL contains a subset of standard SQL statements as well as some enhancements, which are specific to SAP.

Using Open SQL enables you to access any database tables available to the SAP system regardless of the manufacturer be it Oracle, Informix etc. The difference between Open SQL and Native SQL is as follows: A database interface translates SAP’s Open SQL statements into SQL commands specific to the database in use. Native SQL statements access the database directly.

Open SQL keywords

· SELECT: Reading Data from Database Tables

· INSERT: Adding Lines to Database Tables

· UPDATE: Changing Lines in Database Tables

· MODIFY: Adding or Changing Lines

· DELETE: Deleting Lines from Database Tables

When using Open SQL statements in an ABAP/4 program, you must ensure

the following:

1) The database system being addressed must be supported by SAP.

2) The database tables being addressed must be defined in the ABAP/4 Dictionary.

The following system fields play an important role in Open SQL operations:

SY-SUBRC

As with other ABAP/4 statements, the return code value in the system field SY-SUBRC indicates after each Open SQL operation whether or not the operation was successful. If an operation is successful, SY-SUBRC = 0. If an operation is unsuccessful – SY-SUBRC <> 0

SY-DBCNT

The value in the SY-DBCNT field indicates how many lines were affected by the operation or how many lines have already been processed.

Basics of ABAP : Tables in ABAP/4 dictionary

2012-01-01T10:20:00.000+05:30

Tables are the basic objects in R/3 application. There are more than 8000 tables in R/3 system. Following types of tables are available

· Transparent tables

· Pool tables

· Cluster tables

From user point of view, all tables are used to store data whatever be the type of table. There is no difference in the behavior or operation of these tables. All of them can be managed by using standard OPEN SQL. However from an administrator point of view transparent table do exists with the same structure both in the dictionary as well as in the database, exactly with the same data and fields. While other two are not transparent in the sense that they are not manageable directly using database system tools. You can access these tables in R/3 environment from the ABAP/4 dictionary. You cannot use native SQL on these tables. Pool or cluster tables are logical tables, which are arranged as records of transparent table.

A table is made up of rows and columns. When the table is created, its columns are named; data type is supplied for each column. There can be only one data value in each column of each row in a table. Record or as it is called in different RDBMS is nothing but group of fields. While a column is a field of a table, a table is an indexed file. The main index is called as primary key, which can be a single field or combination of keys or fields. A primary key can be defined as a field, which indefinites a single unique record of the table. A table cannot have record with duplicate primary key.

In any RDBMS, tables are related to each other. But to relate table to each other it is necessary that one of the tables contain some information of other table. Mostly tables are related to each other through primary keys. The primary key of one table, if it exists in other table then it is called foreign key. This type of database management system means that there is some redundancy of data. But using normalization procedures available can minimize it. One of the most important functions of foreign key is to ensure data integrity. For example say you have EMP table, which has fields: emp.no., emp.name, dept.code, salary and you have DEPT tables, which has dept.code and dept.desc. Then in DEPT table dept.code is primary key while dept.code in EMP table is foreign key. If you enter dept.code for particular

employee in EMP table the dept.code should exist in DEPT table. System will check the value for dept.code in DEPT table, and if does not exist then will flash error. In this case DEPT is called check table while EMP is foreign key table.

Creation of table
Steps to create a table
¨ Create domain
¨ Create data element
¨ Create actual table

Basics of ABAP : Data Dictionary Objects

2012-01-01T10:11:00.004+05:30

¨ Table: is a 2D data matrix containing rows and columns. Rows contain data while column indicates fields. Table can contain 0 or multiple rows.

¨ Structure: is a skeletal view of a table. It contains the definition of columns and don’t have any contents. Structure is generally a template based on which a table is created. The basic difference between structure

and table is that the structure does not exist at the underlying database system level. Structure exists as definition in the dictionary.

¨ Views: A view is an imaginary table. It contains data, which is really stored in other tables. The contents for the view are dynamically generated when called from program.

¨ Dataelement: is definition of the properties and type for a table field. It is an intermediate object between the object type domain and the table field. A field in R/3 system is always associated with a data element,

which at the same time is related to domain.

¨ Domain: is formal definition of the data type from a technical point of view. It sets the attributes such as data type, length, possible value range and so on.

¨ Lock objects: These types of objects are used for locking the access to database records in table. This mechanism is used to enforce data integrity that is two users cannot update the same data at the same time.

With lock objects you can lock table-field or whole table.

¨ Search Help Objects: , which gives list of possible values for either primary keys or non-primary keys.

Basics Of ABAP - Data Dictionary

2012-01-01T10:08:00.001+05:30

Data Dictionary

The ABAP/4 dictionary is central workbench repository utility providing the data definition and the information relationship that are later used in all the business application within R/3

The ABAP/4 dictionary can be seen as a logical representation or a superior layer over the physical underlying database. This database must support the relational data model. This model is strictly followed by data dictionary.

A Data dictionary in computing terms is the source of information in which system data is defined. The data dictionary is the centralized and structured source of information for business applications. You can say that it is core of a well-structured development environment. The elements that make up a dictionary are known as metadata.

Metadata is the term for the data whose function is to describe other data. Data in dictionary is not the actual data like emp. name or emp. address but

rather a type of data whose function is to define the properties of the data

such as type, length, and relationship.

Advantages

Advantage of using data dictionary is avoiding inconsistencies when defining data type that will later be used in different applications. This avoids redundancies. When a type is defined in the dictionary, it is available to any program in the application. A change in the definition of a type of data in the dictionary automatically affects any other data or program, which has this data. Again, data dictionary is a fast and efficient way to answer questions such as which entries exist in a table of the database, what the structure of table is.

Activation of dictionary objects

For a dictionary object to be effective at runtime, that is, for a dictionary object to be available for use within a program, transaction, and so on, it must be in active status. For objects to become active, R/3 includes the ACTIVATION function.

When a table or aggregated object is activated, it is placed at the disposal of the system as a runtime object in a way that makes it available quickly for the application program to access relevant information of new activated objects. When a dictionary object is modified, that means that the object previously existed and activated. You need to reactivate the object after modification. When mass activation is performed massively, it might take a quite a long time. Then it should be in the background system. This type of activation is known as background activation.

The ABAP/4 Data dictionary is the central component of ABAP/4 repository. A Data dictionary is centralized and structured source of information for business application. The ABAP/4 dictionary is the core of the R/3 development system. It is the source of every definition, within R/3, from the very basic domain to the company data model. It is totally integrated with other tools of the development environment like screen painter, menu painter, and editor.

Some of the main available functions in the ABAP/4 dictionary are as follows:

¨ Add, delete, modify, and manage the definition of the dictionary data.

¨ Preserve the data integrity.

¨ Be the central source of information e.g. from the dictionary you get the information about the defined relationship between two tables or even the directory tells whether table is active or empty.

¨ It also permits documentation of system data.

In the R/3 system instead of working with original objects, you work with internal representation of objects. With this type of operation the system performance is enhanced and has the advantage that the development tools, screen interpreters always access current data.

When any of the data dictionary objects are used in other parts of the development workbench for example, in program, programmer only has to enter a table name or field name. The system automatically knows all the properties and information of the field.

To call ABAP/4 dictionary, from the main menu, Tools ® ABAP/4 workbench ® data dictionary or enter transaction SE11.

Datadictionary objects

Authorization object

2011-12-26T07:47:00.000+05:30

Concept of authorization object

Actions and the access to data are protected by authorization objects in
the SAP system. Authorization objects allow complex checks that involve multiple
conditions that allow a user to perform an action. The conditions are
specified in authorization fields for the authorization objects and are AND
linked for the check. Authorization objects and their fields have descriptive
and technical names.

An authorization is always associated with exactly one authorization
object and contains the value for the fields for the authorization object.
An authorization is a permission to perform a certain action in the SAP
system. The action is defined on the basis of the values for the individual
fields of an authorization object.

A role is primarily a functional description
The technical realization of the role, in the form of concrete authorizations is achieved through the authorization profile associated with the role.

Composite profile

A set of profiles which are included under a single profile name is called as a composite profile (SU02)

Changing Authorization

By running the SU53 transaction.
Identify the authorization object where the required filed value is to be given and the do the same through SU01 or PFCG.

You can also create Custom authorization object

SAP Number Range Object

2011-12-25T21:47:00.003+05:30

Press the create button and fill in the number range object details screen, now press save. Read pop up message and click yes if happy with selected method of buffering. In case if you want to have different number ranges based on a attribute, then you can include the data element of the attribute in the sub object column. For example if you want to generate the different serial numbers for company code you can maintain the data element BUKRS in the Data element for Sub objects

Concept of number Range

A number range is a sequence of numbers with a start and an end. It also contains the current number that is being used. For example, when a sales document of type OR is being created, the number range lies between 1 and 199999. Also it is defined as an internal number range. So when a new sales order is being created, the user does not enter the sales order number when saving. Instead SAP automatically generates a sales order number in the system for our reference. Number ranges have two purposes. One is for the System to internally identify the sales order with a number for easy retrieval and management. The other is for the users to visually identify a document type just by looking at the number. For example, if orders of type OR have the number range mentioned above, and Quotes have a different number range – This makes it very easy for the user who is creating them to identify if the number is an order or a quotation.

Creating Custom number Range Object

The SAP transaction code SNRO allows you to create and maintain number ranges for use with you ABAP programs. Below shows you the simple steps required to create a number range. In-order to access the next number in the range from within your ABAP code simply call function module NUMBER_GET_NEXT with the relevant details.

Step 1 - SAP number range transaction
Execute tcode SNRO and enter a name for your new number range

Step 2 - Number range object details

Step 3 - Actual Number ranges
Now press the 'Number Ranges' button to maintain intervals associated with this object.

Step 4 - Number range interval(s)
Press the change intervals button(pencil) to create a new interval and maintain any existing ones

Step 5 - Add number range interval
Press the + interval button to add a new number range to your object.

Fill in appropriate details such as the from and to number, then Press the insert button (+) to add the interval to the number range object

Step 6 - Created interval
The number range interval should now have been added. Press save, read information message and then press the green tick. Your number range has now been created.

Use function module NUMBER_GET_NEXT in your ABAP code to get next number in your number range