Last edited: 1999-07-18 18:40 +0200
Agreeing file structure and communication media
Partner profile define the type of data and communication paths of data to be exchanged between partner |
When data is exchanged between partners it is important that sender and receiver define beforehand the exact syntax and semantics of the data to be exchanged. |
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Idoc Type signals Syntactical Structure |
A receiver of an Idoc must exactly know the syntactical structure of the data package received. Naturally, the receiver only sees a text file with lines of characters. In order to interpret, it is necessary to know, which segment types the file may content and how a segment is structured into fields. SAP sends the name of the IDoc type in the communication header. This IDoc type declares uniquely a correspondent hierarchical structure of segments, that may or must appear in an IDoc. |
Message Type signal the semantic context |
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For any combination of message type and receiving partner, a profile is maintained |
If you exchange eg. sales orders with partners, you may do this via files written on a diskette with customer FI and via Internet with customer IN. In both cases you exchanged the same message type and IDoc type, but the media is different. |
| It is also likely that you exchange data with customers IN1 and IN2 via internet, however the file structures for the indiviual customer partner may be different. | |
IDoc type |
The IDoc type describes the file structure. Sender and receiver must know the underlying definition of the IDoc type and - of course - it must be the same one. |
Communication Media |
The communication media for EDI currently supported comprehend files on diskette, direct RFC connection, FTP with TCP/IP and internet mail. |
Communication media is defined via a port definition |
Instead of defining the comminication path directly in the partner profile, a port number is assigned rather. The port number then designates the actual medium. This allows to define the characteristics of a port individually and use that port in multiple profiles. Changes in the port will than reflect automatically to all profiles without touching them. |
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WE20 |
The profiles are defined with transaction WE20, which is also found in the EDI master menu WEDI. From there you need to specify partner and partner type and whether you define a profile for inbound or outbound. Addiotinally you may assign the profile to a NAST message type. |
Partner type, eg.
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Partner type defines from which master data set, the partner number originates. The partner types are the same, which are used in the standard applications for SD, MM or FI. The most important types for EDI are LI (=Lieferant, supplier), CU (Customer) or LS (Logical system). The logical system is of special interest, when you exchange data with computer subsystems via ALE or other RFC means. |
Partner number |
For every partner a different profile must be maintained. |
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Inbound and Outbound definitions |
Whether you receive or send IDocs, a different profile is maintained. The inbound profile defines the processing routine. |
Message output type |
You know, that all larger SAP application communicate their documents via messages. These are entries in the NAST table, which indicate that a document must be printed or exchanged via EDI . If the message shall be exchanged with EDI via the standard NAST processing (see FB RV_MESSAGE_UPDATE), the respective messate type must be linked with a profile via this transaction WE20. |
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Processing code |
The processing code is a logical name for the processing function module. The processing code is used to uniquely determein a function module that will process the received IDoc data. The processing code allows to easily swap the function module: you can use the same procesiing code in sevaral inbound profiles. When you reassign the function module to a processing code, then the module is valid for all profiles sharing the same processing code without having the hazzle to modify these profiles. |
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