LSMW Material master by BAPI method - Part 2

[JL23]

This blog is in continue to the LSMW Material master by BAPI method - Part 1

I would like to show how BAPI method is used to create  and change material master.

As an example I use a real business case:

existing material masters need to be updated with new material descriptions and sales text

not all materials have a sales text view

Text needs to be maintained in German and English language, English text is identical to German text

Text is provided in a Excel spreadsheet

Annotation: Our material numbers are set as Lexicographical, no leading zeros

We have to use a certain path to store the .read and .conv files

The homepage of LSMW can be found here in SCN at http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-26158

In that document you can find the links to the general documentation in help.sap.com too:

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw70/helpdata/en/4d/455035082e2271e10000009b38f889/frameset.htm

Step 1 - Maintain object attributes

Here you define if your LSMW object is for a one-time data transfer or if you want use it permanently as a periodic transfer.

Migrations are usually one-time data transfers, even you do it many times until you are satisfied with the result

The periodic transfer gives you an option to create a program ready to be used by end-users.

Please make use of F4 search help to get the parameters for the import objects.

in this example we are using standard material (industry) as BAPI import method: BUS1001006, method SAVEREPLICA and Basic type MATMAS_MASS_BAPI03

Step 2 - Maintain source structure

I just have one Excel file with the source data and each line looks equal, so there is no hierarchy no different structures per line

Hence the source structure to be defined is as well a simple flat structure.

Click the create icon enter a name for the source structure and a description.

Don't create a too complex and long name, as you may need to type it in the mapping rules if you have to add some ABAP coding in the Mapping rules later.

Step 3 - Maintain source fields

In this step you have to enter all the fields that are contained in your source file per structure. I recommend to use the same sequence as it is in the source file.

There are various options to maintain the source fields as you can see in the pop-up after clicking the "Copy-Button"

you can upload the fields from a text file, or copy it from another LSMW object, or you copy it from data dictionary (I will explain this in more detail later in another blog), or you can copy it from the first line of your data file (but as you do not have the field length in the first line you need to complete it anyway manually).

For such small files like in this business case I usually do it manually. Move the cursor onto the structure line, then click the table icon (right from the copy icon). This is more convenient than defining field by field via the create button.

I usually use the field names, its type and length from data dictionary in SAP, but if you want identify the values from your source based on field names (instead of position in field sequence), then you need to make sure that the fields names are identical with your source  file.

Step 4 - Maintain structure relations

In this step you can see that a BAPI or IDOC structure is much more complex than a structure that you get from a recording.

But don't panic, you do not need to care about any part, just about the parts that are needed for your migration case.

You move the cursor onto the structure that you need and click the create relationship button. As your source structure has just one structure it is assigned automatically. In case of a multi-structure source you would need to select the source structure that need to be assigned to the corresponding target structure.

We have fields that are used in many target structures in just one source structure, so we assign this source structure to all needed target structures.

In our example it is the header segment (it always needs to be assigned), the header segment with control information, the material description and the long text.

Step 5 - Maintain field mapping and conversion rules

After you assigned your source structure to the target structure in step 4, in this step you assign your source fields to the target fields, and you define how the values will be. Whether they are just moved from source field to target field or if they need to be translated via rules, or fixed value assignment for mandatory or just necessary fields that are not in your source file.

My first choice is Auto field mapping. You get it from menu Extras > Auto-field Mapping

you will then get a screen to define the rules for this auto field mapping:

Here you control whether you do this for all fields or just for empty fields

I usually choose the 100% match as there are too many fields with similar names that could get a wrong assignment if you use a lower percentage.

If you have not yet define reusable rules then you can only apply the MOVE rule to the fields. You can change it anyway later.

And as I want to see what SAP does I choose "with confirmation", SAP will then show me each assignment and I click only okay to continue.

With my example the auto field mapping does not work as my source field names are different from the BAPI field names.

This happens often with BAPIs, as they do not use the table field names. With IDOC import method this auto field mapping is a big success if your source field names are defined like the SAP table fields.

In my example we need to do the field mapping manually.

You have to tell the BAPI what views you want maintain, this is done in the header structure, where you find as well the material number.

move the cursor onto the material field, then click the create source field icon and select the material number from your source field definition.

Keep in mind that my material number is lexicographic, means it does not have leading zeros. If your material number is with leading zeros, then you either need those leading zeros in the source file too, or you need coding to add those leading zeros, otherwise the BAPI is not able to find your material for update.

For my example we need Basic data view for the material description and Sales view for the sales text.

As those fields are not among the fields in the source file we have to assign value as a constant.

Move the cursor onto the field, then click the constant button. You get a pop-up to enter the value, which is just a X.

Use F4 to assign the value, this helps to avoid errors from typing. SAP behalves sometimes strange if the characters expected as capital characters are entered as small characters.

The sales view is only needed if there is sales text in the source file. Hence we cannot assign a pure constant, we need some coding.

Nevertheless, assign the constant first, so you need to code less yourself, then double click the coding to get to the code editor.

Now you only need a small piece of ABAP coding to check if the sales organisation field in the source is empty.

After this is done we move forward to the Segment E1BPE1MAKT for the material description.

Here you find as well the material number field, so you assign it to your source field.(think about leading zeros!)

Language is not among the fields in the source file, so you assign the language as a constant. Remember we need the text in German and English.

However, we can only assign one language here. So you could think about cerating a second LSMW object to load with the other language, or you make it flexible with some coding. At this point we assign just the first language. We do it for both language fields LANGU and LANGU_ISO.

LANGU is the 1 character long field, LANGU_ISO is the 2 character long field for language (see table T002 for reference).

Just assign the language via F4 and SAP will put the right code for you (even you enter e.g. EN in the pop-up, SAP will only enter E in the LANGU field.

And the last field in this section is the Material description which need to be assigned to your source field.

Now we need to care about the second language, which is from the text identical to the first language as our product names are equal in all languages.

We do this with a small coding in the section __END_OF_RECORD__

By default you see the code transfer_record. This code submits the entries made in this section.

We need a second record for material description in English.We can force this in the __END_OF_RECORD__ processing time

Double click the coding line here  to get to the code editor and enter the code behind the transfer_record statement.

You only need to move the new value for the 2 language fields, all other field values are still in the memory.

so you add: E1BPE1MAKT-LANGU = 'E'.

and:            E1BPE1MAKT-LANGU_ISO = 'EN'.

followed by: transfer_record.

This way you transferred 2 records for MAKT table with a different language.

The same has to be done for the sales text now, but only if we have sales text, which means a few lines more coding.

But let us start from the beginning in the sales text structure:

All long text is stored in table STXH and STXL. The key of this table is Text object (for material master sales text: MVKE), the text ID (0001), the language, and a combination of material number, sales organisation and distribution channel for the text name.

You can find this key if you maintain one material manually, then click the editor icon in the sales text view. In the editor chose from menu GOTO > Header

and you will get all necessary information.

In this example you assign MVKE as a constant to the Object field, 0001 as a constant to the Text-ID field, and again the language to the 2 language fields.

For the combination of the text name field we need to do it with coding.

Coding is: If MYSRCFILE-VKORG = ' '

                 SKIP_RECORD.

                 ELSE.

                 CONCATENATE E1BPE1MLTX-MATNR  MYSRCFILE-VKORG MYSRCFILE-VTWEG

                 INTO  E1BPE1MLTX--TEXT_NAME  RESPECTING BLANKS.

Which means: if the sales organisation field is empty, then skip this this structure. If it is no empty, then concatenate Material number (think about the leading zeros) with sales organisation and distribution channel and bring this value into the target field .

Until here we only have the first of 2 lines sales text. So we need to take care about the second line and as we need this sales text as well in the second language we solve this with coding in the __END_OF_RECORD__ section, similar as we did for the material description.

the transfer_record statement in line 1 creates a record with the first Sales text line in the German language .

in line 3 we check if there is a second line for sales text, and only if we have one then wie move the content from the source field to the target field and transfer this record. The language and the object, text id and text name is still in memory.

And then we repeat the same for the English language. We first move the English language to the 2 language fields, then we move the 1st line of sales text and transfer the record. And then we do it for the second sales text line - if present.

Step 6 - Maintain fixed values, Translations , user defined routines

Not necessary for this business case

Step 7 - Specify files

In this step you have to define minimum 3 files, your source file, the read file and the conv file.

When SAP uploads and reads  your source file, then it is writing the content into the READ file. The name is automatically created by SAP using the project, subproject and object name.

When you run the conversion, then SAP reads this READ file and writes the converted data into CONV file. This file name is as well created automatically by SAP. Here we have a restriction of a maximum length of 45 characters. if you have to write this data into a certain directory, then you may have to shorten the proposed file name.

Your source file is completely unknown to SAP, so you have to describe it. Which means you have to tell where it is located, whether it is on your PC drive or in the SAP's file system. In this case the source file is at the PCs local drive.

As SAP cannot read directly from Excel, you need to save the Excel file as a comma separated file (CSV) or as a Unicode Text file (TXT).

Keep already in mind that your file has to be closed when you execute the reading step.

Please use F4 to find the file on your PC, SAP is then creating the content of the FILE field itself

Enter a name of your choice

Indicate whether this file has one source structure or multiple source structures. In this case there is only one source structure (remember the definition in step 2)

In case you saved your Excel file as unicode text you have to put the radio button to Tabulator.

As we have field names in the first line in our Excel source, we need to select the box for "Field names at Start of File". This controls that SAP starts processing the source file at the second line.

If the sequence of fields in the source is identical to the definition made in Step 3 then you have to  mark the box "Field Order Matches Source Structure Definition". Without this indicator SAP would try to find the fields based on the names.

Further set the radio button to "Record End Marker" and to ASCII as we are using a text file as source.

Step 8 - Assign files

Not much to do, as there is only one source file, SAP proposed it automatically, you only need to click SAVE

Step 9 - Read Data

In this step you read the data from your source file. SAP automatically generates the Read-Program based on the settings made in the earlier steps.

You can process it for all your data or only for a part of it.

In case you defined amount and date fields in your source (step 3) then you have here the option for automatic conversion. Without having amount and date fields you can ignore the defaults.

After execution you get the numbers of read records and transactions. As we have only a flat structure the numbers for records and transactions is equal.

However, you should verify with your source file if this number is correct. It is the first indication when something may be wrong.

I had often cases where people had deleted content from the Excel file, I mean cell content, they had not deleted rows. For Excel those rows with erased content are still active, and they get saved as empty lines at the end of your text file. So SAP may read many lines more than actually have data. If you have a good sense for data then the number of read records will already tell you something.

Step 10 - Display Read Data

A very important step is to display the read data, because you can check if the values were moved into the correct fields and that they fit into the fields and do not overlap with other fields ( in this case you have to redefine your field length in step 3) 

You cannot see this from the overview, you have to click the line to get into the detail.

However, the overview screen is important too. Here you can see in one sight if the records look equally or if you see a kind of wave, which indicates that something with the field lengths i wrong. And if you use the icons to go the end then you can as well check if your records have data until the last record

SAP will process even empty records in the conversion step, which certainly leads to errors. Such empty records need to be removed from your source file, then you need to read it again.

Step 11 - Convert Data

Similar to the Read Data step you can convert only a selection or all data.

Important here is to set the radio button to "Create File". This way SAP writes the CONV file with the converted data. This corresponds to the setting made for the Port in Activation of  IDOC Inbound processing.

Further is gives you the last chance to check in step 12 a few individual records if the data was correct converted.

Not to forget that you get the numbers of converted records and transactions. Those numbers will hopefully match with your expected numbers:

I usually store this output as text file for audit purposes.

Step 12 - Display converted  Data

Like in step 10 you can call the display for all or just for a selection. If you have more than 5000 records then you should restrict the selection.

You get first the overview screen, similar to the Read data, and can as well go into the detail by clicking a line.

The converted data is displayed according to the target structure. Only those segments that were selected in step 4.

The green lines are technical lines for the IDOC, The yellow line is the header segment for the transaction, the blue lines are the individual records.

You can already see that there are 2 records with ...MAKT which holds the material description in German and English

and another 2 records with ...MLTX for the sales text.  (if we had sales text wit 2 lines, then we could see 4 records here)

Go into the detail of at least any record of one transaction to verify that each target field has the right content.

Step 13 - Start Idoc Generation

Not much to worry, you have just 2 options: Execute or leave

SAP proposed already the file name with the CONV file. Click execute and see the count in the status line going up.

SAP tells you when it has finished. then leave this step and continue with the next step.

Step 14 - Start Idoc Processing

You will see a bigger selection screen, but everything needed is defaulted and you can just execute it.

If you have many thousand IDOCs, then better execute it in background (via menu Program > run in background).

Even the IDOC posting is much quicker than batch input sessions, I have often migrations with 10 and more hours for processing of one object.

Changing material text and sales text for about 40000 materials needed only 36 minutes.

When processing has finished, then SAP present an overview like you probably know it from MM17 Mass maintenance.

You can sort it by status to get immediately an overview if you have failed IDOCs.

However, this analysis is better made from the next step.

Step 15 - Create Idoc Overview

If you ran the processing step in foreground, then the selection screen is already fully defaulted and you can execute it like it is.

If it is not defaulted, then enter the "Created at"  time and the "created on" date and enter the logical message, here "MATMAS_MASS_BAPI" and execute.

The overview looks slightly different now.

You get a frame on the left from which you can select the IDOCs based on its status.

As we have done everything correct, only one status is shown.

By double click onto the IDOC number you can display the IDOC details, and eventually correct the content of a failed IDOC and then repost the IDOC  in the last step of your LSMW. I plan to describe this in more detail in another blog later (but first I have to make something wrong, otherwise I cant get the screen shots - this will be tough :lol: )