In this part of the blog, I am going to explain the steps to download a specific SAP NW MDM Support Package (SP) Stack from SMP (Service Market Place).

To download specific SAP NW MDM SP Stack, follow the below mentioned steps:

1. Go to: https://websmp203.sap-ag.de/swdc
   Note: To download any content from service market place, SMP login is required.
   
   
2. Navigate to SAP Software Download Center --> Support Packages and Patches --> A-Z Index sub menu and click on ‘M’ alphabet under Support Packages and Patches tab:
   
   
   
3. Select SAP MDM --> SAP MDM 5.5 OR SAP NETWEAVER MDM 7.1.
   
   
   
4. Click on Support Package Stack Download link:
   
   
5. A new Support Package Stack Download window will open, which will ask to complete few steps to download SP stack. Select your current and target SP Stack in Start SP Stack and Target SP Stack drop down list fields and press Next Step button. E.g. I selected current stack as SAP NW MDM 7.1 SP06 and target stack as SAP NW MDM 7.1 SP08:
   
   
   
6. Select the installation, as per your Operating System, for all components and click to Next Step button:
   
   Note: A warning message will be displayed on the top of the window, if any component left to select installation.
   
   Click Previous Step button and select the appropriate installation for the component and then click Next Step button.
   
   
7. All components of the selected SP Stack will be available to download. User can select all or required component of selected SP Stack and click Add to Download Basket button.
   

As soon as user will click Add to Download Basket button, the selected SAP NW MDM contents will be added to Download Basket to download.

I have explained how user can download Specific SAP NW MDM component in Part 3 - Download Specific SAP NW MDM Component blog…!!

Hi

I am experiencing an issue with in Data Manager when try to add new workflow record in workflow table. Everytime i open visio through Data Manager it freeze up and eventually gives an error message with only one option to cancel visio from opening. it's a way in which i can resolve this issue

Thanks in advance

Kwanele Nkuna

It was a great experience working on SAP NetWeaver MDM and SAP MDG(Master Data Governance), Now I am looking forward for SAP BPM(Business Process Management). After analysing, I found that MDM with MDG and BPM can enhance and govern quality of data for any organization which was not realized before. MDM’s strong features of data quality, MDG’s governance, BPM’s process, when combined could remove lot of problems(data quality, transparency, latency) we are facing now a days.

Suppose  some data is entered through website, say Supplier name, phone number. This Data is sent to NetWeaver MDM. Now here, Data will be qualified and managed with the  features like matching and merging, validations, assignments, taxonomy to make one single version of truth or Golden records. When Data is approved by Master Data Specialist, BPM triggers MDG workflow, which ensures that  all ERP specific attributes are maintained, which also ensures transparency so that requestor can easily check status in workflow log. After master data governance process the new supplier is created in ECC. Now, BPM here will sent a notification to original requester about creation. 

In our last project we had several problems in calling BODS webservice via the Java Webdynpro. The import of the model to the NWDS was not successful. Also creating a CAF service around the BODS webservice didn't lead to the expected result. So we decided to implement the the BODS call via the BODS API.

The first step was to create configurations in the NWA. This enabled us to switch the target BODS system in a configuration and not in the code. Next was to create the RTService call and add for example the input string.

After that the RTService was executed. Then we parsed the result, did some error handling and passed back our result.

Down below you can find some code snippets

import com.businessobjects.rtsclient.RTServiceClientX;

import com.businessobjects.rtsclient.RTServiceException;

RTServiceClientX rts = new RTServiceClientX();
        try {
            //generate input for RTServiceClient

             //get configuration data
            IWDWebModule module = wdComponentAPI.getDeployableObjectPart().getWebModule();
            IWDConfiguration config = WDConfiguration.getConfiguration(module);

            //execute call to RTServiceClient
            String bodsResult = "";
            rts.connect(config.getStringEntry("BODS_SYSTEM"), config.getIntEntry("BODS_PORT"));
            try {
                bodsResult = rts.invoke("IBANGeneration", input);
            } catch (RTServiceException e) {
                GUId logid = logger.traceThrowableT(Severity.ERROR, "", e).getId();
                wdComponentAPI.getMessageManager().reportMessage(IMessageIBANComp.ERROR, new String[] { logid.toString() });
            }
            rts.disconnect();

            //parse result of call to RTServiceClient
            DocumentBuilderFactory dbf = DocumentBuilderFactory.newInstance();
            DocumentBuilder db = dbf.newDocumentBuilder();
            InputStream is = new ByteArrayInputStream(bodsResult.getBytes("UTF-8"));
            Document doc = db.parse(is);
            doc.getDocumentElement().normalize();
            NodeList nodeList = doc.getElementsByTagName("IBAN");
            if (nodeList.getLength() > 0) {
                String iban =nodeList.item(0).getTextContent();
                if (iban.equals("0")){//return if error
                    NodeList errorCodeList = doc.getElementsByTagName("ERRORCODE");
                    NodeList errorMessageList = doc.getElementsByTagName("ERRORMESSAGE");
                    // If error code is 201 just go back. No real error
                    if(errorCodeList.item(0).getTextContent().equalsIgnoreCase("201"))
                        return null;
                    wdComponentAPI.getMessageManager().reportException("Error during call to BODS RTServiceClientX: Errorcode:" +
                     errorCodeList.item(0).getTextContent()+" Error Message:"+errorMessageList.item(0).getTextContent());
                    throw new Exception("Error during call to BODS RTServiceClientX: Errorcode:" + errorCodeList.item(0).getTextContent()+
                     " ErrorMessage:"+errorMessageList.item(0).getTextContent());    
                              }else{
                    return iban;
                }
            }
        } catch (Exception e) {

        }

Introduction

This blog explains the step by step procedure of excluding the records which are in a workflow from being syndicated when the processing type of an outbound port is set to Automatic

Business scenario

Remote systems need to be fed with fresh master data to keep them up to date. This means New/Modified records need to be syndicated to the system from time to time. In order to achieve this requirement an automatic port can be configured which will syndicate the data to the concerned remote system and keep them populated with fresh data.

When the port’s processing type property is set to automatic and the processing interval is set to any of the following Continuous/Hourly/Daily/Weekly the port triggers the syndication as per the processing interval and syndicates the records to the remote systems, these syndicated records also might also include those records which were under process i.e. which were in a workflow. These records which are in workflow should be excluded during data syndication as this may lead to incomplete/incorrect data being fed to the remote systems as these records are still under process.

Cases

There are two cases which we need to consider

• When the record is in a Workflow and is checked out (The start step of the workflow has the checkout option set to “Yes”)
• When the record is in a Workflow but is not checked out (The start step of the workflow has the checkout option set to “No”).

Case 1: When the Record is in a workflow and is checked out

Workflow Design

• Consider we have a workflow design as below

• The Step property of the Start step for the above workflow design has the “Check out records” option set to “Yes” as shown below.

Syndicator steps

• Login to syndicator.
• In the search parameter pane drill down to Free-Form Search.
• In the expressions property in free-form search write an expression as below. This will exclude the records which are checkout and will prevent them from being syndicated.

• Expression.

• In the Map Properties Tab select the “Suppress Unchanged Records” property. Save the map and assign it in the Outbound Port.

Now each time the syndication is Triggered the records which are in Workflow and checked out will be excluded from syndication based on our expression in Map.

Case 2: When the record is in a Workflow but is NOT checked out

Consider a scenario in which you are not checking out the records in the start step of the workflow. In this case we cannot use the expression as in case 1 because the record is not checked out.

Console steps

• Login to console.
• Create a sub table of type Flat (In this case I have used the existing sub-table “Yes/No Indicator” as shown below).

• In the Main Table create a field called “Workflow Status” of type Lookup [Flat]. This field looks up into sub-table “Yes/No Indicator” as shown below.

• Load the repository with update indices

Data Manager Steps

• Login to the data manager
• Go to assignments tab and create two assignments on “Workflow Status” field as shown below.

• Assignment expressions.

a)         b)

• Select the current table as Workflow and create a workflow called Syndication and select any of the following Trigger Action’s Record Import/Record Update/Record Add (In this case I have selected all three trigger actions) and set the Autolaunch property as “Immediate” as shown below.

• Design the workflow in Ms Visio.

Workflow Steps in detail

• Start step of the workflow does not check out the record (Check out record option set to “No”).

• Assign step which is right after the start step has the Assignment “In Workflow” we created earlier. This will update the Workflow status Field value to “Yes”

• The second Assign step which is just before the Stop step has the Assignment “Out Of Workflow” we created earlier. This will update the Workflow status Field values to “No”

• Stop step has the Record Checkout option set to “None” since we did not check out records in start step.

Syndicator Steps

• Login to syndicator
• In the search parameter pane, Free-form search write the expression in expressions property as show E

• Expression

• In the Map Properties tab check the “Suppress Unchanged Records” property. Save the Map and assign it in the Outbound Port.

Process Flow

• Workflow is triggered when you add update or modify a record
• As soon as the workflow is triggered the Workflow Status field in the record is assigned the value “Yes” as per the Assign step and the step moves to process step.
• If a syndication event is triggered during the period when the record is still in process step, then syndicator will ignore the records whose workflow status field value is yes, as we have an expression written in the syndicators Map.
• Now once the process is complete and the record is sent to stop step the Workflow status field value changes to No because we have another assign step right before the Stop step.

As pointed out in my previous SAP Rapid-Deployment Solution for Customer Data Integration, this business and service package allows a scenario quick start within a couple of weeks only.

It basically covers 3 scenarios:

1. Customer Data Consolidation (i.e. cleansing, de-duplication and enrichment of source data)
2. Collaborative Customer Data Correction (i.e. active quality control on MDM instance)
3. Global Duplicate Check (from within SAP CRM against central MDM instance)

In addition to the information provided in the previous blog, I'd like to inform you about a voiced walkthrough demo that explains the basics and process flow of scenario 2. Check it out to see the benefit it brings.

Regards, Markus

Testimonial

From our experience the new release of SAP NetWeaver Master Data Management  7.1 SP06 will better address the customers’ needs and helps Camelot ITLab to create Master Data Management scenarios in a much more efficient and effective way through increasing overall system improvement, performance and stability.

Built on the stable basis of SAP NetWeaver Master Data Management 7.1 SP05 the new support package is the next step to a holistic Master Data Management approach.

Amongst others, Camelot ITLab sees the major enhancements in:

 Data Manager

• Increased usability for mass operations by enabling modifications on failed records whilst showing one consolidated error message.
• Massively improved matching performance by narrowing down the matching range through required rules.

MDM Server

• Enhanced system availability through an improved locking mechanism. The locking strategy will enable slicing for mass operations and runs on table level which will not lock the entire repository like in the past.

• An event notification service is created in order to send alerts to attached systems

• Improved archive / unarchive performance showed performance gains up to 50% in Camelot ITLabs’ tests.

• Improved performance through multi-threaded parallel matching.

MDM Import Server

• Enhanced memory footprint while importing XML files. The XML files are not flattened any more.

MDM Java API

• Enhanced API functionality enabling developers to gain from overall improvements.