The New SAP Sourcing & CLM DOCX Generation service

(SAP Sourcing & CLM 7.0 SP5)

Introduction

As we all know that SAP Sourcing & CLM can use the Microsoft .NET-based WordService to generate structured clause documents, collection variables documents and contract document templates. The Microsoft .NET-based WordService requires setup of an additional Windows server. Due to this overhead and additional TCO SAP Sourcing & CLM now with SAP Sourcing & CLM 7.0 SP5* also supports WordService based on JAVA technology. This new wordservice is called SAP Sourcing DOCX Generation Service. The does not require an additional Windows server.

Customers must enable SAP Sourcing for either the .NET service or the SAP Sourcing DOCX Generation Service, not for both services.

Comparison between .NET service and SAP Sourcing DOCX Generation Service

Enabling SAP Sourcing DOCX Generation Service

To use the SAP Sourcing DOCX Generation Service, you must first convert all legacy contract clauses, collection variables documents, and contract document templates to .docx and .dotx formats. Therefore, you must have the .NET WordService enabled in order to convert these document types. After the conversion, disable .NET WordService.

NOTE

Customers new to SAP Sourcing & CLM, and those who have not yet configured WordService, should set up the SAP Sourcing DOCX Generation Service.

We also recommend that customers with SAP Sourcing & CLM already installed and WordService already configured should update directly to the SAP Sourcing DOCX Generation Service as well. However, these customers may instead update Microsoft .NET WordService to the latest version.

Steps involved for enabling SAP Sourcing DOCX generation service.

a)    Take a backup of your whole database

b)    Log on as a member of the administrator group. Make sure WordService is enabled. Select Setup->System Properties. Select Contractgen.wordservice.enabled.

If contractgen.wordservice.enabled is not listed, create the property by clicking New, and add it. Then, if the DB Importer is run with the system context, set this property in the system portal. Select Edit. In the Value field, type TRUE, and select Save.

c)    Convert .DOC and .DOT files to .DOCX and .DOTX respectively: With new SAP Sourcing DOCX Generation service, CLM supports only .docx and .dotx formats. Convert the legacy .doc and .dot files to .docx and .dotx respectively with the conversion script provided in DB Importer.  Find DB Importer on the Sourcing server, in the Sourcing bin subdirectory.

Invoke the DB Importer tool. For Linux servers, invoke dbimport.sh. For Windows servers, invoke dbimport.bat. On the Setup tab, select the fcieso.jar file. Navigate to the com/sap/eso/odp/install/scripts/upgrade directory, and select the convert_doc_to_docx.xml script file. Run the upgrade script, convert_doc_to_docx. This script converts all the existing contract .doc and .dot files to .docx and .dotx respectively.

d)    After testing the SAP Sourcing DOCX Generation Service thoroughly, and checking your documents, disable WordService. Select Setup->System Properties. Select Contractgen.wordservice.enabled . Select Edit. In the Value field type FALSE, and select Save. Setting the FALSE value to this system property will automatically enable new word service

NOTE

Customers new to SAP Sourcing, and those who have not yet configured WordService, should set up the SAP Sourcing DOCX Generation Service.

We recommend also that customers with SAP Sourcing already installed and WordService already configured should update directly to the SAP Sourcing DOCX Generation Service as well. However, these customers may instead update Microsoft .NET WordService to the latest version.

The SAP Sourcing DOCX Generation Service generates and works with documents only in .docx or .dotx formats. For example, you cannot upload .doc or .dot files to the SAP Sourcing DOCX Generation Service. Therefore, to use the SAP Sourcing DOCX Generation Service, you must convert your legacy .doc and .dot files to .docx and .dotx formats.

* Enabling SAP Sourcing DOCX Generation Service on the SAP Sourcing & CLM 9.0 and its various SP’s is still in development.

This eLearning video teaches the simplest procedure a purchaser could use for creating a contract with SAP Sourcing. It covers selecting contract document templates and types, adding and removing clauses, adding and removing sections, defining variables, and generating contracts.

Creating Contracts with SAP Sourcing

This video, along with numerous other training videos and documents for SAP Sourcing, can be found on the How To playlist of the YouTube channel, SAP's Procurement Solutions.

HI All,

We are implementing CLM 9,0 with contract generation on NW 7.3 SPS06 ( JAVA)

Following concerns or thoughts we came accross.

1) CLM application can point to use LDAP as well as NW UME as ( data source): even there are others.. but my focus is in these 2.

I would like to know.. what should be best approach and is there any difference in both cases. In terms of roles, CLM  security profiles assignments.

I believe in either case access level will remain with in CLM and only authentication could happen via LDAP or via NW UME.

2) We also like to use Portal SSO to CLM. I have seen some blogs.. that it is possible. But again not sure.. how would our access assignment should work.

I have seen config guide , security guide already but i could not find the best recommended approach.

Basically is there any difference in-terms of how CLM will behave when it comes to access control and assignment in both the cases.

I have seen this link in the forum as: http://scn.sap.com/community/sourcing/blog/2012/11/07/sourcingclm-7-sp3-and-netweaver-ume-authentication-the-sap-way

which says we can point NW JAVA UME to LDAP and let CLM use NW-UME as driver. Would this be the best approach suggested?

Just thought of getting some inputs for por's and cons' if possible. Thanks

While, addressing Contract Generation messages over the past year I took a step back and noticed an emerging pattern with issues pertaining to the configuration area.  Please, note the following checklist.

Checklist Document for Contract Generation

1)      Upload a simple text document as clause document and check if it works.  This will generally tell you if all of Contract Generation is affected or if it is affecting just specific documents.

2)      If you are  not able to do this successfully, then see section 1.0

3)      If the wordservice is working fine but the clause still doesn’t upload, then

4)      Go to the wordservice machine

5)      Go to C:\fci\logs and get the latest log file

6)      Scroll to the very end of the file and look for the following:

7)      If the error has one of the following statements:

a.       “remote procedure call failed”

b.      “HKEY CLASS ID”

c.       “Exception from HRESULT: 0x8001010A” etc

It might be related to Microsoft Word issues. See Section 4.0

8)      If the logs have errors related to permissions then it could be permissions setup for OfficeAutomationUser for which you need to check DCOMCNFG settings. Refer Section 5.0

Section 1.0  Checklist to ensure that the wordservice is up and running

a.       Login to the wordservice machine as OfficeAutomationUser

b.      Open IIS

c.       Click websites and select wordservice. Select the wordservice.asmx from the content view.

d.      Right click and select browse.

e.      The wordservice should be working fine. Else see section 2.0

Section 2.0  Config Issues checklist

a.       The wordservice page should tell you the nature of the error.

b.      If it is related to user logon or password then it might be issue with the password for the Office Automation user. Then, do section 3.0

Section 3.0 OfficeAutomationUser password issues.

a.       Go to wordservice installation directory (mostly c:\inetpub\wwroot\Wordservice)

b.      Open the web.config

c.       Copy the xml from the identity section (These details are there in the installation guide too)

d.      Then paste in the web.config file that found in the MachineDPAPI directory

e.      Change the username to OfficeAutomationUser with the domain name and the correct password

f.        Run the aspnet command in the Visual studio command prompt

g.       Now check the wordservice link from IIS again to verify it worked

Section 4.0 Microsoft Word Issues

a.       Check if you are able to open Microsoft Word properly

b.      No pop-ups should be there

c.       You should be able to create and save a document properly

d.      Go to task manager check under processes (select show processes for all users) and see if WINWORD.exe is running.

e.      End the process

f.        Go to IIS and click on the wordservice link and then check task manager again.

g.       WINWORD.exe should be present

h.      Upload a clause.

i.         If you still see the same errors in the logs then you might need to uninstall and reinstall Microsoft Word

j.        Make sure you use the OfficeAutomationUser when you reinstall MS Word.

k.       Make sure that MS Word is activated by going to help page.

l.         After reinstalling check for fci.xsd (schema) in Microsoft Word (details in Installation guide).  Also make sure that there are no message/dialog boxes showing when you launch MS Word

Section 5.0 Permission issue with launching Microsoft Word

1.       Make sure that the following folders are created in your system.

  \Windows\SysWOW64\config\systemprofile\Desktop

   \Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\Desktop

2.       Verify if permissions are given to all the users in the DCOMCNFG as given in the installation document.

If, there is still an issue then provide us a screen shot of permissions given to each of the below user  under Launch and Activation and Access Permissions

Console Root->Component Services->Computers->My Computer and right-click Properties.

INTERACTIVE

Everyone

Administrators

OfficeAutomationUser

ASPNET

NETWORK

NETWORK SERVICE

Sara Noy

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Hi,

     sourcing require NW7.3 SP03..

     i have to go for java installation or abap installation?

     then how to install sourcing??

     Pls help me for this..

vinoth

Procurement organizations that are already using SAP ERP for operational procurement and want to introduce a more strategic Sourcing or Contract Lifecycle Management Solution like SAP Sourcing/CLM, are typically already following the concept of centralized purchasing in their company. Therefore it is important that this concept is also supported in the organizational model of the Sourcing/CLM solution. In this blog post I want to show you how this is supported in the standard integration package of SAP Sourcing with SAP ERP.

The following graphic illustrates the different ways how purchasing in the SAP ERP System can be organized.

If purchasing is set up on a cross-company-code basis, the customer works with central purchasing organizations that are responsible for global outline agreements and the negotiation of the relevant terms and conditions. This means that the purchasing organization is active for more than one enterprise and, in organizational terms, is not linked to one specific company code or particular plants.

To do so, you set up your organizational model in SAP ERP in a way where you do not assign purchasing organizations to company codes. This purchasing organization can then procure for all plants assigned to it, irrespective of the company code to which the plant belongs.

How is this concept applied in SAP Sourcing/CLM ?

The relevant part of the organizational data model of SAP ERP is also present in the SAP Sourcing System and all relevant data, in particular Company Codes, Purchasing Organizations and Plants can be easily replicated into the System during the initial setup. There are standard tools available in SAP ERP like ABAP report BBP_ES_CUSTOMIZINGDATA_EXTRACT to extract these data. Corresponding import functions in SAP Sourcing allow a direct import of the extracted files. All data that are relevant for the centralized purchasing concept are included.

Creating integrated Cross-Company Master Agreements

When you create a Master Agreement in SAP Sourcing, you assign a purchasing organization, purchasing group and company code on the 'Integration' tab. If you use a central purchasing organization (no assignment to a company code), the system does not validate the assignment of line item plants to the company code that is maintained on the 'Integration' tab, which corresponds to the functionality in SAP ERP for centralized purchasing.

You can then publish your Master Agreement to your ERP System, where an Outline Agreement will be created. The ERP system is connected via PI using the standard integration package, which is available since SAP Sourcing 7.0 / Wave 6. The centralized purchasing concept is supported from SAP Sourcing  9.0 / Wave 9 SP02. There are options to enable this via custom scripting in Version 7.0. Please contact SAP Support or myself directly if you need additional information on this.

Overview:

In SAP Sourcing v9, the ability to integrate with multiple backend system has been introduced.  In order to support this integration, the concept of the relationship of the Business System for some Master Data objects has also been introduced. 

With this enhancement, there is now the possibility to have Master Data related to different Business Systems.  When there is a need to update existing Master Data to a different Business System, it is important to use a properly formatted file to avoid duplicating Master Data. 

In order to change objects that are already established within SAP Sourcing and that are identified as local to SAP Sourcing to being correctly marked as replicated from ECC, it is important to to use a properly formatted import file.  The key is to use a column with the heading of "CONVERT_TO_REPLICATED" which is set to "TRUE" for each of the business objects to be converted.  This must be used in addition to the BUSINESS_SYSTEM External ID. 

If the import file is created using the standard "IS_REPLICATED" column heading, the system will create those business objects as if they were new objects instead of updating the Business System on the existing objects. 

Related details can be found on Page 48 of the v9 SAP Upgrade Guide.  An excerpt from the guide is included below for your convenience: