IPC setup for VMS

[Former Member]

Hi,

Does anyone has any documentation on how to setup IPC (both technical and functional) for VMS.

This is the firsttime both technical and functional team are doing this and we could not get VMS-IPC working for product configuration.

Any help will be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Anbu.

[Former Member]

Linking the IPC

Use

The IPC (Internet Pricing and Configuration) is a New Dimension product of SAP that is used to configure vehicles in the Vehicle Management System.

If your dealers want to access VMS via the Internet to configure vehicles, they can only do so if the IPC has been installed. If you, as importer, use VMS on your own system, you can use user parameter VELO_CU50_ACTIVE set to u201CXu201C to determine that transaction CU50 (standard variant configuration) is used for configuration purposes instead of the IPC.

The IPC is a software package that is installed separately and then linked to the Vehicle Management System.

Prerequisites

u2022 Before you link the IPC to VMS, execute the IPC standalone scenario as described in the IPC documentation. The IPC standalone scenario works with a Java servlet user interface.

u2022 As soon as the IPC standalone scenario is u and running with the example database that is delivered, you must use the IPC data loader to assist you in downloading data from your SAP DI system to a new and empty IPC database. This procedure is also explained in the IPC documentation.

Procedure

The linking of the IPC standalone scenario to the VMS takes place in two steps:

u2022 Create an RFC (remote function call) destination. You must create an RFC destination for each client of the SAP DI system to which you want an IPC to be linked.

u2022 Enter these RFC destinations in the appropriate Customizing table. You must also make this entry in the Customizing table for each client.

Creating an RFC Destination

1. Call transaction SM59.

2. Choose Create.

3. Enter a name (for example, IPC_050) for the RFC destination via which you want the IPC to be linked to client 050.

4. Choose the connection type T (TCP/IP connection) and enter a description. Then choose Enter.

5. Choose Explicit host in the frame Start on.

6. Under Explicit host in the field Program, enter the following: /servlet/com.sap.ipc.servlet.IPCServlet/.

7. In the field Target host, enter the name and the port number of the Web server with which you want your IPC installation to be called (for example, www.myserver.com:1080).

8. Choose Save as HostName.

9. Save your entries.

Entering the RFC Destination in the Customizing Table

1. Call transaction SM30.

2. Enter the table name IPCDEST in the Table/View field and choose Maintain.

3. Make an entry in the table with the following values:

Field Parameter: SAPCRM_SPC_ITS

Field Destination: name of the RFC destination you have created (for example, IPC_050).

Result

The IPC is now linked to the Vehicle Management System and you can use it to configure vehicles.

Downloading Data to the IPC

Use

VMS performs all configuration and pricing activities in the Internet Pricing and Configurator (IPC). The IPC is a separate application that uses its own database. The database is created by a download from the SAP DI system. You have to download the data to the Internet Pricing and Configurator (IPC) after you have created the IPC-relevant data.

You can find further information under Creating a Knowledge-Base Object for the SCE [Extern] (note: the Sales Configuration Engine (SCE) is the predecessor of the IPC).

Prerequisites

u2022 You have correctly installed the IPC data loader.

u2022 You have created and assigned all the master data relevant to configuration that you need for VMS, in other words, material master records, classes, characteristic groups, characteristics, variant conditions, configuration profiles and object dependencies.

Procedure

1. For each vehicle model/material, create a knowledge-base object (transaction CU31).

Enter the following: name, description and the status released.

The knowledge-base object groups together all the master data relevant to configuration and pricing for a vehicle model/material. It is used to transfer this data as a complete entity to the IPC database.

2. Create a knowledge-base profile for this knowledge-base object by choosing Profiles.

Enter a name and a description.

3. Maintain the basic data for the knowledge-base profile.

Enter the key for the vehicle model for which you want to transfer the data to the IPC in the field Material.

4. Create a runtime version (transaction CU34).

Enter the following data: knowledge-base object, version number (you can enter your own number here), status released, plant and BOM application.

If you use actions in your object dependencies, select the field for including the actions.

Then choose to generate.

Result

The runtime version is downloaded to the IPC server within minutes or seconds and then the data is available to you there.

You must create a new runtime version each time a change is made to the material master records, characteristic groups, characteristics etc. and then download it to the IPC server so that the updated data is available in the IPC.