Expert rule - help document

[former_member215519]

Hi experts, do you know any good document on expert rule, say writing customized rule logic, creating own mdb file for specific requirement?

It looks the expert rule is using a unique language of its own, and a bit difficult to start to work on? Any document/guide you can share?

By the way, will expert rule continue to be used for future EHSM? Or maybe in the future, it can be replaced by ABAP or others? Ideas?

[Ralph_P · Accepted solution]

Hi John,

in fact Expert is programmed in special language. I'm not aware of any training document or lesson that teaches at least the basics of this language. So besides the customizing possibilities within each rule set there is not much you can do with the exception of the MSDSMaker of course.

I haven't heard of any plans of replacing this progamming language with ABAP or anything else, but since I'm not involved in such discussions I could certainly be wrong.

Ralph

[former_member215519 · Accepted solution]

Ok Ralph. So currently only the limited SAP help online can help a bit.

What about the expert rule editor software, will it be helpful to make own rules? Or this have to be asked in marketplace for consulting service?

[Ralph_P · Accepted solution]

Hi John,

you can create your own rule sets with your own rules using the RuleEditor, however, if you open the Editor you will see that you can only create rather easy rules using simple If Then conditions. Something more complex cannot be done with the tool.

Ralph

[christoph_bergemann · Accepted solution]

Dear John

in most cases companies "buy" rules from third party and avoid to "learn" the use of the expert tool. The topic is discussed rarely here indicating that most of the companies "buy" the rules.

Coming back to the topic Ralph: The overall process is like this:

a.) you read some data

b.) you use a "rule" to derive new data

c.) you store the new data in database

On high level the same can be achieved in SAP (ABAP). If i remember correct: until SAP ERP Enterprise 4.7 Ext 2.0 SAP delivered a "secondary data determination" rule set implemented as ABAP code. This is "ruleset" is not supported any more by SAP but the approach used is "exactly" like I have explained.

The "critical" aspect is  not the reading or writing something; the "know how" is the "rule".

I am sorry to say that I can only confirm your findings: the explenations regarding Expert server are not good and therefore it is quite difficult to implement own rules. The best approach is to buy something; analyse it and then try to learn how to implemmet something buy your own.

C.B.

[former_member215519 · Accepted solution]

Thanks for the info. Yeah, normally we buy rules from SAP or other third party vendors, such as ghs rules and so on. I am just seeking some simple rules, like copy data from one VAT to another to save the history/log or some with simple logic. Will try to take what we have in hand for those information and do some testing on rule editing.

[christoph_bergemann · Accepted solution]

Dear John

there is the "Easy Expert" available as well. But this is used more rarely as the Expert server rules, as the rules muts be much simpler.

What you would try to get is something there i would not use the term "rule" but on high level it is a rule clearly. You have this option: prepare your owen "secondary determination "program" " to do the job. Do it in ABAP. Secondary data determination and "output variant" is on the "same" level. First you read some data. Secondary data determination is the related to "create" new data (as in your example) and output variants are used only to show the data on the screen.

As with many rules: the "copy" one is tricky (therefore many people have some problem in using e.G. Content Provider data; here you have a "similar" process. Here you import (insert but update and delete as well) data. Regarindg your topic. it depends what you would like tot achieve.

E.g. you have a data record fomr property X; now you copy that to the same "VAT" (using only different usage) or you generate a new property Y with the sam structure as X and copy th data viy Scondara determination" option.  The only topic you need to think about: how should the update be done in Y (if there is the need to do so), as you always need to consider thre options.

- insert new data

- use some VAT but update that

- delete the VAT

What should now happen in case of "deletion" ? Do you would like still to "copy"?

C.B.

[former_member215519 · Accepted solution]

Have never used easy expert before, looks it's a simple version with limited functions, but worth a try there.

I know there is some parameter in IMG to control if a new VAT instance will be created or just update the existing one when running the rule set. Thanks for this point Christoph!

[christoph_bergemann · Accepted solution]

Dear John

only small add on regarding your topic:

"By the way, will expert rule continue to be used for future EHSM? Or maybe in the future, it can be replaced by ABAP or others? Ideas?"

1.) we can assume that SAP HANA might be used more and more and therefore the technical structure how to deal with "rule sets" might be different in the future; therefore: ma ybe in the future there wil be a different "rule engine" in place

2.) Back to the question": what is a "rule".. may be check the term: Business Rules Framework;; this is a different techniques used in other SAP modules to deal with "rules".

As mentioned. "Easy Expert" can only deal with very  simple rules and very simple data constellations.

C.B.