ALE :: IDOC :: EDI

Overview of ALE/EDI/IDOCS

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)

Ø  Electronic data exchange of business documents between the computer systems of business partner using standard format over a communication network EDI is also called as paperless exchange.

Application Linking and Enabling (ALE)

Ø  ALE stands for Application Linking and Enabling. As its name indicates, it link two systems

Ø  ALE is a technology that can enable exchange of data between two different systems

 (SAP to SAP OR SAP to NONSAP).

Ø  It is a set of tools, programs and data definitions, provides distribution model and technology that enables SAP customer to interconnect programs across various platforms and systems.

Features of ALE/IDOC

·         Distributed system yet integrated with SAP R/3

·         Based on ‘Application to Application integration using message architecture

·         Reliable communication

·         Data is exchanged using “IDCOS”

·         Support both R/2,R/3 and external system

·         If network problem, message is buffered

·         ALE support backward compatibility

·         ALE ensures that, data is transferred only once.

Components of ALE

·         Application Services

·         Distribution Services

·         Communication Services

Application Services:-

This is where the SAP applications (FI, SD etc.) generate their data and document

Distribution Services:-

Recipients, Formats and filters the data, Create IDOCS (Intermediate documents) 

Communication Services:-

TCP/IP, RCF, TRFC. Etc….

Intermediate Document (IDOC)

Ø  An IDOC (Intermediate document) is a vehicle that is used to transfer data from one system to another.

Ø   IDOC is not a technology of some sort, but it is just a container that holds the data.

Ø  It holds the data in a structured format I.E. in the fields of the segments.

IDOC Structure:  IDOC Structure contains three records

·         Control Record

·         Data Record

·         Status Record

Ø  Control Record :-

The very first record of an IDOC package is always a control record. The structure of this control record of the structure EDIDC and describes the contents of the data contained in the package. This control goes to EDIDC

Ø  Data Record:-

All the records in the IDOC, which come after the control record, are the IDOC data. They are all structured alike, with segment information part and a data part, which is 1000 character in length, filling the rest of the line. Data and segment info stored in EDID4 for release 4.x and EDID3 for release 2.x and 3.x     

Ø  Status Record:-

Information about the IDOC status like:

·         IDOC identification number

·         IDOC type

·         Direction

·         Date and time stamp

Status of IDOC

·         A two digit status is assigned to an IDOC to allow the processing to be monitored

·         There are totally 75 IDCO statuses

·         The statuses for outbound IDOCs are between ‘01’ and ‘49’while the statuses for inbound IDOCS begins              with ‘50’

I would like to discuss few statuses here

A)     01 IDCO generated

B)      02 Error passing data port

C)      03 Data passed to port

D)     51 Application document not posted

E)      52 Application document  not fully posted

F)      53 Application document posted

IDOC Type:

There are two different IDOC types

1)      Basic type

2)      Extension

T-code (WE30)

Message Type:

There are two different message types

1)      EDI logical (T-code WE81)

2)      Output type and Assignment to IDOC type (T-code WE82)

Port:-

A port is a communication channel through which the messages can be sent or received in SAP.

The sender and the receiver both specify the port through which they will communicate.