English Book on Master Data Management Available Markus Ganser

English Book on Master Data Management Available
Markus Ganser

In the MDM discussion forum on SDN people have been continuously asking for additional information on SAP NetWeaver Master Data Management. The good news is that SAP Press has now released the English version of the SAP NetWeaver MDM book.

The book describes the "MDM technology, architecture, and solution landscape", provides a " detailed technical description of all three usage scenarios", and "includes highly-detailed, proven guidance from real-life customer examples".

Ordering from the US:
SAP NetWeaver Master Data Management
Ordering from Europe:
SAP NetWeaver Master Data Management

Best regards,

Markus

Markus Ganser joins the product management team of SAP Master Data Management

Strategic Data Services for SAP NetWeaver MDM Markus Ganser

Strategic Data Services for SAP NetWeaver MDM
Markus Ganser

On behalf of the SAP field services and SAP development teams involved with SAP NetWeaver Master Data Management (MDM) I'd like to announce the availability of SAP Strategic Data Services (SDS) for SAP NetWeaver MDM. This offering comprises complementary high-quality customer services all along the life cycle of an MDM implementation project. SDS is staffed with MDM architects and SAP experts from consulting and development.

End-to-end implementation acticvities include:

• Data-quality analysis
• Project scoping, planning and estimation
• Master-data modeling and taxonomy creation
• Implementation of business rules and matching strategies to enable data consolidation
• Development and roll-out of data, data-process governance and methodologies
• Services in data cleansing, validation, enrichment and classification, including certified third party data-quality services
• Definition, design and configuration of MDM system architecture
• Tuning and optimization of MDM performance
• Custom API and SOA development services

If you are interested in SAP NetWeaver MDM or have already purchased it and like to move to the next steps, SDS could be a great opportunity to engage. The SDS front-office is staffed with MDM-experienced consultants from SAP field services, while the SDS back-office is part of the MDM development team. This combined approach makes SDS a service provider with vast and first hand experience with MDM and data issues. In addition, SDS enables you to directly engage with MDM-certified business information providers and data quality partners. The team is ready to help you make your MDM and data projects a sustained success.

See also the SDS overview graphic:

For detailed information, send an email to Ronen.Liper@SAP.com and Hermann.Reiter@sap.com.

Markus Ganser joins the product management team of SAP Master Data Management

OS/DB Migration Naveen kumar.H

OS/DB Migration
Naveen kumar.H

You have a SAP NW04 system running in your landscape with SP19, and suddenly there is a request from your manager that you need to set up one more system with the same Release and SP, as you need it for some training purpose within 2 hrs. You are perplexed!! You know that installing the systems and patching it would take at least 4-5 hrs depending your hardware, what else can you do?

SAP has an answer for these kind of situation, to be specific its more than the above scenario.SYSTEM COPY or OS/DB migration is the solution for these kind of situations, not only these , may be you have to install it on other OS/DB combinations, you can just do it within 1-2 hrs. Lets us discover what the various options that are provided by SAP to make this Migration.

To begin with, lets us be clear with some of the terminologies of system Copy.

Source system
The SAP system containing the original database is called as source system.

Target system
The system to which the database is to be imported is called as Target system

Homogeneous system copy
During the system copy if you use the same operating system and database platform in source as well as target system is called Homogeneous system copy.

Heterogeneous system copy
During the system copy if you change either the database or the operating system or both of them in the target system as compared to source,such kind of system copy is called Heterogeneous system copy.

Export CD
When you perform a system copy on Source system, you will be prompted to give the location of the folder where the SAPINST is going to dump the database and the SDMkit.jar file. You manually create this empty folder and after successful system copy you find the database and SDM archived in this folder.You have to manually copy this folder ( now referred as Export CD to the desired location ) and then start installing on to the target system. The SAPINST would prompt you to enter the location of the export CD, and you would provide the necessary path where you have dumped this CD.

NOTE : SAP strongly recommends that you only perform OS /DB migration only when you have a strong knowledge about OS/DB and other aspects. Perform heterogeneous system copy only if you are a certified SAP consultant.

You can find all the related documents on OS/DB migration in the following location

http://service.sap.com/systemcopy

First of all let me start of with NW04 OS/DB migration. I will be concentrating more on AS-JAVA OS/DB migration.
SAP provides 2 different procedures of system copy.

Data base specific system copy

This procedure can be used in both homogeneous and heterogeneous system copy scenarios. What does this exactly mean is that you have to separately backup the Database , and then the SAPINST will only archive the Sdmkit.jar only. You have to manually restore the database on the target system and the SAPINST will only restore the SDM. To elucidate,
Let us assume that you have to perform a system copy on system that is running on WINDOWS and SAPDB. First of all using SAPDB manager you take the database backup of the instance and then run the SAPINST. SAPINST is only going to archive the SDM.
Now if the target system also WINDOWS and SAPDB then you can restore the Database and the SAPINST would restore the SDM. But if the target system is of the combination WINDOWS and SQL, I am afraid that the Database cannot be restored. So the possible solution is Data base Independent system copy.

Data base independent system copy

This procedure is used only in heterogeneous system copy scenarios. From the above scenario it is clear that, if the database is changed and if you had performed Data base specific system copy you cannot restore the database. Hence SAP suggests that use this procedure where, the database is archived immaterial to the type of the database.
If you have your Source system on WINDOWS ,SAPDB and you choose this Data base independent system copy, you need not perform Backup , instead SAPINST using the methods of Jload and R3 load would archive the database and also the SDM and hence even though your target systems is WINDOWS-ORACLE or LINUX-ORACLE , no matter what you can perform your OS/DB migration.

Before you start executing the OS / DB migration, Check the compatibility of the source and the target system, You can find the Matrix in the link below

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_erp2005vp/helpdata/en/21/692225b246b24f9202cb4433b5d691/frameset.htm

There is a Slight difference in executing NW04 system copy and NW04s system copy. You can only execute NW04 system copy by executing the SAPINST with an additional parameter. i.e.

./sapinst product_cp.catalog

Kindly refer to the system copy guide for more information.

SAP insists you to use the Patch DVD’s fo NW04 system copy rather than normal SP9 DVD”s.

When you are performing a Heterogeneous system copy, you would be prompted to enter the Migration key. In order to get the key, kindly raise a customer message under BC-INS and provide the details of Source system like OS / DB and also the details of the target system and also the SOURCE.PROPERTIES file that is created when you create an export CD.

When you want to perform a NW04s system copy, you just have to execute the SAPINST, preferably choose the latest SR2 DVD’s.

Now let me discuss some of the known bugs during system copy and the related CSN and Notes for the same.

To start with, Before performing NW04 system copy there is a note that mentions about the pre-requisites for it. Kindly refer to Note 785848 and 711093. You can avoid many errors by referring to these notes. Believe me!!!

One common error while executing the NW04 system copy on AS-JAVA + AS-EP using NW04 SP9 DVD’s is “Portal version not found”. This is because the SAPINST is looking for the version in some folder structure where the version.txt is not at all available. So you have to manually copy it from different folder to the desired one. Kindly refer to the Note 847491.

During NW04 homogeneous system copy using SP9 DVD’s the SAPINST will prompt the migration key!! This is also a bug as the migration key is only needed in case of heterogeneous system copy. Hence SAP insists to use PATCH DVD’s where they have fixed most of the bugs.

If you are executing the NW04 system copy of portal components using SP9 DVD’s, you would encounter some errors while installing it on target system. The common error would during SDM installation step, The sapinst would error out at this step. Kindly refer to the Note 755132.

After successful Installation on target system, the visual administrator does not come up. Refer to the Note 937708.

This one is one of the most interesting, The Java bug, After successful installation on target system, the server0 node does not come up. The node keeps fluctuating between starting and starting framework. You feel frustrated, Don’t worry refer to this CSN message 1458040 2005, or you can refer to the link Sun’s bug .

http://bugs.sun.com/bugdatabase/view_bug.do?bug_id=2121269

So these are the common bugs and fixes that were encountered, Hope this blog would solve most of your problems during OS/DB migration.

Naveen kumar.H is a budding Netweaver XI Technology consultant

Data Modelling and Database Design in ABAP – Part 4 Tobias Trapp

Data Modelling and Database Design in ABAP – Part 4
Tobias Trapp

Let’s Start an Experiment

In the last instalments of this weblog series I dealt with semantic data models, SERM and SAP Data Modeller. Now I cover an completely different topic. Let’s start with an experiment and create a transparent table:

Then we use transaction se16 to enter some data:

Now we add another column and activate the transparent table:

Now here’s an effect that might be surprising to you: every search using se16 for a CONN_ID value won’t find anything:

But what went wrong? Let’s switch on the flag “Initial Values”:

And finally after activation we get the expected result:

What happened? When we appended the column the new fields have been filled with NULL values which didn’t match the expression SELECT COUNT() FROM ZTEST WHERE CONN_ID EQ SPACE. Let’s have a look at the F1-documentation of the “Initial Values” in detail:

Indicator that NOT NULL is forced for this field

Select this flag if a field to be inserted in the database is to be filled with initial values. The initial value used depends on the data type of the field. Please note that fields in the database for which the this flag is not set can also be filled with initial values. When you create a table, all fields of the table can be defined as NOT NULL and filled with an initial value. The same applies when converting the table. Only when new fields are added or inserted, are these filled with initial values. An exception is key fields. These are always filled automatically with initial values.

Restrictions and notes:

• The initial value cannot be set for fields of data types LCHR, LRAW, and RAW. If the field length is greater than 32, the initial flag cannot be set for fields of data type NUMC.
• If a new field is inserted in the table and the initial flag is set, the complete table is scanned on activation and an UPDATE is made to the new field. This can be very time-consuming.
• If the initial flag is set for an included structure, this means that the attributes from the structure are transferred. That is, exactly those fields which are marked as initial in the definition have this attribute in the table as well.

What are NULL Values?

There are different semantics for NULL values in database tables:

• unknown value (there is value but we don’t know it),
• not existing value (we can’t apply the attribute),
• missing information (there may be a value but we don’t know it).

SQL standard defines some rules for NULL values:

1. You can’t insert a NULL value in a column that that is defined NOT NULL,
2. The result of a comparison between two NULL values is not true – you have to use the IS NOT NULL and IS NULL.
3. If a column contains NULL values it will be ignored when using aggregations: MAX, AVG and SUM.
4. When doing grouping using GROUP BY then there are special rows for the results.
5. If a table contains NULL values in joins there apply rules for outer joins.

In fact above rules apply for ABAP as well. I suggest reading details in transaction ABAPHELP.

What are NULL Values Used For?

We already saw how to create NULL values in a database table by appending a row with the flag “initial values” set off. But there is another possibility: insert a new row using a view that doesn’t affect a column with the flag “initial values” switched off. But even if you don’t have NULL values in two transparent tables it is easy to create NULL values in a left outer join which is left as an easy exercise to the reader.

In fact NULL values are not very useful because there is no NULL in ABAP and is difficult to set a database field to NULL. Usually we use working areas (resp. internal tables) to update a transparent table – but if we select a row into a working area the NULL value will be converted to an initial value and after the update the NULL value is lost.

But there is one interesting application for NULL values. If we need a post processing after appending a row to a transparent table to calculate values for new fields it is very useful to be able to distinguish between new fields and already calculated fields with initial values.

Tobias Trapp is SAP Mentor and developer for AOK Systems GmbH

MDM Java API 2 - Matching Example Lars Rueter SAP Employee

MDM Java API 2 - Matching Example
Lars Rueter

Description

You want to use the matching capabillities of the MDM Java API 2. The application presented here demonstrates how easy it is to select and execute matching strategies from your own applications using the MDM Java API 2. The included Java source code can be used as an example for further customer developments. Please use the link above to download the application and the source code.

NOTE: You need SAP NetWeaver MDM 5.5 SP05 for this application. SAP NetWeaver MDM 5.5 SP05 Patch 0 is available for customers and partners under the terms specified in SAP Note 1025897.

Disclaimer

SAP code or applications samples and tutorials are NOT FOR PRODUCTION USE unless specifically noted. You may not demonstrate, test, examine, evaluate or otherwise use them in a live operating environment or with data that has not been sufficiently backed up. You may not rent, lease, lend, or resell SAP code or application samples and tutorials.

Prerequisites

• SAP NetWeaver 2004s
• MDM Server 5.5 SP5
• MDMJAVAAPI05_0.sca (MDM Java API, download from Service Marketplace)

Configuration

Only some basic steps are required to deploy and run the application:

• Unarchive and mount the MDM repository Vendor_Matching_Example.a2a
• Deploy MDMJAVAAPI05_0.sca (MDM Java API) with SDM
• Deploy the Web Dynpro application sap.com~sap.mdm.matching.example.ear with SDM
• Optional: Define additional matching rules and strategies.

The application can be configured to run with any MDM repository. Repository specific connection properties are defined in the Visual Administrator. The configuration entries Field_* have to match a main table field-code in your MDM repository. The entries Field_*_lbl are speaking names for these fields.

For example, your main table has a field with the field-code Name. If you want to use this field for matching set Field_1 to Name in the configuration. Also choose a display name for this field that will be shown above the input field in the Web Dynpro application. Set Field_1_lbl to Company Name.

Run the application

http://localhost:53000/webdynpro/dispatcher/sap.com/sap.mdm.matching.example/Test

For example, enter Vishay Siliconix in the name field, shelton in the City field and execute the strategy to find matching entries in the repository.

Lars Rueter is a Senior SAP NetWeaver RIG Consultant at SAP.

Integrating MDM Item-Details-iView into a WebDynpro Application Steffen Ulmer

Integrating MDM Item-Details-iView into a WebDynpro Application
Steffen Ulmer

You want to access the MDM ItemDetails iView directly without the MDM Search capabilities?
Or do you want to write your own MDM-WebDynpro iView and want to use the existing ItemDetails iView within this WebDynpro?

If so you should read this weblog.
The referred article will show you how to integrate the SAP MDM 5.5 Business Package- iView functionality into a SAP WebDynpro. With SAP MDM 5.5 SP4 there is a very good possibility to position the ItemDetails IView on a WebDynpro View via the iFrames-UI element. The result is that you have the capacity to use existing and configurable iView within your self-programmed WebDynpro application. This procedure will save you a lot of costs and time during the implementation phase. The integration of the HTMLB-based IView and the WebDynpro based outer-View is transparent and the user will feel like it is only one application.

Please open this article: Integrating MDM Item-Details-iView into a WebDynpro Application

Steffen Ulmer is a SAP NetWeaver Technology Consultant.

Master Data Management posting confirmation Steffen Nesper SAP Employee

Master Data Management posting confirmation
Steffen Nesper

URL: https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/servlet/prt/portal/prtroot/com.sap.km.cm.docs/library/master-data-management/SAP%20NetWeaver%20Master%20Data%20Management%20Posting%20Confirmation%20via%20Exchange%20Infrastructure.pdf

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SAP Master Data Management 5.5 (MDM) distributes master data to SAP ERP Central Component (ECC). As MDM does not have a direct interface into SAP ECC, SAP Exchange Infrastructure (XI) will be used for distribution of the master data objects. This could be vendors, customers or banks or any other master data object. In a central Master Data Management scenario, there is no feedback provided by the backend system if the distribution was successful or not. If this is mandatory in your project, the following process might be considered. There will be a complex process developed via Business Process Management (BPM) to be able to send master data into SAP and query the delivery status and post it back to MDM in case of success. Also the process needs to send emails to the requestor of the master data change/creation in case of success or send an email to a general administrator email address in case of failure. In the described business case, there will be a portal view to enter master data requests via SAP Enterprise Portal through a person called “requestor”. Please see URL for full article.

Steffen Nesper is a Consultant focusing on Process Integration.

Contextual overview of SAP NetWeaver MDM Markus Ganser SAP Employee

Contextual overview of SAP NetWeaver MDM
Markus Ganser

URL: https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/e0476a3d-557f-2910-169d-9e3608d3bcdf

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SDN features a new article on SAP NetWeaver Master Data Management (MDM) emphasizing the business strategy and business implications involved.

So, this rather non-technical article sheds light on the overall business strategy followed when implementing MDM, it gives clear insight into the scenario approach, verticalization and extensibility of the product, and finally stresses the importance of MDM as a pillar for companies seeking to operate on the basis of an enterprise service-oriented architecture.

Check it out by clicking the URL above, it's also worthwile reading for techies.

Best wishes,

Markus

Markus Ganser joins the product management team of SAP Master Data Management

SAP MDM - One bite at a time Dattatreya Kulkarni

SAP MDM - One bite at a time
Dattatreya Kulkarni

SAP MDM: One bite at a time!

“We have a very complex way of managing master data that is spread over multiple systems. We have developed this solution long back and it has evolved over years. When we implemented it first, we did want to establish data governance models and the associated processes, in addition to making the IT solution available. However, reasons – good or bad, made us postpone this for future since the implementation deadline was around the corner and we did not want the business to wait. We have been growing rapidly over last 7 years and have acquired 3 companies in the process. Most of our energy & resources have been spent on integrating the new companies with us. We never got the time to go back to the pending matter of data governance model. Today there are many users who can create and change data as per their priority in their system. We have no control on who is changing what and we are not sure where and how to correct it”

These are the words of some customers, who want to implement a complete master data management solution but are unable to visualize how they would manage to do that while keeping the business running in the given scenario.

While we all know that SAP MDM allows an incremental approach in terms of implementing the IT scenarios, it is also useful to know that one can break this up further and choose to start off with just one master data object. For example, one can choose to focus only on material/product master and follow the incremental approach from content consolidation to central master data management. Further, one can choose to go Business Unit (BU) wise & so on.

By staying focused on one master data object,

a. You can manage the data owners (especially when you are a global company) better

b.You can manage the change associated with the new solution effectively

c.You can implement the new processes/practices in a smaller group more easily

d.You can plan to spend the required time and resources to establish the data governance model, even while keeping the overall project timeline and cost under control (as against a large big bang, all-objects-together approach)

e.You can leverage on the success of this object to get a faster buy in from other data owners and senior management

f.You can make project management a less complex matter & rather focus on the solution

g.You lower the risk (of failure) associated with the initiative

The question to be answered next: “which master data object to start with?” I can think of two options.

Option one, is to choose an object that is the least complex has lowest volumes and is the least spread across many IT systems. The chances that you complete a project initiative around this object fast and smooth are high. You could then leverage this success to get the required resources to take up others. The flip side of this is that you will may find it difficult to make a business case for investing in this initiative, since benefits gets postponed.

Option two, is to take up an object that poses immediate & critical challenges to your business (irrespective of the complexities involved around that object). This approach will help you deliver tangible business benefits quicker. Also, the chances that you get excellent support from business are high since they have high stakes in the project, owing its potential of creating an immediate-n-positive impact!

An approach that works at one company may not work at other. This has to be arrived at after deliberations within the company under the guidance of an experienced external partner. SAP MDM enables you to adopt this approach with its flexibility as you can choose to go object by object and focus on one repository at a time (from design to Go Live). The ease with which you can integrate it in your IT landscape makes the case stronger. In SAP MDM lies a workable solution to address the concerns like the one that I shared at the beginning of this note. Hence, you take a bite at a time; chew what you bit before taking the next bite, using SAP MDM.

I wanted to bring up this thought since many large companies do face this challenge. However, it does not mean that a company can not adopt a big bang approach using SAP MDM. If business and IT are committed to make it successful and if the business scale and market environment allows adoption of a big bang approach, it will work & will have its own benefits.

Dattatreya Kulkarni is the head of SAP Logistics and Supply Chain Management Practice in Wipro Technologies.

MDM Assignment - Analogy with ERP implementation Malkhede Shrirang

MDM Assignment - Analogy with ERP implementation
Malkhede Shrirang

IT application is undergoing the new evolution phase of adopting Service Oriented Architecture (SoA) on the premise of business process consolidation, making best use of web / shared services. A pre-requisite to successful SoA is consolidation of Master Data Management processes.

When we say 'treat your master data as a corporate asset', we got to build concrete data management process, requiring lot of interaction and participation from all business sectors of the organization. The biggest challenge here is you won't find a single owner of the data object across organization, as existing data management is usually de-centralized and has been build as a side process to support core business transaction cycle.

Additionally the organic and inorganic growth of the organizations always makes it difficult to sustain a master data process, using existing ERP tools and technology.

Unlike ERP implementation, where consultants / implementation partners only own the responsibility of defining the business process (data ownership is always with the business), MDM project require MDM architect to get closer to client master data records & their attribute values; analyze it and look for the best possible option of data handling process which suits a particular organization business. Thus the MDM consultant needs to work closely with the data records, in addition to carrying out process consulting.

When I have to implement business process for logistics or finance cycle, I rely on best business practices that have worked in the past (globally) and recommend most suitable one. In case of MDM, apart from basic norms of defining a governance process, one need to design a unique process, that suits specific organization.

Care need to be taken that, the new master data process has the vision & flexibility to accommodate likely future changes in the business (adoptability to absorb new business and induction of new business validations).

While in ERP project life cycle, we make a distinction between implementation consultants as functional (business analyst) and technical (coding and custom development), MDM consultant is a techno-functional role, requiring functional domain expertise; technical understanding of data modeling; capability to use of interface components for inbound / outbound schema definition, for each specific receiving system.

Clear demarcation between issues that pertain to master data and those that are transactional data issues is required to focus on solutions that can be achieved using MDM tool, A special thought need to be given to issues where transactional data is corrupted because of master data.

While most of the phases of standard ERP implementation methodologies are analogous to MDM execution, separate methodology need to be devised for MDM, giving emphasis on identification of technical objects; scenario building; repository needs; taxonomy & workflow analysis; security requirements; user management; design of integration layer; data analysis & migration schemas with respect to identified inbound / outbound systems.

Lastly, I would like to emphasis on the fact that mere consolidation of data records into MDM doesn't help achieve the MDM solution. It requires a deep understanding of overall use of each master object, to arrive at the decision of what data attributes need to be defined at each level, what interface strategy is to be adopted for each master data client and extend to which harmonize the data in these receiving systems.

Thus, MDM is more organization specific initiative, while ERP implementation follows pre-defined global / industry specific process standards.

Malkhede Shrirang is Vertical solution lead at SAP Practice, Satyam Computers and has spearheaded SAP MDM focus group in the past.