01 - sap data transfer made easy

Chapter 1: Doing Data Transfer

Contents

Overview.................................................................................................................1–2Getting Started.......................................................................................................1–3Performing the Data Transfer for a Business Object.........................................1–6

Data Transfer Made Easy 1

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Chapter 1: Doing Data TransferPerforming the Data Transfer for a Business Object

OverviewImplementing a new software system takes major effort. New implementations require moving data from the legacy system into the R/3 System. The products, components, customers, and vendors have to be available in the new system. You may also have inventory, open items, open sales orders and bills of material that need to be transferred. Initial data transfer is the process of populating your R/3 database with data from your legacy system.To prepare for the data transfer, there are certain tasks you need to perform. First, understand your R/3 System to know which data needs to be transferred. For example, you would not transfer any open sales order if you do not use the sales and distribution module. Second, you need to know the contents of the existing data in your legacy system. For example if you use the fax capabilities of the R/3 System you can transfer them from your legacy system only if they are available.

General Data Transfer Concepts

Knowing which data is available will help you to determine how to transfer data into the R/3 System. For example, if you have 10,000 customer names and 5,000 material master items, you should perform an automatic data transfer for both the customers and the materials data. If, however, you have only five customers and 50,000 material master items, then manually enter the customers and automatically transfer the materials. This guide focuses on automatic data transfer, an effective and efficient way of transferring large amounts of data into your new system. It saves time and

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Chapter 1: Doing Data TransferGetting Started

resources, but more importantly, it ensures that accurate data is transferred into R/3.After you understand the data and know how to transfer it, you can prepare for the process of putting the data into the new system. As the graphic above shows, the two steps involved in data transfer are Conversion and SAP Data Transfer:1. Conversion

Data is converted from your legacy system into the required flat file format. 2. SAP Data Transfer

Data is automatically entered into the R/3 System. An SAP data transfer program reads the prepared data from the flat file and moves it into R/3.

Getting Started

Data Transfer Made Easy

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Identify the Business ObjectsIn R/3, a Business object is a general category for data that defines something like a material master, vendor master, stocks, orders, purchase requisitions, or organizational units. The first step is to identify which business objects are required in your SAP implementation:

Decide which functional areas you will cover. For example, if you are going to use the warehouse management module, you need the business objects warehouse and storage bins.

This step is accomplished in the ASAP roadmap when you review the scope of your implementation project and determine the applications.

The list of existing SAP standard data transfer programs in Appendix A will help you determine the business objects to be populated with legacy data.

Determine the Transfer MethodFor each business object, the following choices exist to transfer data. You can:

Use the SAP standard data transfer programs Manually enter data with online transactions Write your own batch input programs for data transfer

The data transfer method you choose determines the types of resources you require. For example, you may need temporary employees for the manual data entry and programmers for writing your own batch input programs. You must know what data is in your legacy system and which SAP applications correspond to the business objects that will be transferred. One person does not have to know all of this information, but the people who do should work closely together. For more information on this topic, see How To... Transfer Data: Manually or Automatically in chapter 3.

Organize the Data Transfer Because both the organizational structure and actual customizing influences the data you transfer for business objects, finalize or freeze all customizations before the last test run. Customizing changes after the final transfer may result in additional required fields that require preparing and transferring more data. For example, using ten plants instead of one considerably increases the time required to run the final material master transfer because data for each plant has to be transferred. Changing the tax calculations for your customers may lead to further required fields in your customer master.

By preparing for data transfer at the beginning of your project, you can solve problems as they arise and address shortages in time for a successful transfer. Automatic data transfer makes it easier to deal with upcoming last-minute changes. Imagine that you transferred data manually and you now figure out that some important information was missing.

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The list on this page shows the order in which your data should be transferred. Although you might not have all of the listed business objects, this list gives you an idea on how to proceed. For a more detailed list, please use the sample go-live plan in Appendix D as a template.We recommend that you first transfer the business objects that require minor changes after the final transfer. This step can be performed one to three weeks before going live. The objects that require more changes may need to be transferred during the weekend before you go live. By transferring the business objects that require less modification early, you will have time to address any unexpected issues. If you are still working with a legacy system after the data transfer, to keep R/3 current, the changes that you make in the legacy system will need to be duplicated in the R/3 System.Order of Transferring Business Objects1. G/L account master2. Cost elements3. Material master4. Bill of materials5. Vendor master6. Customer master7. Routings and task lists8. Purchase information records9. Condition records (pricing)10.Purchase requisitions11.Open sales orders12.Accounting documents (open A/R and open A/P invoices)13.Stocks

Critical factors for time, effort, and success: The number of different business objects to be transferred The amount of data to be transferred per business object The conversion effort needed to retrieve the data from the legacy system in

the required flat file format The quality and consistency of the legacy data The qualifications of the people working on data transfer The tools used (for example Data Transfer Workbench, third-party mapping

and conversion tools)


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Performing the Data Transfer for a Business Object

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Identify the FieldsGetting Familiar with the Business ObjectIn R/3, to understand which data needs to be transferred, create a sample business object online (for example, a material or a customer). By creating the object, you can easily find out which fields are mandatory. If you do not enter data in mandatory fields, you cannot save your data or proceed to the next screen. This procedure helps you understand what is involved in creating this specific business object. In addition, working on the system and exploring the help documentation for each field helps familiarize you with the business object. This familiarity then makes it easier for you to identify the fields that you need for data transfer.Determine the Target File StructureIf you decide to automatically transfer the data with the SAP standard programs, you have to provide the data in a special format. Therefore, you have to determine the target file structure. The format depends on the business object you want to transfer. For more information, please see Using the Data Transfer Workbench in chapter 3. This functionality lists all structures and fields. If the Data Transfer Workbench is unavailable, you can look up the record structures in chapter 2, Using Data Transfer Programs.The following figure illustrates how the system sees a flat file. The dotted lines that depict fields are not visible. The system reads each line, detects the record type, and (based on a field’s predetermined length) recognizes the different fields.A closer look at a flat file:


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Leaving Fields BlankThere are two choices for each field value. You can either specify a value or enter no data. To leave a field blank, enter the RESET value if you want to initialize or delete the value of the field; and to keep the original field value, enter the NODATA value. The SAP standard data transfer programs usually use “/” for the NODATA value and “space” as the RESET value. Please see for each program in the Using Data Transfer Programs chapter which value is actually used as the NODATA and RESET value.Identify the Target Fields in the Flat FileIf you used the Data Transfer Workbench to determine the target file structure, it can provide relevant structures and field names automatically. Without the Data Transfer Workbench, determine the target file structure by referring to How to… Identify Fields for a Business Object. After determining the structures and fields, match the required fields on each screen in the target file with the fields in the flat file. The flat file usually uses the same or a similar field name as the target file or online transaction.

To easily identify fields in a business object, print the database structure. For more information on this topic, please see chapter 3.

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If there are doubts about the fields of a structure in your flat file, check the length and type of the fields in the flat file and target structure. If you cannot find a desired field, check if the SAP standard transfer program supports the transfer of this data. For example, the material master does not support the group transfer for units of measure. Be aware that numerical packed fields often use different field names. These fields need separate CHAR data elements for BI. Since packed fields cannot be initialized with a special character, you can transfer to the interface with the formatting in your user settings.For more information on this topic, please see Identify Fields for a Business Object and Obtain the Fields of a SAP Structure in chapter 3.

Analyze the Legacy DataBecause there are so many different legacy systems, SAP cannot provide the expertise for you to understand these systems. Therefore, based on your target file structure, determine which data is relevant and available in your legacy system for your particular needs. Your legacy system may provide a feature, such as report writing, which allows you to retrieve data in the required flat file format.

Map Legacy Data to R/3Once you understand the data in both your legacy and the R/3 System, map the legacy data to SAP fields. “Mapping” assigns specific legacy fields to specific flat file structure fields and defines the conversion process of the data. For example, if your legacy system uses “1” to denote the weight unit “pounds,” and R/3 will use “lb” you need to map the legacy field to the corresponding R/3 field and convert the value “1”into “lb.”

Prepare the Legacy DatabasePrepare the legacy database before you extract the data. It is often easier to delete obsolete data in the legacy system and fix data inconsistencies at this stage rather than during the conversion. These two steps are called data purging and data cleansing.Data PurgingBefore transferring data from your legacy system, delete all the old and obsolete data. For example, to save conversion time and disk space, you may delete all one-time customers, vendors, and all unused materials.Data CleansingThis process corrects data inconsistencies and ensures the integrity of the existing data during the transfer process. Mistakes must be fixed before the transfer. For example, assume your legacy system classifies your material items only for subtotal purposes in reporting. If you just transfer this classification into the R/3 material type, the results could be wrong account postings, valuation calculation, and screen display. Therefore, it is imperative that you cleanse your data and make it consistent with the way it will be used.


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Data TypesThere are several different data types within the R/3 System:

Customizing data controls the business process.For example, customizing data determines how you can release a purchase requisition or how an availability check is done. Customizing data will not be addressed in this guide. Master data operates your business.The material master and the vendor master are examples of master data. Document /transaction data is used in interactions with business partners.

Invoices, stock changes, and sales orders are examples of this type of data.Ways to Reduce the Amount of Historical Data to be Transferred With the time and monetary constraints involved and due to the high integration of the R/3 System, the alternatives to transfer historical Document/Transaction Data are:

Print data lists or use microfiche.This step archives the data as a hard copy, yet still makes it available for later research. Use your legacy system for historical reporting. By keeping the historical data in your legacy system and using it only when you need it, you can keep your maintenance costs low (no updates) and maintain your reporting abilities. Use SAP Information Systems.Refer to the standard documentation for details on this topic. Use alternative business objects.Think about why you want to transfer specific document /transaction data into the R/3 System. Sometimes there is alternative master data. The R/3 pricing record would be a more appropriate solution because it allows you to track the historical information.

Transfer the DataWhen you have completed all previously mentioned steps, begin the final data transfer process. If you decided to manually enter data before going live, provide the data in a format that your data entry personnel can use. Check to see if you have a program, such as Report Writer, to convert the data into the necessary format.

If you are transferring the data automatically, first convert the data into the appropriate flat file structure; then use the SAP standard data transfer programs to transfer the data into R/3. Converting Legacy Data to the Flat FileSAP provides no specific tools for this step. However, you can do the following to tackle this challenge:

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In the ABAP Development Workbench, write an ABAP program to convert a file from your legacy system into the required flat file structure. Use other programming languages to write conversion programs. For C, COBOL, PL/1 and RPG you can easily download the table definitions for specific flat file structures. Use third-party tools, such as formal editors and code generators, that support mapping and conversion between different file formats. Check to see that these tools have the XA-DMI certification. This certification indicates that they can easily download the flat file structures the SAP standard data transfer programs require.

For more information on this topic, please see the following sections in chapter 3:

How To … Provide the Flat File Structure in C, COBOL, PL/1, and RPG How To …Use Excel to Create an ASCII File How To …Create a Flat File with ABAP

Getting the Data into R/3After converting the data into the flat file, you are ready to begin the second step of the data transfer. To transfer data, the SAP standard data transfer programs or Direct Input (DI).

Start small. The first time you transfer data, begin with one record of a business object. This way, you learn how the program works. After transferring one record successfully, try transferring a larger amount of data. Make sure that you transfer each different type of data before you transfer on a larger scale. Make sure you monitor the system resource usage, such as increases in table sizes, database locks, etc., because monitoring these features prevents unexpected problems.We recommend using the Data Transfer Workbench to create a flat file with one record for the business object. You can create an initial flat file with the click of a button and easily edit the flat files to enter or correct the necessary field values.

Batch InputThe most common way to move data from the flat file into the R/3 database is with BI, which simulates data input by processing the normal screens of the corresponding online transaction. By executing all relevant checks of the online transaction, BI ensures data consistency. The program creates a BI session that contains all necessary information to move the data into the system. In a separate step, you will process the BI session to transfer the data into the R/3 database.

Direct InputSome data transfer programs use DI, which checks the flat file before processing and updates the R/3 System. This technique is often preferred when transfer performance is critical, and there is a large amount of data to transfer.


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Error tracking may be time-consuming for DI, since DI does not offer something as convenient as processing a BI session in foreground. Both methods require the data to be in the flat file structure. For more information on which method is actually supported for a specific business object, see Using Data Transfer Programs.

Data transfer is an iterative process. You may often feel like you are taking two steps forward and one step back. For example, after creating a flat file, the standard data transfer program may work but the created material master will not support all the functionality you need. In this case, determine the wrong information, correct your conversion program and start again. Based on experience, we recommend that you use the following steps to accomplish data transfer for a business object:1. Convert the data from the legacy system into flat file format.2. Run the data transfer program.3. Check your data for errors.

Is the transfer working as it was designed?4. If necessary, adjust the data/conversion program and start again with 1.

We also strongly suggest that you perform a system backup after transferring a significant amount of data. The backup allows you to secure the specific level you have reached during the data transfer. If you have any problems, you can return to this level, and you do not have to begin the process all over again.

For more information on batch input and direct input, please see Start a Batch Input Session and Transfer Data via Direct Input in chapter 3.

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