Workflow 101 – Creating a object as an attribute

There are many times in building workflows when you realize you need not just one or two attributes of a related business document, but potentially, many more.   Rather than adding each field as an attribute – and having to keep your business objects in sync, why not create a sub-object as an attribute?

Case in point:  You are developing workflow for Invoices, and the approvers need to see many details of the related Purchase Order.  You *could* code separate attributes to the invoice which individually retrieve and populate from the purchase order.  But why?  Suppose later in life, you add more attributes to Purchase Order?  Do you need to then replicate that in the Invoice?  By creating an attribute with an object reference, you can always access *all* the attributes of Purchase Order from the Invoice.  It’s easy as pie!

You will need to copy BUS2081 to zBUS2081, and remember to perform the system-wide delegation.  Any enhancements you want to make to the Invoice will be made against ZBUS2081.

 

 

 

 

Create an attribute for PurchaseOrder with the attributes below.

 

 

 

When you push ‘Program’ the system will pop up and ask you if you want to generate a template.  Push ‘Yes’.

You will be brought into the ABAP editor.  Your screen will look something like this:

 

  

  

Add code that looks like this:

 

get_property purchaseorder changing container.

DATA:  key                                               LIKE swotobjid-objkey,

              po-number                                   LIKE ekko-ebeln.

DATA subrc                                              LIKE sy-subrc.

DATA date                                                LIKE sy-datum.

DATA: invoice                                           LIKE rbkp-belnr,

             year                                               LIKE rbkp-gjahr.

 

  DATA:

      s_headerdata               LIKE bapi_incinv_detail_header,

      s_addressdata              LIKE bapi_incinv_detail_addressdata,

      tab_itemdata                LIKE bapi_incinv_detail_item OCCURS 0,

      tab_accountingdata     LIKE bapi_incinv_detail_account OCCURS 0,

      tab_glaccountdata       LIKE bapi_incinv_detail_gl_account OCCURS 0,

      tab_materialdata         LIKE bapi_incinv_detail_material OCCURS 0,

      tab_taxdata                 LIKE bapi_incinv_detail_tax OCCURS 0,

      tab_withtaxdata          LIKE bapi_incinv_detail_withtax OCCURS 0,

      tab_vendorsplitdata    LIKE bapi_incinv_detail_vendorsplit OCCURS 0,

      tab_return                   LIKE bapiret2 OCCURS 0.

 

 

*The following code will depend on your actual rules for how to match an invoice to a Purchase order…For me it was sufficient to match it to the first line of the invoice.

  CALL FUNCTION ‘BAPI_INCOMINGINVOICE_GETDETAIL’

    EXPORTING

      invoicedocnumber                     = object-key-invoicedocnumber

      fiscalyear                                  =  object-key-fiscalyear

    IMPORTING

      headerdata                               = s_headerdata

      addressdata                              = s_addressdata

    TABLES

      itemdata                                   = tab_itemdata

      accountingdata                          = tab_accountingdata

      glaccountdata                           = tab_glaccountdata

      materialdata                              = tab_materialdata

      taxdata                                     = tab_taxdata

      withtaxdata                               = tab_withtaxdata

      vendoritemsplitdata                   = tab_vendorsplitdata

      return                                      = tab_return

    EXCEPTIONS

      OTHERS                                 = 01.

 

  CASE sy-subrc.

    WHEN 0.                                                   ” OK

    WHEN OTHERS.                         ” to be implemented

  ENDCASE.

 

 

      po-number = tab_itemdata-po_number.

 

swc_create_object object-purchaseorder

‘BUS2012’ po-number.

 

swc_clear_container container.

 

swc_set_element container ‘PurchaseOrdert’

     object-purchaseorder.

end_property.

 

Now, check, etc.  Remember to set your attribute to Implemented before you generate the object, and use the test-bed from SWo1 to help ensure it’s working before you try using the attributes of Purchase Order from an Invoice workflow.

 

Et voilà!

 

When you instantiate the invoice, you will also see the Purchase Order object.  When using Invoice in your workflow, you will have immediate access in workflow task descriptions, etc, to the attributes of the accompanying Purchase Order.