This blog is to describe dedicated new highlights of WebDynpro enabled role „Internal Sales Representative“ (ISR) as of SAP ERP EhP5 which can serve as an alternative to SAP GUI “VA01 Create Sales Order”.
Overview:
The general intention of this role is to support Sales Representative who works in close relationship with customers and logistical and financial departments collaborating with sales. By providing a flexible UI, using POWL´s (Personal Object Work Lists) and an easy method of configuration the ISR role got even more attention of companies of all sizes and became a real alternative to core “VA01 Create Sales Order” for dedicated user groups.
The role of the „Internal Sales Representative“ originally became available with SAP ERP 6.0 and has been extended massively with SAP ERP EhP4. The ISR role already provided a set of useful and user-friendly tools (extract):
· Developed as intuitive WebDynpro User-Interface
· Pre-configured Powerlists (POWL)
· Telephony Integration with a link to the telephone number
· SAP Search Engine / TREX to improve customers search
· “Customer Cockpit” – to provide users with a holistic view on a single
customer
· Material Search with basket functionality
· Additional selection criteria
· Variant Configuration
· Billing Plan and Sales Contracts
· Dynamic Date Variable
· Default queries
· Switch of User-Interface (SAP GUI <> WebDynpro)
· ...
While a lot of user productivity features were developed and integrated into the ISR role the biggest push was to the enhanced flexibility by providing adjustments to the Sales UI. The idea was to provide a template which can be customized to take the various order taking variants into account which occur in business. A “Building Block” approach was created by grouping all data on the Sales UI into A, B and C-data. These “Building Blocks”, described in a user-guided, enable very quick adjustments to tailor the Sales UI to your needs without big effort.
With SAP ERP EhP5 and SAP NWBC V3.0 the ISR role offers some additional and very valuable capabilities which lead to increased cost savings, improved user-friendliness and user-access:
1. SAP NetWeaver Business Client for HTML as additional deployment option
2. Flexible customization in SAP ERP
3. Integration of custom-owned z-fields into Sales UI
Details:
1. SAP NWBC for HTML as additional deployment option
Since the role content has been developed in the SAP Portal Content Directory already with SAP ERP EhP4 users could choose between running the role out of SAP Portal or using the Business Client (as part of SAP NetWeaver). This option already offered flexibility.
As part of Best Practices the complete role then has been re-created in SAP ERP so that the ISR could run also solely using the Business Client – meaning that the usage of SAP Portal was not longer required (which also reduces cost of ownership). As already known to most of you, the Business Client offers the ability to display classic SAP GUI-based transactions and WebDynpro-based applications. However, a local installation of the Business Client was still required which of course, increases maintenance costs.
With SAP NWBC Version 3.0 for HTML also this barrier can be overcome. Now it is possible to plainly set up the business client with the proper settings once, launch transaction "NWBC", store the URL as a favorite and easily call up the ISR UI out of i.e. the Internet Explorer.
Picture: Launch SAP NetWeaver Business Client
2. Flexible and easy customization in SAP ERP
As mentioned the ISR role has been newly created in SAP ERP. To have a closer look to the configuration you simply need to execute transaction “PFCG - Role Maintenance” and go for the required role (“SAP_SR_INT_SALES_REP_5”).
Picture: ISR Role Structure
As you can see from the image the role menu lists up the typical structure – folders (e.g. “Sales Processing”) with related work centers (here “Sales”, “Customers”, “Order Fulfillment” etc.) and corresponding services such as “Create Quotation”.
Folder “Object Based Navigation” at the lower part of the screen contains all invisible navigation targets to SAP ERP needed by the different applications – in case of an implementation project you should copy this role in order to set up proper communication between the Business Client and SAP ERP.
Using the role concept of SAP ERP makes adjustments in the Sales UI much easier than using SAP Portal – since it requires absolutely no coding or deep knowledge of customizing. The following are examples how you can adjust the UI:
- arrange work centers and services up or down according to process flow using the arrow keys
- add SAP GUI transactions (which are not yet been converted to WebDynpro)
- add a complete different role (“Copy Menus”)
- add additional work centers with related services and POWL´s from other roles (e.g. transaction “Create Purchase Order” from the buyers role if appropriate)
- enhance role by custom-wise reports, Xcelsius Dashboards, Crystal reports etc.
- extend the role by a web page
- …
The integration of new work centers and/or reports etc. is quite simple. By clicking on button “Insert Node” a value list appears showing all available options:
Picture: Role Enhancement
By selecting the required node and inserting the proper details (ie. name of report, target system etc.) automatically the new node is getting inserted into the hierarchy list. Just place it to the required place in the node hierarchy, save your settings, refresh the browser and you can review the result in the Business Client.
3. Integration of custom-owned z-fields into Sales UI
A lot of customers made investments in classical SAP ERP “VA01 Create Sales Order”. New coding for internal checks, additional BAdI´s for pricing etc. Even more often customer specific fields have been coded and integrated on SAP GUI. “What about these investments? Will I lose them and need to re-develop the fields in WebDynpro again?”
The answer clearly is “No – the investments are not lost”. Already with SAP ERP EhP4 it was possible to integrate custom-fields into the UI. However, it caused effort and some deeper knowledge. With SAP ERP EhP5 the “Easy Enhancement Workbench” has been developed to provide a guided (modification-free) procedure to add customer-specific fields to the technical interface (“Lean Order-API”) and make them available for Sales UI configuration. The only pre-requisite to declare these customer-specific fields in the Lean Order-API is that – of course - you already defined the customer fields at database level (table VBAP, VBUP or VBKD) and enhanced the backend logic for these fields accordingly (which is the case anyway if you already are working with these fields in SAP GUI).
Picture: Enhancement Workbench
Procedure for integrating z-fields:
- Look up table VBAP (VBUP or VBKD) whether the z-field is available
- In customizing launch the Enhancement Workbench for the Lean Order API (IMG > Sales and Distribution > Portal Role “Internal Sales Representative” > Simplified User Interface for Order Processing > Start Enhancement Workbench
- Execute the first step: Select the required object type (e.g. “Sales Document Item” – or - Header) and push button “Next
- In the occurring screen you need to maintain the field properties
Picture: Enhancement Workbench - Field Properties
- Push button “Create Appendage for the required new field and click on “Next” to display the result
- The customers’-field then has become one of the available fields of the Lean Order API and can be now placed on the Sales UI. To do so execute customizing step “Configure User Interface” in IMG > Sales and Distribution > Portal Role “Internal Sales Representative” > Simplified User Interface for Order Processing > Configure User Interface”
- Select the correct application (e.g. “LO_OIF_SDOC_APPL”) , open the Configuration Editor and customize the z-field on the UI
Picture: Configuration of User Interface
More information
In the attached documents you can find some more information:
- Enhancements in role “Internal Sales Representatives”
In urgent cases you can also place a comment on this blog which will be routed to me.
Best regards,
Frank Tycner
ISM Wholesale Distribution
SAP AG
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