SAP ReX – the case of the missing Product description in Sales Orders

[SergioFerrari]

As anticipated in the previous blog "SAP ReX - first customer went live with SAP Retail Execution" here I am to explore different technical aspects of the solution analyzing some interesting and strange behaviors.

SAP ReX Data Model of  is very sophisticated and aims to reduce the exchange data flow.

It’s maybe hard to believe but in the light SQL database embedded in SAP ReX there are several tables.

Like in the SAP back-ends there are tables related to transactional processes (e.g. Sales Orders, Visits), others representing Master Data (e.g. Customers, Products) and others for customizing objects (e.g. Sales Order Types, Activity Journal Templates).

Why in Sales Orders I cannot see the description of item x-100?

In the FAQ document we filled during the project there is the question “Why in Sales Orders I cannot see the description of item x-100?”

Studying about Product description in the Sales Order history, may be an interesting way, to get an idea about the SAP ReX Data Model.

Probably to boost performances, executing a Sync related to Orders no Product description is downloaded from the backend.

It means that in the Sales Order history, to provide the product description an SQL join is performed in the local SQL (SQLlite).

Products IDs contained in the Order Items are used to retrieve the description from the local Product Master table.

On the other side, Products are download from the Listings that usually represent the set of orderable products, I would call it the Catalog for the transactions happening into the future.

Downloading the Order history we're referring to the past and it may happen that a previously ordered item is no more in the Listings.

That is the reason for missing Product description :wink: