AUTO ID Test Tool – Tag commissioning

What is Auto ID Test Tool?

It is a simulation environment used within the Auto ID Infrastructure to recreate the real time events. Pick, Pack & Load are some of the events associated with Auto ID. For these events to occur we need special hardware (RFID receivers). If at all a situation rises where the Auto ID capabilities are to be tested without hardware involvement, the Auto ID test tool can be used in place of the hardware to simulate a similar scenario.

How to access Auto ID Test Tool?

Transaction code: /n/AIN/TEST_CLIENT

Path                  : SAP Menu >> Auto-ID Infrastructure >> Tools >> Auto ID Test tool

Purpose of the document:

This document will explain in detail how the Auto-ID test tool can be used for PML message transactions. The Tag commissioning scenario explained in the document will give you an idea on how it can be used for other scenarios (Pick, Pack etc.)

Prerequisites:

__     1. The Devices, Device Controller ID & Device Groups are defined. If not defined, use transaction /n/AIN/DEVICE to define them.

_        2. Commands to be transmitted are defined. If not defined, use transaction /n /AIN/RULECONDFRM to define commands & route            them to the respective Rule ID’s.To define the rules, use transaction /n/AIN/VC_RULEDEF.

          3. Number Range Object types are defined (GTIN, SSCC etc.)

          4. The Material Master (AIDMATMAS) & Delivery Information (DELINF) documents are sent from ECC to SAP AII.

          5. RFC Destination is defined. If not, define it in the transaction SM59.

It is assumed that all listed prerequisites are met.

Let’s get started!

For starters, that’s how an Auto-ID test tool looks like for PML message usage. Depending upon the type of message (PML/SAP WS/ALE), the graphical user interface differs a bit. This document is based upon the PML message.

Fig1. Auto-ID Test tool – Info Initial view

PML >> INFO tab:

Step 1:  Press the New button & enter a message name unique to the event you are about to perform.

Example: *_TagCommision_*

Step 2: Specify the Device Controller ID, Device Group ID & Device ID according to your requirement from the drop down menu.

Step 3: Enter an appropriate command defined in prerequisites 2 in the command field.

Step 4: Enter a Field name & Value to be tracked as Observations & save

Example:

Field Name: Document_no

Field Value: 123425 (Document number sent from ECC to SAP AII)

Now the GUI should look something like this:

Fig2. Auto-ID Test tool – Info Final view

PML >> TAGS tab:

Fig 3. Auto-ID Test tool – Tags Initial view

There are quite a few extra buttons in the Tags tab than the Info tab to play around with.

Step 1: Clicking the Tag Generation tab would display the below screen.

Fig 4. EPC Generation

Select the desired ID version, Tag Encoding Type & Number of Tags. Depending on the Tag Encoding Type you select, the table values below differ. Fill in the table & press OK.

Note: The Filter Value defines the hierarchy of the products & Casings (in general 0=product; 1= first casing and so on). The other fields can be selected from the drop down menu.

Step 2: Let’s say the last step was done for Tag Encoding Type SGTIN-96 which defines the product, repeat the step for another encoding type to define the casing.

Note: Check the Number of tags & FILTER_VALUE fields before you press OK.

Now the GUI should look something like this

Fig5. Generated EPC’s

The URI format is human understandable. In the above example, I basically have two SGTIN-96 tags & 4 SSCC-96 tags.

Fig 6. URI Format description

Step 3: when a barcode is scanned, a scanner can send metadata about the scanned tag. This can be accomplished in the test tool. Select a row from the above screen & press the details button. It would add a row to the data tag list below. Add the details , Apply changes & save.

Fig7. EPC metadata creation

PML >> UPLOAD tab:

Once you are done with the Info & Tags tab, move on to the upload tab & click on the Preview button to view the generated PML message.

Now that the tags are generated, all that is left for us is to send it to the Auto-ID system. Select the RFC using the RFC button  & send it.