Technical Articles
SAP S/4HANA Conversion for IS-Utilities : CVI with SAP CRM
Level 2 : Medium
Audience : Consultants
Author : Vipindas Vidyadharan, Consultant at Energy and Natural Resources Practice, SDC India
Introduction
SAP S/4HANA is the optimized solution of SAPs ERP product SAP ECC running on SAP HANA database. During the process, SAP made changes in some data models to improve business processes more efficient and optimized.
Existing SAP ECC systems can be “converted” into SAP S/4HANA. This process will convert existing data structures in SAP ECC into new SAP S/4HANA models.
Scope
In SAP S/4HANA, Business Partner(BP) is the center point of all Customer/Vendor/Employee data model. Customer Vendor Integration(CVI) is playing a key role in SAP S/4HANA to maintain this data model which is centrally accessed by transaction – BP.
Business Partner data model is already existing in SAP ECC version. But in SAP S/4HANA, SAP introduced more new Business roles to handle customer, vendor, employee and more.
Data model and usage of BP are already described in many other blogs and documents, it is not worth to explain it again. So here we are talking about the integration of CVI for a IS-Utilities solutions with SAP CRM as a side car.
Since IS-Utilities already carrying BP model, CVI conversion is not required for Utility Customers. But we need to execute some activities while converting SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA.
Pre-Conversion
Some Pre-Conversion steps. Do remember, we have to execute these steps in Non-Converted system only.
- Activate below business functions
- CA_SUPPLIER_SOA
- CA_BP_SOA
- Some important SAP Notes
- 2216176 – Precheck report from business partner
- 1623677 – BP_CVI: Check report for checking CVI Customizing
- 974504 – Inconsistencies in link tables of master data sync
- 2354282 – S/4 PreChecks IS-UT: Reports for the conversion for transition of the SAP Utilities Industry Solution to S/4 HANA
- 2364509 – Report REU_CVI_CUST_LINK
- 2202282 – S/4TC IS-UT Master Check for S/4 System Conversion Checks
- 2283695 – Synchronization cockpit generates business partners with wrong GUIDs by ignoring CRM mapping tables
- 2303003 – S/4TC BP data exchange between SAP S/4HANA, on-premise edition and SAP CRM: Pre-check class for BAdI implementation CVI_MAPPER
- 2304337– – Description note for Pre Check Class for Badi implementation CVI_MAPPER
- Validate Number ranges for BP with Customer and Vendors
- Activate the PPO Request for the synchronization object Business Partner
- Activate Synchronization Options (BP–> Customer & Vendor need to be deactivated during CVI Conversion – Recommendation)
- Activate Creation of Post processing Orders
- Align Number ranges and Acc Groups with BP Grouping
- Internal Std Group should be activated in BP Grouping
- Define Number Assignment for Direction Customer/Vendor to BP
- Define BP Role for Direction Customer/Vendor to BP
- Attribute assignment for Contact Person
- Maintain Industry System and Industries
- Switch off Middleware settings for CRM replication
- Switch off BDoc generation for BP(If you do not want to replicate newly created BPs(Vendors and SD Customers) to CRM
- Implement BAdI CVI_CUSTOM_MAPPER for customer specific logic – Customer/Vendor–> BP
- Report REU_CVI_CUST_LINK
- Report REU_CVI_EKUN_TO_BUT0ID
- Report PRECHECK_UPGRADATION_REPORT
Conversion
Some activities during Conversion.
- Execute Transaction MDS_LOAD_COCKPIT for Customers/Vendors
- In IS-Utilites, this activity is only for Customers/Vendors, for which a BP is not assigned so far.
- Suggest to execute this for different group separately. This will give you full control of conversion
- Run REU_CVI_CUST_LINK for missing BPs
- Run REU_CVI_EKUN_TO_BUT0ID
- You can rerun below to check issues
- PRECHECK_UPGRADATION_REPORT
- CVI_FS_CHECK_CUSTOMIZING
Post Conversion
Post Conversion Steps
- Align number ranges and change according to CVI
- Validate Reference Customer for IS-Utilities if necessary
- Update Control table for middleware replication, both SAP CRM and SAP S/4HANA (You can refer SAP Notes mentioning here for detail entries of control tables) COM_BUPA_CALL_FU in SAP S/4HANA and CRMC_BUT_CALL_FU in SAP CRM
- Update CRMRFCPAR according to SAP S/4HANA and SAP CRM scope
- Number Assignment for Direction BP to Customer/Vendor
- Set BP Role Category for Customer integration
- Apply filter in CRM BUPA_MAIN object(if necessary to avoid Vendors and other Customer to replicate in SAP CRM)
- Check BTE entries.
- Configure view V_TB048 according BP data exchange
- Some Important SAP Notes to refer
- 2725913 – Address data inconsistency in the business partner replication
- 2444647 – Bdoc error “Task ** is not support for**” (CVI_EI028 or CVI_EI007)
- 2810745 – Add APIs to maintain EKUN and trigger ISU logic for non-BDT cases (S/4CRM)
- 2792765 – FAQ: IS-UT upgrade S/4 (Some of the most common issues are addressed here)
Issues and Solution
Listed most common issues
- Middleware issues – Update Control tables in both SAP S/4HANA and SAP CRM according to SAP Note 2283810 – Customizing settings for business partner data exchange between SAP S/4HANA, on-premise edition and SAP CRM
- BP Relationship issue to Consumer – Normally for consumers, BP relationship is not allowed. Use different acc group(Non Consumer) for Org BPs
- Long run of Job BUPTDTRANSMIT – Refer SAP Note –2151842. Create Z Program and execute initial time
- BP Correspondence Language – Correspondence language is a mandatory field in BP. So make sure solution need to be adjusted or use some enhancement to populate correspondence language. Do remember for BP-Person, it is in BUT000, but for BP Org it is with address.
-
PRODUCT_MAT BDocs getting generated – Restrict this in CRMRFCPAR or Adjust in BTE
- First Name & Last name got concatenated – Check Synchronization option for CVI and deactivate Customer/Vendor to BP, post Conversion
Other common issues you can refer in SAP Note 2792765 – FAQ: IS-UT upgrade SAP S/4HANA
Good insights and details, definitely helpful for future assignments.
Thank you Vipin for the blog, content is straight from your experience and therefore has all what to be done in simple manner, sure that it helps all the Utility experts who are working on conversion of Utility customers...
Well written Vipin! I am sure your experience in the field would help others who are looking to take this path:
Great work Vipin... Well organized, detailed and deep insights! This would be a treasure trove for future Utilities conversion projects
Thank you very much Vipin for sharing the steps involved in the Utilities conversion projects w.r.to CVI mapping and also for listing down the most commonly encountered problems.
Good one Vipin!
Very Good Article. Keep posting Vipindas.