Technical Articles

Roman Gorbenko

April 16, 2020 8 minute read

Integrate it! – SAP and MES integration. Step-by-step guide

Quote.

“The increased scale and complexity of SAP and non-SAP systems challenges require that we look for

ways to simplify the system-integration requirements”

This quote about a series of blog-posts (“Integrate it…”) about integration between different SAP and non-SAP systems

Another posts from this series (The list is being updated.)

Integrate it! – Qlick View/Sense and SAP integration. Step-by-step guide

About.

Manufacturing execution systems (MES) are computerized systems used in manufacturing, to track and document the transformation of raw materials to finished goods. MES provides information that helps manufacturing decision-makers understand how current conditions on the plant floor can be optimized to improve production output. MES works in real-time to enable the control of multiple elements of the production process (e.g. inputs, personnel, machines, and support services).

MES may operate across multiple function areas, for example, management of product definitions across the product life-cycle, resource scheduling, order execution, and dispatch, production analysis and downtime management for overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), product quality, or materials track and trace. MES creates the “as-built” record, capturing the data, processes, and outcomes of the manufacturing process. This can be especially important in regulated industries, such as food and beverage or pharmaceutical, where documentation and proof of processes, events, and actions may be required.

Benefits of MES:

Reduced waste, re-work, and scrap, including quicker setup times
More accurate capture of cost-information (e.g. labor, scrap, downtime, and tooling)
Increased uptime
Incorporate paperless workflow activities
Manufacturing operations traceability
Decreases downtime and easy fault finding
Reduced inventory, through the eradication of just-in-case inventory

Common use cases where MES system integrated with SAP EWM and/or SAP ERP systems

MES-system consume a master-data (Materials, Batches, Containers and so on) from ERP-system

Prerequisites.

You want to know more about SAP-MES Integration with SAP PI/PO in the outline.

Resolution.

Step 0. Intro

In this integration scenario:

SAP ERP – SAP S/4HANA

Message bus (integration broker) – SAP PO

Let’s first take a quick look at the integration scenario blueprint:

Step 1. Examples of message flow

Materials from ERP to MES
Batches from ERP to MES
Deliveries from ERP to MES
Handle Units from ERP to MES
Process Orders from ERP to MES
Materials from MES to ERP

Step 2. Integration from SAP PO Standpoint

Step 2.1.From the Enteprise Service Repository (ESR) perspective:

Describe message flow from Step 1

1.Software Component Version Name

2.Namespace

3.DataTypes (DT) objects

Example of Material flow

Elements: MaterialType, MaterialNumber, Brand and so on

4. MessageTypes (MT) objects will be generated automatically from DT

5. In/Out Service Interface (SI) objects

Assign Request Role to created MT and Fault Role to Fault Message Type

6.Receive / Send Actions

Assign Receive Action with In Service Interface

Assign Send Action with Out Service Interface

Step 2.2. From the Integration Builder (IB) perspective

For Web-service (SOAP):

the Route to/from MES System

Configuration Component Without Party – Bussines System – (for example BSYSTEM_MES_QAS)

Adapter Type – SOAP

SOAP Sender Communication Channel

SOAP Receiver Communication Channel (Target URL to MES Web Service with Credentials and Port Number)

Configuration Component Without Party – Bussines System – (for example BSYSTEM_S4HANA_CLIENTXXX_QAS)

Adapter Type – SOAP

Adapter – Sender

Transport Protocol – HTTP

Addressing Type – HTTP Destination

HTTP Destination – Name of HTTP Destination

SOAP Sender example:

The route to/from ERP System

Configuration Component Without Party – Bussines System – (for example BSYSTEM_MES_QAS)

Adapter Type – SOAP

Adapter – Receiver

SOAP Sender Communication Channel

SOAP Receiver Communication Channel (Target URL to MES Web Service with Credentials and Port Number))

SOAP Receiver Example:

For IDoc Integration:

Configuration Component Without Party – Bussines System – <SID>CLNT<CLNT> (Name suggestion,for example)

Communication Channel settings:

Bussiness System – <SID>CLNT<CLNT> (Name suggestion,for example)

Adapter Type – IDoc_AAE

Adapter Type – Receiver

Transport Protocol – tRFC

Messgae Protocol – IDOC XML

Adapter Engine – Central Adapter Engine

IDoc Sender Example:

For Integrated Configuration (ICO) in IB:

For Configuration Scenario in IB:

For example Batch Replication Configuration Scenario.

N.B. More than one system can be as a target system for a Master Data workflow

Model Configuration:

Source system – SAP ERP

Target systems – MES, 3d party BI software and so on

Step 3. Integration from ERP standpoint

Step 3.1. IDOC Integration

N.B.

IDoc, short for Intermediate Document, is a SAP document format for business transaction data transfers. The IDoc itself is a structured Text-File, that means IDocs can be used on all platforms, there is no need to translate binary data

SAP transactions:

Step 3.1.1. Settings in SM59

Transaction SM59 – Configuration of RFC Connections

Connection Type – T (TCP/IP Connections)

Gateway Host – Path to SAP PI/PO

Program ID –

1)A RfcAdapter sender channel registers itself with this Program ID as a RFC-Server at the SAP Gateway. The sending system uses the same Program ID to identify the RFC-Server at the SAP Gateway.

During the sending system sends some RFC calls, the SAP Gateway will search its registration list for the Program ID supplied by the sending system

2)The Program ID is case sensitive.

3)The same Program ID should be given in RFC Sender Channel.

Gateway service – sapgw<SID>

Step 3.1.2. Settings in WE31

Transaction – WE31 – Development IDoc Segment

Bindings between IDoc Segment and Data Elements

For example Segment type E1BATMAS and Fields in Segment like as MATERIAL

Step 3.1.3. Settings in WE81

Transaction – WE81 – Logical Message Types

For example:

SAP Object – MATERIAL has a standard IDoc Message Type MATMAS. In transaction WE81 we can create custom message type, for example, ZMATMAS.

Step 3.1.4. Settings in SM30

Transaction – SM30 – Maintain Table View – V_TBDA2

Activate change pointer for custom Message Type

Step 3.1.5. Settings in WE82

Transaction – WE82 – Assign Messages for IDoc Type

Binding between custom message type and basic message type.

Step 3.1.6. Settings in BD61

Transaction – BD61 – Activate Change Pointers Generally

Set Change pointers activated – generally.

Step 3.1.7. Settings in BD50

Transaction – BD50 – Activate Change Pointers for Message Type

Activate Change Pointer for our Custom message type

Step 3.1.8. Settings in BD52

Transaction – BD52 – Activ. Change Pointer per chng doc it

Bindings between change document items and custom message type

For example bindings between Message type ZXXX and

CHARGE_LM – Batch master (with a long material number)

MCHA – Batches (table)

LICHA – LICHA Supplier Batch Number (field)

Step 3.1.9. Settings in BD64

Transaction – BD64 – Display Distribution Model

We can add a message to the Distributon model.

1.Create Distribution model

2.Add to Distribution model ERP and PI systems

3. Add to Distribution Model Message Type. For example LOIPRO (Production Order)

Step 3.1.10. Settings in WE21

Transaction – WE21 – Ports in IDoc processing

Binding IDoc port with RFC port defined in step 3.1.1

Step 3.1.11. Settings in WE20

Transaction – WE20 – Partner profiles

Bindings between Message Type and Receiver Port

PARTNER TYPE

Partner type/role is used to identify partners within the sap systems. Partner type is KU for a customer, LI for vendor and LS for Logical System.

Step 3.2. RFC Integration

Step 3.2.1. SPROXY

Transaction – SPROXY – Enterprise Repository Browser

Consume SAP PO ESR objects here.

Bindings between generated z-structure from SAP PO Data Type and you custom code which populated data to this z-structure

Step 3.2.2. ABAP Development

Transaction – SE80 – Object Navigator and other development tools like an SM30 and SE38

(creation of package / subpackages, structures, function modules, programs and so on)

For example Generated Proxy Z-Structure for Material

Step 3.2.3. Scheduling

Transaction – SM36 – Schedule Background Job

For IDOC:

SE38 -> Create variant for each message type used in SAP-MES integration. RBDMIDOC Report -> Create Variant

SM36 -> Create Background job for each variant of RBDMIDOC Report

Periodic time, for example, each 5 minutes

For RFC:

SM36 -> Create Background job for each custom ABAP program which sends data to integration

Step 4. Integration from MES standpoint

A quick look at the integration scenario from the MES standpoint.

For example MES system with integration part based on Apache Camel.

Small quote about architecture:

“ERP data is exchanged as XML text files that comply with a selected set of SAPIDOCs. The IDOCs from a file system is transformed from XML to common business objects and delivered to FTPC through JMS message queues. Using an event sheet, Shop Operations Server reads the messages from this queue and launches a specific activity set to process each message.”

Architecture and configuration: