It is hard to imagine logistics today without the electronic data interchange (EDI). In high-performance supply chains, a wide variety of data is exchanged between customers and suppliers, and even between systems within a company or sometimes within systems.
While the cross-system exchange usually happens based on VDA, Odette, Edifact, etc. standards, whose message formats are converted via special conversions in SAP’s own structures - the so-called IDocs (Intermediate Documents) -, it is possible to work directly with these IDocs between SAP systems. In addition to actual user data, these also contain status records, which document the processing status.
Jörn Samuelson
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In contrast to converters that are generally format-independent and thus have a broader base and are positioned more on price, our alogis-VDA-Converter only offers the conversion of automotive-typical inbound and outbound messages in VDA format (4905, 4616 and many more).
Implemented in SAP and specifically for the most important messages in the automotive in-dustry, it is quick to use and requires no additional hardware. It communicates with the SAP system via IDocs and with partners via files in accordance with VDA guidelines. IDoc pro-cessing in the SAP system is done using SAP Standard processing. Since it is fully pro-grammed in ABAP, you can do all the maintenance and adaptations independently from the manufacturer, although we are of course on hand for any help and advice.
The alogis-VDA-Converter is a cost-effective tool to process inbound and outbound VDA messages. It has been fully programmed in ABAP.
The following VDA messages are currently available:
In order to be able to find errors resulting from incomplete data or technical problems and correct them, our alogis-EDI-Cockpit offers appropriate functions depending on the type of message and the respective business environment.
The alogis-EDI-Cockpit helps to access process-related content as soon as data is received. Associated data (master data, referenced documents and organisational data) is also used when selecting and displaying the messages. Using the function key, you can directly access the standard SAP system applications linked to each message type. Data can then be corrected directly from the overview. It is possible to integrate special checks and display the results. The lists of error messages displayed is updated automatically after the selection has been triggered once. The selection conditions and the fields from the list are compiled by the user.
alogis-EDI-Cockpit integrates all functions in a single interface in order to analyse and process EDI messages effectively.
The following message types are available
Strong fluctuations in called-off quantities or schedules can trigger unwanted consequences in the production or procurement area. These can be controlled using our alogis-Abruf-Toleranzprüfung, which can be customised in almost any way you want.
The automatic transfer of the customer’s delivery call-offs to the supplier’s SAP system has now become standard. The tolerance check available in the SAP system, however, only compares call-off schedules and quantities of two sequential call-offs. The tolerance check does not notice gradual increases meaning that call-off quantities are transferred unfiltered into the system.
In contrast, the alogis-Abruf-Toleranzprüfung immediately recognises these gradual increases because multiple call-off generations can be taken into account. As a threshold, the call-off tolerance check uses the absolute or relative differences concerning automotive-typical cumulative quantities or absolute call-off quantities.
Which parameters the call-off tolerance check includes in the calculations can be flexibly controlled using the tolerance profile. A material or customer can be allocated multiple profiles and can be taken into account when the check is carried out. The call-off tolerance check can therefore warn dispatchers in good time before delivery call-offs have been transferred and prevent bottleneck situations. The reaction to tolerance deviations depends on the application. It ranges from the error message to the prevention of the posting.
The call-off tolerance check can be integrated into the logistics process chain at various points, for example at EDI entry or in the delivery schedule processing.
While the alogis-EDI-Cockpit requires active data analysis, some of the monitoring tasks on the system can be delegated using alogis-Aktives-EDI-Monitoring. When entering configurable scenarios, it will actively report on them by sending express or email messages to the parties responsible.
Active EDI Monitoring informs the employee responsible (e.g. by email or text) specifically in the event of a fault, thus reducing supervision costs. This tool is available for automatically reviewing inbound messages. Active EDI Monitoring periodically checks all inbound messages against the regulations as defined by the user and stored in the system. If a regulation applies to a message, this message is added into the worklist. Depending on the settings in the system, an instant message is then sent to the employee concerned, or it waits until a specified number of errors has occurred before then sending a collective message.
Depending on business data, the recipient can also be selected using customer-specific functional components. This data can be established from the IDoc itself or the master or document data relevant to the message. The number of IDocs involved is listed in the message by message type and IDoc status. With this information, you can initiate specific error processing. Active EDI Monitoring can, however, access the SAP workflow as well. This means that the IDocs can be processed directly from the message.
In error situations, alogis-aktives-EDI-Monitoring automatically informs the employee responsible by text message, email, etc.
