Beginner’s Guide to ALE and IDocs – a step-by-step approach

This article will help you understand the basics of ALE and IDocs via a simple do-it-yourself example.
We will create a custom IDoc in one SAP system and then post some business data through it to
another SAP system. Business data will be picked up from custom data dictionary tables.

ALE – Application Link Enabling is a mechanism by which SAP systems communicate with each other
and with non-SAP EDI subsystems. Thus it helps integration of distributed systems. It supports fail-
safe delivery which implies that sender system does not have to worry about message not reaching
the source due to unavoidable situations. ALE can be used for migration and maintenance of master
data as well as for exchanging transactional data.

The messages that are exchanged are in the form of IDocs or Intermediate Documents. IDocs act like
a container or envelope for the application data. An IDOC is created as a result of execution of an
Outbound ALE. In an Inbound ALE an IDOC serves as an input to create application document. In the
SAP system IDocs are stored in the database tables. They can be used for SAP to SAP and SAP to non-
SAP process communication as long as the participating processes can understand the syntax and
semantics of the data. Complete documentation on IDOC is obtained by using transaction WE60.

Every IDoc has exactly one control record along with a number of data records and status records.
Control record has the details of sender/receiver and other control information. Data records
contain the actual business data to be exchanged while the status records are attached to IDoc
throughout the process as the IDoc moves from one step to other.

Now, let us understand the ALE Configuration by means of an example scenario below:

The Scenario

Data from custom tables (created in customer

namespace) is to be formatted into an IDoc and
sent from one SAP R/3 system to another using
ALE service. We need to have two instances of
SAP R/3 systems or we can simulate this on two
clients of the same SAP R/3 system.

Create three tables as shown below.

Creating Custom IDoc type and Message type
All the objects created should be present on both source as well as target system(s).

1. Create segments – Transaction WE31

 Create a segment ZRZSEG1

 Add all fields of table ZCUSTOMERS to it
 Save the segment and go back
 Release it using the menu path Edit -> Set Release
 Similarly create two more segments given below
 Seg. ZRZSEG2 – to hold all fields of table ZSOHEADERS
 Seg. ZRZSEG3 – to hold all fields of table ZSOITEMS

2. Create Basic IDoc type – Transaction WE30

 Create a Basic type ZRZORDER

 Add the created segments in the hierarchy shown
 Maintain attributes for each of the segments
 Save the object and go back
 Release the object using the menu path Edit -> Set Release

3. Create/Assign Message type – Transactions WE81/WE82

 Go to WE81
 Create a new Message type ZRZSO_MT
 Save the object
 Go to WE82 and create new entry
 Assign the message type ZRZSO_MT to the basic type ZRZORDER
 Also specify the Release Version
 Save the object

Thus we have defined the IDoc structure which will hold the data to be transferred.
In the previous part we created an IDoc structure which can carry our data from source system to
target system(s). In this part we will understand how to setup the source system to be able to
generate and send an outbound IDoc.

Outbound Settings

Define Logical Systems and Assign Client to Logical System – Transaction SALE

 Go to Define Logical System (See

the figure)
 Define a new logical system to
identify the local system and save it
 Now, go to Assign Client to
Logical System (See the figure)
 Add a new entry
 Specify the client, previously created logical system and other attributes
 Save the entry
 Define a new logical system to identify the partner system and save it

Maintain RFC Destinations – Transaction SM59

 Create a new RFC destination for R/3 type connection

 Specify the target host on Technical settings tab
 Provide the Logon credentials on the Logon/Security tab
 Save the settings
 To verify the settings, Click on Test connection or Remote logon

Define Ports – Transaction WE21

 We need to define a tRFC port for the partner system

 Click on Transactional RFC node
 Create a new port
 Provide a description
 Specify the name of the target RFC destination
 Save the object

Maintain Distribution Model – Transaction BD64

 Click on Change
 Create a new model view
 Provide a Short text and Technical name to the model view
 Add message type
 Specify sender and receiver systems
 Also, specify the message type that we created previously
 Save the Distribution model

Generate/Create Partner Profile – Transactions BD82/WE20

  To generate Partner profiles automatically you may use BD82 or go to BD64 and use the
menu path Environment -> Generate partner profiles
 Otherwise, you may use transaction WE20 to create a partner profile
 On selection screen, specify the model view, target system and execute
 The result log will be displayed on the next screen
 To verify the partner profile go to WE20
 Check the partner profile for the target system

Distribute Model View – Transaction BD64

 Select the Model View

 Go to menu path Edit -> Model View -> Distribute
 Result log will be displayed on the next screen

Outbound IDoc Generation Program

Create an executable program ZRZ_ORDER_IDOC in SE38. Below, I have described the program logic:

 Fetch the data from the DDic tables ZCUSTOMERS, ZSOHEADERS and ZSOITEMS as per the
selection criteria
 Fill the control record structure of type EDIDC
 Specify message type, Basic IDoc type, tRFC Port, Partner number and Partner type
of the receiver
 Fill the data records
 Define structures like the IDoc segments
 Fill the structures with fetched data
 Pass the segment name and the above structure to the appropriate fields of EDIDD
type structure
 Append the EDIDD structure to the EDIDD type internal table
 Now, call the function module MASTER_IDOC_DISTRIBUTE and pass the IDoc control record
structure and data record table
  Commit work if return code is zero
 Function module returns a table of type EDIDC to provide the details about generated IDoc
 Display appropriate log

You can download sample code for the above program here.

Thus we have completed sender side configuration required for ALE. In the next part we will see how
to configure the receiving system to be able to receive and post the inbound IDoc.

In the previous parts we learned how to create a custom IDoc and set up the source system to send
an outbound IDoc. In this part we will learn how to configure the receiving SAP R/3 system to be able
to receive and post the inbound IDoc.

Inbound IDoc Posting Function Module

In the receiving system, create a function module Z_IDOC_INPUT_ZRZSO_MT using SE37. Below, I
have described the logic for the same.

Add Include MBDCONWF. This include contains predefined ALE constants.

Loop at EDIDC table

 Check if the message type is ZRZORDER. Otherwise raise WRONG_FUNCTION_CALLED

exception
 Loop at EDIDD table
 Append data from the segments to appropriate internal tables
 For example: append data from ZRZSEG1 segment to the internal table of type
ZCUSTOMERS
 Update the DDic tables from internal tables
 Depending on the result of the update, fill the IDoc status record (type BDIDOCSTAT) and
append it to the corresponding table.
 Status 53 => Success
 Status 51 => Error

You can download the sample ABAP code for the above function module here.

Inbound Settings

 Define Logical Systems – Transaction SALE (Please refer to Outbound Settings discussed
in previous part)
 Assign Client to Logical System – Transaction SALE (Please refer to Outbound Settings
discussed in previous part)
 Maintain RFC Destinations – Transaction SM59 (Please refer to Outbound Settings discussed
in previous part)
 Define Ports – Transaction WE21 (Please refer to Outbound Settings discussed in previous
part)
 Generate/Create Partner Profile – Transactions BD82/WE20 (Please refer to Outbound
Settings discussed in previous part)
 Assign Function Module to Logical message – Transaction WE57
 Create a new entry
  Specify name of the Function Module as Z_IDOC_INPUT_ZRZSO_MT
 Also, specify Type as F, Basic IDoc type as ZRZORDER, Message type as ZRZSO_MT
and Direction as 2 (Inbound)
 Save the entry
 Define Input method for Inbound Function Module – Transaction BD51
 Create a new entry
 Provide Function Module name as Z_IDOC_INPUT_ZRZSO_MT
 Specify the Input method as 2
 Save the entry
 Create a Process Code – Transaction WE42
 Create a new Process Code ZPCRZ
 Select Processing with ALE Service
 Choose Processing type as Processing by function module
 Save the entry
 On the next screen, select your function module from the list
 Save the changes
 Now you will be taken to the next screen
 Double-click on Logical message
 In the Assignment to logical message, specify the message type ZRZSO_MT
 Save the changes

Send and receive data

On the sender system, execute the IDoc Generation Program. Check the status of IDoc using
transaction WE02.

Check the status of the IDoc in the receiver system using transaction WE02. You can also check the
contents of DDic tables to make sure that the records have been created in the receiver system.
Thus to summarize we have learned how to:

 Create a custom IDoc

 Write an Outbound IDoc Generation Program
 Write Inbound Function Module to post Inbound IDoc
 Configure and test ALE scenario to transmit data between systems distributed across the
network