SAP S/$4 hana project

Introduction
SAP S/4 HANA is the new offering from SAP built on the high performance In-memory platform HANA
with an enriching user experience using FIORI apps.This new system includes major changes and
massive simplifications ranging form changes in underlying data models to new user interface through
FIORI apps.
Objective:
The objective of this blog is to understand the data model simplifications in SD area through a
comparative study with a non S/4 system.
Below are the major simplification points:

 Status tables VBUK and VBUP have been eliminated and the new status fields have been added
to:

 VBAK and VBAP for sales order header and item

 LIKP and LIPS for delivery document header and item

 VBRK for billing document header

 No status fields are present for billing items.

 Simplification of document flow table VBFA

 Document index tables like VAKPA , VAPMA etc. have been done away with.

User Community
Identification of who the system is aimed at. There may be more than one group of people and each group
may have slightly different requirements. Are we providing different functions to fulfil these or not?

These groups of people are normally identified as use case roles (i.e. actors), and the functions assigned to
each role as individual use cases. Where this information does not fit into the use case model, it should be
captured in the main functional specification instead.

Administration Functions
How will the system be administered? Are there separate functions for an administrator? Is there any
security built in to stop others using administrative functions? Passwords?

Error Handling
How errors should be handled should be stated. Identify the different types and reasons for the
classification.
Security
Security considerations are an important part of any project. This section should detail possibilities of
abuse of the system.

Along with error handling, the specification has to handle “the negative path”. There is no point in having
a system that does lots of good things if it also does lots of bad things.

Help
What type of help is to be provided?

Printing
Ensure any printing to be provided is stated.

Interfaces

User
This could be a chapter in its own right if it is a full definition. If it is deferred to the design specification
stage, this should be stated.

Software
We may be interfacing to existing software. This should be stated, e.g. toolkits, back ends of existing
packages. State versions. Do interface documents exist?

Boundary Conditions
It should be clear what are the extremes to be taken into consideration. These items may have come up.
This will vary with different systems but it could be items such as number of users, size of forms, number
of forms.

Constraints
All other constraints not specified under particular headings. For example: economic, political, technical,
system, environmental, scheduling constraints.

Platforms
We should list which platforms we will be supporting. Name a reference platform or platforms plus
appropriate operating system versions.

Internationalisation
Is this to be included in the product now or in the future?
Comparison:
Let us understand the differences by looking at the table structures:

 VBUK and VBUP are still present in S/4 HANA but they are not filled when an order is created.

 The status fields have been added through append structure.

Table Name Description Append Name

VBAK Sales Order Header VBAK_STATUS
VBAP Sales Order Item VBAP_STATUS
LIKP Delivery Header LIKP_STATUS
LIPS Delivery Item LIPS_STATUS
VBRK Billing Document Header VBRK_STATUS
  If any custom fields have been added to VBUK or VBUP tables in source system, they will have
to be added to respective document tables in S/4 HANA system.

 An append field to the document header status table VBUK must be added to one or several of
the document header tables VBAK, LIKP, or VBRK. This decision depends on which of the
document types the respective field is relevant for.

 An append field to document item status table VBUP must be added to one or more of the
document item tables VBAP or LIPS.

VBAK:

VBAP:

When a sales order is created in a non S/4 HANA system:

Sales Order: 7137:

VBAK table holds the order header details

Order status information is present in VBUK table

Sales Order in S/4 HANA system:

VBAK table contains both the header details as well as the header status

Header status fields are now added to VBAK table

Table VBUK is present but is not filled.

Reason VBUK / VBUP are still present in S/4 HANA:

Since the status tables are not being filled it can be questioned why the tables are still present and not
removed from system altogether. The reason for this is to enable smooth transition for those opting for
migration to S/4 HANA system.
New function modules have been written which read the document status fields from VBAK , LIKP aur
VBRK tables and populate in output whose structure is similar to that of VBUK.
For example FM SD_VBUK_READ_FROM_DOC is a new FM that fills VBUK structure for one SD
document out of document header tables. The data is fetched depending upon the document type.

 The output structure ES_VBUK still refers to VBUK table.

 Any custom fields added to appends like VBAK_STATUS will be read by this FM.

Advantages:

 Reduced memory footprint : Since fewer tables are involved this means reduction of redundant
data and simplified document flow.

 Now if we need to query the order table on the basis of document status we can simply do so by 1
single query on VBAK table instead of join on VBAK and VBUK.

NOTES:

 OSS Note 2198647 can be referred for further information.

Acknowledgment:

 Reference taken from Simplification List for S/4 HANA 1511 0302.
S/4 HANA 1511 On Premise Edition – not as simplified as promissed? (comparing the Simplification List
to an actual system)

January 20, 2016 | 716 Views |

Joachim Rees

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Last week I got the chance to lay my hands on a S4 HANA 1511 OnPremise Edition system for the first
time.
While waiting for our system to be available, I have read the Simplification List (I’m using version 1.5
for references) in detail, so I had some expectations what I will see (and maybe even more Important what
I will no longer see). Here are some examples comparing the list and the system experience.
I’m accessing the system via the classical SapGui-functions (using Business Client 6.0), and see if I get
my processes running that way. (Exploring the new Fiori UI is left to a later stage).
System – Status says:

 Product-Version: SAP S/4HANA ON-PREMISE 1511

  SAP_BASIS 750 0000 – SAP Basis Component

 S4CORE 100 0000 – S4CORE

 (there’s no SAP_APPL!)

2.1.1.1 Business Partner Approach – BP replacing vendor master and customer master

Calling VD01 leads me directly to BP, with the message “Redirection to transaction BP, as transaction
VD01 is obsolete”. Same is true for XK01, MK01…
VD02 and VD03 let me select the customer before redirecting me to BP.
So this is what was announced in 2.1.1.1 Business Partner Approach -> all is done via BP.
I didn’t expect getting redirected if you try to use some of the old transactions (e.g. VK01) but consider it
a nice service for people transitioning from ECC.
Interesting: KNA1 and LFA1 are still filled, when creating the corresponding BusinessPartner.
2.1.2.1 SD Simplified Data Models:

From 2.1.2.1 SD Simplified Data Models:

“Field length extension of SD document category: Data element VBTYP (Char1) has been replaced by
data element VBTYPL (Char4)”
-> true, VBAK-VBTYP now has Data-Element VBTYPL, an it is 4 characters long.
“Elimination of Status Tables VBUK, VBUP: “

 Well: VBUK, VBUP: they seem to still be there, but are not filled!

“Status fields have been moved to the corresponding header and item tables – VBAK and VBAP for sales
documents, LIKP, and LIPS for deliveries, VBRK for billing documents”

 true: VBAK now has the status fields (.INCLUDE VBAK_STATUS), same for VBAP
(.INCLUDE VBAP_STATUS)

“Elimination of redundancies – Document Index Tables VAKPA , VAPMA, VLKPA, VLPMA, VRKPA,
VRPMA”

 well: they seem to still be there, and they are filled!

2.1.9.1 Data model in inventory management (MM-IM)

There now is a table MATDOC, and it’s filled.

MSEG and MKPF seem to still be there, and seem to be filled. They appear as Transparent Tables.
2.1.9.2 Availability of Transactions in MM-IM

“The following transactions for entering and displaying goods movements (material documents) – called
“MB transactions” (below) are not available with SAP S/4HANA. […]MB01, MB02, MB03, MB04,
MB05, MB0A, MB11, MB1A, MB1B, MB1C, MB31, MBNL, MBRL, MBSF,MBSL, MBST and MBSU”
  True! MB03 redirects to MIGO, MB01, MB31, MBSF gives a message that it cannot be used:
“Transaction MB01 is obsolete (see note 2210569 )”. -> ok.

2.1.4.11 Classic MM-PUR GUI Transactions replacement

OK, here’s the first time, that the Simplification List clearly seems to be lying:
“Transaction not available in SAP S/4HANA on-premise edition 1511:”
ME21
ME22
ME23
ME24
ME25
ME26
ME27
ME28
[and some more]
Well, I can use ME21 just fine, I successfully created a PO with it! I also used ME22 and ME23.
1.6 Elimination of tables – general

Using a SapGui point of view (SE11, SE16, SE16n) the tables that should have been eliminated seem to
still be there. I cannot tell a difference between VBUK (should have been eliminated) and VBAK (should
still be there).
I see two possible explanations for that:

 The compatibility views (aka equally named views) are abstracting so well that I cannot tell them
apart from “real” transparent tables.

 Despite the simplification list saying so, they have NOT been eliminated.

[Edit: the first explanation now seems more likely to me, as I have tried writing into one of those Tables
(MKPF) and it didn’t work (update set is giving an RC = 4). ]
Another thing to note: some of the tables are still filled while executing business processes (like MKPF),
others are not (like VBUK).
[Edit 2: now I know how to look behind the scenes here! I share it with you in my new blog! ]
1.7 Elimination of Transactions / dead code

Some transaction (ME21) have not been eliminated at all. The others are either re-directing to a new
Transaction (VK01 -> BP; MB03 -> MIGO), or giving error messages, that they can no longer be used
(MB01).
But: The codebase is still there, it has not been eliminated. (I checked it on the example of MBSF ->
SAPMM07M). So I have unused (dead) code in my system, which does not seem to be a good idea in
regards to maintenance.
1.8 Outlook

Maybe you can give me some tips, to help evaluate my experiences?

E.g.
– what would be a good way to really look at tables (probably down on HANA DB-level?) an tell if the
really have been eliminated or not.
– has maybe the 1511 cloud edition been more consequent in really elimination stuff, like promised (or
threatened?) in the Simplification List? E.g. what happens, when you try ME21 in Cloud Edition?
– (how) will we get rid of the obsolete codebase in future releases?
I hope you enjoyed my blog, which in fact is my first one ever, so your feedback is very welcome!
Summary:-
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