Resources and Skills for RFID implementation

[Former Member]

Hi

Assuming that the project on hand is to RFID-enable the warehouse of a manufacturer with small operations (annual revenues around $50-100 million). Time frame: 3 months.

And the organization is already using SAP. So processes to be covered are material movement in warehouse and shipping/delivery processing only.

I would like to know:

1. How many persons would be required to implement RFID and what skills these persons must possess. I think we would need one MM, one SD consultant each (for warehouse and shipping processes). And one person with SAP AII?

2. Apart from the above, would we need individual persons for ABAP, XI, XML, Java?

3. What should be the background knowledge for a SAP AII person? Do we train a ABAP person to become a SAP AII expert? Is it that SAP AII person in a project must know ABAP and/or Java?

Thank you for your time!!

Regards

Sankar

[Former Member]

Hi

1. How many persons

One MM -> OK

One SD -> OK

And you need one Person who make the thinks runing on the AII-System

2. Other individual persons

In some scenarios it's good to have a person in the project who knows XI well.

You will need this person only a few days.

You do not need a person with Java Know-How since AII ist in ABAP-OO and in XI the Java-Part for your scenario will be very little

3. Background for a SAP AII person

Look for someone with good ABAP-Skills. It wood be good if this person knows something about ABAP-OO (since the so called activtys in AII are ABAP-OO classes and methods). It would be good if this person has an idea about XML (no deep, but at least some basics).

The SAP AII person don't need Java at all.

4. Other Project members

Someone has to install a device controller. This is that peace of software witch translates the events from a RFID-Reader in a XML-Message for the AII.

Usually this is done by a partner.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards

Herbert

[Former Member]

Thank you Herbert !!

Most part of my question is answered, but I am left with some questions aboout the dvice controllers.

Is the device controller not part of the product (reader/printer)? We will be working with Printronix Printers and GAOTek brand of Readers.

Can we do without device controllers? What would be the problem if we go without device controllers?

Do we need to develop the controller on our own? What skill is needed to develop this?

Regards

Sankar

[MichalKrawczyk]

Hi,

>>>>Is the device controller not part of the product (reader/printer)?

yes it is

>>>>Can we do without device controllers? What would be the problem if we go without device controllers?

deveice controller is a tool that sends RFID reads from the reader to AII

so it would be hard to go without it

Regards,

michal

[Former Member]

Hi Sankar

usually the device controller is not part of the hardware, but i dont know the bundel of Printronix Printers and GAOTek readers.

Actually you can go without device controller, but I would not recommend this at all. You would have done a lot of coding one a "hardware level".

Skills needs: I would do it in Java, but there many ways

If you provide me your email-Adresse I will send you a documentation about the SAP Auto-ID Infrastructure Device Controller Interface.

Regard

Herbert

[Former Member]

Hi Herbert

I could not find your e-mail on ur business card, so I could not send you my mail ID personally. Here it is: shankar179@yahoo.com

Thank you again.

Regards

Sankar

[Former Member]

Hi Sankar

have a look at your inbox.

Regards

Herbert

[MichalKrawczyk]

hi,

DC document can also be found on SDN:

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/servlet/prt/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/419e11e7-0801-0010-1e8f-919...

Regards,

michal

[Former Member]

Hi michal

you are right. The document you pointed to is a good source, but there is a new version "AII40SP3_Devicecontroller_Interface". I did not found it on SDN.

The changes to the doc you mentioned are:

- New interfaces

ALE 1.0

ConfigureTagFilter command

- Additions to SAP AII classig messages

WriteTagData command message: Now also used for updating user data on existiong tags bypopulation the Tag element and its schemeID attribut

ExtensionCommand command message: The readerID attribute ist popultates

Notification messgage: Additions Tag Info and additional Oberservation Data

- Communication Protocols

SOAP Web Services (for ALW 1.0)

Printing via the SAP Spooler

Regards

Herbert

[MichalKrawczyk]

Hi,

didn't know that

if possible could you also send it to me ?

Thanks,

Regards,

michal

[Former Member]

Hi

I have found this valuable link-list from Pawan. It lists some of the official places where everybody can get released documents vom SAP regarding AII:

We should estabished such a summary as sticky thread. I will make a post to Marilyn Pratt. Or better, I will beginn to answer the questions descriped in "Results of our RFID Online Meet-up". This will be the beginn for a FAQ-List.

Regards

Herbert