Custom Tcodes for Specific Customer

[vmmjn]

Hello All,

The requirement is to give access to one of the biggest Customer(e.g. ABC)  of SAP Production System ,Where ABC's Representative will Directly Enter Sales Order in Production System.

They need access of Tcodes Like VA01/VA02/VA03 & VA05 ...where they can only see their Own  Customer Details (Only Customer Numbers & Details of ABC Customer ) & Other Customers details should not be visible to them for same Company Code & Sales Org.

We are Planning to Create Custom Tcodes like ZVA01 & by restricting access for Customer Master Drop Down.

Please advice ..What is the best way to achieve this.

Thanks,

Vikas

[Jelena · Accepted solution]

Quite frankly, the whole idea seems totally insane. In our company granting someone access even within the firewall already would be questioned, much less getting directly into the productive SAP system.

But if the local security team is totally cool with that (or just asleep at the wheel, I guess) then I'd have to agree with MoazzaM's suggestion to create a custom transaction using a BAPI. The customer should not have access to the full functionality VA... has to offer. Similarly, instead of VA05 just create a query and add a custom transaction.

To those believing this could be "simply" achieved by using authorization concept - how do you think authorization check works? What happens when a custom authorization object is created? How would SAP know what to do with that object? I can tell you - there is no magic, someone would have to write actual ABAP code to check that object at appropriate places in the SAP transaction code. The amount of customization you'd have to do for this in the standard transactions would be much bigger than creating a custom transaction. Also you'd have to add this object to all the other roles, make sure to test them to confirm that other orders are not affected, etc. It's not as easy and simple as it may seem.

Really, a proper solution for this would be to build some kind of a portal/web application and run it outside the firewall. Or build an interface with the customer's own ERP system. Certainly it's more time consuming than just letting someone in your SAP system, but it is also more secure and could be used by any number of customers, not just one.

[moazzam_ali · Accepted solution]

Jelena Perfiljeva wrote:
Quite frankly, the whole idea seems totally insane. In our company granting someone access even within the firewall already would be questioned, much less getting directly into the productive SAP system.
But if the local security team is totally cool with that (or just asleep at the wheel, I guess) then I'd have to agree with MoazzaM's suggestion to create a custom transaction using a BAPI. The customer should not have access to the full functionality VA... has to offer. 

I like this part

Jelena I want to tell you that may be in Russia you dont have any experience of this kind of requirement but in Pakistan and India we have these kind of requirements and let me tell you that I have done this in my previous company too. They had opened retail outlets and they asked us to give them SAP access to create sale order directly but they also dont want them to see our customer list, material and prices etc. It was really a big challenge and you are right about authorization objects. We can not control this with them. Even if we create authorization object for customer and add that in user exits, still they will see customer list in drop down. Authorization objects cant control drop downs. We had achieved this with two different approaches.

1. We created a Z Tcode and a table for user names and passwords. ABAPER created a screen for entering username and password and it validates it from that table. We set up that Tcode as startup transaction and saved SAP standard user's credential in log file. With this whenever user double clicked SAP login screen it directly took user to the Z username and password screen. After Z login we created a screen in which customer number was hard coded. For materials we also had another Z table and in Z screen we fetched materials from that table and user selected material from that drop down list in which there were only material descriptions. User had to enter material and quantity and price determined automatically with another function module. WE also used a function to check stock availability. After entering everything we created a button for Creating sale order and on this button we used BAPI to create sale order, delivery, PGI and billing. You can say we had done whole sales process in single click button it sounds great but it took us almost a month to develop this application and cater all scenarios and errors.
2. Then there was problem that for this process we had to install SAP gui in every retail outlet shop and customer's PCs. Then we had another idea to create this whole process in web using PHP and integrate it with SAP. PHP developer and ABAPER together created the same whole process in PHP and we also did this successfully with our efforts.

Both processes were working fine and they used it for couple of weeks. Interesting thing in this whole story is that customers didnt used it as they were supposed to do and they started using their manual invoices. Both the systems were working fine but they discontinued it and our efforts and both applications went in dark zone but we learnt a lot of things during this development. Both application stil exist in system but those are not in use any more now.

You are right that it seems easy but when we start developing it then we have to face and cater a lot of scenarios and challenges.

[vmmjn · Accepted solution]

Thanks everyone for Valuable Inputs ...we are still deciding on best Option to achieve this...will keep you Posted...

Thanks

[former_member1329 · Accepted solution]

Dear Mozzaam,

As part of Implementation, We had also developed a Z Sales Application where in  on a single click of button, Sales order, delivery, Pgi, billing and FBCJ - Cash Journal Updation  gets done.

Instead of Zlogin, these Userids only have authorisation of this Ztcode (and other standard and Z reports). we have also used Extras- Set start Transaction, so on logging in to SAP, the user is directly taken to this ZTcode of Retail Sales applications.

This Single click sales functionality are used by our retail chains.  (We have a seperate sales area for retail sales). Although the retail volume is low (<10% of total sales by value), but in absolute terms, over 35,000 retail invoices are created every month at 200 of these retail outlets.

It was a 35 days customisation and got stabilised in 2 months of Go-live. Currently it has been  over 2 years since it is happily meeting all the expectations of  Customer.

It uses one time customer. The retail outlet is a storage location of the "Retail Plant".

The end user just enters the customer's name. The material code and quantity.

There are few other fields on Zscreen like customer Group,  Material Usage and the like  for use in pricing.

There is a Simulate button, which does availability and batch determination, also shows the  net value  to be collected from customer. Once customer confirms /  pays the cash. the "Generate Invoice" button is clicked, which generates the SO, Delivery, PGI , Invoice, Cash journal. And gives a popup to print the cash memo. All is done using Bapis.

Dear Vikas,

In case you have Adobe licenses, You can develop Adobe forms, which your customer can download from your company's website  or you can email them.

The customer will fill in the details in this editable pdf and  mail you back the pdf form. (even that can be automated by giving a mail button in the form, on clicking that button it will generate a mail using customer's default mail program).

The customer only needs Adobe reader (which as we know is freely availiable). The  customer will be able to enter the desired fields, even dropdowns are available in adobe form. And this does not need any connection to Sap or Internet,  The values of  dropdowns are fixed at the time of generation of that  pdf in sap system. These values can be restricted as per your need.

To elaborate,  your customer can download the adobe Form, Fill it offline and mail it back to your Sap Id. 

On reciept of email containing adobe form at your sap system, the event will trigger creation of sales order.

This is  how we have catered to  our PREMIUM customers.

Since they dont find SAP screens to be  user friendly, and everybody is familiar with adobe pdfs.

This SAP - Adobe interface is a standard functionality, you  just have to develop Adobe  pdf form which is similar to developing  a new Smartform or sap script.(Only you need a abaper with adobe skills and a ADOBE developer license, kinda similar to a  abap id.)

Regards,

Sunil.

[moazzam_ali · Accepted solution]

Hi

Please update after deciding that what solution your management has selected.

Thank$

[rahul_vishwakarma2]

Hi Friend,

   Do one thing, i am not sure this will work or not but you can try and confirm once.

   For particular customer (XYZ), you have some SAP USER ID. For that User Id asked abaper to create a authorization Parameter and give it to Basis team to assing it in role.

  I hope this will work out for you . So check once and confirm

Regards,

Kundan

[Former Member]

Hi Vikas,

you'll need to restrict access to your customer by means of authorizations. It would be also advisable to adjust SAP menu to only the transactions they'll be using by means of a customized menu, favorites...

Talk to your basis & security team.

Regards,

JM

[moazzam_ali]

Hi

So your company is going to give access of your SAP system to your customer

I am not sure that whether we can restrict any field's drop down or not. I think this is not possible. If you do this, it will be implemented on every screen where ever that field is used. ZVA01 is not going to work I think. For how many fields you will restrict him? Customers? Materials? Pricing conditions and your cost price even VPRS? Your material groups and categories and so many other fields in standard order screen. If you have in your mind that you will restrict them by creating and assigning a screen variant then customer, material, pricing fields will be still there and you cant restrict drop downs of customer and material.

In my opinion you should create a custom screen in ABAP and use sale order create BAPI for it. Create custom TCode in which there will be no drop down of customer and it will be hard coded. Only those materials will be allowed which that customer wants to buy. Cost prices will be not shown or any discount etc.

I have done this in my previous compnay and it worked fine. You need an expert ABAPER for this who can use BAPIs very well. You will be using BAPIs for confirming stock, determining prices and creating sale order etc.

Thank$