Need Help with SAP Punchout Catalog

[Former Member]

Hello, I am new to SRM.   I am trying to figure out what all need to be setup in the SAP system to make the punchout catlog work.  We want the IW32 and ME51N to be able to punchout to externally hosted catlog.   The external hosting company sent us some documention on PunchOutSetupRequest, PunchOutSetupResponse and PunchOutOrderMessage.   It expects data in cXML format.  Not sure where to go from here? 

Do we just need to configure the punchout using SPRO?  Is there any other custom coding necessary to make the punchout work?

Any help will be appreciated. 

Thanks.

[robin_janke · Accepted solution]

Hi,

from the message names and the cXML, I guess it is Ariba OCI? They use a different structure and this is not compatible with SAP OCI.

So if the external company doesn't support SAP OCI, you can't connect.

Regards,

Robin

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hello, do you know the steps involved in setting up SAP for punchout to an externally hosted catalog?

[former_member216093 · Accepted solution]

Hi Sam,

I can see that you need help on following two points:

1) Setting up punchout catalog

2) Converting SAP std XML into cXML

Point-1: in SRM system you can follow the path:

SPRO> SAP SRM> SRM Server> Mast data> Content Management > Define external web services

Here you can define a new web service for your catalog (by copying any exiting service). Main parameters which you would need from catalog vendor are:

1) Their OCI complaint catalog URL

2) UserID

3) Password

Use standard call structure and maintain the parameters in the following order.

Also maintain the business partner of the vendor in the details of the web service.

Point-2: SAP SRM generates SAP standard XML format which you can see in SXMB_MONI transaction. This needs to be done in PI where customisation is needed to map standard XML fields to cXML. Then PI will send it to the vendor site. Also, the same mapping needs to be done if there is any PO change message to be sent to the vendor or PO response message which comes from the vendor.

Hope this clarifies and gives you enough insight.

Regards,

Ravi Pachauri

[pratap_l]

Hi Sam,

Not sure if you are checking the Punch-out Catalog Integration for SRM for ECC.

If it is for SRM, then follow the steps mentioned by Ravi Pachauri along with the below pointers.

Part- A Punch-out Catalog Integration

1. Define the Web Services - This is where you need to Define the Catalog setup the call structure for the Catalog.

a. For define the Catalog- You need to define it as a Product Catalog - If the Catalog is specific to a particular Vendor (Vendor Catalog) then give the Vendor's BP ID and the P.Org ID in the respective fields, else if it is a Market place Catalog then leave the fields blank.

b. Setting up the catalog Call structure- You need to give the Catalog URL, User ID and the Password.

Leave the Hook_URL as blank.

2. Define the Category mapping- You need to map the Imported Product categories with the Internal Product Categories. This can be done in two ways - a. Using the Standard SPRO settings and b. Using a customizing table.

Part- B cXML PO Output

As a pre-requisite you need to have a PI system in place.

SRM by standard does not generate a cXML formal, however it generates a XML message for the PO.

For getting an XML message of the PO- you need to maintain the Vendors communication medium as XI/XML.

Once the XML message is generated the PI guys should be able to pick the XML message and convert it into a cXML format and transmit the same to the Vendor.

Hope this helps!!

Regards,

Veera Pratap

[jason_boggans]

Hi,

This is an SRM forum, you are asking about catalog integration with ERP.

What I can tell you is that the catalog interface adheres to the OCI format, version 4.0 or 5.0 depending on your release.

Please check this page here for more details on the OCI specifications.

Regards,

Jason