Routing Maintenance, Custom Data (SAP ME 6.1)

[Former Member]

Hi,

at the moment we use CUSTOM_FIELDS.VALUE to be able to categorize a few routing steps together while creating a webi report, e.g. Step ID 010 and 020 get the Value "1". However, it seems that this table is not available in the ODS DB.

Is there another way to deal with this requirement without using CUSTOM_FIELDS? Any other approaches how to solve this issue? It should be possible to use an information given in the routing maintenance to categorize different steps.

Thanks in advance and best regards

Alex

[Former Member]

Alex

If you turn on Audit Logging for your Routing, then when you create or update a routing, the entire routing definition, including its custom fields, will appear in the AL_ tables in the ODS database.

Specifically, AL_ROUTER_STEP will be dynamically appended with the custom fields and their contents.

Stuart

[Former Member]

Hi Stuart

Thanks for your reply.

That's an interesting idea! But I am unable to find any data related to the custom fields in AL_ROUTER_STEP. There is a lot of other information but not the one I am looking for. Could this be caused due to a parameter setting of the audit logging? Where would we have to double check if audit logging for routing is turned on correctly?

Thanks and best regards

Alex

[Former Member]

Alex

This is configured in System Setup activity (it may be hidden by default).

Click Retrieve, then the Audit Log tab.

Turn on the Routing by setting ROUTER.al_state = Current in the drop down. Now you have to re-save any routing you want copied to the AL_ tables. Custom fields are dynamically appended - if this isn't done for the AL_ROUTER_STEP, then you should open a support ticket, as it certainly works for custom fields of the parent AL_ROUTER table.

[Former Member]

Hi Stuart

Since I am a rookie in this field I would like to know if the system setup acitivity is available in the CMC as expected?

Thanks and regards

Alex

[Former Member]

Hi Alex

Sorry, I'm not familiar with your abbreviation CMC.

In SAP ME's activity maintenance, retrieve the activity SS100. Make sure it is checked as "visible in the activity manager" and that it is in an activity group.

In User Group Maintenance, retrieve the group you are in and make sure that the System Setup can be executed by you.

If you had to give permissions to execute now, then you need to log off and back on again for it to show up in your activity manager.

Stuart

[Former Member]

Hi Stuart

We were able to test it, but without success meaning that there is still nothing related to custom fields in the AL_ROUTER_STEP table.

BTW: we have SAP ME 6.0 and not 6.1, sorry for the mix up.

Is there any other possibility to get the custom fields data in the ODS DB?

Thanks and best regards

Alex

[Former Member]

Alex

Open a support ticket - this field should be created, and is the only core way of getting this into the ODS schema. Can you verify that any custom fields of AL_ROUTER do get created? The version difference here should not matter.

As an alternative, you could create a database synonym in ODS that connects back to the WIP table to get this data, but really it should not be necessary, as the audit log table set should have it.

Stuart

[Former Member]

Hi Stuart

Just to clarify this issue quickly. In the Routing Step Properties we are able to set a Value for the Attribute "Block" (see below in the screenshot). This value is needed to have categories in the report.

AL_ROUTER and AL_ROUTER_STEP do not contain this information. There are also no fields created in any of the mentioned tables related to the custom data.

thanks and best regards

Alex

[Former Member]

Yes, that field should appear in ODS if the routing object is audit logged. The table AL_ROUTER_STEP should be dynamically modified and appended with a new column called BLOCK. This is different from the way it works in WIP, where all custom fields are stored in the CUSTOM_FIELDS table for every object, so you have to join ROUTER_STEP to this table to get its custom value. But in ODS, it's simplified.

Are you now getting the routing definition stored in AL_ROUTER and its associated tables? If so, create a custom field of the parent Routing object and confirm whether that column gets created in the AL_ROUTER table at least, to show that the concept works even if it's not the object and custom field you want.

[Former Member]

Hi Stuart

in the meantime we verified that the concept works for AL_ROUTER. So custom data of the router is automatically appended to this table. But it still doesn't work for Router_Step. Is there a particular setting to activate Audit logging for sub level objects?

thanks and best regards

Alex

[Former Member]

Hi Alex

No, when you turn on audit logging for the routing object, all of its corresponding child tables are also subject to audit logging - you do have records in AL_ROUTER_STEP, right? Therefore if the custom fields are not being appended here, it's a bug and needs to be addressed via a support ticket.

Stuart

[Former Member]

Hi Stuart

Ok, in this case we will open a support ticket.

Thanks for your advice.

best regards

Alex

[sergiy_katerinich]

Hi!

There is a known issue that current implementation of Public API for routings does not consider custom field of routing steps. This will be addressed during future development. Your issue seems to be a part of this "design gap". So, it is likely not to be processed as a bug.

Regards,

Sergiy

[alexander_teslyuk]

Hi Alex,

Perhaps you can agree on some naming convention. Either for Operation names or for their Descriptions. And then get data from DB filtering as per the convention.

Br, Alex.

[Former Member]

Hi Alex,

Thanks for your reply.

This would be a possibility, but unfortunately it creates a lot of work to create and maintain it.

An example:

Two products have a similar routing but not exactly the same. Therefore an operation might occur one step earlier or later. Hence I had to maintain different filters according to operation and product type. Once a routing step is added, I had to adjust it manually.

So the goal would be to have a "self maintaining" setup. If a step is added, it will be categorized correctly due to a particular value given in the routing maintenance.

Best regards

Alex