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Process Messages - Processing

Contents:
Creating process messages
Sending process messages
Monitoring process messages
Deleting process messages

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Process Messages - Processing:
Course Objectives

At the conclusion of this unit, you will be able to:

Describe the possible processing steps of a process
message:

Options for creating process messages

Options for sending process messages

Options for monitoring process messages

Options for deleting process messages

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0.3
Overview Diagram 4

88

Control Recipes
Settings and Processing

99
Process Messages Structure and Settings

PI Sheet
Elements and Functions

10
10

PI Sheet
Process Instructions

Process Messages
Processing:

11
11

55

Process Messages
in the Standard SAP System

Process Instructions
Generation

12
12

Decentralized
Process Management

66

Process Messages Structure and Settings

13
13

Data Transfer Between

Applications

77

Process Instructions
for Process Control Systems

14
14

SAP OPC Data Access

11

Course Overview

22

Introduction

33

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0.4
Process Message Processing - Overview

Send message
Create
message

Transfer to
Process
Management

Start
send
function

Message is
checked

Data is
transferred

Change
message

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The graphic provides an overview of how a process message is processed.

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Creating Process Messages
Create
message
in
proc. control
system for
proc.
instruction
in PI sheet
for
process
instruction
manually in
Proc.Man
without
proc. instruc.
autom. in
Proc.Man
without
proc. instruc.

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Transfer
message
to Process
Management
through PCS
interface
using RFC

Send message
Start
send
function

Message is
checked

Data is
transferred

internally
Change
message

periodically
after event (Manufacturing Data Access)

Process messages are created as part of process control to report actual data for executing a process
order. Process messages can be created in one of the following ways:
For planned or expected process events, you can request the corresponding message using a
relevant process instruction. The message is created automatically when the process operator
maintains the PI sheet, or when the control recipe is processed by the process control system.
In expectional situations that are not taken into account in the PI sheet or control recipe, you can
also create process messages manually within Process Management.
In addition, process messages may be automatically created either periodically or based on events.
Events are defined in the SAP manufacturing data access system.

After creation, the process messages are transferred to Process Management, which sends them to
the relevant destinations.
Messages are transferred as follows:
Manually created messages are transferred immediately after they are saved.
Automatically created messages are transferred after the event is reported.
Messages created from a PI sheet are transferred after you have executed the report function in the
PI sheet.
Messages are transferred from the process control system to Process Management using a remote
function call (RFC).

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Automatic Creation of Process Messages
Define variant
Plant: <plant for message to be created automatically>
Variant name: <name of variant>
Short text <description of variant>
Start condition

_
M
P
E

Start not permitted

Manual individual execution
Periodic start
Event-controlled start

Define period
Define event

Process message to be generated

Message cat.: <message category to be sent automatically>
Message characteristics: Valuation type:

_ no value
F Fixed value
D Data point

Characteristic value: < depends on valuation type>

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The Create process message automatically transaction is provided as of SAP R/3 Enterprise SCM

Extension 1.10 (EA_APPL 110).

You can use this transaction to specify that process messages are to be created automatically at
certain time intervals or whenever an event occurs. In this way, you can ensure that process messages
for an event are created, even if the corresponding PI sheet is not being processed, for example.
You create a variant for each process message category in this transaction. You can select the
following start conditions:
Start not permitted
The variant cannot be started.
Manual individual execution
You can only start the variant manually in the overview screen. The process message is only
created once.
Periodic start
With this condition, you enter time intervals at which the variant is to be started automatically. The
process messages are created automatically at the time intervals you have defined.
Event-controlled start
With this condition, you specify the manufacturing event that will trigger the creation of a
message. The manufacturing data access interface supplies events from the connected services.
You can assign values to the message characteristics of the message as follows:
no value
any fixed value
manufacturing data point
The overview screen displays all of the defined variants in a plant. From this screen, you can start or
stop the variants. The system logs all start activities as well as any success or error messages that are
issued for the variants.

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Sending Process Messages
Start the send
function for

Data is
transferred

all messages
ready to be sent
in the background:
Check message

Transfer
message
to Process
Management

automatically
(after event/
time interval)
manually in
the monitor

Message is checked
General:
Syntax
consistency

internally to
R/3 function
module
ABAP table
SAPoffice user
SAP Alert
Management

Destinationspecific

Individual
messages online:

Check message

to external
function
using RFC

manually in
the monitor
Change
message

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The function for sending process messages can be executed in the following ways:
Using a background job defined in Customizing. The send job is started:
Automatically (provided that you have made the relevant setting in Customizing) at predefined
time intervals or whenever a new message is created
Manually in the message monitor
The background job sends all messages with the status "To be sent", "To be resubmitted" or "To
be resubmitted with warning".
Online for selected messages. You can start the send function in the monitor.

Before sending a process message to its destinations, the system checks:

Whether the message matches the message category defined in Customizing in R/3
Whether a message can be processed by the relevant destinations (except for external functions)
You can correct messages containing errors if they have not yet been sent.

Depending on the results of the checks, the message is sent to all destinations, only to those
destinations where no error was found, or to no destinations. For each message category, you can
specify whether the message is sent to all destinations that can process it or to no destination if an
error occurs with at least one destination.

If the message destination is an external destination, the data is transferred using the PI-PCS
interface using a remote function call (RFC).

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Message Monitor
tRFC log

Message Monitor

System messages

Mess.cat. Creation date

Time

Sender

Send status

PI_CRST
PI_PHST
READ
PI_CONS
PI_PROD
PI_COM
PI_PHST
PI_PHST

15:15
13:23
13:31
13:40
13:43
13:47
13:49
13:49

SYS 1
CTM 1
CTM 1
CTM 1
CTM1
CTM1
CTM1
CTM1

Sent
Sent with warning
Incomplete
Terminated
Destination error
To be sent
To be resubmitted
To be resub.w. warn..

09.03.2004
09.03.2004
09.03.2004
09.03.2004
09.03.2004
09.03.2004
09.03.2004
09.03.2004

Log

System messages

Display message

Change message

Send

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The message monitor provides information on the current status of process messages.

From the monitor, you can call logs that provide more detailed information on the processing of
individual messages and any errors that may have occurred.

On the basis of this information, you can execute the following functions from the monitor:
Complete or correct incomplete or incorrect messages
Send messages if they are not automatically sent by a background job defined in Customizing
Delete messages

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Processing and Status of a Process Message
to be resubmitted,
to be resubmitted
with warning
No

Send message
Transfer
message
to Process
Management

To be
sent

Start
send
function

Check
Yes Transfer Yes
c
message
data
OK?
OK?

sent,
sent with
warning

No

Change
message

incomplete

destination
error;
terminated

Process message status

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The graphic shows the sequence of statuses a message can have while it is being processed. The
meanings of the individual message statuses are as follows:
To be sent: The process message is created but has not yet been sent.
Sent: The process message has been sent to all its destinations.
Sent with warning: The message log contains a warning message. The process message has been
sent to its destinations despite the warning.
To be resubmitted: One of the message destinations was temporarily not available, for example,
because it was locked. However, the message has been sent to the other destinations.
To be resubmitted with warning: One of the message destinations was temporarily unavailable. In
addition, a warning message was issued by one of the other destinations to which the message was
sent.
Message incomplete: The process message does not contain all required characteristics of the
message category. It has not been sent.
Destination error: The process message could not be processed by one of its destinations.
Processing terminated: Processing of the message was terminated due to an error. The message
has not been sent to any of its destinations.

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Process Message Logs

Send message
Message is checked
Create
message

Transfer to
Process
Management

Start
send
function

General:
Destinationsyntax
specific
consistency
check

Data is
transferred
internally

using
tRFC
Change
message

Changes

General
checks

Destinationspecific
checks

tRFC log

Message logs

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The system creates the following logs while a message is being processed in Process Management:
Change logs containing the name of the user that changed the message as well as the
characteristics that have been added, and the original and changed characteristic values
One consistency log containing a list of all destinations assigned to a message as well as the results
of the general checks
Destination-specific logs containing the results of destination-specific checks as well as the
transaction ID of the relevant RFC if the destination is an external function

If a process message is sent to an external function, data is also entered in the tRFC log. This log
documents all tRFCs carried out in your system.

You can call all logs from the message monitor.

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Deleting Process Messages/Message Logs
Selected messages
and their logs

Online

All messages/logs within a specified range

Online

In the background

Definition of selection criteria

Direct
input

Monitor

Job

Select.
variant

Assign.

Send date and plant

All messages or only those sent successfully?
Only logs or messages also?
Create deletion log?
Warning
Message has
not been sent.
Delete?
Yes

Starting the function

Manually by
scheduling a
job for a
specific time

Manually
using the
menu

autom. job
scheduling
at regular
intervals

Deletion log

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The following functions are available for deleting process messages and their logs:
Delete selected messages together with their logs in the message monitor
If a message has not yet been sent successfully, a corresponding warning message will be
displayed.
Delete all data within a specified range
Using this function, you can choose whether you want to delete:
Message logs only or message logs and the corresponding messages
All messages or only those that have been sent successfully
You can delete smaller datasets online. If you want to delete a large amount of data, use a
background job. You can schedule this job directly or specify in Customizing that the job is to be
started automatically at regular time intervals.
If required, you can specify that a deletion log is to be created.

The data is only deleted within Process Management and not in the message destinations.

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0.12
Process Messages - Processing: Summary (1)

Messages for expected process events are requested

from the process control system or the PI sheet using

process instructions.
Messages can also be created manually and

periodically or automatically in relation to selected

events.
Messages can be sent online or in the background.
Before sending a message, the system checks

whether the message matches the corresponding

Customizing settings and whether it can be processed
by its internal destinations.
You can correct messages that contain an error in the

message monitor.

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0.13
Process Messages - Processing: Summary (2)

Messages that do not contain errors are sent to their

destinations. If the destination is an external

function, messages are sent using a remote function
call (RFC).
The message monitor, message logs, and the tRFC

log provide information on the processing status of a

process message.
You can delete selected messages with their logs

online in the monitor.

Alternatively, you can specify a certain range within
which all logs or all messages together with their
logs are deleted online or in the background.

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0.14Exercises
Unit: Process Messages - Processing

Creating, displaying, changing, sending and deleting messages

Creating process messages and displaying and processing messages in the message
monitor
1-1

Manually create one message in the MEAS-## message category and one message
in the TEXT-## message category for order ORDER-##.
In the message monitor, display all messages you created today for order ORDER##.
Display the characteristics of the individual messages.

1-2

Change the measured value in the message of category MEAS-## that you created
in exercise 1-1.
Send the message with the changed measured value online from the message
monitor.
Refresh the monitor display and check the status of the process message.
Analyze the message logs.

1-3

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In the message monitor, select all messages of message category TEXT-## and
delete them online. Refresh the monitor display.

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0.15Solutions
Unit: Process Messages - Processing

Creating process messages and displaying and processing messages in the message
monitor
1-1

SAP menu:
Logistics Production Process Process Management Message
Create Manually
Create one message in the MEAS-## message category and one message in the
TEXT-## message category. (if necessary, refer to the exercises in the previous
chapter, Process Messages Structure and Settings).
To navigate to the message monitor from the SAP standard menu, select:
Logistics Production Process Process Management Message
Message Monitor
Select your messages using process order number ORDER-## (delete any entry in
the Proc. Message Cat. field).
In the message monitor, click on the Display Message icon to display the
characteristics of a message.

1-2

Select your message in the message monitor and choose Change. Change the value
assigned to characteristic MEASURED_VALUE and Save your changes.
Send your message in the message monitor by choosing Send. Choose Refresh. The
messages now have the status Sent.
To display the message logs for the relevant messages, choose Log.

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Select the messages and choose Edit Delete. Confirm the dialog box that appears
with Yes. Choose Refresh.

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