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AcceleratedSAP
Chapter 1: Doing Data Transfer

Contents

Overview................................................................................................................. 1–2
Getting Started....................................................................................................... 1–3
Performing the Data Transfer for a Business Object.........................................1–6

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AcceleratedSAP
Chapter 1: Doing Data Transfer
Performing the Data Transfer for a Business Object

Overview

Implementing a new software system takes major effort. New implementations require
moving data from the legacy system into the R/3 System. The products, components,
customers, and vendors have to be available in the new system. You may also have
inventory, open items, open sales orders and bills of material that need to be transferred.
Initial data transfer is the process of populating your R/3 database with data from your
legacy system.
To prepare for the data transfer, there are certain tasks you need to perform. First,
understand your R/3 System to know which data needs to be transferred. For example, you
would not transfer any open sales order if you do not use the sales and distribution module.
Second, you need to know the contents of the existing data in your legacy system. For
example if you use the fax capabilities of the R/3 System you can transfer them from your
legacy system only if they are available.

General Data Transfer Concepts

Knowing which data is available will help you to determine how to transfer data into the
R/3 System. For example, if you have 10,000 customer names and 5,000 material master
items, you should perform an automatic data transfer for both the customers and the
materials data. If, however, you have only five customers and 50,000 material master items,
then manually enter the customers and automatically transfer the materials.

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AcceleratedSAP
Chapter 1: Doing Data Transfer
Performing the Data Transfer for a Business Object

This guide focuses on automatic data transfer, an effective and efficient way of transferring
large amounts of data into your new system. It saves time and resources, but more
importantly, it ensures that accurate data is transferred into R/3.
After you understand the data and know how to transfer it, you can prepare for the process
of putting the data into the new system. As the graphic above shows, the two steps involved
in data transfer are Conversion and SAP Data Transfer:
1. Conversion
Data is converted from your legacy system into the required flat file format.
2. SAP Data Transfer
Data is automatically entered into the R/3 System. An SAP data transfer program reads
the prepared data from the flat file and moves it into R/3.

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AcceleratedSAP
Chapter 1: Doing Data Transfer
Performing the Data Transfer for a Business Object

Getting Started

Identify the Business Objects

In R/3, a Business object is a general category for data that defines something like a material
master, vendor master, stocks, orders, purchase requisitions, or organizational units. The
first step is to identify which business objects are required in your SAP implementation:
 Decide which functional areas you will cover. For example, if you are going to use
the warehouse management module, you need the business objects warehouse and storage
bins.
This step is accomplished in the ASAP roadmap when you review the scope of your
implementation project and determine the applications.

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Chapter 1: Doing Data Transfer
Performing the Data Transfer for a Business Object

The list of existing SAP standard data transfer programs in Appendix A will help you
determine the business objects to be populated with legacy data.

Determine the Transfer Method

For each business object, the following choices exist to transfer data. You can:
 Use the SAP standard data transfer programs
 Manually enter data with online transactions
 Write your own batch input programs for data transfer
The data transfer method you choose determines the types of resources you require. For
example, you may need temporary employees for the manual data entry and programmers
for writing your own batch input programs. You must know what data is in your legacy
system and which SAP applications correspond to the business objects that will be
transferred. One person does not have to know all of this information, but the people who
do should work closely together.
For more information on this topic, see How To... Transfer Data: Manually or Automatically in
chapter 3.

Organize the Data Transfer

Because both the organizational structure and actual customizing influences the data you
transfer for business objects, finalize or freeze all customizations before the last test run.
Customizing changes after the final transfer may result in additional required fields that
require preparing and transferring more data. For example, using ten plants instead of one
considerably increases the time required to run the final material master transfer because
data for each plant has to be transferred. Changing the tax calculations for your customers
may lead to further required fields in your customer master.

By preparing for data transfer at the beginning of your project, you can solve problems as
they arise and address shortages in time for a successful transfer. Automatic data transfer
makes it easier to deal with upcoming last-minute changes. Imagine that you transferred
data manually and you now figure out that some important information was missing.

The list on this page shows the order in which your data should be transferred. Although
you might not have all of the listed business objects, this list gives you an idea on how to
proceed. For a more detailed list, please use the sample go-live plan in Appendix D as a
template.
We recommend that you first transfer the business objects that require minor changes after
the final transfer. This step can be performed one to three weeks before going live. The
objects that require more changes may need to be transferred during the weekend before
you go live. By transferring the business objects that require less modification early, you will

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Chapter 1: Doing Data Transfer
Performing the Data Transfer for a Business Object

have time to address any unexpected issues. If you are still working with a legacy system
after the data transfer, to keep R/3 current, the changes that you make in the legacy system
will need to be duplicated in the R/3 System.
Order of Transferring Business Objects
1. G/L account master
2. Cost elements
3. Material master
4. Bill of materials
5. Vendor master
6. Customer master
7. Routings and task lists
8. Purchase information records
9. Condition records (pricing)
10. Purchase requisitions
11. Open sales orders
12. Accounting documents (open A/R and open A/P invoices)
13. Stocks

Critical factors for time, effort, and success:

 The number of different business objects to be transferred
 The amount of data to be transferred per business object
 The conversion effort needed to retrieve the data from the legacy system in the
required flat file format
 The quality and consistency of the legacy data
 The qualifications of the people working on data transfer
 The tools used (for example Data Transfer Workbench, third-party mapping and
conversion tools)

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Performing the Data Transfer for a Business Object

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Chapter 1: Doing Data Transfer
Performing the Data Transfer for a Business Object

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Identify the Fields

Getting Familiar with the Business Object
In R/3, to understand which data needs to be transferred, create a sample business object
online (for example, a material or a customer). By creating the object, you can easily find out
which fields are mandatory. If you do not enter data in mandatory fields, you cannot save
your data or proceed to the next screen. This procedure helps you understand what is
involved in creating this specific business object. In addition, working on the system and
exploring the help documentation for each field helps familiarize you with the business
object. This familiarity then makes it easier for you to identify the fields that you need for
data transfer.
Determine the Target File Structure
If you decide to automatically transfer the data with the SAP standard programs, you have
to provide the data in a special format. Therefore, you have to determine the target file
structure. The format depends on the business object you want to transfer.
For more information, please see Using the Data Transfer Workbench in chapter 3. This
functionality lists all structures and fields.
If the Data Transfer Workbench is unavailable, you can look up the record structures in
chapter 2, Using Data Transfer Programs.
The following figure illustrates how the system sees a flat file. The dotted lines that depict
fields are not visible. The system reads each line, detects the record type, and (based on a
field’s predetermined length) recognizes the different fields.
A closer look at a flat file:

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Chapter 1: Doing Data Transfer
Performing the Data Transfer for a Business Object

Leaving Fields Blank

There are two choices for each field value. You can either specify a value or enter no data.
To leave a field blank, enter the RESET value if you want to initialize or delete the value of
the field; and to keep the original field value, enter the NODATA value. The SAP standard
data transfer programs usually use “/” for the NODATA value and “space” as the RESET
value. Please see for each program in the Using Data Transfer Programs chapter which value
is actually used as the NODATA and RESET value.
Identify the Target Fields in the Flat File
If you used the Data Transfer Workbench to determine the target file structure, it can provide
relevant structures and field names automatically. Without the Data Transfer Workbench,
determine the target file structure by referring to How to… Identify Fields for a Business Object.
After determining the structures and fields, match the required fields on each screen in the
target file with the fields in the flat file. The flat file usually uses the same or a similar field
name as the target file or online transaction.

To easily identify fields in a business object, print the database structure. For more
information on this topic, please see chapter 3.

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If there are doubts about the fields of a structure in your flat file, check the length and type
of the fields in the flat file and target structure. If you cannot find a desired field, check if
the SAP standard transfer program supports the transfer of this data.
For example, the material master does not support the group transfer for units of measure.
Be aware that numerical packed fields often use different field names. These fields need
separate CHAR data elements for BI. Since packed fields cannot be initialized with a
special character, you can transfer to the interface with the formatting in your user settings.
For more information on this topic, please see Identify Fields for a Business Object and Obtain
the Fields of a SAP Structure in chapter 3.

Analyze the Legacy Data

Because there are so many different legacy systems, SAP cannot provide the expertise for
you to understand these systems. Therefore, based on your target file structure, determine
which data is relevant and available in your legacy system for your particular needs. Your
legacy system may provide a feature, such as report writing, which allows you to retrieve
data in the required flat file format.

Map Legacy Data to R/3

Once you understand the data in both your legacy and the R/3 System, map the legacy data
to SAP fields. “Mapping” assigns specific legacy fields to specific flat file structure fields
and defines the conversion process of the data. For example, if your legacy system uses “1”
to denote the weight unit “pounds,” and R/3 will use “lb” you need to map the legacy field
to the corresponding R/3 field and convert the value “1”into “lb.”

Prepare the Legacy Database

Prepare the legacy database before you extract the data. It is often easier to delete obsolete
data in the legacy system and fix data inconsistencies at this stage rather than during the
conversion. These two steps are called data purging and data cleansing.
Data Purging
Before transferring data from your legacy system, delete all the old and obsolete data. For
example, to save conversion time and disk space, you may delete all one-time customers,
vendors, and all unused materials.
Data Cleansing
This process corrects data inconsistencies and ensures the integrity of the existing data
during the transfer process. Mistakes must be fixed before the transfer. For example, assume
your legacy system classifies your material items only for subtotal purposes in reporting. If
you just transfer this classification into the R/3 material type, the results could be wrong
account postings, valuation calculation, and screen display. Therefore, it is imperative that
you cleanse your data and make it consistent with the way it will be used.

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Chapter 1: Doing Data Transfer
Performing the Data Transfer for a Business Object

Data Types
There are several different data types within the R/3 System:
 Customizing data controls the business process.
For example, customizing data determines how you can release a purchase requisition
or how an availability check is done. Customizing data will not be addressed in this
guide.
 Master data operates your business.
The material master and the vendor master are examples of master data.
 Document /transaction data is used in interactions with business partners.
Invoices, stock changes, and sales orders are examples of this type of data.
Ways to Reduce the Amount of Historical Data to be Transferred
With the time and monetary constraints involved and due to the high integration of the R/3
System, the alternatives to transfer historical Document/Transaction Data are:
 Print data lists or use microfiche.
This step archives the data as a hard copy, yet still makes it available for later research.
 Use your legacy system for historical reporting.
By keeping the historical data in your legacy system and using it only when you need it,
you can keep your maintenance costs low (no updates) and maintain your reporting
abilities.
 Use SAP Information Systems.
Refer to the standard documentation for details on this topic.
 Use alternative business objects.
Think about why you want to transfer specific document /transaction data into the R/3
System. Sometimes there is alternative master data. The R/3 pricing record would be a
more appropriate solution because it allows you to track the historical information.

Transfer the Data

When you have completed all previously mentioned steps, begin the final data transfer
process.
If you decided to manually enter data before going live, provide the data in a format that
your data entry personnel can use. Check to see if you have a program, such as Report
Writer, to convert the data into the necessary format.

If you are transferring the data automatically, first convert the data into the appropriate flat
file structure; then use the SAP standard data transfer programs to transfer the data into
R/3.
Converting Legacy Data to the Flat File
SAP provides no specific tools for this step. However, you can do the following to tackle this
challenge:

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Chapter 1: Doing Data Transfer
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 In the ABAP Development Workbench, write an ABAP program to convert a file from
your legacy system into the required flat file structure.
 Use other programming languages to write conversion programs. For C, COBOL,
PL/1 and RPG you can easily download the table definitions for specific flat file
structures.
 Use third-party tools, such as formal editors and code generators, that support
mapping and conversion between different file formats. Check to see that these tools
have the XA-DMI certification. This certification indicates that they can easily download
the flat file structures the SAP standard data transfer programs require.
For more information on this topic, please see the following sections in chapter 3:
 How To … Provide the Flat File Structure in C, COBOL, PL/1, and RPG
 How To …Use Excel to Create an ASCII File
 How To …Create a Flat File with ABAP
Getting the Data into R/3
After converting the data into the flat file, you are ready to begin the second step of the data
transfer. To transfer data, the SAP standard data transfer programs or Direct Input (DI).

Start small. The first time you transfer data, begin with one record of a business object. This
way, you learn how the program works. After transferring one record successfully, try
transferring a larger amount of data. Make sure that you transfer each different type of data
before you transfer on a larger scale. Make sure you monitor the system resource usage,
such as increases in table sizes, database locks, etc., because monitoring these features
prevents unexpected problems.
We recommend using the Data Transfer Workbench to create a flat file with one record for
the business object. You can create an initial flat file with the click of a button and easily
edit the flat files to enter or correct the necessary field values.

Batch Input
The most common way to move data from the flat file into the R/3 database is with BI,
which simulates data input by processing the normal screens of the corresponding online
transaction. By executing all relevant checks of the online transaction, BI ensures data
consistency. The program creates a BI session that contains all necessary information to
move the data into the system. In a separate step, you will process the BI session to transfer
the data into the R/3 database.

Direct Input
Some data transfer programs use DI, which checks the flat file before processing and
updates the R/3 System. This technique is often preferred when transfer performance is
critical, and there is a large amount of data to transfer. Error tracking may be time-
consuming for DI, since DI does not offer something as convenient as processing a BI
session in foreground.

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Chapter 1: Doing Data Transfer
Performing the Data Transfer for a Business Object

Both methods require the data to be in the flat file structure. For more information on which
method is actually supported for a specific business object, see Using Data Transfer Programs.

Data transfer is an iterative process. You may often feel like you are taking two steps
forward and one step back. For example, after creating a flat file, the standard data transfer
program may work but the created material master will not support all the functionality
you need. In this case, determine the wrong information, correct your conversion program
and start again.
Based on experience, we recommend that you use the following steps to accomplish data
transfer for a business object:
1. Convert the data from the legacy system into flat file format.
2. Run the data transfer program.
3. Check your data for errors.
Is the transfer working as it was designed?
4. If necessary, adjust the data/conversion program and start again with 1.

We also strongly suggest that you perform a system backup after transferring a significant
amount of data. The backup allows you to secure the specific level you have reached
during the data transfer. If you have any problems, you can return to this level, and you
do not have to begin the process all over again.

For more information on batch input and direct input, please see Start a Batch Input Session
and Transfer Data via Direct Input in chapter 3.

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