It is not clear how after the conversion of cross-client and cross-system posting of payroll accounting from a file interface to ALE as of Release 4.0A non-SAP accounting systems can be supplied.
General procedure
The supply of non-SAP accounting systems from payroll accounting previously carried out by sending sequential files created in HR as of Release 4.0A is carried out by means of ALE Technology; as a result, this procedure became a great deal more user-friendly, more stable and more secure.
Although the old technology is still available to supply legacy systems; since the new ALE methods were currently developed especially for the connection of non-SAP systems, to supply non-SAP accounting systems we recommend you to use this new method; moreover, the 'old method' is only available in the 'old', restricted functionality of Release 3.1I.
Procedure to check Organizational Structures and Master data
The organizational structures of the non-SAP accounting system must be displayed on the SAP organizational structures (controlling area, company code, G/L accounts, cost centers, ... ) and must be defined in the HR system. Mostly this will include the entry of the data of these organizational structures in the corresponding Customizing (for example, for the controlling area and the company code). If this data from the SAP point of view is master data, the SAP system can be supplied partially by master data exchange even from the non-SAP accounting system. Furthermore, many validations during data entry in HR can be set so they run in a remote way in another (SAP) system; if with RFC you can set up connections to the non-SAP accounting system, then it should also be possible to validate some of the entered data in the 'foreign' accounting system.
Procedure to post the Payroll Accounting Results
Posting the payroll accounting results during the creation of the documents carries out a few methods (and sometimes even functions modules which cannot be called remotely and are not formally classified as methods) which the SAP accounting provides for HR so the translation of HR-terms into accounting terms and a validation of the created documents can be carried out.
For the names of the methods and the functions supplied additionally by SAP accounting refer to the section 'Set up 'HR and Accounting from Release 4.0A' scenario' in Release 4.0A and 4.0B which you can find in the Implementation Guide if you follow the following path: 'Cross-Application Components - Distribution (ALE) - Application Distribution and Interfaces - Scenario: HR as a Distributed SAP Component - 'Post Payroll Accounting Results in Accounting' Scenario'.
In Release 4.5A you can find the names of the methods and the function provided by SAP accounting in section 'Set HR and accounting (as of Release 4.0A)' of the Implementation Guide if you follow the following path: 'Cross-Application Components - Distribution (ALE) - Pre-configured ALE Business Processes - Human Resource Management - HR <-> AC - Posting of Payroll Results to Accounting'.
In order to create documents you must create the Customizing in the HR system necessary for the translation of the HR terms into the accounting terms and the validation of the created documents. You should be able to create the Customizing necessary for the translation of HR terms into accounting terms and the validation of the created documents in the non-SAP accounting system and carry out the retrieval of data or the validation remotely in the non-SAP accounting system.
Procedure Data Download
For the data download of the posting data from the HR system you have several possibility, these are described in detail in section 'CA - the IDoc interface' of the R/3 library.
In this document, the easiest way for the data download into a file and the path how to let the system explain the structure of this file is described.
However, we should mention that the other possibility, for example, the transfer by tRFC into a correspondingly prepared non-SAP system indeed require more preparation but are more elegant in the execution.
Preparations for Data Download for Transfer with File
To prepare the data transfer, in the HR system make the common preparations for ALE (define logical systems, assign logical system to the HR client, ... ). In the distribution model for the writing methods of the interface you must carry out the corresponding assignments.
In Release 4.0A and 4.0B for the names of the methods refer to the section 'Set up HR and accounting from Release 4.0A', which you find in the Implementation Guide if you follow the following path: 'Cross-Application components - Distribution (ALE) - Application Distribution and Interfaces - Scenario: HR as a Distributed SAP Component - Post Payroll Accounting Results in Accounting Scenario' (at the moment these methods are AcctngEmplyeeExpnses.Post, AcctngEmplyeeRcvbles.Post, and AcctngEmplyeePaybles.Post).
For Release 4.5A for the names of the methods refer to section 'Set HR and accounting (as of Release 4.0A)', which you can find in the Implementation Guide, if you follow the following path: 'Cross-Application components - Distribution (ALE) - Pre-configured ALE Business Processes - Human Resource Management - HR <-> AC - Posting of Payroll Results to Accounting' (at the moment the methods are AcctngEmplyeeExpnses.Post, AcctngEmplyeeRcvbles.Post, and AcctngEmplyeePaybles.Post). At the same position you also find the message types required further below (at the moment ACC_EMPLOYEE_EXP, ACC_EMPLOYEE_PAY and ACC_EMPLOYEE_REC, in Release 4.0A and 4.0B the documentation is incorrect).
In addition in the Implementation Guide in section 'Define port' you must define a corresponding file port. You find this point in the Implementation Guide if you follow the following path: 'Cross-Application Components - Distribution (ALE) - Communication - Maintaining Partner Profiles Manually'.
Then in the same area of the Implementation Guide in the partner profiles you define the corresponding initial parameters for your target combinations HR system and non-SAP system, so that in the initial parameters of the target system the port and the message types which you just defined are entered. As a basic type use the basic type with the highest number in the name (Release 4.0A and 4.0B: ACC_EMPLOYEE_EXP01, ACC_EMPLOYEE_PAY01 and ACC_EMPLOYEE_REC01; Release 4.5A: ACC_EMPLOYEE_EXP02, ACC_EMPLOYEE_PAY02 and ACC_EMPLOYEE_REC02).
Data Download during Transfer with File
Carry out the posting in the HR system as described in the documentation for an integrated system until step 'Post documents'. During the posting with ALE the run is assigned the status 'Documents transferred'. If this status is reached, then the IDocs are ready for dispatch. You can initiate this dispatch with 'Tools - Business Framework - ALE - Administration - Periodic processing - Process ALE outbound IDocs'. Then the file defined during the definition of the file port contains the data to be transferred. There is also the option, to trigger this export immediately.
Setup of the File during Transfer with File
You can use Transaction 'IDoc and EDI Basis' (Transaction WEDI) for the explanation of the structure of the created file. You can come to this transaction with the following path 'Tools-> Business Framework -> ALE -> Development -> IDoc -> IDoc Basis'.
Structure of Record Types
Within this transaction under 'Documentation -> IDoc record types' you can have the system explain the general structure of the records to you. You can display this information either in tree form on the screen or export it in HTML format to display it in a Browser. During the interpretation of the data, field SDATA is of central importance because this field contains the information of the application.
Structure of the IDoc Types
In the same transaction with 'Documentation -> IDoc types' after you enter the object name (for payroll accounting at the moment 'ACC_EMPLOYEE_EXPxx', 'ACC_EMPLOYEE_PAYxx' or 'ACC_EMPLOYEE_RECxx') you can display the structure of information in the respective data segments either in the display tree directly on the screen or in HTML format to display it in a Browser.
Parser
Another possibility to display the structure is 'Documentation -> IDOC type (parser)'; you may be able to use the list created here after an export and reformatting to define data structures in other systems.
Other Questions and Answers
1. In Release 3.x if I performed a data download for the non-SAP accounting system with RPCIPX00 - RPCIPT00, do I then have to change to the new technology immediately ?
No, this is not required; with the file version 23 you can still create files as under 3.0D-3.1H and with the file version 24 as under 3.1I-3.1Z, so that the old interfaces can, for the time being, be used in the non-SAP accounting system. However, we recommend you to change to the new technology in the long run since the format of the RPCIPX00 - RPCIPT00 - interface is intended to supply the legacy systems in R/2 and R3 and therefore the interface does not contain innovations from Release 4.0. It is only supported as long as transfers in these R/2 and R/3 releases are supported.