Understand Post Processing Framework (PPF) in SAP

EWM
tkreddy.com/2017/04/07/concepts-of-sap-ppf-with-a-ewm-examples

TKReddy April 8, 2017

I already wrote a SAP PPF blog post on how to activate and maintain standard EWM PPF
Actions but did not get a chance to write the detailed concepts of PPF with a custom PPF
actions for the business requirements. This blog post is basically for functional teams to
understand the PPF concepts. At the end I also provided important PPF document links
with SAP portal referrals.

All SAP applications now using SAP PPF and it is a part of SAP Web application server. As
per SAP portal, PPF is the successor to Message Control and offers wider functional
scope, more simple connection to the applications, and greater flexibility. As I came to
know recently, PPF tools are using in all new SAP applications (includes ERP system)
instead of using olden days ECC message conditions example of sending information to
customer via IDOC. But we see PPF from very beginning days of SAP EWM Application.
This blog post explain the Concepts of SAP Post Processing Framework (PPF) with a EWM
example

From SAP help Portal , SAP PPF features are as follows

Determination, generation, and processing of actions can either take place automatically or
with user interaction. The PPF provides an evaluation of modifiable conditions for action
determination. The application can set the determination technology, with which the
conditions are evaluated, according to its requirements, or use its own determination

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technology.
The SAP PPF provides processing types to execute various actions as below:
a)Printing, sending e-mails, and faxing with Smart Forms
b)Starting a workflow
c)Starting a Business Add-In

The processing types can be adopted by the application, adapted to meet the requirements
of the application, or replaced with the application’s own processing types.

To understand SAP PPF, I would structure PPF with 5 layers in brackets you see example
EWM PPF names
Application (ex: /SCDL/DELIVERY)
Action Profile (ex: /SCDL/PRD_OUT)
Action Definition (ex: /SCWM/PRD_OUT_TO_CREATE)
Processing type (ex: Method call with /SCWM/TO_CREATE)
Condition (Ex: Processing using selection report)

Functional consultant’s most important role is to understand the SAP EWM standard PPF
Action profiles and Action definitions and choose the right one to map the business
requirements. If available PPF’s does not fit then chose the right PPF action to customize
according to the requirements.

Selecting a right action definition that had right processing type is very important to modify
conditions or create a custom action definition.
The very important configuration transaction code for PPF is ‘SPPFCADM”
You can see all applications available in place.

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Select the right application and click Define Action Profile and Actions button that you need
to configure and customize

Now, I am going explain one standard and one custom business requirement and configure
accordingly

Using Standard SAP PPF scenario

Let’s see a very simple business requirement, Warehouse manager need orders to pick just
before shift starts which means create warehouse tasks for the ODO’s. This is very simple
example to understand the concepts of PPF. Now we before configure..the following three
questions serve as a good starting point.
What should be done? E.g. create warehouse tasks for ODO automatically …
Why or under which conditions should an action be executed? E.g. Process warehouse
tasks by using selection report
When should it be executed? There are technical execution times, e.g. immediately, at the
end of the application controlled local unit of work (short LUW), in a batch job, here
business wants run job before each shift start.

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The above is all standard configuration and can modified as per your requirement. Now you
can setup batch job to create a warehouse tasks for open ODO’s with the program
“RSPPFPROCESS” at regular intervals. See below for manual process of executing action

Execute the selected line to process the Action

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With this the standard scenario of creating warehouse task through PPF action is executed
successfully.

But if you want to configure scheduling of PPF actions then read this SAP document here

Using Custom SAP PPF scenario

Now there is a custom requirement, as soon as the ODO’s are created and saved in EWM,
certain ODO line information need to be processed in another function or table. For this we
need a custom PPF action with a method to a process every time ODO created in EWM.
Since this is a business specific requirement, we need to create a custom action definition
with all other steps. you can configure most from Tcode ‘SPPFCADM”

First step is to choose a closer SAP standard Action definition and copy as and create a
new one as shown below

Make sure process type before copy the standard and then get the standard method under
process types.

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You cannot change the process type method unless you add your custom action definition
in the condition configuration. Add it as below

Once you added custom action definition, then you uncheck the Default setting to add your
custom ZMethod as show below and immediately save the condition. Make sure all other
setting are right and then put back the default setting check.

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Make sure you put back the default setting check mode and save.

Now you go back to processing type and change the standard method to your own custom
method (ZMethod).

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Check all setting and save the action definition. With this all the custom configuration
completed by using already available custom ZMethod. But in your case, you can directly
configure custom action definition by assigning a standard method and later ask developer
to create ZMethod. Once developer completed ZMethod for you then assign in the
configuration.
So all done and i created a ERP delivery and the ODO in EWM had my custom PPF action
as shown below

You can configure assigning a standard method and ask developer to create ZMethod for
you to assign in the configuration.

with this we can easy correlate our examples with the SAP PPF concept diagram below

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Some of the SAP PPF glossary term with definitions from SAP help Portal

Term Definition

PPF Abbreviation for Post Processing Framework. This framework provides SAP-applications
with a standardized way to execute and administrate conditioned business tasks. In
contrast to the SAP Business Workflow, these business tasks are mutual independent,
i.e. there are no means for a process flow.

Action An action definition is meta data or skeleton of a business task. The action definition
Definition encompasses all its possible realizations, see also processing type. Additionally, it
carries the information if business partner data is needed for the execution and to which
business partner it corresponds. Within the action definition, you setup the merge
technique, i.e. how many successful, failed, or unprocessed actions are allowed for a
par-ticular action definition.

Action This is a runtime instance of an action definition

Configured For action creation during action determination, the action definition must be
Action configured. The triple of a chosen processing type, schedul-ing and starting condition is
Defi-nition called configured action definition. An action definition can have several configured
instances. Moreo-ver, almost all technical settings of the action definition can be
different-ly configured.

Processing The processing type corresponds to the technical realization of an action definition. For
Type instance, start a workflow, send a PDF-based form via email, etc.

Action Smallest set of action definitions that can be investigated during one call of the action
Profile determination of the PPF.

Application The application object is the standardized proxy to access the busi-ness object. The
Object persistence of this object must be realized via the Object Services.

Business Object that carries the main data relevant for the action determina-tion and execution.
Object Its persistence is either given as a BOR object or as a persistent class of the Object
Services.

Context Set of data handed to the action determination. The context encom-passes the name of
the application and the action profile, the appli-cation object and a collection of
partners.

I recommend to read all SAP PPF documents from SAP portal and i am providing some
here for your quick reference

How to use PPF in EWM– from SAP portal

PPF implementation guide for Developers

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You can find additional information in the following places:
SAP Library: Post Processing Framework (BC-SRV-GBT) (PPF)
SAP Community Network: Modeling Guide for Post Processing Framework (PPF) (Article)

Finally if you miss reading my first SAP EWM PPF blog on how to activate and maintain
conditions then click here

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