Johannes Auer

30-Min-Call DE
SAP VIM customizing



Hinweis: Wir veröffentlichen alle Blogbeiträge ausschließlich auf Englisch.

Schlagwort: SAP VIM

  • Using ABAP Debug Loops in OpenText Vendor Invoice Management for SAP Solutions (SAP VIM)

    When analysing problems in OpenText Vendor Invoice Management for SAP Solutions (SAP VIM), depending on the system architecture and authorisations, there are parts of the source code that are very difficult to access with the ABAP debugger. This is the case, for example, with data enrichments (e.g. logical modules) executed by a background user at the start of the process.

    A debug loop is an endless loop in the code which you can activate when required. The infinite loop allows you to find and debug the running code in the process monitor.

    Adding a debug loop to your ABAP code

    In order to be able to use a debug loop, it is first necessary for it to exist. This is the case in many parts of the product standard, but should not be forgotten in custom developments either. A debug loop can look like this, for example:

    ABAP
    DO.  

  SELECT SINGLE value 
  FROM /opt/cp_debug 
  INTO @DATA(lv_debug) 
  WHERE debugarea = 'Z_LOGIC_MODULE'.  " keep text below 20 chars
    
  IF lv_debug IS INITIAL.  
    EXIT.  
  ENDIF. 
     
ENDDO.

    Activating a debug loop using the ABAP Editor SE38

    The table /opt/cp_debug has some advantages over self-built tables. It is used in the product standard and the loop can be activated and deactivated with the ABAP Editor (SE38) using the program /OPT/VIM_DEBUG.

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    If a debugging area is activated, the system remains in an infinite loop until it is deactivated again or until the infinite loop is exited manually in the debugger.

    But be careful, the debug loop runs for all users on the system, so this tool should only be used with caution. In the production system only in absolutely exceptional cases and only for a short time in consultation with the system supervisor.

    Some consultants even comment out the coding for debug loops before productive operation, but I find that the possibility of debugging in the P system can be a great advantage for tracking down tricky errors.

    Tip: As you often spend a long time in the code when debugging, I suggest that the debugging loop is always exited via /OPT/VIM_DEBUG. This way you cannot forget to deactivate the loop.

    Starting the debugger in Work process overview (SM50)

    If your debug loop is active, you are ready to go: Provoke the system to run the loop, for example by processing a new document.

    As soon as the corresponding line in the source code is run through, the process stops and we have the opportunity to jump to the debugger, for which we use the transaction code SM50.

    To make it easy to find our process, we switch to the Active Work Processes view.

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    If you cannot find your process, have a look at the System-Wide List. The process you are looking for may be running on a different application server.

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    Now we can select our process and start it via Administration > Program > Debugging in the ABAP Debugger and eliminate the error.

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    Do you have any tips or best practices for dealing with debug loops in ABAP? Let us know in the comments!

  • Online Training: OpenText Capture Validation for SAP VIM & Beyond Invoices

    SAP VIM Validation Client Training
    Stop training the system incorrectly and finally get what you hoped for from the capture component of VIM.

    ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆

    „Highly recommended to any OT consultant. Informative, precise and quick.“ – Dana K.

    As an SAP VIM consultant, I have analysed OpenText’s capture products and the associated validation in numerous projects around the world. Over the course of time, I have noticed numerous points that are misunderstood, done incorrectly and often set up incorrectly.

    In some cases, the training does not work because the training is wrong or because different users train differently and thereby confuse the system. In some cases, the training does not work because the training was simply forgotten to be activated or because it does not work for technical reasons. Whatever the reason, the situation is disappointing for users, project management, IT and management. The potential of the solution cannot be realised and the question is why. Interested in some answers? 

    In this course you will learn how to use the Validation Client to train the system properly and sustainably without doing the same thing over and over again.

    Do any of the following problems sound familiar?

    • The system doesn’t feel like it learns anything, even though the same layout has already been trained 4 or more times
    • Suppliers, customers, company codes and other business entities have to be re-learnt for each document without the system learning anything.
    • The system does not recognise line data at page breaks and does not learn.
    • Some values can not be trained correctly in the validation client as they stand too close to other information
    • You have a document which needs to be validated all the time even tough it gets extracted perfectly every time

    Learn the basics of the Validation Client and how to train documents quickly and easily and achieve improved training results.

    Enroll now on Udemy
    More information on validationcourse.com

    Agenda

    5 sections • 13 lectures • 1h 21m total length

    Introduction

    In a nutshell: Who am I, where do I live (perhaps you can already guess from my accent), what do I do, what is my background and why can I help you?

    Official Manuals

    This may sound boring at first, but it can quickly and easily lead to better results, usually free of charge. In this chapter, I will briefly explain how you can access the official product documentation, download it in .pdf format and share it with the team if this is not already the case.

    Depending on whether your solution was purchased through SAP or OpenText, the path will look slightly different, but I’ll show you how to do it.

    Using the Validation Client

    We start with the absolute basics with dos and donts and best practice approaches. This will give every new user a kickstart and experienced users will learn some important subtleties.

    We’ll explain why you should never mix head and position training data again.

    With challenging formats and line breaks, we’ll look at how to validate most effectively and how to save a lot of work when entering tables.

    There are many misunderstandings when identifying business entities (e.g. company codes, suppliers, customers, etc.). Often the correct business partner is selected in the validation client but the system never seems to learn. There is a reason for this!

    In some cases you validate documents with excellent recognition results over and over again … that does not have to be! There are ways and means of reducing the validation effort step by step. Step one however is correct training.

    Administration

    Administrators, but also key users and interested validators can find a lot of background information in the Inbound Administration, a sub-item in the VIM Central Workplace (/OTX/PF03_WP). For example, what does the email from which this document originates look like? Why can’t I find my document?

    In some cases it makes sense to reset the learning results for a specific document layout. With all newer versions this can be done quickly and easily (but not necessarily intuitively). In most cases, the reset is done by IT while the business department recognizes when a layout should be reset. I’ll show you how to build effective communication to start from scratch when it makes sense.

    Finally, we’ll look at how to actually assign edits to specific documents for validation. And that without a transport request. We will also look at the possibilities for advanced processing.

    Enroll now on Udemy

    Check Out Our Reviews

    Curious about what others think? Take a look at the reviews and see how learners have already transformed their SAP VIM skills.

    Other trainings

    Contact us to discuss individual VIM training oder check out our courses page for more interesting trainings!