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Post Processing Framework

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SAP Post Processing Framework  
PurposeThe Post Processing Framework (PPF) provides SAP applications with a uniform interface for the condition-dependent generation of actions (for example, printing delivery notes, faxing order confirmations, or triggering approval procedures). The actions are generated if specific conditions occur for an application document. They are then processed either directly or later.


Example
One month before the expiry of a quantity contract, the sales employee responsible receives a reminder to make a telephone call in their inbox. The purpose of the telephone call is to discuss a new contract.The following graphic illustrates the function of the PPF:
This graphic is explained in the accompanying text
IntegrationThe PPF is part of the SAP Web Application Server and can be used by the applications. It is the successor to Message Control and offers a wider functional scope, more simple connection to the applications, and greater flexibility.FeaturesThe PPF provides tools for the scheduling, starting, and monitoring of actions. 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 technology.
The PPF provides processing types which take over the execution of various actions:
  • Printing, sending e-mails, and faxing with Smart Forms
  • Starting a workflow
  • 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.
The PPF additionally provides tools for the administration of actions. It also provides an action overview with status display, determination logs, and processing logs. The overview can be included in the application as a subscreen.



The definition is done in two steps : 

1. Define Action Profiles and Actions


All maximal allowed actions are defined for a transaction type. You also specify general conditions in the action profile for the actions contained in the profile, for example:
  • The time period at which the system starts the action (for example, when saving the document)
  • The way in which the system executes the action (workflow, method call or Smart Forms).
In this activity, you create an action profile and templates for actions. You can define the action templates more closely in the following step Change action profiles and define conditions.
For the action profile, the class which provides the attributes for your business object must be entered. These business objects can be used for planning actions.
When creating an action profile, note for which business transaction type you can use this action profile. You must assign the relevant business object type to the action profile. The assignment of the business object type makes sure that the attributes for the relevant business transaction type (for exampe, sales contract) can be used for defining and processing the conditions. If, for example, you wish to make the action depend on the net value of the transaction, the profile must be assigned to a business object type which contains the attribute net value . Only one business object can be assigned for each action profile. You can find out the business object type for the transaction type or the item category in Customizing for transactions under Define transaction types or Define item categories.
If you work with time-dependent conditions, you must also assign a date profile to the action definition. This makes sure that the date rules which you use for the action definitions are also available. You can also assign the date profile to the entire action profile. It is then inherited as the default value in every action definition you create for this profile. You also define here whether an action is to be partner-dependent.
When defining the follow-up documents, consider the copying control for the relevant transaction types.
Note also the copying control for the relevant transaction types, when defining subsequent documents.
You can enter several processing types for one action definition. Under processing, choose:
  • Method call
    If the action consists of one single step, for example, create subsequent document or create credit memo item.
    During the method call, processing is carried out via Business-Add-Ins (BAdIs). Standard methods (BAdIs) are available.
    When creating your own BAdI implementations, make sure that the method 'get_ref_object' is always called from the class 'CL_ACTION_EXECUTE', and the method 'register_for_save' always at the end. You can use the implementations 'COPY_DOCUMENT' and 'COPY_ITEM_LOCAL' as a template.
  • Workflow
    If the action consists of a process with several steps, for example, a subsequent document with approval procedure.
  • Smart Forms
    for issuing documents via fax, printing or e-mail.

Requirements
In order to create action profiles, you must have defined the necessary transaction types or item categories.
If you are using time-dependent conditions, you need to have defined date profiles. You define date profiles in the IMG under Basic Functions -> Date Management.

Default Settings
SAP delivers the following standard action profiles:
  • For activities: ACTIVITY
    Contains the following action definitions:
  • ACTIVITY_FOLLOWUP: creates a task for the responsible employee if a business activity is overdue
  • ACTIVITY_PRINT: makes it possible to print the activity
  • ACTIVITY_REMINDER_MAIL: sends an e-mail to the responsible employee if a business activity is overdue
  • For opportunities: OPPORTUNITY_SALES_ASSISTANT
    This action profile contains the actions necessary for sales methodology for opportunities.
  • For quotations: QUOTATION
    Contains the action definition Complete quotation. When the validity period for the quotation has expired, the quotation is automatically set to 'completed'.
    This action profile is assigned to the transaction type quotation.
  • For sales contracts: SALES_CONTRACT_HEAD
    Contains action template COPY_DOCUMENT. The action generates a follow- up document, and returns the number of the follow-up document to the original document. The transaction type for the follow-up document must be entered in the processing parameters.
  • For sales contract items: SALES_CONTRACT_ITEM
    contains action template COPY_ITEM_LOCAL .
  • VALUE_QUANTITY_CONTRACT_ITEM
    • For Leasing contracts:  LEASING_MESSAGES
      Contains action definitions for messages and subsequent documents. The subsequenet documents include:
    • CONT COPY DOCUMENT Generate subsequent document (activity)
      Generates a telephone call two weeks before the contract end date.
    • CONT COPY DOCUMENT SCHEDULED Generate subsequent document via selection report
      When a specific net value is reached, the system automatically creates a subsequent document. The net value is checked using a selection report.
    • For complaints: COMPLAINT
    • For complaints items: COMPLAINT_ITEM
    We recommend that you do not change the delivered profiles, but copy and adapt them if necessary.
    Recommendation
    If you create your own action profiles and action definitions, these should begin with Y or Z, because this name range is not overwritten for a SAP import.
    Activities
    In order to create an action profile with action templates, you proceed as follows:
      1. Choose New entries in the Change action profile view, and enter a name and a description for the action profile.
      Assign the context class CL_DOC_CONTEXT_CRM_ORDER in CRM Sales and Service in the field context class .
      If necessary, assign a date profile and a business transaction type (business object type) to the action profile. In order to assign abusiness transaction type, choose the relevant business transaction type with input help in the category BO - BOR object type and object type fields.
      2. Go into the action definition screen and choose New entries.
      The screen for the definition of actions appears.
      3. Enter a name and a description for the action.
      4. Specify the default values for the action in the action definition screen. Consider the following notes for these input possibilities:
      Processing time period:
    • Immediate processing - the action is started as soon as the start condition is fulfilled.
    • Processing when saving document  - the action is started directly after the update.
    • Processing using selection report - the action is started by a report after expiration and evaluation. After selection using the report, the system first checks whether a start condition is available. If no start condition is available, or the condition is correct, the action is started.
        If you select the partner-dependent field, you can define a partner function or partner function category for which the action is valid. For example, you can use partner function categories if you want a reminder e-mail to be sent to all business partners who are involved in the transaction and assigned to the specific partner function category. You can use partner functions to trigger an action for a specific partner function, for example, to send a reminder e-mail to the employee responsible for the transaction. You can, however, also define the action partner-dependently via the conditions.
        Select the field changeable in dialog if you want the user to be able to change the condition and processing parameter for the action in the document.
        Select the field executable in dialog if you want the user to be able to trigger the action manually on the Actions tab page.
        Select the display in toolbar field if you want the action to be displayed as a symbol in the toolbar for the document, and the user to be able to plan it from here.
        In the determination technology field, choose Determination via transportable conditions.
        In the field action aggregation , choose:
      • a maximum of one action for each action definition, if the action is to be executed exactly once
      • a maximum of one unprocessed action for each action definition if you want to be able to call up the action several times.
        5. Go to the Processing screen, in order to set how (with which technique) the action is executed.
        6. Choose New entries and, in the list, choose Processing Processing types (workflow, method call or Smart Forms). In the case of several processing types, select the standard processing type with the default indicator.
        7. Select the processing type and choose Set processing..
      • For processing via method call:
        Select a method (Business-Add-In) in the Filter value field via the input help.
        If you wish to be able to print an activity, use the processing method CRM_ACTIVITY_EXEC_SMART_FORM. This processing method is delivered with the standard configuration.
        Using the symbol for BAdI implementation γ, you can display the coding for the selected method. Using the symbol ̢ New BAdI implementation, you can define your own methods (BAdI).
        Define the processing parameters (container) and maintain the standard values, for example, import, transaction type, export: external document number.
      • For processing via workflow.
        Enter a workflow dummy.
        8. For processing via Smart Forms:
        Choose print, fax or e-mail, and enter a form name, a processing class, and a processing method.
        If you want the responsible employee to be sent a reminder e-mail if a contract is overdue, use smart form CRM_REMINDER_MAIL_01. This smart form is delivered with the standard configuration.
        9. Repeat the steps as of 2 for each action template you wish to define.
      Further notes
      If you also wish to specify messages for a transaction type (for example, order confirmation by fax), you must define the message output
      and the actions (for example, follow-up documents) in the same action profile.
      The action profile ACTIVITY is assigned to transaction type 0000 in the standard configuration.
      You can find information about the BAdI implementation in the SAP Library under Basis -> ABAP Workbench -> ABAP Workbench: Tools -> Further Concepts -> Business Add-Ins
      You can find information about the SAP Business Workflow in the SAP Library under Basis -> Business Management (BC-BMT) ->
      SAP Business Workflow (BC-BMT-WFM)

      2. Define Conditions

      In this step, you process the action templates you have created in the activity Define actions. Define the following characteristics in particular:
      • You define the planning condition and start condition for each action definition using transportable conditions.
      • You enter whether the action is planned automatically when the planning condition appears.
      Example
      Planning condition:
      • all contracts as of 1.6.2000
      • all transactions for customers 1000 to 2999
      Start condition:
      • 2 weeks before the contract end date
      Requirements
      You have created an action profile with action templates. You have selected Determination using transportable conditions in the Determination Technique field.
      If you want to use time-dependent conditions, you need to define date profiles with dates, durations and date rules under Date Management, and assign them to the date profile.


      Activities
        1. In the left screen area, double-click to choose the action profile you wish to process.
        In the right upper screen area, the action templates assigned to the profile appear. Using Create , you can select action templates from the action profile which are already defined, and add them to the list. You can add an action template several times.
        You can process these templates further in this activity.
        2. Choose the required template by double-clicking, and choose the symbol Change action template.
        The tab pages for setting up processing and defining the schedule condition and start condition appear in the lower screen area.
      • On the Overview tab page, the settings which were made for the action in the action profile are automatically proposed if the Default settings from action definition field is selected. If you deselect the field, you can change the default values.
        If you want the system to automatically plan the action for a fulfilled planning condition, select the schedule automatically field.
        This tab page also displays whether schedule conditions or start conditions are assigned.
      • You can display details for the assigned processing on the Action details tab page. You can change the processing parameters for the processing parameter method call.
      • You can create conditions for each action definition on the Schedule condition and Start condition tab pages.
        Enter a description for the condition, and double-click to go into the condition editor. You can create your own conditions with the help of the condition editor. You can find further information about working with the condition editor in the SAP Library under Basis -> Business Management -> SAP Business Workflow -> Reference Documentation -> SAP Business Workflow - Navigation -> Workflow Builder -> Functions in the Workflow Builder -> Condition Editor
      Further notes
      Note that if you do not want specific actions to be carried out for templates, you need to enter &CRM Bus. Activity.TEMPLATETYPE&  =  on the Schedule Condition tab page for the required action.

      For more information on working with templates, see the release note Templates in Activities and Leads.


      BADI : EXEC_METHODCALL_PPF

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