Hi,
I am wondering if there are any current developments in SAP ISU regarding the handling (installation, maintenace, settlement, billing) of clients with microgeneration based on photovoltaic systems. Currently it's to hard to fit the standard ISU procesess to new trends.

Hi Experts,

We have a system with users from several countries, we have daylight saving time shifts, some of the countries do the shifts on a certain date and others on a different date, so the background Jobs for some of them needs to be changed in order to adjust to their new time, we have different users that runs the Jobs, one for each country, so we can filter using this user. is there a way for changing the scheduling not manually?

Hi Folks,

We are facing an issue in replication where in the ISU contract for which the user changed the end date is not visible in the IC WC under 'contract management' section. However we are able to view this contract in the backend gui via crmd_order. Observed that there are descrepencies in both the ISU and CRM contract with product data. The CRM contract has 3 product lines/changes where as ISU contract has only 2 product lines reflecting.

Since we are unable to view the contract in IC web client we are unable to make changes to this contract. Any inputs on identifying this missing contract will be appreciated. Checked the Bdocs and there seems to be no errors (all green) either.

Hello Experts,       

We are make a system copy from my develop system, to create a new develop server.

We are already make it, and it's run now.

when we try run transaction ST03N in the export mode, we find the name for old server as in pic.:

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

Kindly, aid us ASAP.

Best Regards

Said Shepl

The convergence of Information Technology and Operational Technology is getting more and more important in the Utilities industry.

New: The current edition of “Metering & Smart Energy International” focuses on the upcoming European Utilities Week in Amsterdam, where SAP is present as a gold sponsor. IT/OT integration is of course one of the main topics at the conference. Too learn more about SAP’s current view on IT/OT just jump to page 104 in the "Metering & Smart Energy International" edition and visit the SAP booth in Amsterdam.

Read about IT/OT integration in the following blogs:

IT/OT Integration is a major topic at the SAP Conference for Utilities 2014 by Gero Bieser, March 12, 2014

The Convergence of Information Technology and Operational Technology is Already Happening – How Can Utilities Best Adapt…, by Henry Bailey, March 4, 2014

Thoughts from DistribuTECH 2014 – The Emergence of Software in the Hardware World. by Rory Shaffer, February 6, 2014

Situational Intelligence Melds IT, OT and XT to Improve Decision Making by Steve Ehrlich, SpaceTime Insight, February 4, 2014

Utilities are moving to the intelligent level of Transmission and Distribution by Henry Bailey, February 3, 2014

The Why, How and What of IT-OT integration for Energy Distribution Companies by Miquel Carbo, November 8, 2013

Have a look at this Customer Testimonial Video from Alliander. Alliander is the largest energy distribution company in the Netherlands.
Learn how Alliander, the largest energy distribution company in the Netherlands, successfully deployed SAP HANA using SAP Services to drive innovation by analyzing Big Data from sensors and business applications to improve forecasting models.

http://www.sapbigdata.com/stories/alliander-uses-sap-services-to-successfully-analyze-big-data/#sthash.71pdRNeC.n45QKPwA.dpbs

Read about a strategic OEM agreement between Rolta, a leading IT provider who offers "Suite and Rolta OT-IT Integration Suite™ and SAP http://www.news-sap.com/rolta-and-sap-announce-a-strategic-oem-agreement/

Follow us on twitter @SAP Industrieshttps://twitter.com/sap4utilities

Mobile applications – a phrase that is meanwhile on everyone’s lips. And yet, first that comes to mind are consumer apps. Some of us might have thought about enterprise mobile apps, but here again we rather focus on typical processes of the enterprise asset management, mobile sales and consumer integration. What is common to all is the question “Will this app help people get whatever task they’re doing done quicker?”

Keeping this in mind, have you ever thought about who is picking up your waste in an efficient way? I’m sure you haven’t. There are usually two reasons.

For one, humans prefer to imagine nice things.

Second, the costs for your waste related services are usually so low that you don’t really take notice.

Just few people (in the SAP organization) know that SAP software helps to make sure that at least the latter statement stays true. By using the related SAP products and SAP technology platform utilities companies are able to streamline their processes and provide their services very efficiently, which not only keeps down their operating costs but reduces our overall impact on the environment. By end of this year SAP Waste and Recycling customers will have rolled out > 500 mobile units.

During the last 2 years another 3000 mobile units carrying the SAP software were deployed in utilities companies around the world. See also the following user story to learn how SITA, a subsidiary of SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT, has benefited from the software and is now able to get their services done quicker and more efficiently.

English version:http://www.prologa.de/media/system/pdf/EN/AB_Prologa_Sita_EN.pdf

German version:http://www.prologa.de/media/system/pdf/DE/AB_Prologa_Sita_DE.pdf  or http://recyclingportal.eu/Archive/6184

CPFL Energia, a 101 years utility group operating generation, distribution, services and telecommunications, leading electricitty distribution market with 13% share, with more than 7.5 million customers covering states of São Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, Minas Gerais and Paraná in Brazil, has recently acquired SAP Ariba Platform, which will substantially reduce time with purchase processes and suppliers research.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

CPFL has already implemented its Shared Services Center a few years ago, attending all its subsidiaries with back-office services such as HR, Procurement, Finance and Administrative services. Then, CPFL has started searching for procurement solutions to fulfill its needs and bring more savings when purchasing materials and services, replacing its legacy solution.

SAP has started an exhaustive and detailed team work involving solution architects, sales specialists and IVEs on a business case that could effectively prove to CPFL that they were about to chose THE best solution for its business. SAP Ariba Sourcing Professional, Contract Management, Supplier Information & Performance Management, Procurement Content and Ariba Network with PO and Invoice Automation were the modules involved, and we beat our competitors in all requirements. Some of the benefits CPFL will start to take advantage of are effective sourcing services (from very simple to extremely complex), an enormous source of recruitment models, significantly improve its compliance, optimize its control with processes tracking and measurement, and a strong reduction on purchasing operational load. We estimate total year savings that can vary from US$ 4.4 to 48 million after its full implementation.

This is our largest SAP Ariba deal in Brazil and CPFL has become our first reference in the Utilities segment with this solution. Project setup kick-off will be next week and will be up and running in 1 month. CPFL already has SAP ERP and IS-U/CCS running for more than 10 years and is one of our most important and strategic customers in this region.

I need to create two alternate rate and prices; one to bill in summer from May to Sept ($11.00) and a winter rate to bill from Oct to April ($15.00), based on the end of billing period date. in rate steps (T-code EA30) what steps I should configure using variant and operands to do that.

Thanks,

Osman

I have checked the meter read results if for the current period the meter reads is less than the previous period. Everything is fine but still the meter is getting billed as negative co-efficient.

Any idea what the issue might be?

For one of the device earlier the meter reads were in decimal but now they are not in decimal. Could this be an issue ?

Hi Experts ,

I am new to utility , needed some document which could help me understand the basics , request you to please help .

Thanks ,

Vaibhav

Does anyone know if there is a business content data source for PDOCs? If not, are there plans to deliver one?

Hello Experts,

Is it possible that BP:CA = 1:n and BP:CA = n:1 .

In which scenarios we can use this one to many and many to one relationship between BP and CA.

Regards

Suraj

Hi Experts,

We have a system with users from several countries, we have daylight saving time shifts, some of the countries do the shifts on a certain date and others on a different date, so the background Jobs for some of them needs to be changed in order to adjust to their new time, we have different users that runs the Jobs, one for each country, so we can filter using this user. is there a way for changing the scheduling not manually?

Hi Experts.

We are trying to find out if there is any standard SAP report that can be used to find customers/Contract accounts with credit balance.

Thanks,

Suhas.

Hello Team,

I am working on EA60(Invoice printing) of ISU. Here If I am running the prinitng based on protion Wise , system will create a single spool request containg all the document .  Now I am writing an enhancement wherein to convert the spool into PDF. It works fine converting the spool to PDF. But as system generate a single spool corresponding to all the invoices so my converted PDF contains multiple pages.

If there any way I can make multiple spool corresponding to every invoice by running the report based on proting.

The Idea is to download the PDF corresponding to every Invoice.

I tries the external mail option in print parameters given in EA60 but it will great n mail corresponding to N invoices within the group & it is very diffcult to download every invoice from mail & make a repository .

Also suggest if I use external mail option while running EA60 portion wise can I have mail header linked with Invoice no or Consumer no so that looking at mail I can say that this invoice belongs to this consumer.

Regards,

Pankaj

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

African SME’s have a unique set of needs and challenges and SAP has tailored their solutions to ensure this market’s future success. Over 185,000 SMEs are already using SAP and this is why:

1. Complete

We deliver a complete set of solutions designed for SME’s in Africa. Our business intelligence and performance management solutions allow you to make better decisions and streamline your processes.

2. Leadership

We are recognised as a leader by industry experts and trusted by SME customers. We currently have over 185,000 SME customers and this number
continues to grow, especially in emerging regions such as Africa. Did you know, 80% of customers using SAP Business One have less than 50 users, showing that SME’s are one of our core target markets.

3. Choice

We offer choices to fit the way you do business. Whether you need packaged or custom designed solution, deployment on demand or on your premise, we can give you the complete, integrated functionality you need – delivered the way you want.

4. Industry

We put our industry expertise to work for you. SME’s in Africa need best-practice support and industry-specific innovation. At SAP, we deliver 1,300+ solutions that have been designed for 25 major industries.

5. Time and value

We help you to start fast and see results in weeks. As an SME in Africa, you want to start seeing value in as little time as possible. Our ERP solutions for SME’s can be deployed within 2 to 12 weeks and our BI solutions within 1 day to 8 weeks, making SAP the logical choice.

6. Insight

Our analytics solutions help you turn information into actionable insight. As a business owner in Africa, you want to free your time from sorting through ad hoc reports, spreadsheets and databases. Our real-time insights give you the ability to drive better decision making with confidence.

7. Innovation

Doing business in Africa means you need to partner with a company which focuses on the technologies that matter, such as Cloud computing, Mobile, In-memory computing and Big Data. We deliver innovations that help your business succeed through R&D investment, acquiring companies that deliver innovation (as opposed to legacy technology) and co-innovating new solutions with customers and partners.

8. Growth

Our solutions are designed to adapt as your business grows. Proven scalability to support from 10 users to more than 1,000 users, coupled with flexible configuration options, means African SMEs can invest in what they need now and can add more later as their business model or organisation changes.

9. Local

SAP solutions for SME’s, meet global and local business requirements in 80+ countries. Whether you’re operating from South Africa, Nigeria or Uganda, we can support you wherever you are.

10. Ecosystem

Access the industry-specific business expertise and technical know-how you need to meet your business and IT challenges. Our extensive ecosystem of partners and customers gives you more choices and more resources.

Are you ready to take your business in Africa to the next level? Contact me directly or call +27 11 235 6045 / 0800 981 334.

Important information: If you would like to get notifications just for this document, please click on "Receive email notifications" in the action box on the right upper corner. You need to be logged in to be able to activate this function.

News

New:New Customer Connection Project Starting in December by Max Streibl on Oct. 28, 2014

Updated: Cookbook for Price Replication from SAP CRM with SAP ISU Master Data Generator by Christiane Voigtmann on Sept 2, 2014
Out Now: SAP CRM for Utilities 7.0 EHP 3 Support Package 5 by Christiane Voigtmann on Aug 5, 2014

Tips and Tricks

New:Product Finder and Configurator - Updates with SAP CRM 7.0 EHP3 SP05 on Oct 6, 2014

New: Best Practices: BRF plus Debugging and Tracing in SAP Service Marketplace -> SAP for Utilities - Product Information -> SAP CRM for Utilities -> Cookbooks&Guidelines on Oct 6, 2014
(SAP Service Marketplace is just for customers and partners: read what it is and how you can get accessSAP Service Marketplace Overview and FAQ)

New:Modelling Utilties Products using PMU and BRF+ Rules by Christian Drumm on Oct.5, 2014

Execute Business Add-In CRM_IUICMD_BADI to fill the context area by Michael Sturm on Oct 2, 2014

Utilities CRM-> EhP3-> Working with the BRFplus Editor-> mandatory fields by Frank Holsten on Sept 30, 2014

Utilities CRM-> EhP3-> Working with the BRFplus Editor by Frank Holsten on Sept 30, 2014

Utilities CRM-> SAP GUI Transactions from CRM WebClient UI by Frank Holsten on Sept 29, 2014

Utilities CRM-> display product configuration within an Utilities quotation or contract by Frank Holsten on Sept 29, 2014

Utilities CRM-> EhP2/EhP3-> Personalization of search functionsby Frank Holsten on Sept 18, 2014

Integration of documents and attachments in utilities quotations and utilities contracts in a B2C scenario by Michael Sturm on Sept 16, 2014

Recommendation for Utilities when Upgrading to SAP CRM 7.0 EHP3by Andre Voigtmann on Sept 8, 2014

Change the sort order of premises in the hit listby Michael Sturm on Aug 14, 2014

Required adjustments to copied BOL tree profiles by Michael Sturm on Aug 4, 2014

Recommendation: For utilities products (like electricity, gas, …) SAP strongly recommends to use PMU instead of PME! (see also KBA 2038592)

Further Information

SAP Help Portal for product Information

SAP Service Marketplace (SAP Service Marketplace is just for customers and partners: read what it is and how you can get accessSAP Service Marketplace Overview and FAQ)

Hello

I would like to know if someone knows one module function which can give the balance of a contract account. I have this information by using the transaction FPL9.

Thanks a lot

Recently I was in a need of changing Contract Account based on the indicator in the non-character-delimited text file in which each line consists of set of data. Business scenario behind it is the following: on a set date each month bank sends the text file to the customer. In that file they specify who contracted direct debit service with the bank. The file consists of a number of lines, grouped in three types of lines (header line, data lines and footer). The data lines consists of several data, among which are contract account number and direct debit status (contracted / revoked). Data is not separated by separation character, but the lenght of each data is the same (meaning you always know the position of each data element).

Being a functional consultant with programming experience, I decided to write an ABAP program which would do the following:

• Upload the text file into the SAP
• Separate the needed data and fill in the internal table
• Check the Contract Account (read all its data)
• Change the Contract Account (update the Incoming Payment Method field with the value entered on the selection screen)

Checking SCN and other places I could find bits of code that helped me create the needed. The least documented thing was the BAPIs BAPI_ISUACCOUNT_GETDETAIL and BAPI_ISUACCOUNT_CHANGE. Thats why I decided to give the example of the whole program in this blog post, having in mind it could help someone who has the similar needs.

Prerequisites

I will assume you opened a new package (if needed) and created a new program in SE80 for this purpose.

Data

First, lets start with the definition of the data we will be needing in the program:

TYPES:

       BEGIN OF DD_STRUCT,

         line_type  TYPE c LENGTH 3,

         ntp_number TYPE c LENGTH 22,

         indicator  TYPE c LENGTH 2,

       END OF DD_STRUCT.

DATA : l_file              TYPE string,

            gv_line_space(256) TYPE c,

            l_testrn          TYPE c,

            w_return        TYPE bapiret2,

            l_ca               TYPE BAPICAPARA,

            l_p                 TYPE BAPIBPPARA.

DATA : it_file TYPE STANDARD TABLE OF DD_STRUCT,

            wa_file LIKE LINE OF it_file.

DATA : lt_cadata    TYPE bapiisuvkp  OCCURS 0 WITH HEADER LINE,

            lt_cadatax   TYPE bapiisuvkpx OCCURS 0 WITH HEADER LINE.

Defining our own structure, DD_STRUCT, will help us have a set of data in one place. The definition is connected with the position of the data elements in the text file: line_type data is the first data in the file line and its length is 3 characters. On the next position (which is fourth column in the text file) is the ntp_number data which is 22 characters long. The last data element starts at 26th column and its 2 characters long.

Local variables l_ca, l_p, l_file and l_testrn will hold the contract account, business partner, file and test run checkbox data. Global variable gv_line_space will be used to enter a new line when displaying messages, and w_return workplace variable will handle the BAPI return data.

Data definition is important, can not be skipped and should not be missconfigured. Every BAPI offers the possibilities to check the needed data types by opening it (in SE80) and doubleclicking on the Associated Type entry in Import, Export, Changing, Exceptions or Tables tabs.

Selection screen

In case you decide to expand the program and divide the selection screen into more sections, the following code might come handy. If not, just take the Parameters definition out and remove the b1 block definition:

SELECTION-SCREEN BEGIN OF BLOCK b1 WITH FRAME TITLE text-001.

PARAMETERS: p_file   TYPE rlgrap-filename OBLIGATORY,

             p_paymtd TYPE FKKVKP-EZAWE    OBLIGATORY,

             p_testrn AS CHECKBOX.

SELECTION-SCREEN END OF BLOCK b1.

AT SELECTION-SCREEN ON VALUE-REQUEST FOR p_file.

   CALL FUNCTION 'F4_FILENAME'

     EXPORTING

       program_name  = syst-cprog

       dynpro_number = syst-dynnr

       field_name    = ' '

     IMPORTING

       file_name     = p_file.

START-OF-SELECTION.

   l_file = p_file.

   l_testrn = p_testrn.

Since GUI_UPLOAD (used via CL_GUI_FRONTEND_SERVICES) does not accept p_file as an input parameter, we should fill the l_file local variable contents with the p_file contents. The same is done with the l_testrn/p_testrn parameter.

Note: If you need help with creating selection screens, you can use the program RSDBGENA (start it using transaction code SE38).

Importing the file

With the help of the SCN web, I concluded that the best way of uploading a text file is using  CL_GUI_FRONTEND_SERVICES and GUI_UPLOAD function modules. My file does not have field separator, which makes it even easier. Note: GUI_UPLOAD recognizes tab as a field separator. In other cases, you need to use either SPLIT function or some other way of handling semicolon or other separators.

In order to use the mentioned functions, we need to send the minimum of the data: filename (l_file) and return table (it_file). The definition of the it_file, type DD_STRUCT, will help this function automaticaly fill the needed table columns with the data, creating new table row for each file line read.

Besides FILENAME parameter, there are several parameters which could come handy: HAS_FIELD_SEPARATOR, READ_BY_LINE, HEADER_LENGTH, CODEPAGE and others (as always, you can check the possibilities in the documentation).

CALL METHOD CL_GUI_FRONTEND_SERVICES=>GUI_UPLOAD

   EXPORTING

     FILENAME                = l_file

   CHANGING

     DATA_TAB                =  it_file.

Once executed, we need to check for the errors. In case there are errors, we will display them. If not, we can continue with the execution of the program.

   IF sy-subrc <> 0.

     MESSAGE ID sy-msgid TYPE sy-msgty NUMBER sy-msgno

             WITH sy-msgv1 sy-msgv2 sy-msgv3 sy-msgv4.

   ENDIF.

Showing the read content

As a control of the read content, we can go through the it_file table and output the data. We will only deal with the lines of type "DAT", which is the code for the data line:

LOOP AT it_file INTO wa_file.

     IF wa_file-line_type = 'DAT'.

       WRITE :/ 'Reading the file: ', wa_file-ntp_number, wa_file-indicator.

Note: The loop line is written in italic. Regardles if youre using the code to output the read data, the loop will be used to go through the read lines and call the BAPIs. Corresponding ENDLOOP will also be written in italic in the end of this document.

As the total length of the contract account number in SAP is 12, and the length of the contract account number in the text file is 10, we need to add the two zeros in front of the read number:

    CONCATENATE '00' wa_file-ntp_number+0(10) into l_ca-account.

Reading the Contract Account data

Its always good to read the BAPI documentation before using it. You can do so by opening SE80, choosing Function Module and entering the BAPI name there.

BAPI BAPI_ISUACCOUNT_GETDETAIL expects CONTRACTACCOUNT as mandatory input parameter. For that purpose we defined l_ca variable and populated it with the data from the file (and subsequentialy it_table) in the previous step. As an output parameter, you can use RETURN, which will give you the error message if the error happens, or it wont return anything in case of success.

The table that will get populated as a result of this BAPI is lt_cadata. You can check the fields that will get populated by double-clicking on the bapiisuvkp keyword in the definition of the local table lt_cadata.

In case BAPI runs successfully, w_return variable will stay in its initial state. If there is an error, it will get populated with that information (for example, it will say that the contract account does not exist). If you want, you can output that message, as a measure of control.

CALL FUNCTION 'BAPI_ISUACCOUNT_GETDETAIL'

             EXPORTING

               CONTRACTACCOUNT             = l_ca-account

             IMPORTING

               RETURN                                  = w_return

             TABLES

               TCONTRACTACCOUNTDATA  = lt_cadata.

IF w_return IS NOT INITIAL.

   WRITE :/ 'Error:', w_return-MESSAGE.

ENDIF.

Outputing the read data

Assuming we did not get an error, our lt_cadata local table contains the states Contract Account data. Since we are changing the Incoming Payment Method data, we will print out the read data, as an info what was the previous information.

Also, now we have the information about the Business Partner for that Contract Account, and since that is the mandatory input parameter for our next BAPI, we will populate the l_p-partner variable here.

At the end of this section, we will clear the w_return variable so we can use it for the next BAPI.

    l_p-partner = lt_cadata-partner.

       WRITE :/ 'Contract account:', l_ca-account.

       WRITE :/ 'Business partner:', l_p-partner.

       WRITE :/ 'Payment method (previous):', lt_cadata-PAYM_METHOD_IN.

CLEAR: w_return.

Setting the new Contract Account data

When using  BAPI_ISUACCOUNT_CHANGE, in order to change any data, we need to state which data will we change and set the new value. For that purpose, two variables are used. First is lt_cadata which we already populated with all the information. In lt_cadata we will change the incoming payment method value into the one that the user entered at the selection screen (p_paymtd).

The second one is the matching variable lt_cadatax. In order to change a parameter in Contract Account master data, we need to put 'X' as a value to that parameter.

To make it more clear: lt_cadata-paym_method_in value will bep_paymtd, and lt_cadatax-paym_method_in value will be 'X'.

    lt_cadatax-paym_method_in = 'X'.

     lt_cadata-paym_method_in  = p_paymtd.

         CALL FUNCTION 'BAPI_ISUACCOUNT_CHANGE'

             EXPORTING

               CONTRACTACCOUNT            = l_ca-account

               PARTNER                               = l_p-partner

               CONTRACTACCOUNTDATA   = lt_cadata

               CONTRACTACCOUNTDATAX = lt_cadatax

               TESTRUN                                = l_testrn

             IMPORTING

               RETURN                                  = w_return.

IF w_return IS NOT INITIAL.

   WRITE :/ 'Error:', w_return-MESSAGE.

ENDIF.

BAPI BAPI_ISUACCOUNT_CHANGE gives us the possibility to run it as a test run. To make it easier to control, I put the parameter (p_testrn) to the selection screen. The same as before, if the BAPI run successfully, we will not get any data in the RETURN parameter. If, on the other hand, we get an error, BAPI will populate that parameter and we will be able to print it out using the stated code.

Commiting the transaction

The last step in the program is commiting the transaction. If we skip this step, the new data will not get written into the Contract Account master record. We will commit the transaction only if we didnt get an error from the previous step.

    IF w_return IS INITIAL.

       CALL FUNCTION 'BAPI_TRANSACTION_COMMIT'

        EXPORTING

          WAIT          = 'X'

        IMPORTING

          RETURN    = w_return.

        WRITE :/ 'Payment method (new):', lt_cadata-PAYM_METHOD_IN, gv_line_space, gv_line_space.

       ENDIF.

     ENDLOOP.

If you want to try the code yourself, just copy the code (without my descriptions and comments) into a new program, activate it and run. Its purpose its to show the usage of importing the text file to SAP, populating local table, extracting data from the text file and changing the Contract Account master record using BAPIs.

I hope this instructions and code examples will be useful to people who have similar business needs or who want to see an example of how to use the BAPI_ISUACCOUNT_GETDETAIL and BAPI_ISUACCOUNT_CHANGE BAPIs.

Dear Expert,

My business requirement is to post a rebate new line item in a current month invoice if a consumer had paid last invoice before due date.

Is there any configuration available in system or we can use any event through which i can achieve this objective?

Regards

Arun