Change pointers

Former Member · ‎04-12-2007

I am new to change pointers. Can anyone guide me through the steps to configure

in SAP

Thanks

Ricky

Former Member · ‎04-12-2007

Hi Ricky,

Change pointers are R/3 objects that mark changes to SAP master data. Change pointers are managed by mechanisms in a Shared Master Data (SMD) tool and are based on Change Document (CD) objects. CD objects record the changes occurring to master data at a field level. These changes are stored in tables CDHDR (header table) and CDPOS (detail table). ALE configuration provides a link between CD objects and change pointers. Internal mechanisms update tables BDCP and BDCPS, which host the change pointers. While CD objects are application-data-specific, the processing status of change pointers is message-type-specific. Also, the ALE change pointers are activated first at a general level and then at the message-type level.

ALE provides powerful capabilities to capture changes occurring to master data and to distribute them via the IDOC interface. This feature can be used to keep two or more systems synchronized with respect to master data.

Steps to configure change Pointers:

1.Activate the change pointers globally(BD61)

2.Activate the change pointers for individual message types(BD50)

3.Schedule the program RBDMIDOC to run periodically on the sending system.

To Delete Change pointers use transaction BD22 and the standard program is RBDCPCLR

Remember You can see a check box in Further characteristics tab of the data element ( se11~~>enter data element~~>Further characteristics tab) for change document.

This check box is to bo checked to trigger change pointers.

Reward if found helpful

Thanks

venu

p291102 · ‎04-12-2007

Hi,

Change Pointer (Master Data Distribution)

Purpose

If you want to distribute master data changes with the SMD tool (Shared Master Data), changes to the master data objects are flagged for distribution by change pointers ( ® Master Data Distribution).

The SMD tool is connected to the change document interface. If the master data changes are to be distributed, the application writes a change document. The contents of this are passed to the SMD tool. The tool writes change pointers, reads the application data and creates the master IDoc.

The master IDoc is then passed to the ALE layer, which sends it to all interested systems.

The change pointer tables (BDCP und BDCPS) should be as small as possible. Use as few change pointers as possible and delete change pointers which you no longer need.

You can increase the rate of processing by using the Analyze Change Pointer and Reorganize Change Pointer functions.

Prerequisites

You have created change pointers.

Activities

Checklist to keep the change pointer tables as small as possible:

1. Do you really need change pointers?

You need change pointers to distribute changes with the ALE SMD tool. If you do not use this tool, you do not need to write change pointers.

You can deactivate change pointers and activate them again with the transaction BD61.

2. Do you really need to activate change pointers for this messages type?

If some messages types are no longer to be distributed by change pointers, you can deactivate change pointers for this messages type.

You can deactivate change pointers for the message type

and reactivate them again.

For reduced message types, deactivate the change pointer with the

Reduction tool (transaction BD53).

From Basis Release 6.10, you can restrict the creation of change pointers in customer exits. This functionality is provided in advance in the Note 'Reducing the amount of data for change pointers' (0420562).

3. Are there still too many change pointers to be processed?

The change pointers are analyzed with the transaction BD21 or the report RBDMIDOC in ALE and flagged as processed. If the change pointers are created periodically, this report should also run periodically.