S/4 HANA Retail - Initial mass creation - How to import/create sites (DC and Stores) from a file

[former_member437271]

Hello all,

With S/4 Hana Retail 1809, how can we import and create sites from a file (initial load)? In addition from site data, the system will have to create related Business Partners as well.

Should we still use FM WR01_SAVESITEDATA that was the function to be used for a mass creation of sites via customer-specific program in SAP ERP or can we use another tool (migration cockpit with user-defined migration object for example).

If required, can we based our development on FM 'DISTRIBUTE_SITE_DATA_S4' from class CL_SITE_DISTR_DRF?

[paul_gendreau · Accepted solution]

Hello Rémi:

You would think that this would be easy. But no 🙂

Check out as background these two SAP Notes:

S/4HANA - SAP Note 2586412 - Documentation for DISTRIBUTE_SITE_DATA

The documentation for function module DISTRIBUTE_SITE_DATA is incomplete regarding its functionality in SAP S4/HANA. The function module is used to create and update site master data in SAP S4/HANA. The documentation should describe the required parameter settings.

ECC 6.0 - SAP Note 1865903 - WR01_SAVESITEDATA module for creating sites.

The module WR01_SAVESITEDATA can be used as the basis for a customer-specific solution; for example, it can be used for a mass creation of retail sites (distribution centers/stores) and the corresponding data (currently, part of the structure WR01_SIT_DATA).

Both of the above suffer from the same basic deficiency: there is no consideration of reference sites or copy rules, which are basic Retail concepts that are absolutely critical to Retail Site Master creation.

In my view, any suggestion to use either function module for data migration of Retail Site Master is not a solution. It is a suggestion to undertake extremely-high-complexity development in the hope of successfully creating a customer-specific solution. This seems unusually bad advice, especially when a standard alternative exists.

One suggestion is to create the Site Business Partner (BP) as a first step, using your data migration method of choice, then create the Retail Site.

As a quick test, as a first step, create a Site BP using T-Code BP. Then use WB01 to create the Site Master. If you have observed the Best Practice that Site # and BP # is the same number, then WB01 recognizes that the BP for the Site exists and adopts the BP that was created independently in the first step. Armed with this information, you can use LSMW to create a screen recording of WB01 to create the Retail Site Master.

With the adoption of the BP concept by Retail Site Master in S/4HANA, and the proper use of carefully tested Reference Sites as the foundation of your New Site Creation process, the actual usage and input into WB01 becomes almost trivial in my experience. For most Retail Sites, WB01 will typically consist of clicking through the tabs, save, and confirm.

Yes, I'm aware that it may be a kind of heresy to mention Legacy System Migration Workbench (LSMW).

For S/4HANA, SAP Note 2287723 - LSMW in SAP S4HANA On-Premise edition proclaimed the demise of LSMW. It states: The Legacy System Migration Workbench (LSMW) is not really an alternative because it is listed on the Simplification list. You always need to read SAP Note 2287723 before you use the LSMW.

It turns out, for example, that LSMW and ARTMAS IDoc remain very much in play for Retail! For that tidbit, peruse SAP Note 2538170 - Migration of Retail Objects to SAP S/4HANA on-premise. Migration Cockpit isn't always the appropriate answer, as least for the moment.

[former_member437271 · Accepted solution]

Thanks for your answer. Your approach seems to be the right one.

1. Create BP

2. Create Site via classic LSMW

I'm gonna test this in my system.

Rémi