Create new customer in ECC using legacy data

[Former Member]

I was planning to use BAPI_CUSTOMER_CREATE to upload records from a legacy system to ECC. I saw in the documentation that this BAPI is to create customer master online. Does that mean you can only use this to upload one record at a time via online? If I want to load a couple thousand of records from legacy, can I still use this BAPI. If not, please advise.

Thank you.

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Have you tried executing in background? You might also consider the DI program in LSMW, for object 0050, RFBIDE00.

[Former Member]

Hi,

SD_CUSTOMER_MAINTAIN_ALL is used in standard during the maintenance of a consumer using the standard customer master data transaction XD01 & XD02.

It is not intended to be used out of the transaction and in no case it should be used out of its original context. Due to the specificity of the function module, out of the original context we may face limitations and data inconsistencies.

This is precisely what you will face in your case.

For the maintenance of customers, there is NO BAPI and NO direct function module.

There are some functions modules like the one above where the name is looking nice. But these should not be used.

• Below ECC 2005 (6.00), the only solution was batch input and DEBMAS idocs. See [note 384462|https://service.sap.com/sap/support/notes/384462]

• Starting with ECC 2005 (6.00) and above: a synchronisation tool has been introduce. See class CMD_EI_API and VMD_EI_API

Hope this helps

BR

Alain

[Former Member]

Hi Alain

It's nice to know that we have better tools than batch input or IDOC for maintaining customer and vendor data, specially when we have constant synchronisation with other systems. But I couldn't find any documentation about the classes that you mentioned in their implementation in ECC, neither in SDN or SAP Support Portal. On the other hand, I found a lot of SAP Notes and users complaining about program errors, which let me worried. So I'd be glad if you could answer me two questions:

- Are these classes reliable and "stable"?

- Is there anywhere we can find a documentation to learn how to use them?

Thanks in advance

Luis

[Former Member]

Hi,

for sure there could still be bugs like in any other software.

At the moment, these classes are used for any kind of new products. eg: Webdynpro Lean Customer maintenance, eSOA services...

They are also the core of the synchronisation process between customer/vendor master data and ECC Business Partner.

For the documentation, you are unfortunately right, there is no documentation for direct usage of such classes.

Now this is up to everyone to decide:

*Use functionality already known to create troubles, inconsistencies and which is also not supported

*Jump to other objects like CMD_EI_API which is fully supported at the moment.

You can still follow [note 384462|https://service.sap.com/sap/support/notes/384462] guideline and use batchinput functionality. This is simple to use and also fully supported.

Regards

Alain

[Former Member]

Hi Ravi,

The BAPI can be used to create customer online purposes only.

This means it can be used for point of sales operations only.

There is an OSS note 390045 regarding the same as well.

For creation of customer you can either use the FM SD_CUSTOMER_MAINTAIN_ALL but I think this FM updates the database tables directly which is not advisable.

The last approach that you can follow is using IDOC's.

Type: DEBMAS.

But this approach also has limitations like updating of custom fields and address data.

What you can do is to use the combination od IDOC, BAPI: BAPI_ADDRESSORG_CHANGE for updating the address details and BADI : CUSTOMER_ADD_DATA_BI for updating the custom fields.

Hope this helps...

Thanks,

Manish