EBS Search Strings, algorithms, user exit: Find ref num & get to XBLNR

[patricia_brainard]

Hello Colleagues,

I have checked these and other forums, but have not found the information I need, so would be grateful for some help.

I am working with Electronic Bank Statements for the first time, and having some trouble. As a start, I am working with incoming payments and trying to extract the reference number from the "Note to Payee" so that we can match on XBLNR. This field contains all sorts of gibberish, but we do have a specified format on the invoice numbers. For example, the Note to Payee might contain:

---

I10IPKW35741 I10IPKW35740 I10IPKW35 739 I10IPKW35738 I10IPKW3573 7 I10IP KW35742 MAP SVERIGE AB BOX 55136 TRANSFER A MT SEK 200,789.68 ORIGINAL AMT SEK 200,789.68 EXCH. RATE SEK 0.4 206 1500 8311007131

---

I have set up the search string as

(I10|I11|I12)????#####

and the search string simulation correctly finds all the embedded references numbers:

I10IPKW35741

I10IPKW35740

I10IPKW35738

I10IPKW35741

I10IPKW35740

I10IPKW35738

Next, I tested the various algorithms against an existing bank statement using FEBSTS. (If I am testing using a bank statement that already cleared, will those documents still be found in the simulation?)

"000" executes the map correctly against the bank statement and returns the embedded invoice numbers, but does not return the related document to be cleared. However, I cannot see that "000" knows what field to key on.

"001", "015", "019", "021", and "121" do NOT return the embedded invoice numbers in the simulation.

Is there any way to make this work using search strings alone, or does the search string merely parse out the invoice numbers, and the rest of the processing must be done in the user exit FEB0001?

As a related question, what are the 900 series algorithms ("Customer-specific algorithm 901", etc.) and how are they managed or configured? Is that something my predecessors created in our implementation?

Thanks in advance.

Patricia

[Former Member]

Hi Patricia

Ideally Algo 001, would serve your purpose. It works fine for me for MT940 unstructured format :).

I think the problem for you would still arise for the interval range to be maintained in the selection screen.

Just check if we can give special character in the selection screen or not.

For me, i use interval range for both belnr and xblnr 000..000 to zzz...zzz.

As you might now tht after numbers alphabet appears i.e. after 0... 9.. aplhabet A/a appears.

SO you need to check when the special character appears as in your case the reference contains " | ".

Hoe its helpful..

Thanks

Nikhil

[patricia_brainard]

Hi Nikhil,

Thank you -- I will test that.

Patricia

[Former Member]

Hi

While using the interpretation algorithm, did you mentioned the interval range for XBLNR in the FF_5 selection screen? If not, try this once, algorithm 001 requires a interval range in the selection screen to work.

Thanks

Nikhil

Edited by: Nikhil Kothari on Jun 18, 2011 8:25 PM

[patricia_brainard]

Hi Nikhil,

Thanks for your response. I am not using FF_5 -- I am using the simulation transaction, FEBSTS. The BELNR interval defaults to "[ ] - 9999999999", and the XBLNR interval defaults to "[ ] - ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ". I used those defaults.

I have continued to research this problem, and now I have the impression that my search strings will only be executed if I specify algorithm "000". And it seems that if I use algorithm "000", I must use the user exit to find the related documents. Is that right?

Thanks,

Patricia

[Former Member]

Hi,

The user exit is used to enhance the search and is not needed if the search string finds a accurate match. The algorithm 000 stands ofr no interpratation which would mean the system will ignore the result. Please try the other algorithms and they should help.

[patricia_brainard]

Hi,

That is what I thought, but please see the results of my testing in my first note. I activated each algorithm in turn, and the only one that returned results (this is, found the reference number in the Note to Payee using my search strings) in the simulation (transaction FEBSTS) was "000".

Patricia

[Former Member]

Hi,

You mention that the earlier documents have already cleared, have you also tried to post new documents/reset the earlier ones? I do not see any plausible reason, unless some one has already used the user exit and it expects some other information there.

Also the 9 series ones are SAP defined to allow for additional custom algorithms.

[former_member581688]

I don't have much experience with FEBSTS (we don't clear customer documents via EBS, so can't use it to test our search strings). However, I do know that when you process a statement through FF.5, the interpretation algorithm assigned to the search string activation entry has to be the same as the algorithm assigned to the external transaction mapping in the EBS Global Config - otherwise, SAP ignores the search string (this "feature" has caused headaches for me more than once).

I'm wondering if FEBSTS has the same limitation as FF.5 and that's why the search string is only working for algorithm 000 - because that's the algorithm assigned to the relevant external transaction in the Global config. To test the different algorithms, try changing both the algorithm on the search string activation entry and the algorithm on the external transaction mapping to both be the algorithm you want to test.

Regards,

Shannon

[patricia_brainard]

Hi Shannon,

Thanks for your response. Here are the results of my latest test.

I set the algorithms in both the transaction mapping and the search string allocation to "021". FEBSTS did not find the imbedded reference numbers.

I left the algorithms in the transaction mapping at "021", but added "000" to the search string allocation (so that both "000" and "021" were active there). FEBSTS did execute the search strings and returned the reference numbers.

Unless there is some magic somewhere or I am really misunderstanding something, all of my tests are telling me that the simulation (and presumably the live program) will NOT execute the search strings properly unless "000" is active in the search string functionality, and that means the document retrieval must be done in the user exit.

This may be part of why SAP recommends that one does not use MT940, but one must deal with what one has.

Patricia

[former_member581688]

Patricia,

We use BAI2, not MT940, so that might explain the difference in processing of the interpretation algorithms.

Regards,

Shannon