Business Partner Creation for Sales Customer

[Former Member]

Hello,

I am almost certain this question was asked before, but I couldn't seem to find the answer.

I have an external customer number that needs to be passed in from a 3rd-party system to SAP ECC 5.0 (part of ERP 2004). I could use BAPI BAPI_BUPA_CREATE_FROM_DATA to create the customer in BUT000 table. Since this is really a sales customer, I was hoping this customer can be duplicated/transferred to KNA1 table. Without doing this, this external BP # does not show up in my dropdown list when I create an order. I also tried to use BAPI BAPI_BUPA_FS_CREATE_FROM_DATA2 to create this external customer by adding a role "FLCU00", but I still couldn't find this customer in the KNA1 table. I also looked at a couple more options such as BAPI_CUSTOMER_CREATE and BAPI_CUSTOMER_CREATEFROMDATA1, but as far as I know the first one is online dialog mode, and the 2nd one does not seem to allow exteral customer number. Does any know whether it is possible to use BAPI_BUPA_CREATE_FROM_DATA or BAPI_BUPA_FS_CREATE_FROM_DATA2 to create an entry in KNA1? Is it more a config issue or technically it is not possible? Please advise. Your help is appreciated!!!

Regards,

Chao

[Former Member]

Hi Chao

I'm not exactly sure whether you want to ideally create a Business Partner (BUT000) or a Customer (KNA1) or both.

If you just want to create a Customer, then forget about anything with BUPA in the name. That is for Business Partners.

The mySAP CRM system sends Business Partners to ERP and it maps them to Customers and then creates them.

The creation is done via function IDOC_INPUT_DEBITOR, which uses CALL TRANSACTION under the covers. Maybe you could have a look at this if the BAPI's aren't working out for you.

Cheers

Dom

[Former Member]

Thanks for your clue. I will look into it. Maybe IDoc approach is what I need to use.

Ultimately, we want to use KNA1 customers to create sales orders. We don't have mySAP CRM, so ERP is what I am trying to interface to from an external system. I thought SAP is trying to centralize the business partners, so that's why I was walking down on the path of creating BPs, hoping they will be replicated back to KNA1. I worked on IS products before, and they seem to work this way (replication). However, by thinking about it more, it may make more sense to have customers created in KNA1 and through some type of conversion replicate customers in KNA1 to BUT000 some time down in the road if BP is what the customer will be using in the future with other mySAP products. I wonder if anyone can validate this thought(meaning converting KNA1 customers to BPs) for me. Thanks in advance!!!

[Former Member]

Ah OK - I'm following now.

If you are not using an industry solution, then forget BP's and go straight to KNA1 customers. Choose your appropriate method - BAPI, IDoc, etc depending on your interface technique.

I used CRM as an example as I thought you needed to map BP's to customers and that is already doing it. Utilising delivered SAP mechanisms is often the quickest and most robust way to do something.

Cheers

Dom