IDocs in SAP (Intermediate Document) It is a file format used for data exchange between different SAP systems and external systems. IDocs in SAP are standard data structures used to transfer information between applications within the environment and between SAP systems and external systems.

Applications of IDocs in SAP

IDocs in SAP can contain information about various business processes, such as sales, purchasing, invoicing, inventory, human resources, and others. They can be used for communication between different SAP modules, between SAP and non-SAP systems, as well as for integration with external systems through technologies such as SAP PI (Process Integration) or SAP PO (Process Orchestration).

Generating and Sending IDocs

IDocs in SAP can be generated automatically by events within SAP, such as the creation of a sales order or the receipt of a supplier invoice, or manually by users. Once generated, they can be sent via various means, such as:

ALE (Application Link Enabling)
RFC (Remote Function Call)
HTTP
Email

Types of IDocs in the Materials Management Module (MM)

In the SAP Materials Management (MM) module, several types of IDocs are used to facilitate data exchange between different systems and applications. Some common IDoc types in the context of MM include:

MATMASThis IDoc type is used for transferring material master data, such as creating, modifying, or deleting material records in SAP. It contains detailed information about material attributes, such as description, material group, unit of measure, and so on.

ORDERSORDERS IDocs are used to transfer purchase orders from external systems to SAP MM or between different SAP systems. They can contain information about the items ordered, quantities, delivery times, prices, and other relevant purchase order details.

DELVRYThis IDoc type is used to transfer data related to the delivery of goods. It contains information about the delivery of goods, such as delivery numbers, delivered items, quantities, batch numbers, storage locations, and so on.

INVOICSAP IDocs of the INVOIC type are used to transfer invoice data from external systems to SAP MM or between different SAP systems. They can contain detailed information about issued invoices, such as invoice numbers, amounts, taxes, details of invoiced items, and other billing-related data.

REMADVThis IDoc type is used for the transfer of remittance advices, which are used to notify recipients of planned goods deliveries. It contains information about planned deliveries, recipients, delivery times, and other relevant details.

These are just a few examples of the IDoc types used in the context of the SAP MM module. Depending on an organization's specific integration requirements and business processes, other IDoc types may exist that are used for different purposes within the MM module or in conjunction with other SAP modules.

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Structure of an IDOCS, WE02, WE05

IDocs in SAP have a defined structure consisting of several segments and fields. Here's an example:

EDI_DC40 (Control segment)

DOCNUM: Document number
DOCTYP: Document type
MESTYP: Message type
SNDPOR: Port of shipment
RCVPOR: Receiving Port
…

E1EDK01 (Header segment)

BELNR: Document number
BUKRS: Society
WAERS: Currency
BSTNK: Order reference
…

E1EDP01 (Position segment)

MATNR: Material number
MENGE: Quantity
MEINS: Unit of measurement
NETPR: Net Price
…

E1EDS01 (Status segment)

STATUS: IDoc status
…

This is a very simplified and generic example. The actual structure of an IDoc can vary depending on the message type, the additional segments needed, and the specific fields required for the business process being supported.

IDocs in SAP are composed of segments (sets of fields) that represent different parts of the information being transmitted. Each segment has its own fields that carry business-specific information. Segments can be control segments, header segments, item segments, status segments, among others, depending on the IDoc type and the data being transferred.