How Loftware Cloud / NiceLabel ABAP Package connects to SAP ECC
ABAP package with output management
The ABAP package hooks into SAP output determination, so a delivery, production order or goods receipt creates a label request. The request carries SAP data to Loftware, which merges it into a template and prints it. Status goes back to SAP when the print completes.
SAP Global Label Management Plus
Loftware works with SAP GLM Plus where labels are driven by GLM label content and compliance data, such as hazardous goods or regulated labelling. Whether you need GLM depends on how much regulatory content you manage in SAP.
Loftware Cloud
The cloud edition removes the label server from your infrastructure. For air-gapped plants, check whether an on-premise deployment is required instead.
What data moves
| From | To | Data | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAP ECC output determination | Loftware | Label request with delivery, material, batch, serial, customer and quantity data | Delivery, goods receipt or production order event |
| Loftware | Printer | Rendered label in printer language | Label request processed |
| Loftware | SAP ECC | Print status and errors | After printing |
| SAP ECC | Loftware | Master data changes that affect label content | Material or customer change |
Setting it up
- 1Inventory your labelsList every label by process, such as shipping, pallet, product and customer-specific, and the SAP source of each field.
- 2Install the ABAP packageImport transports into development, test and production in the order Loftware documents, and check compatibility with your support package level.
- 3Configure output determinationSet up condition records and output types so the right documents create label requests for the right partners and plants.
- 4Set up the label server and printersDefine printers, queues and drivers, and map them to SAP output devices.
- 5Build and map templatesDesign templates and bind each field to the SAP data, including formatting for dates, units and barcodes.
- 6Test with customer specsPrint against customer label specifications and scan every barcode with a verifier.
- 7Plan the S/4HANA moveKeep templates and mappings reusable so the ECC to S/4HANA conversion does not mean redesigning labels.
What usually breaks
- !Output conditions that fire twice and print duplicate labels.
- !Unit of measure conversion on quantity fields, which prints the wrong count on a pallet label.
- !Template fields bound to custom Z fields that disappear or change during an S/4HANA conversion.
- !Customer labelling standards (GS1, retailer specs) changed without a template update.
- !Printer queue or network failures with no status back to SAP, so users reprint blindly.
- !Transport order mismatches between systems, causing production to behave differently from test.
A private AI layer across both systems
Label error triage
Read print status from Loftware and the related SAP documents to explain why a label failed, for example a missing field, an offline printer or a template mismatch, and suggest the fix for approval.
Spec comparison
Compare a new customer labelling specification with the existing templates and draft the field changes a label designer should review.
Questions about what printed
Let shipping ask which labels were printed for a delivery and see the data that went onto each one.
Try it here, free
SAP Output Determination Checklist
A checklist to design, configure and troubleshoot SAP output determination for order confirmations, delivery notes and invoices.
When something else fits better
- SAP's own output forms and Adobe forms are enough for plain documents and simple barcodes.
- Another label product such as BarTender or Seagull if it already runs your non-SAP labels, with a different SAP connector.
- SAP GLM Plus alone if your need is mostly regulatory content rather than flexible design.
Frequently asked questions
Is Loftware certified for SAP?
Loftware describes a certified SAP integration and lists Loftware Cloud as an SAP Endorsed App. Check the current certification scope for your exact SAP release before you rely on it, since scope changes by product version.
Do I need SAP GLM Plus?
Only if you manage regulatory label content, such as hazard data, in SAP. For ordinary shipping and product labels, output determination with an ABAP package is typically enough. Loftware supports both approaches.
Can this run on-premise or air-gapped?
Loftware offers cloud and installed options. For isolated plants, confirm that you can run the label server on-premise and what, if anything, calls out to the internet.
What breaks during an S/4HANA conversion?
Usually custom fields and output determination customisations. Document the field mapping for each template before the conversion, retest every label type and keep the ABAP package version aligned with the new release.
Pairing documented at www.loftware.com/sap-labeling-solutions . Loftware Cloud / NiceLabel ABAP Package is a product of Loftware; Netray is independent and not affiliated with either vendor.