Free tool for SAP ECC (ERP Central Component)
SAP ECC Integration and EDI Designer
Pick the business objects and the systems you need to connect, and get an SAP ECC integration inventory that names the real interface for each flow: IDoc message types such as ORDERS, DESADV and INVOIC over ALE or EDI, BAPIs such as BAPI_SALESORDER_CREATEFROMDAT2 and BAPI_PO_CREATE1 over RFC, Gateway OData services, or SAP PI/PO and Cloud Integration in the middle. Switch to EDI mode to see how X12 850, 855, 856, 810 and 846 (and the EDIFACT equivalents) map to IDoc segments such as E1EDK02, E1EDKA1 and E1EDP01.
Business objects
Toggle what moves between systems. Presets add a typical set.
Targets, direction and frequency
Direction is seen from SAP ECC.
Nothing in scope yet
Integration inventory
SAP ECC 6.0 runs on SAP NetWeaver AS ABAP. Asynchronous integration uses IDocs (ALE between SAP systems, EDI to trading partners) driven by output determination or change pointers; synchronous integration uses BAPIs and RFC function modules, or OData services built in SAP Gateway. Most landscapes put SAP PI/PO or SAP Integration Suite (Cloud Integration) in the middle, with the SAP Cloud Connector for cloud to on-premises calls. Mainstream maintenance for SAP ERP 6.0 runs to the end of 2027, with optional extended maintenance to the end of 2030.
Your inventory appears here
Exports include the inventory, rationale, field maps with your target names, selected EDI maps and risks. No sign-in needed.
How to use it
- 1
Pick the objects
Select the business objects in scope, such as customers, materials, sales orders and deliveries.
- 2
Add the target systems
For each object choose the system on the other side, the direction seen from SAP ECC and how often it must move.
- 3
Read the inventory
Each row names the ECC interface (IDoc message type, BAPI, OData service or extractor), why it fits and what to watch for.
- 4
Check the field map
Open the starter map for an object, fill in the target field names and note the keys, organizational data and required fields.
- 5
Export or save
Download the design as PDF, Excel, Word or CSV, save it to your account, or send it to an engineer for review.
SAP ECC interfaces in this tool
- IDocs (ALE / EDI) asynchronous
- Intermediate documents with a fixed segment structure, sent asynchronously over tRFC, file or XML ports. Outbound IDocs are created by output determination (NAST output types such as BA00, LAVA, RD00, NEU) or by ALE change pointers for master data; inbound IDocs are posted by a process code that calls a function module such as IDOC_INPUT_ORDERS. Partner profiles live in WE20, ports in WE21, monitoring in WE02 and BD87.
- BAPIs and RFC function modules synchronous
- Remote-enabled function modules with business validation, called synchronously through SAP JCo, the SAP .NET Connector, PyRFC or an RFC adapter. Write BAPIs do not commit on their own; the caller must call BAPI_TRANSACTION_COMMIT in the same session and check the RETURN table.
- SAP Gateway OData services synchronous
- REST and OData v2 services built with the Gateway Service Builder (SEGW) on top of BAPIs or ABAP classes and registered in /IWFND/MAINT_SERVICE. ECC delivers few business OData services compared with S/4HANA, so plan on building and owning the services you need.
- SAP PI/PO or SAP Integration Suite (Cloud Integration) asynchronous
- SAP middleware with IDoc, RFC, SOAP, REST, file and AS2 adapters (AS2 depends on the adapter set licensed). It maps IDocs to target formats, retries, and gives a message monitor. Cloud Integration reaches ECC through the SAP Cloud Connector.
- IDoc to EDI subsystem (translator) asynchronous
- ECC does not parse X12 or EDIFACT itself. An EDI translator or VAN service (in PI/PO, Cloud Integration or a third-party EDI product) converts partner documents to and from IDocs. Customer and vendor numbers are resolved through partner profiles and conversion tables such as EDPAR and EDSDC.
- ODP extractors and SLT replication asynchronous
- For analytics, ECC DataSources (for example 2LIS_11_VAITM for sales items or 0FI_GL_14 for new GL line items) are read through the Operational Data Provisioning framework into SAP BW, SAP Data Services or Datasphere. SAP Landscape Transformation (SLT) replicates tables by database trigger. SAP restricts use of the ODP RFC interface by third-party tools; check SAP Note 3255746 and your license before you design on it.
- Read-only database access asynchronous
- Reading tables such as VBAK or MARD directly from the database (or with RFC_READ_TABLE) is common in reporting extracts but bypasses authorization checks and can conflict with your database license (runtime licenses usually forbid direct access). Never write to ECC tables.
Questions
Should I use IDocs or BAPIs to integrate with SAP ECC?
Use IDocs for asynchronous, high volume or partner-facing flows (EDI orders, ship notices, invoices, master data distribution): they queue in ECC, carry a status history and can be reprocessed in BD87. Use BAPIs over RFC or OData when the caller needs an immediate answer, such as the new sales order number, a price simulation or an ATP check. Many designs use both: BAPIs for creates from a CRM and IDocs for status back.
Which IDoc does an inbound customer 850 become in SAP ECC?
The translator converts the 850 (or EDIFACT ORDERS) into IDoc message type ORDERS with basic type ORDERS05. The inbound partner profile in WE20 assigns process code ORDE, which calls IDOC_INPUT_ORDERS to create the sales order. EDSDC supplies the sales area and order type, EDPAR converts ship-to numbers and KNMT converts customer material numbers.
How are outbound EDI documents triggered in SAP ECC?
Through output determination (NAST). The order confirmation uses output type BA00, the ship notice LAVA, the invoice RD00 and the purchase order NEU in the standard. When the output condition record for the partner uses EDI as the transmission medium, the IDoc is created with the process code in the outbound partner profile, for example SD10 for ORDRSP or ME10 for ORDERS.
How do I fix an IDoc in status 51 in SAP ECC?
Status 51 means the application could not post the IDoc. Read the status messages in WE02 or WE05, fix the cause (missing EDPAR or EDSDC entry, unknown material, blocked customer, closed period), then reprocess with BD87. If the data in the IDoc is wrong, correct it in WE19 as a test copy or ask the partner to resend; editing production IDocs directly should be controlled and logged.
Does SAP ECC have OData APIs like S/4HANA?
ECC can run SAP Gateway (SAP_GWFND on NetWeaver 7.40 and later, or the IW_BEP add-on on older releases), but it delivers few business OData services compared with the S/4HANA API catalog. Most ECC OData services are built in the Gateway Service Builder (SEGW) on top of BAPIs or ABAP classes, so you own their design and maintenance.
Do I need SAP PI/PO or SAP Integration Suite?
Not strictly: IDocs can be exchanged as files or XML and BAPIs can be called from any RFC client. Middleware becomes worthwhile when you have many partners or systems, need mapping, retries and a message monitor, or must reach cloud applications through the SAP Cloud Connector. A third-party iPaaS with SAP RFC and IDoc connectors is the other common choice.
Can I read SAP ECC tables directly for a data warehouse?
Technically yes, but check your database license first (runtime licenses usually forbid direct access), and remember that reads bypass ABAP authorizations. SAP-supported options are ODP DataSources into SAP BW or Datasphere, SLT replication and SAP Data Services. SAP has restricted third-party use of the ODP RFC interface (SAP Note 3255746), so confirm the position for your extraction tool.
How long will SAP ECC integrations be supported?
SAP announced in February 2020 that mainstream maintenance for SAP Business Suite 7, including SAP ERP 6.0, runs to the end of 2027, with optional extended maintenance at a surcharge to the end of 2030. IDoc message types such as ORDERS, DESADV and INVOIC also exist in S/4HANA, so IDoc-based EDI maps usually carry over to a migration with less rework than custom RFCs.