Create a Complex BDC Multiline Template

The steps below explain how to create a Complex BDC Multiline template. Before proceeding, it is recommended that you know how to Perform a Simple Upload and you have read over the recording Tips and Tricks.

1. Go to the Data page in Syniti Data Workbench.
2. Click Record a Template.
3. On the Template Information tab, enter the transaction code that you would like to record. The following steps use VA01 as an example.
4. In the Template Type field, select BDC Template.
5. Give the template a meaningful name, typically a brief description of what actions you are performing during the recording.
6. Optionally, add a description. This may be helpful if you have notes to add about the recording or you want to distinguish this recording from other similar recordings.
7. Uncheck Create Load File on the Load File Options tab. The load file is created later in the tutorial.
8. Go to the Recording Options tab. Make sure that Batch Input is checked
9. Click Record Template. The SAP GUI opens with the initial screen for the transaction. Fill out the header data, making sure to "touch" all the fields needed for the upload.
   
   Figure 1 - Record Template Page
   
10. Provide VA01 as an Order Type.
11. Fill out the header details for the transaction. VA01's header details look like Figure 2.
    
    Figure 2 - Header details filled out after clicking ENTER
12. After filling out all the header data, press <ENTER> .
13. Add the first line item to the grid. It is important that this is done a specific way to make a repeatable process for the loop.
14. For the first row in the Items grid, fill out all the fields to bring back into the load file. Use the Tab key to navigate horizontally instead of using the horizontal scrollbar.
15. When finished, press <ENTER>.
16. Using the same instructions as for the previous step, fill out the second row.
17. Click Save in the SAP GUI or end the transaction however you normally would. The SAP GUI closes and Data Workbench creates the template.
18. Go to the Templates page.
19. Select the newly created template and click Edit.
20. Go to the BDC Contents tab.
21. In the template contents, look for a pattern where one or more screens repeat. The repeated screens represent each line item that was entered during the recording and contains the same line item fields in each set of the pattern. Figure 3 below shows the selected screen and the one below it are almost identical except for the data values. The next steps will be to loop the first instance of the pattern and delete any other instances.
22. Select the first instance of the pattern, right click and select the Increment Loop Level option shown in Figure 4 to identify this part of the template as repetitive, allowing you to enter a variable number of line items.
    
    Figure 4 - Selecting the screen to create a loop level
    
23. Select all other instances of the pattern below the loop level that was just created and click Delete Item.
    Note: Be careful not to delete the last screen that contains the Save button press. If you make a mistake, you can always go back to the original recorded state by clicking the "Restore Original" button.
    
24. Select all the items in the loop and click Properties.
25. In the Edit Item Properties dialog ( Figure 5), check Apply Naming Script to enable the field naming script options.

26. Enter the number of rows you populated during the recording in the Number of items in grid field .

    In this example, there are two items.

    After a page down, and the grid has cleared, identify the row on which data is first entered in the Position in grid after page down field. See Figure 5 and the Edit Item Properties dialog.
    
    Figure 5 - Edit Item Properties Dialog
    

27. Click OK to accept the property changes.
28. Click Save to return to the Templates page.
29. Select the template that was edited and click Create Load File.
30. Select the Create a Single Sheet option.
31. Click OK to create an Excel file that contains a single worksheet containing both the header and the line item columns.
    
    Figure 6 – Create Load File Dialog
    
32. To add data to the load file, enter the header information and the detail for the first line item in the first row of the load file.
33. Enter the remaining line items for the transaction in the following rows.

34. To begin another record, start the next row with the header information and repeat.

    Data Workbench continues adding line items until it detects new data in the header columns. See Figure 7 for an example.
    
    Figure 7 - Single Sheet Load File
    

35. After populating the data in your load file, and saving it, go to the Upload Data to SAP page, select the file and click Upload as show in Figure 8 below.
    
    Figure 8 – Upload Data to SAP Page

NOTE: If records fail, see Troubleshoot Error Messages.