S4 HANA Output Management – Introduction, Master Form Layout Edit and Setup

SAP S/4HANA introduces a new style of output management (OM). SAP OM configuration and technical implementation are totally different compared to traditional output technologies (NAST, FI Correspondence, FICA Print Workbench, sapscript, smartform, PDF e.g.) Although all previous technologies are still available for use before you fallback on them it is worth knowing what SAP OM has to offer.

Introduction

SAP OM is (as per SAP) going to be the successor of all other output management frameworks. Business applications that have already adopted the new output management use it by default. You can check which application in your S4 system is using SAP OM at IMG path: SPRO->Cross-Application Components->Output Control->Manage Application Object Type Activation.

This is also the place where you would deactivate SAP OM for application in case you like to stick with traditional output offerings.

SAP OM uses new kind of Adobe forms and these are quite different compared to the previous implementation of Adobe forms using Interface and function modules.

How are SAP OM Adobe Forms Different

Structure

SAP OM Adobe forms are combination of Master form and Application form

Master form (fragment) – Master forms defines page size and orientation, title, or logo that are used by the application form to structure the layout of the output.

Application form (content) – Application forms structure the content area of the output.

Editing

You would need Adobe LiveCycle Designer (ALD) 10.4 or higher. Editing of forms (both Master and Application) is done offline. More on this later in the blog.

Data Connection

The Adobe forms in SAP S/4HANA use a gateway service for data assembly, not an ABAP interface. You can, in SFP transaction, see the service name which Adobe form is using.

If you want to extend the form data provider, you have to enhance the CDS views used in the gateway service. This will automatically extend the data connection of the application form. If this isn’t enough (or no CDS views are available), then extension to existing SAP gateway service (SEGW) would be required.

Master Form Layout Edit and Setup

Let see how we create new (copy and edit) Master Form Template and change the configuration to use it. To start with we have below two SAP standard Quotation and Sales Confirmation outputs. Both these forms are using a Master form template APOC_DEMO_FORM_MASTER_DE based on determination rule at path SPRO->Cross-Application Components->Output Control->Define Rules for Determination of Master Form Template

You can read more on this configuration in SPRO documentation. Quick note, rules are given a priority number lower the number higher its priority. Based on values in columns org type, org value, unit type, unit value, channel, country, form template a Master Form Template is determined and used for the Application form.

Based on the above configuration I can deduce the Master Form Template used in Quotation and Sales Confirmation is APOC_DEMO_FORM_MASTER_DE. So we are going to download this Template, change it and upload it back as Z version.

Download

Go to App ‘Maintain form Template‘ in Fiori launch pad. Search for APOC_DEMO_FORM_MASTER_DE in ‘Pre-delivered Templates’ tab. Then click on the template.

Download version of the form which matches your document. Note the Data Source name. You would need this when you upload edited version.

This will download a zip file with two files in it. One is Adobe template which we would need to change. Other file contain Odata service structure. Now launch Form Designer (this is installed as part of SAP GUI and a typical installtion will put file on windows pc under path C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Designer 11.0\FormDesigner.exe) and open Adobe file. For the purpose of this blog I have changed the logo and footer in Master form template and saved it.

Go back to the app and upload the file by pressing New button and specifying values as per below screenshot. Make sure you enter same data source as in the original master form template and specify form type as ‘Master’.

After you have press OK this page will appear. On this page specify Available country and press Save.

Now that we have new master form template for our company logo and footer we would like this Master form to be picked up instead of SAP standard. For this we go to configuration SPRO->Cross-Application Components->Output Control->Define Rules for Determination of Master Form Template and create a new rule with new Master form template name. Note that the priority of this new rule is higher than other so it will be picked up first.

Changes to above rule will be saved in customising request.

Following above configuration reprint of documents now displays updated logo and footer.

Read part 2 of this blog: S4 HANA Output Management – Master Form Layout (Contd)

Master Form Template which we created is saved under a local package. To include it in transport you would have to follow certain steps outlined in the blog How to Transport S/4 Extensions