If you use SAP E-Commerce for mySAP ERP to make tracking information available via the Web, these customers can track the delivery of their orders in detail through various freight carriers by accessing a link on your Web site. In addition, you can make status and tracking information available for orders that were placed through other channels such as telesales.

Driving customers to your Web site to check their order status reduces support costs considerably, since customers no longer need to speak to customer service agents to find out the status of their orders. Instead, real-time shipping information allows your customers to track which items have shipped, as well as their scheduled delivery dates, based on a direct link to the freight carrier's Web site. The tracking detail available to your customers depends on the information provided by each freight carrier.

Based on Java technology, SAP E-Commerce supports both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) scenarios on the Web. Both B2B and B2C support order status information with a link to tracking information of various freight carriers.

With SAP E-Commerce, you have a choice of configuring the order status tracking in one of two ways:

1. Track orders with the Bill of Lading field. A simple configuration method allows you to enable order status tracking on the Web quickly. The delivery document in the mySAP ERP system stores the carrier tracking number. Since the system stores the tracking number at the header level of the delivery document, you can make only one tracking number per delivery document available via your Web site. In this method, for the display of tracking information on the Web, one delivery document can be displayed per line item. This means that if one delivery document is created for the entire order, the same tracking link is displayed for each line item. If multiple delivery documents are created, only the first delivery document per line item of the order is shown.

2. Track orders with an express delivery company. This option requires more complex configuration and a communication with the freight carrier's systems. Using XSI, you can enter multiple tracking numbers for one delivery document using the concept of handling units (separate packages). Although only one link to the freight carrier is shown per line item of the order on the Web, multiple tracking numbers can be accessed through this link.

Table 1 provides an overview of the differences between the two shipment tracking options.

Configure Web Shop Parameters

The Web shop is the online storefront that customers access through the Internet as part of the SAP E-Commerce solution. The Web shop contains the parameters that determine the product data shown to online customers, how the system processes orders, and the type of order tracking used. You configure these parameters through a Web-based interface.

In the standard version of SAP E-Commerce, access the Web shop configuration (Figure 1) with the following URL: https://: /shopadmin/ shopadmin/init.do. Enter the user ID that you use for direct logon to mySAP ERP. Click on the Orders tab. In the section Follow-on documents, check the check box beside No Tracking with Express Delivery Companies (XSI). This means that order tracking occurs using the Bill of Lading field in the delivery document.

Figure 1

Web shop configuration screen

The default setting for order tracking in the Web shop is the use of XSI. In other words, the box for No Tracking with Express Delivery Companies (XSI) is not checked. This means that the system reads the XSI data for the handling units' order-tracking information.

Track Orders with the Bill of Lading Field

The following steps discuss the configuration and data entry required to make freight carrier tracking available on the Web using the Bill of Lading field. Make sure that you check the No Tracking with Express Delivery Companies (XSI) check box for this option in the Web shop configuration.

Step 1. Enter the freight carrier URL into table TCAURL. Table TCAURL contains the URLs for each freight carrier that supports order tracking. The freight carriers provide basic URLs, the parts of which are specific to each individual delivery, such as the tracking number, or include additional required information, such as the destination country or shipping date. To handle the delivery-specific information, table TCAURL contains a placeholder variable that the system replaces with the specific value from the delivery document.

For example, a company might use URLs that end in =, where represents the tracking number from the company's tracking label. The system must read this number from the individual delivery document.

The standard system includes entries for several major carriers. You may add other carriers; most freight carriers provide the URLs and instructions to link to their Web sites on their home pages.

To access the table directly, use transaction code SM30, or follow the menu path System>Services>Table Maintenance> Extended Table Maintenance.

Step 2. Assign function modules to the URL variables. The system reads the data from the individual delivery documents to complete each variable in table TCAURL. Table TCAVAR contains an entry for each variable in the URLs in table TCAURL. The standard system includes entries for the tracking number, country of origin, destination country, and shipping date. You may add other entries as needed, although to accommodate the additional fields you need to have new function modules written for each new entry, or variable.

For example, in the URL in the previous step in table TCAURL, the variable is the placeholder for the actual tracking number. In table TCAVAR, this variable is linked to the function module WS_READ_AIRWAYBILLNUMBER. This function module contains the code that reads the Bill of Lading field in the delivery document header, or LIKP-BOLNR. Once the tracking number has been read from this field, the tracking number value is inserted into the URL to replace the variable, or placeholder.

To access the function modules, use transaction SE37 or follow SAP Easy Access path Tools>ABAP Workbench> Development>Function Builder. From here, enter the function module referenced in table TCAVAR, such as the function module WS_READ_AIRWAYBILLNUMBER, to access the code for the function module; this is for informational purposes. It is not necessary to change the coding within the function module.

Step 3. Set up the freight carrier as a vendor. You must create a vendor in your system for each freight carrier that you use. To create a vendor, use transaction XK01, or SAP Easy Access path Logistics>Materials Management> Purchasing>Master Data>Vendor> Central>Create (Figure 2). The name of the vendor in the Name field in the Name section must be the same as the object ID that identifies the freight carrier in table TCAURL.

Figure 2

Set up the freight carrier as a vendor

Step 4. Enter the tracking information in the delivery document. As part of the standard delivery process, a delivery document is created based on the sales order, either manually or automatically via a scheduled batch run. To enable order tracking, the two fields required are the Bill of Lading field and the partner function Forwarding Agent with a corresponding selection of the desired vendor (freight carrier).

To enter the required information into the delivery document, create the delivery from the sales order. Display the sales order using transaction VA03, or use SAP Easy Access path Logistics>Sales and Distribution>Sales>Order>Display. From within the order, use the menu path Sales document>Deliver. From within the delivery, use the menu path Goto> Header>Shipment. You must enter the tracking number into the BillOfLad. field (Figure 3).

Figure 3

Enter the tracking number in the BillOfLad. field

Next, follow the menu path Goto>Header>Partners. Enter the partner type Forwarding agent in the Partn.Funct. column and select the appropriate vendor (Figure 4). Continue with your normal delivery process.

Figure 4

Select the vendor from the partner list

In Figure 5, the system displays the tracking results in a B2C Web shop. Since the Bill of Lading field is at the header level, and only one delivery was created for the entire order, the link for each line item is the same. You can click on the truck icon to access tracking information for each item. A pop-up window from the shipping vendor's Web site appears with the tracking information.

Figure 5

Click on the truck icon to access shipping information

Note that if one delivery document had been created per line item of the order, then the tracking number for each truck icon would be different. If multiple delivery documents had been created for each line item, only the tracking number associated with the first delivery document for each line item would be available.

Order Tracking Using XSI

The XSI functionality provides comprehensive integration with specific shipping vendors. This includes printing of labels, electronic data interchange (EDI) and end-of-day manifest communications, and parcel tracking. XSI relies on a direct connection to shipping vendors' systems, which automates the creation of the tracking numbers and the update of detailed tracking information. Since it is necessary for you to work directly with the shipping vendor to achieve this level of integration, the automation of the communication with the shipping vendors is beyond the scope of this article.

You can set up XSI so that you can store the tracking information from the freight carrier within mySAP ERP and can then access shipping vendor information quickly from delivery documents without linking to the shipping vendor's Web site. However, SAP E-Commerce for mySAP ERP does not access any tracking data stored in mySAP ERP — SAP E-Commerce only accesses the URL-based shipping vendor information that is available from the Web site. The following steps describe the configuration for the shipping vendor tracking with XSI via the XSI transaction, which provides access to various configuration tables from a single point of entry. In the Web shop configuration mentioned earlier, make sure the No Tracking with Express Delivery check box is unchecked.

Step 1. Access the XSI configuration with transaction code VTRC. You can also follow SAP Easy Access menu path Logistics>Logistics Execution>Master Data>Master Data>Service Agent> Maintain Express Delivery Company. As you navigate through the different menu paths, you access the configuration tables that are also available through various menu paths in the IMG. Configuration settings for one major carrier as an XSI is delivered with the standard system (Figure 6).

Figure 6

Standard settings for a shipping vendor as an XSI

Step 2. Set up the delivery company from within the XSI transaction. The delivery company represents one shipping vendor in mySAP ERP. Multiple settings are required for the XSI, such as entering the company account number with the shipping vendor. Another key setting involves the selection of the function modules and Remote Function Call (RFC) destinations that allow the automatic communication with the shipping vendor systems. This requires you to work closely with the shipping vendor to ensure that your system sends and receives the correct data and format.

Other key settings for shipping vendor tracking include the following:

• Set the allowed maximum number of handling units that you can assign to one delivery document. You can access this setting on the initial screen that is shown when accessing the XSI company transaction. Under the tab Exp. dlv. cmpny control, shown in Figure 6, see the field Max. no. parcels - multi-trck in the Browser section.
• Assign a vendor to the express carrier company. Follow the menu path Goto> Assign svc. agnt to express delivery co. You should create an entry both with and without the export indicator. The export indicator specifies whether a delivery occurs to a foreign country, which typically involves additional processes and paperwork for customs.
• Activate the shipping points (e.g., mail depots) that are relevant for the shipping vendor tracking. Follow the menu path Goto>Express delivery company and meta data and select the node Shipping point activation. Select the shipping points to activate for XSI functionality.
• Define the fields the shipping vendor populates with information. Access these fields (metadata) using the menu path Goto>Express delivery company and meta data. The system defines metadata for the shipping vendor designation (SERVICE), the type of shipment chosen (such as ground or overnight) (SERVICELEV), the shipping account code (SHIPACCT), the package tracking number (TRACKN), and the tracking counting number (TRACKNR) which is a sequential number in a range provided by the freight carrier, so that tracking numbers can be generated by mySAP ERP. The standard system includes default values for the metadata.

This metadata contains a document category that determines the hierarchy of data. For example, if you set the TRACKN document type to handling unit (value X) and the higher-level document is a delivery (value J), then the delivery requires a handling unit. With this setup, the system generates the tracking number at the handling unit level. Each metadata parameter also contains a default value, or may require you to determine the value.

For example, the default value of the TRACKN parameter for a given carrier may be 1A . The system generates the tracking number based on the values in the SHIPACCT, SERVICELEV, and TRACKNR metadata. For each of these parameters specified, the system may assign a default value, function module, or number range that determines the value. Another option may be to obtain the value through communication with the shipping vendor system.

Configure the URLs containing the direct link to the shipping vendor using the menu path Goto>Express delivery company master data. Under the URL node, set up the Individual parcel tracking URL template (used when only one tracking number is available per order line item) and the Multiple parcel tracking URL template (used when multiple tracking numbers are available per order line item). The shipping vendor may provide the tracking number information or the system may generate the values from within mySAP ERP.

Step 3. Turn on XSI globally. You must activate the express delivery company configuration for XSI processing to take place. XSI is activated globally, meaning that activation occurs on a client level, not on an individual company code or plant level. From within the XSI transaction, use the menu path Goto>Global setting> Activate globally.

Step 4. Pack the order items and enter the shipping vendor into the delivery document. Once you complete the XSI configuration, enter the appropriate shipping information in the delivery document to ensure that all the necessary data is available to populate the tracking number. To enter the required information into the delivery document, create the delivery from the sales order. Display the sales order using transaction VA03 or use SAP Easy Access path Logistics>Sales and Distribution>Sales>Order>Display. From within the order, follow the menu path Sales document>Deliver.

As part of creating the delivery, you must pack the products in the order. You create handling units within the delivery by packing the items in the sales order into a packaging material (Figure 7). Use the menu path Edit>Pack. Enter the packaging material in the Packaging materials column. If the order requires more than one package you can enter the same packaging material in multiple lines. Press Enter to generate the different handling units. Select the material and the handling unit and click on one of the pack icons. Repeat this process until you have packed all of the materials.

Figure 7

Create the Handling Units within the delivery

Figure 8 shows the tracking results in a B2B Web shop. Since you may create multiple handling units for a delivery document, the tracking link can be different for each line item. After the customer clicks on the truck icon, the detailed tracking information on the shipping vendor Web site appears in a pop-up window. If more than one handling unit, or tracking number, is available for the link on the order line item level, the multi-package URL (from the XSI configuration) is used to pass the multiple tracking numbers to the freight carrier Web site.

Figure 8

Shipment tracking results in a B2B Web shop

As part of SAP E-Commerce, availability checks using mySAP SCM are an integral part of the selling process. Nonetheless, once an order has been taken over the Web, managing the production of products through mySAP SCM is primarily an internal process within the selling company. It is still critical to provide information to customers about milestones along the way, such as when the product has shipped, to manage the customer's expectations for receiving the products. In addition, once the shipment has been handed over to a freight carrier, such milestone information can continue to be made available to the customer using order tracking.

Providing a self-service such as order tracking to online customers provides customers real-time information about their orders (such as when they can expect to receive their items) based on the detail provided by the individual shipping vendors' Web sites. In addition, you may increase loyalty and revenue by driving customers back to your Web shop on a regular basis.

Birgit Starmanns

Birgit Starmanns is a senior director in solution marketing at SAP for EPM (Enterprise Performance Management) and Finance solutions. Birgit has more than 20 years of experience across solution marketing, solution management, strategic customer communities, and consulting. Her functional experience is in finance, including core SAP ERP and enterprise performance management, as well as customer relationship management, which has allowed her to focus on the integration of cross-functional business processes. Prior to joining SAP, she was a principal in management consulting organizations, redesigning business processes and implementing SAP R/3 and R/2 for numerous Fortune 500 and SME companies, with a focus on management accounting. Birgit holds a BA and an MBA from the College of William and Mary.

You may contact the author at birgit.starmanns@sap.com.

If you have comments about this article or publication, or would like to submit an article idea, please contact the editor.