I recently completed a complex implementation involving dangerous goods master data in an ECC 6.0 environment. This daunting challenge exposed me to numerous data migration pitfalls. To help you surmount several obstacles, I’ve compiled a step-by-step procedure to convert dangerous goods master data successfully into a new system. This article will save you from headaches encountered during the preparation, execution, conversion, and verification stages of such an extensive undertaking. Refer to the sidebar “Phrase Management Definitions” for a collection of helpful terms.

You must execute the conversion process in a specific order to avoid faulty master data. Diligent testing is very important because basically you get one chance to perform these steps in the production environment. If you fail to perform these crucial steps, then you cannot create or change dangerous goods master data.

Phrase Management

Besides the addition of new tabs and fields in dangerous goods master data, SAP also migrates descriptions of hazardous substances and United Nations (UN) identification numbers to what is now called Phrase Management. On one hand, Phrase Management brings additional flexibility to Dangerous Goods Management that allows you to maintain descriptions in multiple languages and to control which descriptions appear in certain fields in dangerous goods master data. On the other hand, the fields used to maintain descriptions in R/3 4.6C or earlier are no longer available in ECC. This means that companies must go through a moderately complicated conversion process to transport their dangerous goods master data to the new format. Documentation available on this elaborate conversion process is fairly scarce and generic.

Whereas you previously configured many of the drop-down fields in dangerous goods master data in the IMG, using ECC, you now configure them in Phrase Management. In the context of Dangerous Goods Management, Phrase Management primarily offers flexible management of hazardous characteristics or descriptions, with multilingual support. Although a comprehensive how-to guide for the conversion process does not exist, see Table 1 for SAP Notes that are helpful to know along the way.

12 Conversion Steps

Based on my recent experience, I documented 12 essential steps — divided into 4 phases — to perform in the dangerous goods master data conversion process. The four phases are:

• Preparation phase
  
  
• Execution phase
  
  
• Conversion phase
  
  
• Validation phase

The steps of each phase are listed in more detail below.

Preparation Phase

Step 1. Activate the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) extension in the upgraded system. The PLM extension is standard in R/3 4.7 and above. The Basis or infrastructure team typically performs this step. Proceed to the IMG via transaction code SPRO and click on Activate SAP ECC Extensions. When the Display System Settings screen appears, confirm that the PLM Extension is turned On and Active, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1

Activate the PLM extension

Step 2. Validate authorizations. Ensure that whoever performs the actual conversion has the new authorization objects for Phrase Management assigned in their user profile. This is a critical step because the conversion process cannot perform correctly — or even trigger descriptive error messages — if proper authorizations are not in place. You may need the assistance of your security team to maintain and analyze the standard authorization roles in transaction PFCG. Refer to the following standard authorization roles below to determine which authorization objects you need:

Roles:

• SAP_EHS_DGP_PHRASES
  
  
• SAP_EHS_IHS_PHRASES
  
  
• SAP_EHS_SAF_PHRASES

Execution Phase

Step 3. Maintain the identification number types. Categories, one of the main fields in dangerous goods master data, becomes identification number types in your new system. You must manually specify the actual values for identification number types after the upgrade. Follow IMG menu path Environment, Health & Safety>Dangerous Goods Management>Basic Data and Master Data>Master Data>Check Identification Number Types to maintain the three standard number types ID, NA, and UN (Figure 2).

Figure 2

Maintain the identification number types

Step 4. Create the phrase group. You need to maintain a custom phrase group that hosts the dangerous goods phrases after the conversion. Follow menu path Environment, Health & Safety>Basic Data and Tools>Phrase Management>Specify Phrase Libraries and Phrase Groups. Make sure that CUST is selected as the Active library (Figure 3).

Figure 3

Select the CUST phrase library

Next, select the CUST phrase library by clicking on the box next to it and double-clicking on the Phrase Group node in the Dialog Structure. Create a new phrase group by clicking on the New Entries button in the top left corner of the screen and specifying a proper technical name and useful phrase group description. For example, I created the custom phrase group ZDG-TEXT and phrase group description Output of dangerous goods documents/EDI in Figure 4.

Figure 4

Create a custom phrase group

Step 5. Manage user exits. To properly convert your standard texts, refer to SAP Note 692664 (Table 1), and follow IMG menu path Environment, Health & Safety>Basic Data and Tools>Basic Settings>Manage User Exists. Click on the New Entries button and enter category PHR_TEXT, user exit PHR_TEXT, and function module HAZMAT_PRI_COND_ADAPT (Figure 5).

Figure 5

Manage user exits

Step 6. Execute Match Up Master Data. To migrate your structures, fields, and characteristics, follow SAP Easy Access menu path Logistics>Environment, Health and Safety>Basic Data and Tools>Tools>Match Up Master Data or use transaction code CGCZ to execute Match Up Master Data. Select the Activate Phrasing of Characteristics and Activate Phrasing of Fields check boxes and click on the execute icon (Figure 6).

Figure 6

Execute Match Up Master Data

After you execute the Match Up Master Data transaction, the system creates all the necessary structures, fields, and characteristics in Phrase Management. Validate that the program executed successfully by analyzing the resulting fields and characteristics via transaction CGAB. You should see results similar to the ones displayed in Figure 7. Confirm that all tables and structure fields are properly included in this screen.

Figure 7

Validate the creation of necessary fields

Step 7. Activate phrasing in IMG. Follow IMG menu path Environment, Health & Safety>Dangerous Goods Management>Basic Data and Master Data>Master Data>Activate Phrasing. Confirm that the Attribute activation check box is selected, then click on the execute icon.

Step 8. Generate phrases. Execute this step in two parts. Start by following the IMG menu path Environment, Health & Safety>Basic Data and Tools>Specification Management>Specification Database Structure>Settings for Value Assignment>Generate Standard Phrase Sets. In the pop-up window that appears, select Yes and proceed to the next IMG menu path Environment, Health & Safety>Dangerous Goods Management>Basic Data and Master Data>Master Data>Generate Standard Phrase Sets to complete the second part of this step.

After carrying out both parts of this step, the system creates and assigns appropriate phrase sets to each field. You can validate the phrase sets and their corresponding fields via transaction CGAB. Figure 8 shows a sample view within transaction CGAB after a successful execution of step 8. Double-click on structure DGTM2 to compare your results to the screen displayed in Figure 8. The structure should now include phrase sets assigned to each individual field name.

Figure 8

Validate the assignment of phrase sets

Conversion Phase

It is extremely important that no activity is taking place in dangerous goods master data (master data creation or changes) when you execute steps 9 and 10. This is mandatory to ensure the integrity of the conversion because this process not only creates the phrases but also appropriately assigns them in existing master data.

Step 9. Convert the descriptions of hazardous substances. Use transaction code DGU2 (program DGCONVERT) to convert the descriptions of hazardous substances into Phrase Management phrases. The transaction also updates existing dangerous goods master data, respectively. Specify the appropriate phrase group that was created in step 4 (ZDG-TEXT, in this example) and select all the existing check boxes. Once all of the parameters are specified, click on the execute icon (Figure 9). The transaction displays a message indicating that the execution is successfully completed.

Figure 9

Convert descriptions of hazardous substances

Step 10. Convert the UN identification number descriptions. Execute program DGPCN_PROPSHIPNAME via transaction code DGU3 to convert the UN identification number descriptions. UN identification numbers are four-digit numbers that identify hazardous substances, such as flammable liquids and toxins. UN identification numbers are regulated and standard across all companies. As in step 8, this conversion program also updates the existing master data with the new phrases. Specify the custom phrase group that you created in step 4 (ZDG-TEXT, in this example) and leave the Change numbers field blank. Click on the execute icon.

Validation Phase

Step 11. Update SAPscript forms. If your company prints or displays dangerous goods master data (such as hazardous substances details) on output documents, I strongly recommend performing this step. Some companies instead use standard SAP reporting to manage their goods and this step is not relevant to their company needs. Once the conversion is complete, review the existing SAPscript programs. Ensure that the system retrieves the dangerous goods master data properly in the ABAP syntax because the descriptions of hazardous substances are no longer available in the old tables.

Typically, when you print or display details on output documents, you must write custom syntax within print programs or SAPscript forms. The syntax logic includes a specified location where the dangerous goods master data is coming from, such as tables and fields. As a result of upgrading your system, you need to redefine from where you should retrieve your data. The data is no longer hosted in its previous domain. It now resides in Phrase Management and you must update this in SAPscript forms.

Consider using a standard function module, such as HAZMAT_DGTMD_READ_FOR_REPORT, to read phrases in ABAP. A developer may need to perform this step, depending on your use of dangerous goods master data information on various outputs, such as delivery notes.

Step 12. Validate dangerous goods master data. Now that you have executed all of the conversion steps, you need to validate that the dangerous goods master data is accurately maintained with phrases in Phrase Management. Execute transaction code DGP2 or use SAP Easy Access menu path Logistics>Environment, Health and Safety>Dangerous Goods Management>Dangerous Goods Master>Display Dangerous Goods Master Records. Click on the hit lists icon to display the records. Validate the correct assignment of identification number types (ID …), dangerous goods descriptions, hazard-inducing substances, and other fields that you use in dangerous goods master data. The hazard-inducing substances now use phrases, designated by the CUST-100000000000XXX numbers. To ensure that all the proper descriptions successfully converted, click on a drop-down menu for one of the hazard-inducing substances fields (Figure 10).

Figure 10

Validate dangerous goods master data

This concludes the dangerous goods master data conversion steps. Now you can ensure that dangerous goods master data contains accurate descriptions of hazardous substances and Phrase Management properly maintains the descriptions. Furthermore, you can correctly use dangerous goods master data on your output, such as a bill of lading, so that your delivery documents include all of the necessary supporting documentation concerning hazardous materials.

Anton Karnaukhov

Anton Karnaukhov is a senior IT manager at Pacific Coast Companies, Inc., in Sacramento, California. He earned an MBA degree at Heriot-Watt University and a BS/BA degree with a specialization in computer information systems at Western Carolina University. Anton has more than eight years of SAP implementation and development experience focusing on business intelligence and logistics modules in the manufacturing and resale industries.

You may contact the author at anton.karnaukhov@paccoast.com.

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