Data Modeling for Integrating SAP
with other Applications
Problem
United Airline needs to integrate its
ERP system (that handles scheduling,
booking) with Orbitz, which provides
Web-based airline reservation service.
Based on sales forecasts, UA blocks
certain number of seats/flights for
Orbitz each day. At midnight each day,
Orbitz sends transactions of the day to
UA’s ERP system (SAP R/3).
What type of data integration is this?
School of Information Science and Technology
Prof. John Yen [mailto:jyen@ist.psu.edu]
Tasks
1. Model the data in UA’s SAP system
2. Model the booking data in Orbitz.
3. Construct the mapping from the
Orbitz ERD to UA’s ERD.
4. Choose a message-oriented
middleware (MOM) for transmitting
“midnight updates”.
School of Information Science and Technology
Prof. John Yen [mailto:jyen@ist.psu.edu]
Learning Objectives
Be able to use SAP development
tools for (task 1)
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Displaying tables and their
relationship
Constructing ERD
Preview:

MOM (task 4) will be covered next
week
School of Information Science and Technology
Prof. John Yen [mailto:jyen@ist.psu.edu]
SAP Data Modeler
A development tool from the ABAP/4
Based on the SAP SERM method (Structured
Entity Relationship Model)
Basic objects are entity types and the
relationships
Modeling involves use of a graphical
editor (not available for browser
client)
School of Information Science and Technology
Prof. John Yen [mailto:jyen@ist.psu.edu]
Data Modeler Elements
An entity (table record) is a physical or
abstract object.
Each entity type (table or View) describes
a set of entities with attribute.
An attribute (field) consists of a name and
a definition of the possible values for the
attribute (for example, the attribute color
with the values white, black, yellow, and
so on).
One or more attributes are labeled as key
attributes. The values of the key
attributes uniquely identify an entity
within its entity type.
School of Information Science and Technology
Prof. John Yen [mailto:jyen@ist.psu.edu]
Relationships
Relationships between two tables: the source table and the
target table.
Unlike ERD, the relationship itself can not be a table.
Hence, no many-to-many relationship.
The relationship is oriented: from the source table to the
target table.
The cardinality (n : m) describes the possible values for
the left and right sides of the cardinality as follows:
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n
n
m
m
m
m
=
=
=
=
=
=
1
C
1
C
N
CN
exactly one
Zero or one
exactly one
Zero or one
Many
Zero, one, or many
School of Information Science and Technology
Prof. John Yen [mailto:jyen@ist.psu.edu]
UA’s Data Model (Simplified)
The mode describes how
passengers can reserve
seats or space
Reservations are made
either through a sales
office of the airline,
or through a travel
agency.
The data model contains
the entity sets:
aircraft, airline
connection and flight
booking.
School of Information Science and Technology
Prof. John Yen [mailto:jyen@ist.psu.edu]
Display the data model as a Graphic
Not available for
web browser
client
Navigation
through the
diagram
Edit on the
graphics: such as
adding a new node
School of Information Science and Technology
Prof. John Yen [mailto:jyen@ist.psu.edu]
Assigned Tables in the ABAP Dictionary
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T000: Client table
SCURX: Currencies (key: currency key)
SBUSPART: Business partner (key: client, partner number)
STRAVELAG: Travel agencies (key: client, travel agency
number)
SCUSTOM: Customers (key: client, customer number)
SCARR: Carriers (key: client, carrier ID)
SCOUNTER: Sales counters (key: client, carrier ID, sales
counter number)
SPFLI: Flight schedule (key: client, carrier ID,
connection number)
SFLIGHT: Flights (key: client, carrier ID, connection
number, date of flight)
SBOOK: Flight bookings (key: client, carrier ID,
connection number, date of flight, booking number,
customer number)
School of Information Science and Technology
Prof. John Yen [mailto:jyen@ist.psu.edu]
Relationships between the Tables
Table SBUSPART contains all the business partners of a carrier,
which is identified by a number in this table. The data of the
contact person for the business partner is also stored. A business
partner can be a travel agency or a customer (e.g. company that
frequently books flights directly with the carrier).
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The data for travel agencies are stored in table STRAVELAG.
The data for customers are in table SCUSTOM.
There is an entry with the same key in either table STRAVELAG or table
SCUSTOM for each entry in table SBUSPART.
Table SCARR contains the IDs and names of the carriers. Each carrier
has a number of connections. These flight connections are stored in
table SPFLI.
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Table SFLIGHT contains the concrete flight data for each connection.
Bookings can be made for each flight in table SFLIGHT.
The bookings made for each flight are entered in table SBOOK. The
customer number or agency number for which the booking was made is
stored in table.
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The carriers have sales counters in the airports. These sales counters are
entered in table SCOUNTER.
If the customer books his flight directly at a counter, the counter number
is also entered in the booking data in table SBOOK
School of Information Science and Technology
Prof. John Yen [mailto:jyen@ist.psu.edu]
Foreign Keys
A foreign key of table T1
is a primary key of
another table (e.g. T2).
Table T1 is called the
foreign key table
(dependent table) and
table T2 the check table
(referenced table).
One field of the foreign
key table therefore
corresponds to each key
field of the check table.
This field is called the
foreign key field.
Check Field and Value
Check
School of Information Science and Technology
Prof. John Yen [mailto:jyen@ist.psu.edu]
Foreign Keys - Example
Table SBOOK in the flight
model contains the
customer’s flight bookings
for a carrier.
If the booking was made at
a counter, its number is
stored together with the
booking in field COUNTER
in table SBOOK.
You must make sure that
only correct counter
numbers can be entered.
All the counters are
entered in table SCOUNTER.
The necessary value check
can be defined by creating
a foreign key for check
field COUNTNUM.
School of Information Science and Technology
Prof. John Yen [mailto:jyen@ist.psu.edu]
SAP Lab
Login to SAP
Follow instructions in the
following slides
School of Information Science and Technology
Prof. John Yen [mailto:jyen@ist.psu.edu]
Procedure for Displaying the Flight Model
Tools->ABAP
Workbench->
Development->Data
Modeler.(TC:SD11)
Enter BC_TRAVEL in
field Modeling object
and choose Data
Model.
Data Model (lower
level) To display,
double click the
field
Entity Types: to
display definition,
double click the
field
School of Information Science and Technology
Prof. John Yen [mailto:jyen@ist.psu.edu]
Choosing Tables to View
In the entity
display screen,
click the button
“Dictionary”
Then you can see the
table name, then
click Table/view
You can display
table relations by
click incoming
relation button.
School of Information Science and Technology
Prof. John Yen [mailto:jyen@ist.psu.edu]
Display Relation
Incoming relation
means: This entity
type as target
Source entity and
Cardinality
You can also display
out-going relations
viewed as source
entity
Click here to switch
the reviews
School of Information Science and Technology
Prof. John Yen [mailto:jyen@ist.psu.edu]
Table Structure View
To display a table
A table definition in
the ABAP Dictionary
contains the
following components:
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Table fields define
the field names and
data types of the
fields contained in
the table
Foreign keys define
the relationships
between the table and
other tables.
Click here to display
table content
School of Information Science and Technology
Prof. John Yen [mailto:jyen@ist.psu.edu]
Table Data Browser
Continued from the slide
“Table Structure view”
or TC:SE16 Then table
name “SBOOK”
Then click the execute
button “Breen Check with
small Clock”
Navigation buttons allow
you to select columns,
sort data, etc.
Select a data entry
(row) then click detail
button.
School of Information Science and Technology
Prof. John Yen [mailto:jyen@ist.psu.edu]
Homework 4 Assignment
(15 HW points)
Due: Nov 5th
Task: Create ERD (not SAP SERM) for SAP
Customer delivery model (Data modeler name:
SDSLS30303)
Include all tables and key fields
Include two non-key fields of your choice (the
most important two from your viewpoint)
Read the next page before you start
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Tips: Display data model->
find out relations between entity type->
look at table structures (fields, keys, foreign
keys)->(Optional but helpful, display table
content)
->Then create the diagrams.
School of Information Science and Technology
Prof. John Yen [mailto:jyen@ist.psu.edu]
Tips for HW4
How to Display Tables from a View
Very often SAP use views
instead of tables for data
model (A view is derived
from one or more tables,
but not stored physically)
You need tables to find
out key fields (for you
homework)
Three ways to display
table

Double click the table
name when displaying
the entity type, or
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If you are displaying
view, first click tab
table/join condition
second double click the
table name
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If you know the table
name, just use TC:SE11
School of Information Science and Technology
Prof. John Yen [mailto:jyen@ist.psu.edu]