Creating Custom IDOCs in SAP Integration Suite

SAP Integration Suite is a powerful tool for connecting systems, streamlining workflows, and enabling seamless communication between applications.  The ability to create a variety of custom type messages allows you to tailor your business documents to your specific business needs. In this blog, I’ll give a quick overview of how I created custom IDOC messages in SAP Integration Suite.

Library of Custom Type Systems in SAP Integration Suite

The Library of Custom Type Systems allows you to define the structure and content of custom messages not already defined in the Library of Type Systems. With the ability to customize the message format, you can ensure that data is transmitted in the exact layout required by your business or integration scenario.

In SAP Integration Suite, you can create the following types of Custom Type Systems:

Custom IDOCs

You have 2 options to create custom IDOCs: via Custom Message or Extended Standard Message. Both will create a reusable custom IDOC Message Implementation Guideline for utilization in your Mapping Guideline. I personally prefer custom IDOC creation via Extended Standard Message, which I’ll explain in more detail below.

1. Custom Message

To create a Custom Message, you’ll need the XSD File of the custom IDOC:

Select the Message you wish to create:

Finally, enter any additional information to help better identify the custom IDOC:

This way of creating a custom IDOC is correct and works an intended, however, it does not allow for additional semantic information (like codelists and qualifier markers). You simply have the structure, which means the use of more XSLT functions in the Mapping Guidelines.

2. Extended Standard Message

Just like in the Custom Message, you’ll need the XSD File of the custom IDOC:

Select the Message you wish to create:

Select the Standard Type System:

Select the extended Standard Message and Version:

Finally, enter any additional information to help better identify the extended custom IDOC:

Both options will save your custom IDOC in your Library of Custom Type Systems, which you can use in the creation of Mapping Implementation Guidelines (MIGs).

Since I personally enjoy the ability to enter custom code values, documentation, and qualifier markers to make my message mapping layout easier to comprehend and with the use of less XSLT functions, I use the 2nd option to create custom IDOCs: via Extended Standard Message.

With the custom IDOC creation via Extended Standard Message, I can qualify the different values in my custom IDOC and add custom MIG codelists, if there are custom codes that differ from the standard message.

When it comes to Message Mapping, I need only match the source to target MIG values:

Best Practices for Custom Messages

Document Everything: Maintain proper documentation of your message structures for easier maintenance and debugging.

Plan for Scalability: Design your message structure to accommodate future changes or additional fields.

Custom messages empower businesses to adapt integrations to their unique needs, reduce errors, and improve communication efficiency across systems. By leveraging this feature in SAP Integration Suite, you enhance both flexibility and reliability in your integration processes.

With the creation of custom messages in SAP Integration Suite, the possibilities are endless. Whether you're harmonizing complex data or enabling innovative workflows, this feature ensures your integrations are as dynamic as your business.