Seagull Scientific is a Certified mySAP.com Partner
Seagull Scientific is a Certified Software Partner of SAP®,
"based on proven interoperability between Seagull's BarTender label software
and mySAP.com." (See press release.)
The Enterprise editions of BarTender allow users to directly read label data
out of the standard IDoc ("Intermediate Document") data format generated by
SAP's R/3 and mySAP.com products. (The downloadable
Trial Edition of BarTender includes our direct SAP IDoc interface.)
Our Cooperative Relationship with SAP
The addition of a direct SAP IDoc interface to BarTender was first suggested
to us by SAP themselves, who insisted that this was the best way to integrate
label printing into the SAP environment. The subsequent development work was
done under the guidance of SAP, who also tested BarTender extensively as part
of their final certification process.
Benefits of Directly Reading SAP Data
BarTender's direct SAP IDoc interface delivers the following advantages over
other enterprise label printing solutions:
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Previously, users wishing to integrate label printing software with SAP had to
go through a complicated sequence of data format conversions, possibly
including custom SAP programming and expensive consulting.
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IDocs usually store only the portions of data needed for immediate transaction
processing. Accordingly, printing directly from IDocs avoids the complexity and
overhead of accessing the central SAP database directly.
-
BarTender's enterprise printing solution makes the use of pre-generated printer
command files completely obsolete. That means that when you make changes to
your label design, BarTender is immediately ready to print again without
requiring you to perform any "compiles" or file uploads.
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Allows for optional offloading of the print-processing task from the central
server, freeing it up to process standard data transactions more rapidly
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Allows label printing from any Windows PC without requiring a connection to the
central SAP database.
How IDocs Simplify Enterprise Data Processing
Large enterprise environments, such as those designed by SAP, may consist of
many different computers running different operating systems, all networked
together from different corners of the world. However, there will always be one
or more central servers running the main system database. This central database
can contain thousands of data tables consuming gigabytes of storage information
on customers, vendors, employees, manufacturing status, inventory, shipping,
etc. Accordingly, if (for example) a shipping facility only needs to read a
limited amount of customer and inventory information in order to print labels
for that day's shipments, it might not be desirable to design and perform the
complex remote queries necessary to tap directly into and search the central
database.
SAP designed IDocs ("Intermediate Documents") for exactly this purpose – for
encapsulating, moving around, and processing just the sections of data needed
for specific purposes.
The Generation of IDocs is a Standard, Routine SAP Function
At any point in SAP's standard transaction processes (for shipping, receiving,
work flow, etc), an IDoc can easily be generated containing only the data
fields and records needed for a specific process (such as printing a shipping
manifest or that day's shipping container labels). These self-contained files
are obviously much smaller than the central database and more easily handled by
peripheral software. IDocs employ a text-based format, so your workstations
need not be equipped to access SAP's central data-processing engine. In fact,
because IDocs are individual, self-contained files, they can easily be
transferred using a variety of relatively "low tech" methods, including e-mail.
Accordingly, a facility printing labels from IDoc data need not necessarily
even be connected to the central server.
BarTender makes Reading IDoc Data as Simple as
Reading Text Files
One of the most powerful features of BarTender's direct IDoc interface is that
it shelters you from the internal complexities of the IDoc itself. BarTender
does this by reading in the IDoc and creating a copy of it within BarTender
that looks like the familiar "row and column" format used to represent single
database tables or "flat" text files. Accordingly, BarTender's Data Setup
Wizard lets you select which data fields you want to associate with each object
on your label using the same easy "point and click" interface BarTender uses
for any other data source. That means you can access fields in an IDoc as
simply as if you were reading a flat text file.
White Papers Available
For more technical information about reading SAP IDoc data, please
read the SAP white papers
Conclusion
In summary, the Enterprise editions of BarTender lets you tap into the power
and flexibility of SAP without your having to learn a variety of new data
processing skills, set up an SAP client PC, or even access the central
database.