Introduction

After using now WWI as a technique to collect data and print that in a document for some years on a daily basis it is quite interesting to say: there is still some "surprise" possible in using the technique. This document is intended to collect some important topics which may help the EHS community in the future. As mentioned in http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-45645 it might be a challenge if you are a beginner in using WWI. Topics like "conditional output", "blank compression" (with or without alternative) etc. might not be easy to understand. Especially the topic of labeling is a challenge as the amount of data which need to be collected but not coming from SAP EHS is clearly higher than in comparison to a e.g. safety data sheet. On the topic during label generation you have in most of the cases to take care about "Bar code" printing because of several reasons. On the top in most cases you need to print the same information in many languages on a label and therefore you need additional WWI code to do so and you need to enhance the generation variant as well. Regarding Bar Code printing etc. SAP EHS has been enhanced with EnhPack7 as well. Out of scope of this document is e.g. WWI documents related to "Waste" or "Industrial Hygiene" etc. WWI documents related to these topics might be a challenge too. Quite interesting is the "application object" as part of the generation variant. Here you have a lot of options to "enhance" / "use" WWI techniques and to enhance CG54/CG50.

Many people trend to use "output conditions" and similar techniques in WWI as well (you will find a lot of threads in this FORUM dealing with that). Yes it is a nice feature. But the result is a "challenge" (in my opinion) for ongoing support (most important quesiton to deal with: why is this data printed and not a different one?). Therefore: if you have the need to use these techniques and you should create a "very" good technical documentation of what you have done and you should train the users and your ongoing support ! You should ask yourself: can I achive the same by proper maintenance of data? Can I use e.g. a rule set to  populate EHS in such a way that I do not need this special WWI technique to show/print something. For those who know EHS it is "quite" tricky to analyze (e.g. via analyzing specification change documents) why this (and not a different) infromation is shown in the report. And we do not discuss the topic that e.g. a phrase text, code etc. has been corrected/changed or a new/changed identifier is present. A further challenge might be the use of "identification listings" in a WWI report. It can take "hours" to discuss if needed why this identifier has been printed and not a different one. If you are using change numbers or e.g. inheritance, status management on phrase level or status management on specification level etc. it can take a while to analyze the content of a report.

SAP EHS Management "Issues"

If you maintain identifiers, phrases or user defined text sometimes there is the need to have more than a number of characters (132) to be maintained. If so you start a special editor (you maintain then a "long text"). Based on your general setup of SAP etc. you can use in the text e.g. "carriage return" or other special characters. In the past I was aware of the fact that it is important to use the "right" editor in maintaining the "long text" to generate no trouble in WWI etc. Now I understand "more" the issues and the reasons behind.

Refer e.g. to: abap | saphelpdeskinfo | Page 3; subtopic: "System error when you create new report bodies" or e.g. MS Word as Editor in SAPscript and Smart Forms | SAP Script ABAP Tutorials | SAP Techies

Check as well e.g. OSS Note 559066, 1064655, 990560, 1333100.

Maintaining identifiers, userdefined texts, phrases

You can maintain these objects using (if you have the correct SAP release):

• MS Word (The PC Editor (Microsoft Word as SAPscript Editor) - BC Text Processing with the SAPscript Editors - SAP Library)
• using what I call the "graphical editor" (http://help.sap.com/erp2005_ehp_07/helpdata/en/4e/0823e78117001ce10000000a42189c/content.htm?frameset=/en/4e/0825bd8117001ce10000000a42189c/frameset.htm); please check note here: with higher releases of SAP you can only use the Word version and the graphical editor is not supported)
  
• using what I call the "line" editor (The Line Editor - BC Text Processing with the SAPscript Editors - SAP Library)
  

Based on a recent issue I have learned that (that means e.g. if there is a long text available) the content of the so called "value file" is different or "not normal". Now I have learned the reason behind this is the "handling" of maintenance of these objects and how they are stored in the database and how they are retrieved and passed on to WWI server/client.

But now what was the issue and what was the finding?

I have analyzed a WWI report and detected that a phrase is printed in a look and feel which was not normal. A different phrase was printed correct. After some analysis the reason behind that was how the phrase has been maintained. As you can do the same with identifier or userdefined text the effect is independent of object.

In the WWI report a "carriage return" showed up in the middle ot the text. Using this example of a phrase (which is related to the old EU labeling system)

I try to explain the issue. By whatever reason the phrase was maintained in the database somthing like this:

"Extreme risk of explosion by shock, friction,

fire or other sources of ignition"

Therefore a carriage return was part of the phrase text. And SAP show up what is maintained and therefore in the WWI layout the phrase was distributed between two lines. Normally the user is not checking the user on that "deep" level but only cehcking for e.g. missing phrase translations or missing informations.

Now after investing here a little bit: assuming now that you might use the Word Editor to maintain these objects. Here you can e.g. format the text as "left aligned", "centered", "right aligned", you can enter carriagre returns etc. etc. and it is printed like that (what you maintain you will get) in the WWI report.

This feature might be a "nice" one but can give a number of troubles if you deal with "Labels", "SDS/MSDS" etc. and it is not easy to detect the issue.

WWI Problems (how to debug)

For analyzing of WWI problems the use of procedure as described in OSS note 959195 might help. A lot of OSS notes exists regarding SAP and use of WWI in context of Unicode especially taking into account the important topic of font selection. E.g. 733416.

If you detect WWI problems sometimes you have the feeling: there can I start with "debug" to get "ideas"? One option to do so is: remembering the WWI process. If you use e.g. "Create report from template" a number of files are downloaded to your clients. These file can be classified as:

• the value file
• the layout file
• and some control files
  

After the process is ready a new file is available (the WWI report with the data). Now if you carefully execute an analysis of the value file in many cases you can learn a lot. As well the content of the control files can give you additional hints and may be afterwards you understand "better" how the process is done (on high level).

Further dcouments which might help

As an example: Refer as well to these documents:

Application Object

The application object is part of the "generation variant". Normally you need not really investigate here to understand the use but in some circumstances the use of this object can help handling to detect the right report. This is shown e.g. in SAP Online help: Defining Application Objects - Basic Data and Tools (EHS-BD) - SAP Library Chapter "Defining Application Objects" Here as well you will find in chapter " Example: Using Application Objects" an example how you can use this option. What might be interessant: by using this approach you can enlarge the selection options of CG54 and CG50 if needed. In general: CG54 and CG50 contain some "UserExits". These are listed here: http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-41655. Therefore it is quite easy to enhance CGC50 and CG54 by these exists. But the use of the "application object" and anything related to that can enhance these transactions as well. The UserExit approach is more "general" and enhances CG54/CG50 on a general level. The use of application object is in many cases related to GLM topics and it enhances only some "subprocesses" in CG54/CG50.

WWI structure

Long ago I planned to start a similar document based on a thread: http://scn.sap.com/thread/3431722

Here some interesting question was raised: what is a report symbol type? How can they be used to enhance WWI? And why can I (as a developper) not use all of them ? And how are those report symbols used which can not be used by the develper (there must be a reason why they exists). Up to now I still only enhanced the thread mentioned with some answers I found. But up to now I did not have had the time to investigate further. Now based on the new informations may be It is time to go on here, as this "report symbol type" is related to how WWI internally is designed (in SAP) and how you can enlarge WWI. Clearly: it is not the aim of this document to explain all (That means the whole WWI process; this would take a book to do so) but some ideads should be listed which might help you in the future.

From high perspective we can split the WWI process in two parts: one part is related to the "collection of data" (which is done within SAP) and the other part is related to the topic to show the result in a proper way (that means to create the report on WWI server with data, applying font selection etc. etc.). If a WWI report is created in the database we have to consider a third process part but this is only an SAP EHS internal "handling" as the WWI process is finished an only the result should be stored.

We need to remember in this context that e.g. in the raw report only report symbols and phrase symbols are retrieved and no parameter values. This is a very important concept as well for e.g. SDS/MSDS generation or to some extent for Labels as well. Therefore we have to differentiate between a value file of the "raw report" and the final report. Regarding this and GLM: may be refer to Logging in Global Label Management - Global Label Management (EHS-SAF-GLM) - SAP Library; chapter "Logging in Global Label Management".

On high level: the process "Create report from template" and "Create report" is the "same". That means there is "no" difference in how SAP is collecting the data but only how the WWI process is started. "Create report from template" uses in most cases a local WWI installation (with higher SAP releases you can use the WWI generation farm as well) and "Create report" uses always the WWI generation server farm. A further difference is, that the "Create report" process establish new entries in SAP tables (e.g. ESTDH) and the "Create report from template" process do not generate these entries.

Be aware of the fact that based on GLM set up GLM can behave different regarding the generation process of WWI reports. Check e.g. Label Generation - Global Label Management (EHS-SAF-GLM) - SAP Library

Chapter: Label Generation

Based on the discussion in the thread mentioned above I believe this help page of SAP is quite important as a "starter" to talk about "report symbol type".

Document Template Objects - Basic Data and Tools (EHS-BD) - SAP Library

Check Chapter: Document Template Objects

As well this SAP Help Link is important: Process Diagrams for Report Creation - Basic Data and Tools (EHS-BD) - SAP Library

Chapter "Process Diagrams for Report Creation" which is really a "must" to read to understand the WWI process (on high level).

Still some very good documents exists in this FORUM dealing with report symbol generation etc. This documents will try to go "deeper" and is related more to the content of the value file.

Use of WWI in context of e.g. Recipe Management

For those who would like to learn about WWI "more": this nice document can provide some input how to generate a WWI document with own ABAP code:

http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/c0b85f25-d99f-2e10-b8a2-96e0b54cccdc?overridelayout=t…

By studying this nice ABAP example may be you can create your own code etc. (e.g. as an UserExit in CG02/CG50/CG54).

WWI basics

May be you should read cross as well these SAP Help Chapters:

Structure file

The topic of structure file is mentioned as well in SAP Online help. Refer to Process Diagrams for Report Creation - Basic Data and Tools (EHS-BD) - SAP Library. May be as a starting point check these links:

ESTLS EHS: Report Template Symbol - SAP Table - ABAP

SAP Table ESTLS - EHS: Report Template Symbol

Therefore this "structure" file topic is an important link between WWI layout and how SAP will retrieve later the data (based on definition of generation variant as well). May be check as well the "same" topic in context of import/export of report templates. Here the layout is exported/imported together with symbol definition (therefore two files are generated/processed).

Value file

The topic of "Value file" is mentioned in SAP Online help: Examples are:

EH&S Native Language Support - Basic Data and Tools (EHS-BD) - SAP Library

Chapter: Value file

Or e.g. http://www.erphome.net/plm_concept/content/data/EH_S/FactSheets_WhitePapers/CINativeLanguageSupport.pdf

Chapter: WWI Generation Server

Attached is a list of function modules or references which might be of general interest.

Important threads in this FORUM

Examples of threads dealing with "special" WWI topics (only listed those which might be of general interest) which are addressed often in this FORUM etc. I have tried to create "subtopics" so that may be you can find "easily" a suitable thread in this FORUM. I have done a "subselection" of topics discussed in this FORUM which may be help WWI Experts in their daily work. Especially regarding GLM topic (e.g. Bar Code printing) you will find a lot of more threads.

Reference to some OSS notes