Overview of SAP IDOC Structure

The IDoc (Intermediate Document) structure in SAP is designed to facilitate the exchange of business data between systems. 

It has a hierarchical structure divided into three main components:

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1. Control Record (EDIDC)

The control record provides metadata about the IDoc and serves as a header. It contains information required for processing and routing the IDoc.
Key Fields in the Control Record:

• IDoc Number: A unique identifier for the IDoc.
• Direction: Specifies whether the IDoc is inbound (2) or outbound (1).
• Message Type: Defines the type of business process (e.g., ORDERS, INVOIC).
• Basic Type: Specifies the structure of the IDoc (e.g., ORDERS05, INVOIC02).
• Sender/Receiver Information: Includes:
  • Partner Type (e.g., KU for customer, LI for vendor).
  • Partner Number (identifies the trading partner).
  • Logical System (represents SAP or external systems).
• Status: Tracks the current state of the IDoc (e.g., created, sent, processed, or error).

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2. Data Records (EDID4)

The data records contain the actual transactional data. They are organized into segments, which represent logical groups of data.
Structure of a Data Record:

• Segment ID: Identifies the segment type (e.g., E1EDK01 for header data).
• Parent Segment: Links child segments to their parent for a hierarchical relationship.
• Segment Data: Contains the field values in a flat structure.

Types of Segments:

• Header Segment: Contains general information, such as document date, document type, and trading partner details.
  • Example: E1EDK01 (Header Data)
• Item Segments: Holds line-item-specific details, such as product, quantity, and price.
  • Example: E1EDP01 (Item Data)
• Summary Segments: Provides totals or summaries for the document.
  • Example: E1EDT01 (Totals Data)

Segments can be mandatory or optional, depending on the IDoc type and the business process.

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3. Status Records (EDIDS)

The status records track the lifecycle of the IDoc, providing information about its processing status.
Key Fields in Status Records:

• Status Code: Indicates the current state of the IDoc.
  • Examples:
    • 03: Outbound IDoc sent to the partner system.
    • 12: Inbound IDoc successfully processed.
    • 51: Inbound IDoc with errors during processing.
• Timestamp: Records when the status change occurred.
• Message: Describes the status or any error encountered.

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Hierarchical Relationship in IDoc

IDocs follow a hierarchical structure:

1. Control Record: One per IDoc.
2. Data Records: One or more, depending on the transaction.
   • Data records can have a parent-child relationship (e.g., header → item → sub-item).
3. Status Records: One or more, as the IDoc moves through its lifecycle.