SAP Object Event Repository (SAP OER)

SAP OER Components

SAP Object Event Repository in Detail

1 The EPCIS Compliant CAPTURE Interface

This interface allows production plants and distribution centres to send product-ID related information to SAP OER in a standardised format (in the form of EPCIS events). In the standard EPCIS specification, there are typically 4 different event types:

Object event
Aggregation event
Transaction event
Quantity event

SAP OER supports all 4 event types as standard. For more information on events, formats and parameters, the GS1/EPC Global EPCIS standard specification can be downloaded from the homepage of GS1 Germany.

2 The EPCIS Compliant QUERY Interface

This interface allows internal and external users (e.g. employees and trading partners as well as authorities) to request product-ID-specific information in a standardised format.

Data for any parameter (batch, manufacturer, expiry date, packaging unit etc.) can be requested from SAP OER.

According to the EPCIS specification, there is a generic query: the so-called “Simple Event Query”. SAP OER supports this query as a standard function, as it does with the concept of subscriptions set for EPCglobal. For more information on the query interface, the GS1/EPC Global EPCIS standard specification can be downloaded from the homepage of GS1 Germany.

3 Event Handler

Each serial number (ID) to be tracked (e.g. items, boxes, pallets or even documents) becomes a so-called event handler in SAP OER. The event handler is therefore the unit to be tracked in the SAP OER system and can carry the following information:

A continuous ID hierarchy (e.g. a pallet contains boxes and boxes contain products)
One or more event messages (e.g. packed, dispatched, received etc.)

4 Tracking Service and Rules

The control processor starts with the execution logic whenever a notice message arrives in SAP OER. Different rules can be executed for each event handler type. At this point, a customer-specific logic can be implemented individually. The rule framework in SAP OER is designed to be sufficiently flexible and simple that IT staff and consultants with ABAP knowledge can integrate a customer-specific logic with no programming effort.

5 Authentication

SAP OER supports technical authentication. This means that an SAP OER user is able to check the authenticity of products via a web user interface. Additional authentication features (e.g. images, appearance of hologram tags etc.) can be set up in SAP OER.

6 Alert Framework

The SAP OER alert framework serves to notify targeted groups of people in the event that irregularities appear in the process operation (e.g. unknown serial number, event that has not occurred etc.).

Additionally, the SAP OER alert framework can be integrated into the SAP standard monitoring system, “CCMS” (Computer Centre Management System).

7 Event Handler Hierarchies

As can be seen from the image below, each event handler can have a product hierarchy. Consequently, it is possible to show the complete content e.g. of a pallet. It must be noted here that each event handler has a current hierarchy and a hierarchy for a specific event. This means that the hierarchy of a specific event handler at time of delivery to a distributor may differ from the hierarchy of the same event handler at the time of delivery to a wholesaler.

Screenshot Event Handler

8 Central Number Range Administration

SAP OER is designed to administer the set-up and distribution of number ranges in a system landscape with one or more local SAP AII instances. SAP OER has a number range administration interface for this and offers both an upload report for the integration of external number ranges and a download report for the distribution of global number ranges to local instances. As such, subcontracted manufacturers can be integrated into the number ranges of a contracting manufacturer. Furthermore, number ranges can be blocked and distributed number ranges can be monitored.

9 Master Data Management

The following master data can be replicated from SAP ERP to SAP OER (optional):

Materials (material IDs and descriptions, units of measurement, EAN numbers, number ranges etc.)

In addition to the material data from SAP ERP, the following master data would be defined and configured in the SAP OER (may also be defined directly in the SAP OER):

Locations (location ID, GLNs etc.)

Other master data required e.g. for deliveries (e.g. sold-to-party, ship-to-party) and descriptions for events (EPCIS bizSteps)

10 Security & Archiving

SAP OER has archiving tools for storing event data on external media and deleting the data in the active database.

The following objects can be archived:

Event handler tables (e.g. carton, box and pallet IDs)
Event notification tables (e.g. all event notifications about cartons, boxes and pallet IDs)

Security

11 Locations & Reading Points

In SAP AII (part of SAP Auto-ID Enterprise), locations and reading points can be set up and administered. Locations describe places that can send serialised information to SAP OER. Reading points are stations within a location, e.g. such as a production or packaging line.

Locations

12 ID Types

ID types specify the formats in which the data are sent to SAP OER. This is very important in order to be able to guarantee compatibility with trading partners.

Example of a consignment in an EPCIS notification:
urn:sap:oer:bti:odlv:0037021.0081142241