Accessing the Document Management Services

Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
  • Explain how to access and use the document management service
  • Explain how to configure the document management service

Document Management Services

Accessing Document Management System (DMS) Services

The Document Management Service (DMS) is a system that archives documents and establishes links between these archived documents and application objects within Contract Accounts Receivable and Payable (FI-CA). Each document comprises both the original image and management data, including details like the creator's identity, creation date, and document type. The management data for documents is stored in a database table within the SAP system, while the images can be stored in various storage systems, either implicitly or explicitly.

The flexibility of DMS allows for the storage of document images in any compatible storage system via various interfaces. These documents can then be seamlessly associated with application objects within the DMS framework, facilitating easy retrieval and management directly from the context of the respective application object.

Furthermore, within the context of Tax and Revenue Management (TRM), the Document Management Service integrates seamlessly with the form bundle for processes such as tax registration and tax return.

For front-end officers, access to the Document Management Service is convenient through two avenues:

  1. The Document Management tile, which is a part of the Correspondence Handling group.
  2. The Document Tab when processing the form bundle during tax registration or tax return procedures.

Back-end officers can access the Document Management Service via the standard transaction FPDMS, accessible through the SAP menu: Accounting → Financial Accounting → Contract Accounts Receivable and Payable → Management of Documents.

Uploading New Document

You can effortlessly upload a document to the Document Management Service (DMS) when changing an existing not processed form bundle, like a tax return. Follow these straightforward steps:

  1. Within the form bundle, navigate to either Documents → Assigned Document" or theDocument Management Service tab, and click the Upload button.

    Note

    Note that there's a distinction between using the Upload option from the Assigned Documents tab and the Document Service Management tab. If you opt for the former, the document will automatically be associated with the form bundle. If you choose the latter, you'll need to assign it after the document has been uploaded. It's worth mentioning that if you directly access the Document Management Service from the SAP Fiori tile, the Assigned Document tab won't be accessible.
  2. In the pop-up window, click the push icon next to the File Name field to upload your document.
  3. Enter all the necessary details, such as Document Category, General Tax, and Application Data (for example business partner, contract account, and contract object), and then click the Upload button.
  4. Your document has been successfully uploaded, and you'll find a new entry in the Assigned Document list.
  5. You can also find the document in the Document Management Service tab.

Assigning/Un-Assigning Documents

You can manage document assignments for the application object using the Assign button in the "Document Management Service tab and the Unassign button in the Assigned Document tab.

Searching Documents

In DMS, you can investigate a document's where-used list or employ extended selection criteria to identify related documents.

  • By clicking the Where-Used List button, the system will present all tax registration and tax return form bundles connected to the selected document. Clicking a link in the results reveals detailed form bundle information.
  • Using Extend Selection and entering specific criteria, such as Document Category, Business Partner ID, and Contract ID, will populate the result table with relevant documents in the Document Management Service. From there, you can choose to assign the specific document to the current application using the Assign button.

Displaying Documents

In DMS, the Display button reveals the administrative data of the document, while the Display Image button shows the actual document itself.

Displaying Correspondence History

When a document needs to be printed, an entry is generated in the correspondence table. To access the correspondence history for this document, you can select the document and click the Correspondence History button within DMS. An error message will be triggered if the document lacks a corresponding history.

Changing and Deleting Document

In DMS, you can modify the administrative data of a document in Edit mode, enabling various actions such as:

  • Disconnecting the image by changing the status to Image No Longer Exists.
  • Updating application data like the business partner, contract account, and contract object.

Additionally, you can delete an existing DMS document by selecting it and clicking the Delete button.

Configuration

You can define the document management service configuration in IMG Path: Financial Accounting → Contract Accounts Receivables and Payables → Basic Functions → Document Management Service.

Steps

  1. Define Document Type.

    • In this step, you establish installation-specific document types, which apply to all clients. However, for a specific client to use a document type, you must configure it separately.
    • The configuration includes specifying a function module that determines the Business Object Repository (BOR) object containing pertinent document information. This function module is essential for manually adding correspondence from correspondence containers to the DMS.

  2. Configure Document Type.

    This configuration is client-specific and defines the document types to be used within that client in DMS. The archiving program uses the retention period defined here to determine whether management data for a document can be archived.

    You can also specify an allowed type of document, such as PDF or DOCX, for the selected document type. If not specified, all types are allowed for use in DMS.

  3. Configure Correspondence Types for DMS.

    In this step, you set up the correspondence types to be integrated into the DSM. You associate document types with these correspondence types.

    Additionally, you can establish specific rules for correspondence handling. For instance, you can automate the addition of documents to DMS when correspondence is printed with a particular correspondence type, which configures to allow Add after Actual Output in Print Workbench.

    Note

    The definition of correspondence types is located in a separate configuration under IMG Path: Financial Accounting → Contract Accounts Receivables and Payables → Basic Functions → Document Management Service → Correspondence → Define Correspondence Type.

  4. Define Application Objects.

    Here, you define the application objects you wish to integrate into DMS. An application object represents an abstract entity or instance for which business partner documents are to be displayed or processed within DMS. For example, Tax Return can be an application object.

    Application objects can be configured with the following details:

    • Document types to be displayed or processed for each application object.
    • Function modules responsible for determining the 'where-used' list of a document.
    • Function modules that check if a document is in use within the application object. This check occurs before document deletion or archiving.

  5. Define Communication Channel.

    This step involves setting up communication channels used for correspondence exchange. For instance, you can create distinct channels to differentiate documents received from e-Filing and those received via customer fax.

  6. Define Processor for Handling Images.

    In this phase, you specify the processors responsible for image-related tasks like display and deletion during runtime. Each document with an image is assigned to a processor, and when image-specific actions are initiated, the corresponding ABAP class for that processor is invoked. These classes must implement the IF_FKKDMS_DOCPROC interface.

    In the configuration, reference types serve as pointers to other types. Various kinds of reference types include:

    • Reference to a class or an interface
    • Reference to a type defined in the Dictionary
    • Generic reference to OBJECT or DATA
    • Reference to a built-in dictionary types, optionally specifying the length and decimal places.

Learning

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