Tutorial: Creating your own Vendor Master Solution

This tutorial serves as a general example of how to develop a complete solution for a Vendor Master creation in SAP using Microsoft InfoPath and Winshuttle Designer.

The products used in this scenario are:

• Winshuttle Studio – Transaction, Query, and Designer
• Winshuttle Central
• Winshuttle Workflow
• Microsoft InfoPath (used as the Form designer)
• Microsoft SharePoint (where the workflow process is deployed.)

Note: If you'd like to see a similar tutorial for Winshuttle Composer, please see the tutorials section at the Winshuttle Composer Help Center.

This tutorial begins with a basic solution, and then extends it and adds more functionality in phases. This tutorial assumes a moderate-to-intermediate level of experience with the products listed above. We have provided specific steps for some (but not all) processes and procedures, and where applicable link to additional help and resources. Some processes may vary slightly depending on the version of the product(s) you use.

Each phase of this tutorial also includes sample files that you can download as a reference to help you build your own solutions. These files are available on each 'Phase' page. In addition, all samples files can be downloaded from the Downloads page.

Vendor Master tutorial overview

For the purposes of this tutorial, the basic approach for developing this solution is as follows:

Phase 1	Build the SAP communication script by recording an SAP transaction for vendor master creation. We will build a basic form and a basic workflow with this script, publish it, and then test vendor master creation.
Phase 2	Enhance the form by neatly formatting it and adding some drop-downs, fixed values, and basic rules
Phase 3	Split the form into multiple form views, and we create multiple swimlanes in the workflow to allow collection of data from multiple participants.
Phase 4	Further enhance the form by creating SAP look-ups and SharePoint list queries. We will also add more form rules and publish fields to SharePoint.
Phase 5	Improve the workflow by adding approval loops, using a variety of participant resolvers, and creating workflow branching rules. We will also customize email messages, enable email approvals, and customize SLAs.
Phase 6	Improve the forms and workflow by adding named templates, manager lookup, external web-service calls, JavaScript rules, and using one or more plug-ins.
Phase 7	Publish the solution, and then change the workflow, add one or more form fields, and SAP fields. This phase illustrates change management after a solution has gone live.