Inside VOFM

Inside the VOFM Program
Technical Solution Guide
The Smith Consulting Group, Inc.

PO Box 703
Flanders, NJ 07836-0703
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Copyright © 2005 The Smith Consulting Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Introduction......................................................................................................................... 3
General structure of a VOFM routine................................................................................. 3
Group Indicator Code ......................................................................................................... 4
Domain GRPZE .............................................................................................................. 4
Group Indicator Codes contained in the VOFM Program .............................................. 5
Routine Maintenance .......................................................................................................... 7
Transaction VOFN.......................................................................................................... 7
Building Custom Routines.................................................................................................. 9
Customer Routine Ranges............................................................................................... 9
Customer Range Determination by Group Indicator .................................................... 10
Include Name Determination by Group Indicator ........................................................ 11
Parent Include Name Determination by Group Indicator ............................................. 12
Development Class Determination by Group Indicator................................................ 13
Source Include and Form Names Determined in the VOFM Program............................. 14
Routine Activation ............................................................................................................ 17
Table TFRM.................................................................................................................. 18
Parent Include of the Active Routine............................................................................ 19
Deactivating the Routine............................................................................................... 20
Table TFRM Updated ................................................................................................... 21
Parent Include of the inactive Routine.......................................................................... 22
Utility Programs................................................................................................................ 23
Program RV80HGEN ................................................................................................... 23
Program SDINVOFM................................................................................................... 25
Transport Problems........................................................................................................... 28
PERFORM_NOT_FOUND Short Dump ..................................................................... 28
Executing Program RV80HGEN.................................................................................. 33
11/25/2005 Page 2 of 36 Technical Solution Guide

Introduction
While many SAP specialists have used and created VOFM routines in R/3, few
understand how these routines are technically implemented within the various programs
and function groups in which they exist.
The purpose of this paper is to provide a technical explanation of how the VOFM
transaction works. It is assumed that the reader has a working knowledge of the VOFM
transaction and ABAP programming. The screen shots and data in this document were
taken from an R/3 4.6C system.
General structure of a VOFM routine

VOFM routines are ABAP FORM routines and they exist in a wide variety of programs
and function groups. The routines are organized by a group code and there are many
group codes available in the system. Each routine is contained in a unique ABAP include
file.The seinc ludef il
esa rethe n‘inc luded’i napa r
enti ncludef il
e.Fi nal
ly,t hepa rent
inc l
udef ileis‘ included’i nthema inpr ogra m orf unctiong roup.Whi lethisde sig nma y
seem complicated, it allows the generation, activation and deactivation of these routines
to occur without modifying the main program. When a routine is created, a new include
is created and the associated parent include is updated. Activation and deactivation
modify the parent include by adding or removing the include file that contains the
routine.

Group Indicator Code

VOFM routines are organized using the Group Indicator Code. The VOFM program uses
the group indicator to determine the program include and subroutine names when it
dynamically creates these objects. The assignment of these names is hard coded in the
program. The valid group indicator codes are defined in data base domain GRPZE using
a value range.
Domain GRPZE

Group Indicator Codes contained in the VOFM Program

The following table contains the group indicator codes that are hard coded in the VOFM
program. This list may be different depending on the release and does not correspond
exactly to the domain value list.
Group Description
ABED Copying requirements in the order
ADAT Data transfer in the order
CASB Copying requirements for sales activities
CASC Data transfer for sales activities
CHBE Batch search strategies
CHMV Stock requirements
CHRG Batch requirements
EXKO Export requirements
FBED Copying requirements in the billing document
FDAT Data transfer in the billing document
FOFU Subsequent functions
LBED Copying requirements in the delivery
LDAT Data transfer in the delivery
LST1 Info blocks for RV reporting
LST1 Info blocks for RV reporting
MCA1 Work item requirements (MCA = Activity)
MCA2 Work item formulas (MCA = Activity)
MCB1 Stock control requirements
MCB2 Stock control formulas
MCE1 PURCHIS Requirements
MCE2 PURCHIS formulas
MCF1 SFIS requirements
MCF2 SFIS formulas
MCI1 PM requirements
MCI2 PM formulas
MCL1 WS requirements in LIS
MCL2 WS requirements in LIS
MCQ1 QMIS requirements
MCQ2 QMIS formulas
MCT1 TIS requirements
MCT2 TIS formulas
MCU1 UIS requirements
MCU2 UIS forms (Utility Information System)
MCV1 SIS requirements
MCV2 SIS formulas
MCW1 RIS requirements
Group Description
MCW2 RIS formulas
MCZ1 External data requirements
MCZ2 External data formula
PBED Pricing requirements
PBEF Material determination requirements
PBEK Account determination requirements
PBEL Material listing requirements
PBEN Output control requirements
PBNA Free goods requirements
PBWV Requirements for pricing
PFRA Pricing formulas: Condition basis
PFRM Pricing formulas: Condition value
PFRS Pricing formulas: Scale basis
PNAT
PRUN
PSTK Structure of scale key for pricing
REAK Archiving for orders
REKA Archiving for sales activities
RELK Archiving for deliveries
RERK Archiving for billing documents
RISK Risk management (form of payment guarantee)
TBED Copying requirements for texts
TDAT Data transfer involving texts
TNAM Text names for word processing
TRAU Data transfer transport
TXNM Text names for copying modules (out of date)
VCAU Authorization requirements for payment cards
VFCL Multi-dimensional scales
VKMP Credit check requirements
VSEL Data transfer for shipping units

Routine Maintenance
Since VOFM routines are named after the transaction, most people access the routines
using the VOFM transaction. Unfortunately, VOFM only provides access to a subset of
the routines available. An alternative is transaction VOFN, which provides access to all
routines in all groups.
Transaction VOFN
VOFN is executed by group indicator (the screen refers to it as Class).

Once the group indicator is selected, the detail screen looks and functions like the VOFM
detail screen. It is actually the same program. The following example displays all of the
routines in the MCV1 class (SIS Requirement Routines).

Building Custom Routines

When implementing custom VOFM routines, a question frequently asked is what routine
numbers should be used. The answer is that it depends on the group indicator. The table
in a subsequent section denotes the starting customer range for each group indicator
(Customer Include column). The selection of an appropriate routine number is important
because it determines the include file naming convention as well as the development
class used when creating the routine. The customer routine ranges are hard coded in the
program. The following screen shots detail how it works.
Customer Routine Ranges

The following screen shot is from the global data section of the program. There are three
possible starting customer ranges defined (USER_GRPNO_FIRST1,
USER_GRPNO_FIRST2 and USER_GRPNO_FIRST3).

Customer Range Determination by Group Indicator

The group indicator is used by the logic that determines the starting number in the
customer range. Essentially, the rules can be summarized as follows:
 For groups PSTK (Pricing Formula Group Structure) and TDAT (Data Transfer –
Text), the customer range starts at 50.
 For group FOFU (Subsequent Functions) the customer range starts at 900.
 For all others, the customer range starts at 600.

Include Name Determination by Group Indicator

The group indicator is also used to determine the include file name for routines. In the
following example, Sales Order Copy Requirement routines (ABED) in the customer
range will be named RV45Cxxx and routines in the SAP range will be named
LV45Cxxx. In either case, the include will be created within function group SAPLV45C.

Parent Include Name Determination by Group Indicator

The group indicator is also used to determine the parent include file name for routines. In
the following example, Sales Order Copy Requirement routines (ABED) in the customer
range will be included in RV45BNNN and routines in the SAP range will be included in
LV45CNNN.

Development Class Determination by Group Indicator

The group indicator is also used to determine the development class assigned to include
files. In the following example, Sales Order Copy Requirement routines (ABED) will be
assigned to development class VA. The same development class is assigned to both
standard and customer created includes.

Source Include and Form Names Determined in the VOFM Program

The following table contains the naming convention used by the VOFM program to dynamically generate the source includes and form
routines by Group Indicator. This list may be different depending on the release and does not correspond exactly to the domain value list.
Dev Main Standard Standard Customer Customer

Group Class Program Include Include Include Include Form Name
(Parent) (Parent)
ABED VA SAPLV45C LV45CNNN LV45Cxxx RV45BNNN RV45B6xx BEDINGUNG_PRUEFEN_xxx
ADAT VA SAPFV45C FV45CNNN FV45Cxxx RV45CNNN RV45C6xx DATEN_KOPIEREN_xxx
BBYR WBBY SAPLV61N FBBYNNNN FBBYNxxx RBBYNNNN RBBYN6xx BBYREQ_xxx
CASB VCA SAPLV43A LV43ANNN LV43Axxx RV43ANNN RV43A6xx BEDINGUNG_PRUEFEN_xxx
CASC VCA SAPLV43A FV44ANNN FV44Axxx RV44ANNN RV44A6xx DATEN_KOPIEREN_xxx
CHBE VB SAPL080M L080MNNN L080Mxxx R080MNNN R080M6xx BED_SUCH_STRATEGIE_xxx
CHMV MDBF SAPLMDBF LMDBFNNN LMDBFxxx RMDBFNNN RMDBF6xx BFMVS_xxx
CHRG VB SAPLV01F LV01FNNN LV01Fxxx RV01FNNN RV01F6xx CHMVS_xxx
EXKO VA SAPLV52E LV52ENNN LV52Exxx RV52ENNN RV52E6xx AUSFUHR_BED_PRUEFEN_xxx
FBED VF SAPLV60A LV60ANNN LV60Axxx RV60BNNN RV60B6xx BEDINGUNG_PRUEFEN_xxx
FDAT VF SAPFV60C FV60CNNN FV60Cxxx RV60CNNN RV60C6xx DATEN_KOPIEREN_xxx
FOFU VL SAPLV07A LV07ANNN LV07Axxx RV07ACCC RV07A9xx BEDINGUNG_PRUEFEN_xxx
LBED VL SAPFV50C FV50BNNN FV50Bxxx RV50BNNN RV50B6xx BEDINGUNG_PRUEFEN_xxx
LDAT VL SAPFV50C FV50CNNN FV50Cxxx RV50CNNN RV50C6xx DATEN_KOPIEREN_xxx
LST1 VREP SAPRV77S RV77SNNN RV77Sxxx RV77UNNN N/A LST1_xxx
LST1 VREP SAPRV77U RV77SNNN N/A RV77UNNN RV77U6xx LST1_xxx
MCA1 MCWF SAPFMCAF SAPFMCAF FMCA1xxx RMCAUNNN FMCA16xx MCA1_xxx
MCA2 MCWF SAPFMCAF SAPFMCAF FMCA2xxx RMCAUNNN FMCA26xx MCA2_xxx
MCB1 MCS SAPFMCBF FMCB1NNN FMCB1xxx RMCB1NNN FMCB16xx MCB1_xxx
MCB2 MCS SAPFMCBF FMCB2NNN FMCB2xxx RMCB2NNN FMCB26xx MCB2_xxx
MCE1 MCS SAPFMCEF FMCE1NNN FMCE1xxx RMCE1NNN FMCE16xx MCE1_xxx
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(Parent) (Parent)
MCE2 MCS SAPFMCEF FMCE2NNN FMCE2xxx RMCE2NNN FMCE26xx MCE2_xxx
MCF1 MCS SAPFMCFF FMCF1NNN FMCF1xxx RMCF1NNN FMCF16xx MCF1_xxx
MCF2 MCS SAPFMCFF FMCF2NNN FMCF2xxx RMCF2NNN FMCF26xx MCF2_xxx
MCI1 MCS SAPFMCIF SAPFMCIF FMCI1xxx RMCIUNNN FMCI16xx MCI1_xxx
MCI2 MCS SAPFMCIF SAPFMCIF FMCI2xxx RMCIUNNN FMCI26xx MCI2_xxx
MCL1 VL SAPFMCLF SAPFMCLF FMCL1xxx RMCLUNNN FMCL16xx MCL1_xxx
MCL2 VL SAPFMCLF SAPFMCLF FMCL2xxx RMCLUNNN FMCL26xx MCL2_xxx
MCQ1 MCS SAPFMCQF SAPFMCQF FMCQ1xxx RMCQUNNN FMCQ16xx MCQ1_xxx
MCQ2 MCS SAPFMCQF SAPFMCQF FMCQ2xxx RMCQUNNN FMCQ26xx MCQ2_xxx
MCT1 MCS SAPFMCTF FMCT1NNN FMCT1xxx RMCT1NNN FMCT16xx MCT1_xxx
MCT2 MCS SAPFMCTF FMCT2NNN FMCT2xxx RMCT2NNN FMCT26xx MCT2_xxx
MCU1 MCS SAPFMCUF FMCU1NNN FMCU1xxx RMCU1NNN FMCU16xx MCU1_xxx
MCU2 MCS SAPFMCUF FMCU2NNN FMCU2xxx RMCU2NNN FMCU26xx MCU2_xxx
MCV1 MCS SAPFMCVF FMCV1NNN FMCV1xxx RMCV1NNN FMCV16xx MCV1_xxx
MCV2 MCS SAPFMCVF FMCV2NNN FMCV2xxx RMCV2NNN FMCV26xx MCV2_xxx
MCW1 MCS SAPFMCWF FMCW1NNN FMCW1xxx RMCW1NNN FMCW16xx MCW1_xxx
MCW2 MCS SAPFMCWF FMCW2NNN FMCW2xxx RMCW2NNN FMCW26xx MCW2_xxx
MCZ1 MCS SAPFMCZF SAPFMCZF FMCZ1xxx RMCZUNNN FMCZ16xx MCZ1_xxx
MCZ2 MCS SAPFMCZF SAPFMCZF FMCZ2xxx RMCZUNNN FMCZ26xx MCZ2_xxx
PBED VKON SAPLV61A LV61ANNN LV61Axxx RV61ANNN RV61A6xx KOBED_xxx, KOBEV_xxx
PBEF VKON SAPLV61D LV61DNNN LV61Dxxx RV61DNNN RV61D6xx KOBED_xxx, KOBEV_xxx
PBEK VKON SAPLV61C LV61CNNN LV61Cxxx RV61CNNN RV61C6xx KOBED_xxx, KOBEV_xxx
PBEL VKON SAPLV61G LV61GNNN LV61Gxxx RV61GNNN RV61G6xx KOBED_xxx, KOBEV_xxx
PBEN VN SAPLV61B LV61BNNN LV61Bxxx RV61BNNN RV61B6xx KOBED_xxx, KOBEV_xxx
PBNA VKON SAPLV61N FV62NNNN FV62Nxxx RV62NNNN RV62N6xx KOBED_xxx, KOBEV_xxx


(Parent) (Parent)
PBWV WVKP SAPLWVK1 LWVK1NNN LWVK1xxx RWVK1NNN RWVK16xx WVBED_xxx
PFRA VKON SAPLV61A FV63ANNN FV63Axxx RV63ANNN RV63A6xx FRM_KOND_BASIS_xxx
PFRM VKON SAPLV61A FV64ANNN FV64Axxx RV64ANNN RV64A6xx FRM_KONDI_WERT_xxx
PFRS VKON SAPLV61A FV62ANNN FV62Axxx RV62ANNN RV62A6xx FRM_STAFFELBAS_xxx
PNAT SAPLV61N LV61NNNN LV61Nxxx RV61NNNN RV61N6xx FRM_RECHENR_xxx
PRUN SAPMV13A FV13ANNN FV13Axxx RV13ANNN RV13Z6xx FRM_RUNDUNG_xxx
PSTK VKON SAPLV61A FV65ANNN FV65Axxx RV65ANNN RV65A5xx FRM_GRUPPENKEY_xxx
REAK VZ S3VBAKWR SDVBAKSP AKSAPxxx SDVBAKUS AKUSR6xx SD_VBAK_xxx
REKA VZ SDVBKAWR SDVBKASP KASAPxxx SDVBKAUS KAUSR6xx SD_VBKA_xxx
RELK VZ S3LIKPWR SDLIKPSP DKSAPxxx SDLIKPUS DKUSR6xx SD_LIKP_xxx
RERK VZ S3VBRKWR SDVBRKSP RKSAPxxx SDVBRKUS RKUSR6xx SD_VBRK_xxx
RISK VKM SAPLVKMP LRISKNNN LRISKxxx RRISKNNN RRISK6xx ABSICHERUNG_PRUEFEN_xxx
TBED VT SAPLV45T LV45TNNN LV45Txxx RV45TNNN RV45T6xx BEDINGUNG_PRUEFEN_xxx
TDAT VT SAPLV45T LV45TENN LV45TExxx RV45TENN RV45TE5xx DATEN_KOPIEREN_xxx
TNAM VT SAPLV70T LV70TNNN LV70Txxx RV70TNNN RV70T6xx TEXTNAME_xxx
TRAU VTR SAPFV56C FV56CNNN FV56Cxxx RV56CNNN RV56C6xx DATEN_KOPIEREN_xxx
TXNM VT SAPLV45T FV46TNNN FV46Txxx RV46TNNN RV46T6xx TEXTNAME_COPY_xxx
VCAU VFC SAPLV21F DVCAUNNN DVCAUxxx RVCAUNNN RVCAU6xx REQUIREMENT_CHECK_xxx
VFCL VFSC_1 SAPLV57A LV57ANNN FV57Axxx RV57ANNN RV57A6xx SD_VFCL_xxx
VKMP VKM SAPLVKMP LVKMPNNN LVKMP RVKMPNNN RVKMP6xx BEDINGUNG_PRUEFEN_xxx
VSEL VV SAPLV51H FV51ANNN FV51Axxx RV51ANNN RV51A6xx DATEN_KOPIEREN_xxx

Routine Activation
Understanding what actually happens when VOFM routines are activated or deactivated
is useful knowledge, especially when problems occur and debugging is required.
In the following screen shots, routine 900 will be deactivated to demonstrate the process.

Table TFRM
Table TFRM contains one record for each VOFM routine defined in the system. The
following list displays all routines in group PFRS (Pricing Scale Base Formulas). For
each record, the activation status and date/time stamp of activation is recorded. As
denoted in this table, routine 900 is active.

Parent Include of the Active Routine

The group indicator for our sample routine is PFRS. Using the tables in the previous
sections (or by looking at the program), we determine that the routine exists in function
group V61A, the routine is contained in include RV62A900 and the parent include is
RV62ANNN.

Deactivating the Routine

The routine is deactivated using the VOFM transaction.

Table TFRM Updated

After deactivation, the record in table TFRM is updated.

Parent Include of the inactive Routine

After deactivation, the parent include no longer contains the routine include. The parent
include is never deleted.

Utility Programs
Transport issues with VOFM routines are so common, that SAP has provided utility
programs to aid in the repair process.
Program RV80HGEN
Program RV80HGEN can be used to re-generate all VOFM routines. Whenever VOFM
routines are transported, this program should be executed in all target systems. It is
possible to include an automatic execution of the program in the transport request by
applying OSS note 598475.

The output report for RV80HGEN denotes that all routines were activated.

Program SDINVOFM
Program SDINVOFM can be used to identify and repair missing table entries in the
VOFM control tables TFRM and TFRMT. This program is usually executed after
RV80HGEN.
In the following example, the program will analyze the routines in the PBED group
(Pricing Requirement Routines).

The output of the analysis is a report that denotes the status of all items analyzed. In this
example, the description (Table TFRMT) is missing for pricing requirement routine 048.

Looking at pricing requirement routine 048 via the VOFM transaction, the description is
indeed missing and would be corrected here.

Transport Problems
Problems frequently occur when VOFM routines are transported to test and production
instances. It is not uncommon to experience short dumps in these target systems. These
problems are not the result of faulty programming or configuration. There has always
been a transport issue for VOFM routines that occurs on occasion. The following sections
illustrate the type of problems that can occur when VOFM routines do not transport
correctly and the procedure to correct them.
PERFORM_NOT_FOUND Short Dump

In this example, a custom billing data transfer routine was created. It was correctly
assigned in copy control and worked flawlessly in the development system in which it
was created. Once transported, the billing due list short dumped in the target system
because it could not find the new routine.

Looking at the details of the short dump, it can be determined which routine caused the
problem. In this section, it is clear that the billing due list had the problem (program
SAPLV60A).

Paging down further in the dump, we see that routine DATEN_KOPIEREN_902 in
program SAPFV60C was called but not found. This routine is called because of the copy
control configuration.

Using the Program Editor (SE38) to display the ABAP include that contains the routine,
we can see that it does exist.

Using the Object Navigator (SE80) to view the entire program for billing data transfer
routines, we see that the routine is missing. The include RV60C902 should appear within
the RV60CNNN source. In the development system where the routine was created, we
would see it here.

Executing Program RV80HGEN

The first step for correcting this type of short dump is to execute the RV80HGEN utility
program to re-generate all VOFM routines. Unfortunately, running this program does not
always solve the problem. In this example, executing RV80HGEN did not work.
The output report for RV80HGEN denotes that all routines were activated, but the parent
include was not repaired.

Since RV80HGEN did not solve the problem, the next step is to manually regenerate the
program index of the program that contains the VOFM routine. For billing data transfer
routines, the program is SAPFV60C.

From the program editor, navigate using the menu to Utilities>Update navigation index.
Executing this function will solve the problem.

After regenerating the index, RV60C902 include now appears in the parent include and
the short dumps will cease.


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Inside the VOFM Program

Technical Solution Guide

The Smith Consulting Group, Inc.

11/25/2005 Page 2 of 36 Technical Solution Guide

General structure of a VOFM routine

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Group Indicator Code

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Group Indicator Codes contained in the VOFM Program

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Building Custom Routines

Customer Routine Ranges

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Customer Range Determination by Group Indicator

 For all others, the customer range starts at 600.

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Include Name Determination by Group Indicator

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Parent Include Name Determination by Group Indicator

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Development Class Determination by Group Indicator

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Source Include and Form Names Determined in the VOFM Program

Dev Main Standard Standard Customer Customer

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Dev Main Standard Standard Customer Customer

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Dev Main Standard Standard Customer Customer

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Parent Include of the Active Routine

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Deactivating the Routine

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Table TFRM Updated

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Parent Include of the inactive Routine

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PERFORM_NOT_FOUND Short Dump

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Executing Program RV80HGEN

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