CRM 7.0: set up IPC product configuration

Question

Dear experts,
we set up a CRM 7.0 with ERP 6.0 backend integration. In the ERP we apply ERP variant configuration (Materials). Quite simple: some configurable materials (material type KMAT) with a few characteristics and product variants of them (material type FERT) which are maintained in order processing. Variant conditions are maintained and automatically determined for product items. Now we need this in CRM for opportunity processing.
Therefore we have created Knowledge Base and Runtime Version for the configurable products in ERP and downloaded test materials (one KMAT and one FERT (product variant) into CRM (download objects MATERIAL and SCE). In CRM product master data maintenance for the KMATconfigurable tab with the configuration profile is displayed. Afterwards we downloaded condition master data into CRM, among others variant condition VA00 with condition table A057. Everything looks fine.
In CRM we want to set up opportunity management. In the opprotunity transaction processing pricing is working already besides the determination of variant pricing. As we intend to maintain only FERT materials (product variants)we do not need interactive product configuration in CRM sales order or product simulation in CRM product master data. We only want the variant prices to be determined automatically for the product variants (FERT) in opportunity processing. That is why we are not sure if it necessary to set IPC configuration settings (XCM etc.). This is my first question. Nevertheless we started to maintain settings for product configuration in order to find out if this is solves our problem:
1.) XCM configuration (IPC): we set up a customer application for "crmproductsimulation" and defined customer components jco (RFC test worked) and productvariants and restarted J2EE Instance in TX: SMICM
2.) We set up product configuration customizing:
table: COMM_IPC_PROP:  caller; crmproductsimulation; scenario.xcm; ZCRMproductssimulation
table: COMM_IPC_URL: UI_CFG; http://<host>:<port>100/ipc/ipc/command.do
When starting simulation of product model for configurable product in TX: COMMPR01 I get following error message: "HTTP500: ISA Framework: The [XCM application configuration]='ZCRMproductssimulation' does not exist. Check XCM configuration.
Details:   No details available". This application is maintained in XCM so I assume something else is missing.
To sum up my questions:
1.) Is it necessary to set up IPC product configuration as described above when we only want to maintain FERT products which are product variants and determine corresponding variant prices (VA00). No interactive product configuration is necessary.
2.) If it is necessary to set up IPC product configuration to active product configuration (to see product variants in product master data maintenance and opportunity processing and corresponding variant condition data), what did I do wrong?
Thank you very much for your help.
KInd regards,
Mark

Answer 1

Hi Arup,
thank you very much for your reply.
Concerning XCM / CRM customizing I have done the steps you recommended:
1. XCM:  I created customer applications for crmordermaintain and crmproductsimulation and maintained customer component JCO for both of them (Assigned JCO User has SAPALL / SAPNEW, test run was successful) Active and default are ticked. Are there any further steps missing.May be in General Application Settings > Customer > ipcwebappconfig - I changed nothing there (SSLenabled: true)
2. In CRM customizing I maintained tables as follows:
COMM_IPC_PROP:
caller   crmordermaintain  scenario.xcm   Zcrmordermaintain  (name of customer xcm app -case sensitive)
caller   crmproductsimulation  scenario.xcm  Zcrmproductsimulation (name of customer xcm app -case sensitive)
COMM_IPC_URL:
Destination: UI_CFG ;Appl.  <blank>; URL: http://<host>:<J2EEport/ipc/ipc/command.do
Calling the IPC product configuration e.g. from the CRM product master (simulate model), I get the already mentioned HTTP error:"ISA Framework: The [XCM application configuration]='Zcrmproductsimulation' does not exist. Check XCM configuration.".
That's why I am thinking that something is missing concerning the communication between CRM application and IPC,because XCM applications do definitely exist.
Is the URL correct .../ipc/ipc/commando.do which I maintained in table COMM_IPC_URL?
Is it possible to check if communication between CRM Online and Java does work respectively what  do you exactly mean by "IPC URL must be available for UI_CFG"? UI_CFG ist a RFC-connection which has to be maintained additionaly and if so what has to be maintained exactly?
You mentioned a RFC_USER (This is the JCO-User I suppose?)and J2ee user. Is the J2ee user just the admin user of the J2EE engine or do you mean something different?
Thanks in advance for your further help.
Best regards,
Mark
Edited by: Mark Willhoeft on Jun 4, 2010 8:36 PM
Just one further thing: After changing XCM config I restarted J2EE by TX SMICM (Administration - J2EE Instance local - Send soft shutdown - with restart). Is this enough to restart J2EE and activate changed XCM settings or has the restart to be handled different?