SRM Integration with HR data

Question

Hello SDN community,
Our company is struggling right now, because we are not coming up with very good options for an SRM implementation.
I have tried to read some of the posts regarding SRM and OM integration, but I have zero experience with SRM. 
I understand that SAP offers a number of ways for an HR system to mirror data either through ALE or other methods to a stand-alone SRM system. 
We currently have a full OM implementation in our HR system, of org units, positions, and employees.  The SRM team is struggling though because we have a very global and functional org structure, meaning for an org unit like IT operations, we have positions from 5 different countries.  Because of this, HR does not maintain company code at the organizational unit.  We only maintain the company code at the position level in HRP1008. 
Also, from my understanding when an organizational unit in SRM is linked to a company code it does it in a completely separate infotype (not hrp1008), but an infotype called 'function'.  This infotype does not even appear to be available in our HR system, which does not have SRM installed.
Also, we do not have a single purchasing organization, so the desire is to have purchasers across our organization and for the approval process to follow the HR line manager hierachy and not a separate standalone Org maintained to support purchasing.
So based on this information, can someone please provide a functional description of how a standalone ECC 6.0 system with only HR, would integrate OM data to a separate system with SRM installed? 
How would this integration overcome the problem of the HR system not having the SRM OM infotypes? 
How would we overcome the problem of the HR Org structure not representing a company code structure, since company codes are more granular for us at the position level?
Please direct me to any relevant documentation, as I am not finding it easy to get these questions answered on my own.
Thank You,
Michael

Answer 1

Hi Michael,
In our company we have implemented classic scenario (SRM 5.5). We are also using the organizational structure, which is transported and updated from HR system. This transportation is done with ALE distribution model (detailed information about this can be received from BASIS consultant).
In my opinion it is not necessary company code, purchasing group and purchasing organizations to be maintained in Hr structure. Once the structure is transported in SRM, you can maintain them in SRM.
I will try briefly to summaries you the integration process.
I presume that you have already establish the RFC connections between the two systems (SRM and HR), you have maintained all integration switches in both systems, and you have maintained BP number ranges for the position assignment and organizational units (in this case the number range is external for SRM and it has to be the same as in HR system).
It is very important, to maintain  the address data (such as country, city and post code) of the organizational units, before transportation of the structure from the HR system to SRM.
Relationships between Business Partner numbers of employees and org units and Central Person numbers have to be checked in transaction "Users_Gen". No errors should exist in this report.
Once the structure is transported, you have to assign the company code, purchasing organization and purchasing groups in SRM.
We are using two company codes and two purchasing organization. We have made a special development which is mapping the purchasing groups to the different Purchasing organizations (all purchasing groups are assigned to one central Purchasing organization, and after that a mapping is done in a separate table to the other Purchasing organization).
I have created manually organizational units, which represents the company code, purchasing organization and purchasing groups.
If you do so, you have to assign their functions (company, purchasing group or purchasing organization), in the FUNCTION TAB in transaction PPOMA_BBP and the responsibility of each purchasing group in the responsibility tab.
Please have in mind that the persons responsible for maintaining the organizational structure in HR system, have to be notified that you are using manually created organizational units. If the update of the SRM structure is set to be automatically from the HR structure, your units can be deleted.
After that you should maintain the attributes at organizational unit or at position level for the different users.
For example,  I have maintained company code at a position level because, in one department, representing one org unit, I have users creating shopping carts for different company codes.
Hope it is clearer for you now!
Desi