Introduction
Hello dear B2B Integration Community,
In many automotive supply chain scenarios, the ability to process VDA flat files, as specified by the German Automotive Industry Association, remains a critical requirement for seamless EDI communication.
While support for these specific formats is still pending in the standard SAP Integration Suite product roadmap and foreseen to be delivered by Q2/2026:
the B2B Integration Factory has already stepped in to fill this gap.
Thanks to its flexible and agile development approach, the B2B Integration Factory currently supports the processing of VDA automotive flat files, enabling customers in the automotive sector to proceed with their B2B integration projects without waiting for the standard product release.
Although the OFTP adapter is not currently available, the associated integration content can still be migrated and validated, allowing customers to prepare and move forward with their B2B integration projects.
What needs to be configured – General
1. Integration Content Deployment
Update and deploy the latest changes of the B2B Integration Factory packages, particularly:
B2B Integration Factory – Cloud Integration – Trading Partner Management v1.8.0B2B Integration Factory – Extended Interchange Processing Flows v1.3.0B2B Integration Factory – Interchange Extraction Flows v1.4.0
2. Create a Message Implementation Guideline (MIG)
Upload the VDA .xsd as a Custom Message into the Integration Advisor and create the VDA MIG:
3. Trading Partner setup
Leverage an available message type as a placeholder in the type system, in the Trading Partner Profile and then in the Trading Partner Agreement, even if it’s not originally intended for this purpose, such as VDA EDIFACT for instance:
Converting XML to VDA Flat File
As already known from the IDocXML to IDocFlat Blog we will maintain the exact same two activity parameter keys in the TPA:
SAP_EDI_REC_Payload_Format = VDA-Automotive
SAP_B2B_Syntax_Conversion_ProcessFlowAddress = /tpm/syntax-conversion/VDA-Automotive
This conversion approach is independent of the specific message type and can be applied universally across different VDA formats
Additionally, I recommend to maintain two additional parameters:
SAP_REC_Assembly_Process_Flow_Indicator = false
SAP_EDI_REC_Document_Standard = VDA AUTOMOTIVE
The first one tells that an assembly procedure is not needed and the second is to populate the correct Receiver Document Standard in the B2B Monitoring. The TPA looks like this:
And in B2B Monitoring:
Here we can see a successful tranformation from an DESADV IDoc to a VDA 4913 Flat file.
Additionaly, you can set the parameter SAP_VDA_Automotive_To_Flat_Apply_Max_Length. It is per default set to true. If you do not want to apply the max length as defined in the .xsd then simply set the parameter in the TPA to false.
Converting VDA Flat File to XML
For this case, only one activity parameter is required to set the right Sender Document Standard. There are two optional parameters which follow the same naming convention as in my previous blog where I talk about migration PI/PO content to Cloud Integration TPM. If you want to keep the content from your legacy PI/PO then the Namespace as well as the Namespace Prefix matters for the PI/PO message mapping. These can be maintained in the relevant BTA. Parameter Private values are SAP_B2B_MM_Namespace and SAP_B2B_MM_Namespace_Prefix. Here is an example BTA:
In this case, I am converting a VDA 4905 Flat file to its corresponding VDA 4905 XML as the target. At the receiver interchange level I am again misusing the type system IDoc wheras I am using VDA AUTOMOTIVE.
This conversion approach is also independent of the specific message type and can be applied universally across different VDA formats.
Result in B2B Monitoring:
Outlook
The ability to process VDA automotive flat files using the B2B Integration Factory—even ahead of standard product support—demonstrates SAP’s commitment to agility, extensibility, and customer-centric innovation in the B2B integration space.
As the automotive industry continues to rely on flat file formats like VDA for critical EDI processes, this early enablement empowers customers to move forward with migration and modernization efforts without delay.
Organizations that adopt this approach today will be well-positioned to seamlessly transition to future product enhancements, with minimal rework and full alignment to SAP’s integration roadmap.
IntroductionHello dear B2B Integration Community,In many automotive supply chain scenarios, the ability to process VDA flat files, as specified by the German Automotive Industry Association, remains a critical requirement for seamless EDI communication.While support for these specific formats is still pending in the standard SAP Integration Suite product roadmap and foreseen to be delivered by Q2/2026:the B2B Integration Factory has already stepped in to fill this gap.Thanks to its flexible and agile development approach, the B2B Integration Factory currently supports the processing of VDA automotive flat files, enabling customers in the automotive sector to proceed with their B2B integration projects without waiting for the standard product release.Although the OFTP adapter is not currently available, the associated integration content can still be migrated and validated, allowing customers to prepare and move forward with their B2B integration projects. What needs to be configured – General1. Integration Content DeploymentUpdate and deploy the latest changes of the B2B Integration Factory packages, particularly:B2B Integration Factory – Cloud Integration – Trading Partner Management v1.8.0B2B Integration Factory – Extended Interchange Processing Flows v1.3.0B2B Integration Factory – Interchange Extraction Flows v1.4.02. Create a Message Implementation Guideline (MIG)Upload the VDA .xsd as a Custom Message into the Integration Advisor and create the VDA MIG:3. Trading Partner setupLeverage an available message type as a placeholder in the type system, in the Trading Partner Profile and then in the Trading Partner Agreement, even if it’s not originally intended for this purpose, such as VDA EDIFACT for instance:Converting XML to VDA Flat FileAs already known from the IDocXML to IDocFlat Blog we will maintain the exact same two activity parameter keys in the TPA:SAP_EDI_REC_Payload_Format = VDA-AutomotiveSAP_B2B_Syntax_Conversion_ProcessFlowAddress = /tpm/syntax-conversion/VDA-AutomotiveThis conversion approach is independent of the specific message type and can be applied universally across different VDA formatsAdditionally, I recommend to maintain two additional parameters:SAP_REC_Assembly_Process_Flow_Indicator = falseSAP_EDI_REC_Document_Standard = VDA AUTOMOTIVEThe first one tells that an assembly procedure is not needed and the second is to populate the correct Receiver Document Standard in the B2B Monitoring. The TPA looks like this:And in B2B Monitoring:Here we can see a successful tranformation from an DESADV IDoc to a VDA 4913 Flat file.Additionaly, you can set the parameter SAP_VDA_Automotive_To_Flat_Apply_Max_Length. It is per default set to true. If you do not want to apply the max length as defined in the .xsd then simply set the parameter in the TPA to false.Converting VDA Flat File to XMLFor this case, only one activity parameter is required to set the right Sender Document Standard. There are two optional parameters which follow the same naming convention as in my previous blog where I talk about migration PI/PO content to Cloud Integration TPM. If you want to keep the content from your legacy PI/PO then the Namespace as well as the Namespace Prefix matters for the PI/PO message mapping. These can be maintained in the relevant BTA. Parameter Private values are SAP_B2B_MM_Namespace and SAP_B2B_MM_Namespace_Prefix. Here is an example BTA:In this case, I am converting a VDA 4905 Flat file to its corresponding VDA 4905 XML as the target. At the receiver interchange level I am again misusing the type system IDoc wheras I am using VDA AUTOMOTIVE.This conversion approach is also independent of the specific message type and can be applied universally across different VDA formats.Result in B2B Monitoring: OutlookThe ability to process VDA automotive flat files using the B2B Integration Factory—even ahead of standard product support—demonstrates SAP’s commitment to agility, extensibility, and customer-centric innovation in the B2B integration space.As the automotive industry continues to rely on flat file formats like VDA for critical EDI processes, this early enablement empowers customers to move forward with migration and modernization efforts without delay.Organizations that adopt this approach today will be well-positioned to seamlessly transition to future product enhancements, with minimal rework and full alignment to SAP’s integration roadmap. Read More Technology Blog Posts by SAP articles
#SAP
#SAPTechnologyblog
