Data Transfer Workbench (SAP Business One)

Migration tool used to migrate master and transaction data from legacy systems into SAP Business One. The Data Transfer Workbench provides predefined data file templates to simplify the data preparation process.

It enables the transmission of base data (e.g. business partners, articles) and Transaction data (e.g. orders, invoices, balances). Data is transferred via Microsoft Excel spreadsheet templates and then imported into SAP Business One.
It is based on the SAP Business One SDK and supports the migration of data from legacy systems and the management of large volumes of data.

Purpose and mode of operation

Used for migration and Update of data in SAP Business One.
Guides the user through the import process with a wizard.
Recording of import activities enables the migration process to be tracked.
Offers the possibility, Customised import templates for specific data objects.

Supported data sources

CSV files (comma or semicolon separated)
TXT files (Tab-delimited)
ODBC data sources

Import templates

SAP provides ready-made Excel data templates (XLT files) are available to facilitate data preparation.
The templates can be found in the Templates subfolder of the DTW installation directory and follow the folder structure of the SAP Business One menu.

Import process

Selection of the data type: Setup data, base data or transaction data
Selection of the import method: Adding new data records, Updating existing data records or both
Use of the SAP Business One credentials for authentication

Alternatives to data import

In addition to DTW, SAP Business One offers a Excel import functionwhich is available directly in the client (Administration > Data import/export > Data import). This method is simpler, but limited to the following data objects:

Business partner
article
price list
Business partner catalogue numbers
journal entries

the Excel import function is suitable for small amounts of data, while DTW offers more extensive functionality.

Important notes

It is recommended that the DTW as administrator to avoid authorisation problems.
The function "Import from Excel" is an extension of DTW, but offers a smaller number of supported data objects.

The Data Transfer Workbench is a powerful tool for data migration in SAP Business One and offers greater flexibility and control than simpler import methods.

SAP B1 blog