How To Fix WSPT018 - Header: Transformation error "&" in program & and line &.

SAP Error Message - Details

• Message type: E = Error

• Message class: WSPT - Message Class for Portugal Webservice

• Message number: 018

• Message text: Header: Transformation error "&" in program & and line &.

Self-Explanatory Message

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• What is the cause and solution for SAP error message WSPT018 - Header: Transformation error "&" in program & and line &. ?

  The SAP error message:
  WSPT018 Header: Transformation error "&" in program & and line &.
  
  Cause:
  This error occurs during an XSLT or ABAP transformation process when the transformation engine encounters an invalid character or syntax issue in the XML or XSLT code. Specifically, the character "&" (ampersand) is a special character in XML and must be properly escaped as &. If the transformation input contains an unescaped ampersand, the parser throws this error.
  In other words, the transformation engine found an unescaped & character in the XML data or in the XSLT stylesheet, which violates XML well-formedness rules.
  
  Explanation:
  
  The error message indicates a transformation error in a program at a specific line.
  The & character is reserved in XML for entity references.
  If the input XML or the XSLT contains & not part of a valid entity (like &, <, etc.), the parser fails.
  This is a common issue when data contains special characters that are not properly encoded before transformation.
  
  
  Solution:
  
  
  Check and Correct Input Data:
  
  Ensure that all special characters in the XML input are properly escaped.
  Replace all occurrences of & with & in the XML data before the transformation.
  This can be done by preprocessing the data or by using SAP functions that handle XML escaping.
  
  
  
  Check the XSLT Stylesheet:
  
  Verify that the XSLT stylesheet does not contain unescaped & characters.
  If the XSLT contains literal & characters, replace them with &.
  
  
  
  Use SAP Standard Functions for XML Handling:
  
  Use SAP standard classes or function modules for XML processing that handle escaping automatically, such as:
  
  CALL TRANSFORMATION with proper input.
  Classes like CL_XML_DOCUMENT or CL_ABAP_XML_DOCUMENT.
  
  
  
  
  
  Debugging:
  
  Identify the program and line number from the error message.
  Check the source code or transformation logic at that line.
  Look for places where XML data is generated or manipulated.
  Add logging or breakpoints to inspect the XML content before transformation.
  
  
  
  
  Related Information:
  
  SAP Note: Sometimes SAP releases notes related to specific transformation errors; check the SAP Support Portal for notes related to WSPT018.
  XML Special Characters: The five predefined XML entities are:
  
  & for &
  &lt; for <
  &gt; for >
  &quot; for "
  &apos; for '
  
  
  Transformation Debugging: Use transaction STRANS to debug transformations.
  Function Modules: SXML_STRING_TO_XSTRING or SXML_XSTRING_TO_STRING can be used for XML conversions with proper escaping.
  
  
  Summary:
  
  
  
  Aspect
  Details
  
  
  
  
  Cause
  Unescaped & character in XML input or XSLT causing XML parsing error during transformation.
  
  
  Solution
  Escape all & characters as &amp; in XML data and XSLT stylesheet before transformation.
  
  
  Check
  Input XML data, XSLT stylesheet, program code at indicated line, use SAP XML handling functions.
  
  
  
  
  If you provide the exact program name and line number, or the XML snippet causing the error, I can help you with more specific advice.