IBM BPM, V8.0.1, All platforms > Authoring services in Integration Designer > Services and service-related functions > Access external services with adapters > Configure and using adapters > IBM WebSphere Adapters > SAP Software > Overview of WebSphere Adapter for SAP Software
Technical overview of WebSphere Adapter for SAP Software
WebSphere Adapter for SAP Software provides multiple ways to interact with applications and data on SAP servers. Outbound processing (from an application to the adapter to the SAP server) and inbound processing (from the SAP server to the adapter to an application) are supported.
For outbound processing, the adapter client invokes the adapter operation to create, update, or delete data on the SAP server or to retrieve data from the SAP server.
For inbound processing, an event that occurs on the SAP server is sent from the SAP server to the adapter. The ALE inbound and BAPI inbound interfaces start event listeners that detect the events. Conversely, the Advanced event processing interface polls the SAP server for events. The adapter then delivers the event to an endpoint, which is an application or other consumer of the event from the SAP server.
You configure the adapter to perform outbound and inbound processing by using the external service wizard to create a deployable module that includes the interface to the SAP application as well as business objects based on the functions or tables it discovers on the SAP server.
Overview of the outbound processing interfaces
WebSphere Adapter for SAP Software provides multiple interfaces to the SAP server for outbound processing.
Figure 1. Outbound interfaces
- Through its BAPI interfaces, the adapter issues remote function
calls (RFCs) to RFC-enabled functions, such as a Business Application Programming Interface (BAPI) function. These remote function calls
create, update, or retrieve data on an SAP server .
- The BAPI interface works with individual BAPIs (simple BAPIs).
For example, you might want to check to see whether specific customer information exists in an SAP database.
- The BAPI work unit
interface works with ordered sets of BAPIs.
For example, you might want to update an employee record. To do so, you use three BAPIs to lock the record (to prevent any other changes to the record), update the record, and have the record approved.
- The BAPI result set interface uses two BAPIs to select multiple rows of data from an SAP database.
BAPI calls are useful when you need to perform data retrieval or manipulation, and a BAPI or RFC function that performs the task already exists.
Simple BAPIs can be invoked through the Synchronous RFC, Asynchronous Transactional RFC, or Asynchronous Queued RFC protocol.
- With Synchronous RFC, both the adapter and the SAP server must be available when the call is made from the adapter to the SAP server. The adapter sends a request to the SAP server and waits for a response.
- With Asynchronous Transactional RFC, a transaction ID is associated with the call from the adapter to the SAP server. The adapter does not wait for a response from the SAP server. Only the transaction ID is returned to the client application.
- With
Asynchronous Queued RFC, the call from the adapter is delivered to a predefined queue on the SAP server.
As with Asynchronous Transactional RFC, a transaction ID is associated with the call, and the adapter does not wait for a response from the SAP server.
This interface is useful when the event sequence must be preserved.
- The BAPI interface works with individual BAPIs (simple BAPIs).
- The Query interface for SAP Software retrieves data from specific SAP application tables. It can return the data or check for the existence of the data. You can use this type of interaction with SAP if you need to retrieve data from an SAP table without using an RFC function or a BAPI.
- With the Application Link Enabling (ALE) interface, you exchange
data using SAP Intermediate Data structures (IDocs). For outbound processing, you send an IDoc or a packet of IDocs to the SAP server.
The ALE interface, which is particularly useful for batch processing of IDocs, provides asynchronous exchange. You can use the Queued Transactional (qRFC) protocol to send the IDocs to a queue on the SAP server. The qRFC protocol ensures the order in which the IDocs are received. It is often used for system replications or system-to-system transfers.
- With the ALE pass-through IDoc interface, the adapter sends the IDoc to the SAP server with no conversion of the IDoc. The business object contains stream data representing the IDoc.
- With the Advanced event processing interface, you send data to the SAP server. The data is then processed by an ABAP handler on the SAP server.
Overview of the inbound processing interfaces
WebSphere Adapter for SAP Software provides the following interfaces to the SAP server for inbound processing.
Figure 2. Inbound interfaces
- Through its BAPI inbound interface, the adapter listens
for events and receives notifications of RFC-enabled function calls
from the SAP server.
- With Synchronous RFC, both the adapter and the SAP server must be available when the call is made from the SAP server to the adapter. The adapter sends the request to a predefined application and returns the response to the SAP server.
In version 6.1.0 of the WebSphere Adapter for SAP Software, inbound synchronous processing of RFC-enabled functions was known as the Synchronous callback interface.
- With
Asynchronous Transactional RFC, the event will be delivered to the adapter even if the adapter is not available when the call
is made. The SAP server stores
the event on a list of functions to be invoked and continues
to attempt to deliver it until the adapter is available.
You can also use Asynchronous Transactional RFC if you want to deliver the functions from a predefined queue on the SAP server. Delivering the files from a queue ensures the order in which the functions are sent.
If you select assured-once delivery, the adapter uses a data source to persist the event data received from the SAP server. Event recovery is provided to track and recover events in case a problem occurs when the adapter attempts to deliver the event to the endpoint.
- With Synchronous RFC, both the adapter and the SAP server must be available when the call is made from the SAP server to the adapter. The adapter sends the request to a predefined application and returns the response to the SAP server.
- With the ALE inbound processing interface, the adapter
listens
for events and receives one or more IDocs from the SAP server.
As with ALE outbound processing, ALE inbound processing provides asynchronous exchange.
You can use the qRFC interface to receive the IDocs from a queue on the SAP server, which ensures the order in which the IDocs are received.
If you select assured-once delivery, the adapter uses a data source to persist the event data, and event recovery is provided to track and recover events in case a problem occurs when the adapter attempts to deliver the event to the endpoint.
- With the ALE pass-through IDoc interface, the SAP server sends the IDoc through the adapter to the endpoint with no conversion of the IDoc. The business object contains stream data representing the IDoc.
- The Advanced event processing interface polls the SAP server for events. It discovers events waiting to be processed. It then processes the events and sends them to the endpoint.
How the adapter interacts with the SAP server
The adapter uses the SAP Java™ Connector (SAP JCo) API to communicate with SAP applications. An application sends a request to the adapter, which uses the SAP JCo API to convert the request into a BAPI function call. The SAP system processes the request and sends the results to the adapter. The adapter sends the results in a response message to the calling application.
Figure 3. How the adapter connects a calling application with an SAP application
How the adapter is packaged
WebSphere Adapter for SAP Software is packaged and delivered as two RAR files, and the one you use depends on whether the invoked SAP function supports transactional behavior.
- If the targeted function (for example, BAPI) supports transactions, use the CWYAP_SAPAdapter_Tx.rar adapter because it supports local transaction behavior and, as such, can participate in the transaction managed by the WebSphere Application Server Transaction Manager.
- If the targeted function (for example, BAPI) does not support transactions, use the CWYAP_SAPAdapter.rar adapter because it indicates to the WebSphere Application Server Transaction Manager that the interaction performed with the SAP system cannot participate in and follow transactional semantics.
- The external service wizard
The external service wizard is a tool you use to create services. The external service wizard establishes a connection to the SAP server, discovers services (based on search criteria you provide), and generates business objects, interfaces, and import or export files, based on the services discovered. - Business objects
The business object is a structure or a container to exchange data between application components and the adapter. The data can represent either a business entity, such as an invoice or an employee record, or unstructured text. - Authentication using connection specification properties
WebSphere Adapter for SAP Software uses connection properties either through Managed Connection Factory properties or a Java Authentication and Authorization Services (JAAS) alias. If you want to change the connection properties used for authentication with either one of these authentication methods, you can change the connection properties through the IBM BPM administrative console and restart the Java EE application or change the JAAS security settings. - Log and Trace Analyzer
The adapter creates log and trace files that can be viewed with the Log and Trace Analyzer.