SAP interfaces

The SAP interfaces enable business process integration and asynchronous data communication between two or more SAP systems or between SAP and external systems. The following interfaces exist for SAP software: BAPI interfaces BAPI work unit interface BAPI result set interface A ! interface A ! pass"through I#$% interface &uery interface Ad'anced e'ent processing interface The BAPI interfaces The (ebSphere Adapter for SAP Software supports outbound processing and inbound processing for simple BAPIs. In outbound processing) client applications call BAPIs and other *+%"enabled functions on the SAP ser'er. In inbound processing) the SAP ser'er sends an *+%"enabled function ,such as a BAPI function- through the adapter to an endpoint. The BAPI work unit interface The (ebSphere Adapter for SAP Software supports outbound processing for BAPI units of work. A BAPI work unit consists of a set of BAPIs that are processed in se.uence to complete a task. The BAPI result set interface The (ebSphere Adapter for SAP Software supports outbound processing for BAPI result sets. In outbound processing) client applications call BAPIs and other *+%"enabled functions on the SAP ser'er. The ALE interfaces The SAP A ! interface enables business process integration and asynchronous data communication between two or more SAP systems or between SAP and external systems. The data is exchanged in the form of Intermediate #ocuments ,I#ocs-. The ALE pass-through IDoc interface The A ! pass"through I#oc interface enables business process integration and asynchronous data communication between two or more SAP systems or between SAP and external systems. The data is exchanged in the form of Intermediate #ocuments ,I#ocs-. Query interface for SAP Software The &uery interface for SAP Software pro'ides you with the means to retrie'e data from application tables on an SAP ser'er or to .uery SAP application tables for the existence of data. The adapter can perform hierarchical data retrie'al from the SAP application tables. The Ad anced e ent processing interface The Ad'anced e'ent processing interface of the (ebSphere Adapter for SAP Software is used for both inbound and outbound processing. +or inbound processing) it polls for e'ents in SAP) con'erts them into business ob/ects) and sends the e'ent data as business ob/ects to (ebSphere Application Ser'er. +or outbound processing) the adapter processes e'ents sent from an application to retrie'e data from or update data in the SAP ser'er.

Definition
A Business Application Programming Interface ,BAPI- is a precisely defined interface pro'iding access to processes and data in business application systems such as *01.

BAPIs of SAP Business !"#ect Types

BAPIs are defined as API methods of SAP business ob/ect types. These business ob/ect types and their BAPIs are described and stored in the Business $b/ect *epository ,B$*-. A BAPI is implemented as a function module) that is stored and described in the +unction Builder.

BAPIs of SAP Interface Types

As of *elease 2.3A BAPIs can also describe interfaces) implemented outside the *01 System that can be called in external systems by *01 Systems. These BAPIs are known as BAPIs used for out"ound processing. The target system is determined for the BAPI call in the distribution model of Application ink !nabling ,A !-. BAPIs used for outbound processing are defined in the Business $b/ect *epository ,B$*- as API methods of SAP Interface Types. +unctions implemented outside the *01 System can be standardi4ed and made a'ailable as BAPIs. +or further information see BAPIs 5sed +or $utbound Processing.

Integration
BAPIs can be called within the *01 System from external application systems and other programs. BAPIs are the communication standard for business applications. BAPI interface technology forms the basis for the following de'elopments: %onnecting: 6ew *01 components) for example) Ad'anced Planner and $ptimi4er ,AP$- and Business Information (arehouse ,B(-. 6on"SAP software egacy systems Isolating components within the *01 System in the context of Business +ramework #istributed *01 scenarios with asynchronous connections using Application ink !nabling ,A !%onnecting *01 Systems to the Internet using Internet Application %omponents ,IA%sP% programs as frontends to the *01 System) for example) 7isual Basic ,8icrosoft- or 7isual Age for 9a'a ,IB8-. (orkflow applications that extend beyond system boundaries

%ustomers: and partners: own de'elopments

The graphic below shows how BAPI interfaces enable different types of applications to be linked together.

BAPIs - Interfaces to the $%& Syste'

(se
An ALE interface (Application Link Enabling) is used to export the data extracted from the SEM Data Pool. o enable data to be transferred to other s!stems" !ou must configure the ALE interface appropriatel!.

Procedure
o configure the ALE interface" proceed as follo#s$
;. Set up logical syste') In the Implementation <uide ,I8<- choose SAP Web Application Server Application Link Enabling (ALE) Prepare Sending and Receiving Systems Logical Systems.

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Assign logical syste' to a client) In the Implementation <uide ,I8<- choose SAP Web Application Server Application Link Enabling (ALE) Prepare Sending and Receiving Systems Logical Systems. $egister IDoc function 'odule for file na'e) In the SAP Easy Access menu) choose Tools Business ommunication !"oc Basis ontrol #enerate $ile %ame to register an I#oc function module for file names. !nter function module 9B#>!?P><!T>$5TP5T>+I !6A8!. Define port description) In the SAP Easy Access menu choose Tools Business ommunication !"oc Basis Administration Port "escription to define the port description. %reate a port belonging to the $ile category and register it. !nter the function module 9B#>!?P><!T>$5TP5T>+I !6A8! as the function module for the initial file. Define partner agree'ent) In the SAP Easy Access menu choose Tools Business ommunication !"oc Basis Administration Partner Pro&ile to define the partner agreement. #efine the partner type as LS ,Logical System- and assign all the message categories of the S!8 export ob/ect categories to the partner as initial parameters. Set the output mode to ollect !"ocs and "o %ot Start Subsystem. +or general information on the A ! interface) see ALE 'uick Start.

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$esult
%ou ha&e configured the ALE interface to meet !our re'uirements and can no# start the automatic export of data from the SEM Data Pool into do#nstream s!stems.