Getting started with SAP
This page contains information to help you get started with SAP in Semarchy xDI.
Overview
The Semarchy xDI SAP Connector can use four types of SAP structures for integration:
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Tables: Classic database tables storing SAP data.
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IDocs: Documents.
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BAPIs/RFCs: Services available to external systems for integration.
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DataSources: Read-only structured data intended for reporting purposes.
Set up the SAP server
You must configure the SAP server to enable the connection from Semarchy xDI.
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The Semarchy xDI custom ABAP must be deployed in the dedicated ZSTB_PACKAGE package and ZSTB_FUNCTION_GROUP function group.
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The setup differs depending on the structure you will use for integration:
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For tables, use ZSTB_RFC_READ_QUERY.
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To manipulate IDocs, there is no RFC to run, but your must configure the network to enable access.
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To call a BAPI/RFC, ensure it is remote enabled.
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To query a DataSource, use ZSTB_RFC_READ_DATA_SOURCE.
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Set up the Designer
After setting up the SAP server, configure Semarchy xDI Designer:
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Download the JCO libraries from the SAP website.
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Copy and paste these libraries to the
c:/windows/system32
and[DESIGNER_INTALLATION_FOLDER]/Contents/Eclipse/runtime/lib
directories.
The Designer is now ready for creating SAP metadata.
Create a SAP metadata
To create a SAP metadata:
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Right-click a folder in your project and then select New > Metadata.
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In the New Metadata wizard, select SAP and then click Next.
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Name the metadata and click Next.
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Select the module and the third-party libraries required for the component and click Finish.
The metadata is created and the server wizard opens. -
In the server wizard, in the Connection page, enter the connection properties and click Next.
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In the Reverse page, select the SAP objects that you want to reverse-engineer and click Finish.
The metadata is created.
SAP objects
The following sections details the SAP objects that can be reverse-engineered and used in Designer.
BAPI/RFC
In a BAPI/RFC metadata:
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The inputs are under the ImportParameters node
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The outputs are under the ExportStructures node.
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Both inputs and outputs have a Tables node.
Tables
SAP tables are similar to plain database tables.
You can extract data from an SAP table in a regular mapping:
You can also integrate data into an SAP table:
DataSources
An SAP DataSource is an extension of SAP Business Warehouse (BW). It is a set of fields that provide data for a business unit for reporting purposes. Datasources are read-only, structured data.
Datasources support a delta mode to only load changes. To use this mode, you must to first run a mapping with the Update Mode load template property set to C. This mode performs a full initial load and resets the counters.
After the initial load, you can configure a delta load with the Update Mode set to D.