SAP-BODS Integration using BAPI

By Praveen Addanki, HCL-AXON

1. Introduction:

We can call SAP ERP or R/3 Remote Function Call (RFC) enabled functions, including Business
Application Programming Interface (BAPI) functions, from queries inside data flows. A Remote Function
Call is really what the word suggests: You call a function but it is remote rather than part of your code.
This is the standard way how 3rd partys tools access SAP, both for read and write. All RFCs meant to be
used for business reasons, their function name starts with the text BAPI_XXXX like
BAPI_ABSENCE_CREATE or BAPI_ABSENCE_GETDETAIL, both meant to create or display
employees absence records in HR.

If you design data flows with BAPI calls against one version of SAP ERP or R/3, then change data stores
to a later version of SAP ERP or R/3. Data Services allows this without the need to re-import the BAPI.
Any new parameters added to the function call, including additional columns in table parameters, are
added automatically to the call and filled with NULL values. Thus Data Services allows you to design jobs
that are portable between SAP ERP or R/3 systems. After you import the metadata for an SAP ERP or
R/3 function, the function is listed in the Functions category of the ERP or R/3 data store. You will also
see the function in the function wizard, listed under the data store name.

Data Services supports tables as input and output parameters for SAP ERP or R/3 RFC and BAPI
functions. The function import process automatically includes the metadata for tables included as function
parameters.

2. BAPI Call:

After you import the metadata for an SAP ERP or R/3 function, the function is listed in the Functions
category of the ERP or R/3 datastore. You will also see the function in the function wizard, listed under the
datastore name. To call a BAPI depends on the requirement; here in this document we have considered
an example of creating a CONTRACT using BAPI_CONTRACT_CREATEFROMDATA. For this BAPI, we
need to send mandatory input and Tables parameters to create a CONTRACT.

To specify a table as an input parameter to a function, the table must be an input to a query, either as a
top-level input or nested under the top-level. The table must also be available in the FROM clause of the
context where you call the function. Data Services maps columns in the input schema by name to the
columns in the table used as the function input parameter. You need only supply the columns that are
required by the function. At validation, if Data Services encounters type mismatches between supplied
columns and the function signature, it attempts to convert the given type to the expected type. For type
mismatches that it cannot resolve, Data Services produces validation errors.

3. Importing the BAPI:

Note: This entire documentation refers to IDES SAP system, refer the below screen shot for detail.
The following Process indicates how to import the BAPI.
 4. Processing the BAPI:

In this BAPI the mandatory importing and Tables parameters required to create a Contract are:

1. Sales Document Type (Importing Parameter)

2. Sales Organization (Importing Parameter)

3. Distribution Channel (Importing Parameter)

4. Division (Importing Parameter)

5. CONTRACT_PARTNERS (Tables Parameter)

We can call this BAPI in a query transform and give the inputs as shown below. Before calling the BAPI
create a output schema for passing the Tables parameter as shown below.
Mapping Inside the Query from the above screen shot.

Calling the BAPI inside the Query_1 as shown below.

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Select the required BAPI and pass the mandatory parameters as shown below.
To pass the tables parameter, click the arrow as shown below and map the correct schema which is
defied for partners.
Double click on the query to map with the schema.
Pass the required return parameters to check the output.
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As the structure belongs to NRDM, need to unnest the structure as shown below.
Finally execute the JOB to check the contract created.
As shown above the Contract 40000227 has been created successfully. Check the same in the SAP
system using the transaction VA43.
Click here to continue...

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5. Considerations in BAPI:

Consider the following issues:

All character values must be uppercase

Padding values

Assumed decimal values (QTY)

Codes are language-specific

Automatic type conversion

SAP ERP or R/3 version-specific behavior

To determine the data requirements of various SAP ERP or R/3 functions, you can read the function
requirements in the SAP GUI transaction screens:
 BAPI list by functional area: bapi

BAPI and RFC source and input and output parameters: SE37

You can also determine appropriate values, such as the language-specific code values, by looking at the
table where the data is ultimately stored.

6. Calling RFCs enabled Function Module:

One solution would be to RFC-enable the function. That is a SAP provided function, I guess the better
idea is to write a new function which does nothing else than calling this function and enable RFC. For
example to call the Function module READ_TEXT which was a normal function one, copy the same
function module and make it RCF enabled. The following steps are required to enable the RFC.
Create a new function module in the transaction SE37 ZREAD_TEXT and assign to function group
ZTEST_GRP as shown.

In the attributes tab make it as RFC enabled as shown below

Call the normal function module READ_TEXT in the source code. Save it and activate it.
Now the RFC enable function module ZREAD_TEXT is ready.

Now let us see how to call this from BODS designer.

After dragging the source and connected to query then this RFC function call is done.

In the Query edition a New Function Call option is available as shown below and give the required
importing parameters.
As we have table parameter available in this Function module, we need to normalize the schema by
calling one more query as shown below.
Once the Job is executed we can see the result that has been extracted from the Function module.

SAP-BODS integration using IDOCS

By Praveen Addanki, HCL-AXON

1.Introduction:
 Imagine you want to build a Reporting Solution, not a Data Warehouse in pure terms. So somebody
opens the balance sheet report and does not like the way it looks. So a booking in SAP is created to
correct it and then....he has to wait the entire night until the Data Warehouse gets refreshed. Another
option would be to configure SAP so it sends all changes to the reporting database immediately. And that
is what IDOCs are for.

On the downside though, to configure SAP to actually send changes is quite a challenge. If an IDOC is
provided by SAP already it is not that bad, but if you want to distribute changes for data SAP never
thought about, you have to write your IDOC from scratch and hook it into every single application dealing
with that data.

The basic problem is the IDOC design. It is not like a database triggers that is independent from all the
applications and fires no matter who and how a change happened. It is happening on application level, so
there is a common ABAP call that has to be done at every single application.

Inside SAP, a couple of settings have to be made, this configuration is mandatory for both sending and
receiving IDOCs. The following configurations steps are involved to send IDOCs from BODS to SAP
ECC.

1. Define Logical Systems

2. Define RFC Destination

3. Defining RFC Port(Transactional RFC)

4. Define Partner Profile

Let us see in brief how to configure the above steps:

2.SAP Configuration settings:

2.1 Define Logical Systems:

Defining Logical systems is done in SAP ECC with the transaction SALE.

Note: This entire documentation refers to SAP IDES system refer the below screen shot for detail.
Enter the Transaction SALE to define logical system and its assignment. As this confirmation doesnt
have authorization we will request basis to create it. Hence we used the following logical system as
shown below.

Click on the above shown to define the logical system. The below popup come just continue

The Logical system created by basis is ID3CLNT801 as shown below.

 2.2 Define RFC Destination:

Enter the transaction SM59 to configure the RFC destination in SAP ECC as shown below.

Click on TCP/IP connections as shown above and the create it.

Once the RFC created with Registered Server Program (Program ID) as DI_RFC as shown here. With
the defined program ID, configure this from BODS side from management console as shown below.
Logon on to Management console and click administrator.

RFC server configuration is done as shown below.

The configured served need to be started the interface as shown below.

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Now check the connection from SAP side as shown below. Click on the connection test as shown.
If the connection is fine then the following screen will appear.

2.1 Defining RFC Port (Transactional RFC):

Enter the transaction WE21 to create the Port as shown. The RFC destination will be defined here.
 2.2 Define Partner Profile

And finally, we can configure SAP to route all IDOCs of a given type to DI by running the transaction
"WE20". You click on "New", type in the Partner Number created in "/nsale" (we called it ID3CLNT801)
and its type is "LS"....Logical System. Then you click on save.
Configure the Inbound parameters as SAP need to receive the IDOCS.

Note: From SAP if we need to send the IDOCS to BODS then configure outbound parameters, vice versa
to receive the IDOCS (Inbound).

In this case it is considered to create the customer which comes from BODS; hence the configuration
should be Inbound. It is shown below. Click on Add
Enter the message type DEBMAS and process code as DEBM, click on save.
Note: The following are the IDOC types, Message types on category wise.
General Message types / IDoc types / BAPI

Vendor CREMAS / CREMAS02

Customer DEBMAS / DEBMAS03

Material master MATMAS / MATMAS03

Accounting Message types / IDoc types / BAPI

G/L account GLMAST / GLMAST01

Cost center COSMAS / COSMAS01

Cost element COELEM / COELEM01

Cost center group COGRP1 / COGRP01

Cost element group COGRP1 / COGRP01

Activity type COAMAS / COAMAS01

Activity group COGRP1 / COGRP01

Activity price COACTV / COACTV01

Profit center PRCMAS / PRCMAS01

Profit center group COGRP1 / COGRP01

Profit center account group COGRP1 / COGRP01

Logistics Message types / IDoc types / BAPI

Article master ARTMAS / ARTMAS02 /

RetailMaterial.Clone

Additional MMADDI / MMADDI01 /

RetailMaterial.SaveAdditionalReplicas

Product catalog PRDCAT / PRDCAT01

Product catalog item PRDPOS / PRDPOS01

Price list PRICAT / PRICAT01

Assortment ASSORTMENT / ASSORTMENT01 /

Assortment.SaveReplica

Service master SRVMAS / SRVMAS01

Characteristic CHRMAS / CHRMAS02

Class CLSMAS / CLSMAS03

Classification CLFMAS / CLFMAS01

Document DOCMAS / DOCMAS04

Purchasing info record INFREC / INFREC01

Conditions COND_A / COND_A01

Order book SRCLST / SRCLST01

Change master ECMMAS / ECMMAS01

Bill of material BOMMAT / BOMMAT01

Document BOM BOMDOC / BOMDOC01

Work breakdown structure Project / PROJECT01

Human Resources Message types / IDoc types / BAPI

PA object type person HRMD_A / HRMD_A03

PD object types HRMD_A / HRMD_A03

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3. Sending IDOCs:
Sending an IDOC to SAP is an asynchronous task. One or many IDOCs are posted to SAP, just like
inserting into a database table, and get stored in the SAP database. Later, SAP starts to process the
IDOC and e.g. creates this new material record. Once the processing is done, no matter if successful or
not, the status of this IDOC is updated in the SAP table EDIDC.
As a consequence, unlike with BAPIs, you get no return of the processing. Your only choice is to
periodically query above status table and copy the status back into the senders table. If an immediate
return code is required or the actual error message you have to use BAPIs. On the counter side, IDOCs
are supposed to be faster while still running full data consistency tests.
Before sending the IDOCs we need to have SAP Data store to be created and then import the required
IDOC. For our case to create the customer DEBMAS06
The data store created as referred here as SAP_ECC shown above, then import the IDOC DEBMAS06
as shown below.

Click on import by name and give the IDOC name as shown below.
The following flat file information is required to create the customer through IDOCs. Row generator is
required for input the configuration.

Flat file information as shown below.

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Configuration information as shown below.

Once the Job completed check the generated IDOC by using the transaction code WE02.
Status 53 shows IDOC successfully received to SAP from BODS.
Customer (310) got created successfully by checking the transaction XD03.