BAPI Connector for SAP Solutions

Introduction

The BAPI Connector for SAP Solutions is a connector allowing Mendix apps to integrate using the SAP Business API (SAP BAPI) available with SAP Business Suite, SAP S/4HANA, and SAP S/4HANA Cloud. The BAPI Connector module allows you to discover, select, and call an SAP BAPI from your Mendix application.

The BAPI Connector uses the SAP Java Connector (JCo) to make Remote Function Calls (RFCs) to SAP systems. Once you have made a connection to your JCo destination, you will have access to all the BAPIs which are authorized for that destination.

This connector allows you to do the following:

• Search BAPIs within your SAP back end system
• View BAPI details
• Generate a Mendix domain model of the BAPI
• Call BAPIs or BAPI sequences
• Use the BAPI response in your application

Installation Paths

The BAPI Connector can connect to the SAP backend system with or without the SAP Cloud Connector. The prerequisites and some aspects of configuring the BAPI Connector are different depending on whether you use the SAP Cloud Connector. The following sections make a note of those differences where relevant.

The following diagram shows the architecture of the SAP BAPI connector with the SAP Cloud Connector.

Prerequisites

To use the BAPI Connector for SAP Solutions, you need the following:

• An SAP back-end system (for example, SAP Business Suite, SAP S/4HANA, or SAP S/4HANA Cloud) which has Remote Function Modules/BAPI enabled
• Mendix Studio Pro 8.18.10 or above
• At least 1 GB memory per instance if running on SAP BTP

Depending on whether you plan to use the SAP Cloud Connector, you also need the following prerequisites:

Required Only When Using the SAP Cloud Connector

If you are using the SAP Cloud Connector to facilitate connection to the SAP backend system, you must install the bapi-service microservice component. The component minimizes the network complexity and helps make your application is compliant with the recommended SAP security standards.

You can download the bapi-service component from the Mendix Content Delivery Network, and then use the extracted manifest file to deploy the bapi-service.war file to SAP BTP. To use the component, you must also define an RFC-type destination in SAP BTP.

Required Only When Not Using the SAP Cloud Connector

If you are connecting to the SAP backend without using the SAP Cloud Connector, you must ensure access to the SAP System over the network from where the Mendix application is deployed.

Developing Using the BAPI Connector for SAP Solutions

To use BAPI Connector for SAP Solutions in your Mendix application to call the BAPI of your choice, you need to perform the following steps:

1. Set up the developer environment as described in Setting Up the Developer Environment.

2. Test the connection to the SAP Backend using the microflow TestConnection.

3. Add the microflow Create_BAPIExplorer to the navigation of your app to allow you to search for the BAPIs you need.

   Searching for BAPIs is provided as a microflow rather than a separate app so that you can set up the JCo destination securely. You should not give access to this microflow to any end-users of an app you build using the Mendix BAPI Connector.

4. Search for the BAPIs you need, download the schemas, and generate Mendix BAPI modules using the Model Creator for SAP Integrations.

5. Import the generated Mendix BAPI module .mpk to your Mendix application using the instructions in Importing and Exporting Apps, Modules, Widgets, and Documents. A module with the same name as the BAPI is added to the app.

   

6. Create a microflow to call the BAPI, as shown in the example below.

   1. Add the action GetJCoDestination. This will retrieve the JCoDestination to communicate with SAP system.

      Mendix recommends always using the GetJcoDestination action before using the BAPI. If the destination has already been registered it will not be registered again.

   2. Add the action CallBAPI with the following parameters:

      • Destination - Enter $JCoDestination
      • BAPI request object - Enter $Material
      • Response type - Enter BAPI_MATERIAL_GETALL.BAPI_MATERIALGETALL_Response
      • Commit transaction - Select false
      • Return type - Enter BAPI_MATERIAL_GETALL.BAPI_MATERIALGETALL_Response
      • Use return value - Select Yes
      • Object name - Enter materialResponse

      This will call the BAPI and map the response to the entity given in the Response type parameter.

   3. Use the response in further actions. In the example below, the response is used to display details on a Mendix page called MaterialDetails.

      

   For more information about the microflow actions included in this connector, see the Microflow Actions section.

Setting Up the Developer Environment

To use the BAPI Connector, you have to first set up your environment and configure the connection details by doing the following.

1. Get the BAPI Connector for SAP solutions module.

2. Import the BAPI Connector for SAP Solutions module into a new or existing application in Mendix Studio Pro 8.18.0 or above. On successful import, the module is visible in your application as SAPBAPIConnector.

   

3. Download the following files from SAP Support:

   Deployment environment type	Required files
   Microsoft Windows	sapjco3.dll, sapjco3.jar
   Linux/Unix	libsapjco3.so, sapjco3.jar

   You need the latest stable versions for your operating system. For more details on SAP JCo releases, please refer to official SAP JCo release and support strategy.

4. Put the downloaded files in the /userlib folder where your Mendix application is stored on your local machine (that is, <app location>/userlib). You can open this folder from within Studio Pro by clicking App > Show App Directory in Explorer.

5. Configure the connection details. The specific configuration steps are different depending on whether you are using the SAP Cloud Connector. For more information, see the following sections:

   • Configuring the Connection Details for the SAP Cloud Connector
   • Configuring the Connection Details for Direct Connections to the SAP Backend System

Configuring the Connection Details for the SAP Cloud Connector

If you are using the SAP Cloud Connector to connect to your SAP backend system, configure the connection details by doing the following steps:

1. In the App Explorer, click SAPBAPIConnector > USE_ME > Config.

2. Edit the following values:

   • BAPIServiceTimeout - Specify a timeout value for the HTTP client to receive a response from the bapi-service deployed on SAP BTP. By default, this value is set to 20 seconds.
   • BAPIServiceURL - Specify the URL of the bapi-service deployed on SAP BTP.
   • UseRFCDestination - Set to true.

Configuring the Connection Details for Direct Connections to the SAP Backend System

If you are connecting to SAP without using the SAP Cloud Connector, you must set the connection details to tell the BAPI Connector how it can connect to your chosen BAPI destination. You can do this in two ways: by setting the JCo properties in the app, or by using an SNC connection.

Connecting Using App Constants

DestinationName – the user-defined name for the JCoDestination.

Please refer to JCo Property Settings the SAP Help Portal for information on how to fill these in.

The following JCo Properties map directly to these constants in the module:

Additional JCoProperties

If you need to set additional JCoProperties for which a constant is not available, you can create a list of objects of the Property entity (see the domain model section, below) and use the GetJCoDestination action. You need to set the following attributes in the Property object:

• Name – the JCoProperty key — for example to set maximum pool size, Name would be jco.pool.maxpoolsize
• Value – the value to be assigned to this property

Connecting Using an SNC Connection

Alternatively, you can configure GetJCoDestination to use an SNC connection by setting up the properties listed below (using the method described in Additional JCoProperties, above), and then passing the list of properties using the GetJCoDestination action.

The values for the properties can be found in the Connection Properties of the SAP server you want to connect to. You can see these in the SAP GUI. The options from the Expert Settings can be found in the Advanced tab as a string which will resemble a list of HTTP parameters: conn=/R/DA1/G/PUBLIC&sncname=p:CN=xxxx.xxxxxxx.com,C=US,0=xxxxxxx,OU=xxxxxxx&sncon=true&sncqop=9&cpg=9999&dcpg=9999&clnt=999&lang=EN&systemName=DA1.

Configuring XSUAA Security When Using the SAP Cloud Connector

If you are using the SAP Cloud Connector to connect to your SAP backend system, you can secure access to the bapi-service microservice component by using the SAP XSUAA service. The service supports both user-based authentication with a user access token obtained from the SAP XSUAA service, and application-based authentication with an access token obtained from the SAP XSUAA service bindings.

Trust Configuration

For the XSUAA authentication to work between the bapi-service component and your Mendix app, you must configure separate XSUAA service instances for both applications. The bapi-service component and your Mendix app must both be deployed in the same sub-account in SAP BTP.

The following sections show how you can configure the required settings in the xs-security.json file of the XSUAA service.

Application-to-Application Authentication

To configure application-to-application authentication, include the following line in the xs-security.json file of the XSUAA service instance bound with bapi-service:

grant-as-authority-to-apps" : [ "$XSAPPNAME(application,{your-Mendix-app-deployed-on-SAP-BTP})"]

Also, include the following line in the xs-security.json file of the XSUAA service instance bound with your Mendix app deployed on SAP BTP:

"authorities":["$XSAPPNAME(application,{bapi-service-component-deployed-on-SAP-BTP}).bapiAuth"]

User Authentication

To configure user authentication, include the following line in the xs-security.json file of the XSUAA service instance bound with bapi-service:

granted-apps" : [ "$XSAPPNAME(application,your-Mendix-app-deployed-on-SAP-BTP)"]

The following sample shows a configuration of the xs-security.json file for bapi-service.

{
  "xsappname" : "bapi-service",
  "tenant-mode" : "shared",
  "scopes": [{
      "name": "$XSAPPNAME.bapiAuth",
      "granted-apps" : [ "$XSAPPNAME(application,BAPI-Consumer-dev)"],
      "grant-as-authority-to-apps" : [ "$XSAPPNAME(application, BAPI-Consumer-dev)"]
  }],
  "role-templates": [ {
      "name"                : "<role template name>",//this is role template name defined in SAP BTP
      "default-role-name"   : "<role name>", //this is role name defined in SAP BTP
      "scope-references"    : ["$XSAPPNAME.bapiAuth"]
  }]
}

Also, include the following line in the xs-security.json file of the XSUAA service instance bound with your Mendix app deployed on SAP BTP:

"foreign-scope-references": ["$XSAPPNAME(application,bapi-service).bapiAuth"]

The following sample shows a configuration of the xs-security.json file for your Mendix app deployed on SAP BTP:

{
   "xsappname":"BAPI-Consumer-dev",
    "tenant-mode" : "shared",
    "authorities":["$XSAPPNAME(application,bapi-service).bapiAuth"],
    "foreign-scope-references": ["$XSAPPNAME(application,bapi-service).bapiAuth"],
    "scopes":[
       //scopes list
    ],
    "role-templates":[
       //role template list
    ],
    "xsenableasyncservice":"true",
    "oauth2-configuration":{
       "autoapprove":"true"
    }
}

Domain Models

This section describes two different domain models. The domain model in the SAPBAPIConnector module is used to control how your app communicates with an SAP BAPI. The domain model in a Mendix BAPI module describes a specific SAP BAPI which you want to use in your app.

SAP BAPI Connector Domain Model

This is part of the SAPBAPIConnector module and contains the entities which are used by the BAPI Connector to create objects required for calling a BAPI

• BAPIRequest – This is a generic entity which represents a BAPI request. Any entity that represents a specific BAPI request is a specialization of the BAPIRequest entity. Objects of this entity contain the request attributes required for a BAPI Call. Request attributes represent Import and Table parameters.
• BAPIResponse – This is a generic entity which represents a BAPI response. Any entity that represents a specific BAPI response is a specialization of the BAPIResponse entity. Objects of this entity contain the response from a BAPI Call. Response attributes contain Export and Table parameters.
• BAPIComplexType – Any entity in a Mendix BAPI module which is associated with the BAPIRequest and BAPIResponse entity and part of BAPI Import or Export parameters is a specialization of this entity.
• BAPITable – Any entity in a Mendix BAPI module which is associated with the BAPIRequest and BAPIResponse entity and is a BAPI Table parameter is a specialization of this entity.
• BAPIMetadata – This holds all the attributes which represent the metadata of an SAP BAPI. It is used to generate a metadata.json file which is used in the Model Creator for SAP Integrations to create a domain model for a Mendix BAPI module.
• Destination – This entity holds the JCo Destination name and properties.

Mendix BAPI Module Domain Model

This is the domain model which represents a specific BAPI. You can have one or more of these modules in your Mendix application, each defining a single BAPI. The microflow actions of the BAPI Connector for SAP solutions make use of the domain model representing an SAP BAPI. The entities in the domain model have attributes which define import, export, and table parameters of an SAP BAPI.

You can create Mendix BAPI modules for the SAP BAPIs you want to use with the Model Creator for SAP Integrations (see Create a Mendix BAPI Module Using the Model Creator, below).

A Mendix BAPI module domain model contains entities which are specializations of the entities defined in section SAP BAPI Connector Domain Model, above to model the SAP BAPI you are using.

For example, consider the domain model for BAPI_QUOTATION_CREATEFROMDATA2, shown below:

The entities in this domain model are as follows:

• BAPI_QUOTATION_CREATEFROMDATA2_Request – A specialization of BAPIConnector.BAPIRequest. Objects of this entity will be used as the BAPIRequest for the CallBAPI action
• BAPI_QUOTATION_CREATEFROMDATA2_Response – A specialization of BAPIConnector.BAPIResponse. Objects of this entity will be returned from a CallBAPI action.
• QUOTATION_HEADER_IN – A specialization of BAPIComplexType. Objects of this entity contain attributes used as import parameters of BAPI.
• QUOTATION_PARTNERS and QUOTATION_ITEMS_IN – Specializations of BAPITable. Objects of this entity contain attributes corresponding to table parameters of BAPI_QUOTATION_CREATEFROMDATA2. As the Table parameters can be part of a BAPI request or response, entities of BAPITable have associations with both request and response entities. Here they are associated with BAPI_QUOTATION_CREATEFROMDATA2_Request and BAPI_QUOTATION_CREATEFROMDATA2_Response.

BAPI parameters which are reserved words in Mendix will be prefixed with mxbapi_. For example, mxbapi_RETURN in the above domain model.

Microflow Actions

The BAPI Connector provides the following microflow actions. These can be used as activities in your microflows to consume the BAPIs available in the SAP system for which you have imported Mendix BAPI modules.

The microflow actions are described in the following sections.

GetJCoDestination

The action GetJCoDestination, is used to get the JCoDestination. Assign the values from the JCO_Constants described in SAP System Connection Details, above. The action returns a Destination object which is used when making calls to a BAPI.

You can set additional properties which are not available as JCO Constants as a list of objects of the Property entity associated with this GetJCoDestination.

This example shows setting of below properties to GetJCoDestination action:

• jco.pool.maxconn
• jco.pool.maxpoolsize

Create_BAPIExplorer

This microflow opens the BAPI explorer page to allow you to find all the BAPIs available at your JCo destination.

For more information on how to use this microflow, see BAPI Schema for Model Creator, below.

CallBAPI

This microflow action is used to call a BAPI function.

CallBAPISequence

Use this microflow action when you want to call more than one BAPI in a given order. This microflow action is only required when you want to call more than one BAPI in a single JCoContext. After the calls have been made, this executes an additional call to BAPI_COMMIT_TRANSACTION to commit all the changes made in this JCOContext.

GetBAPIResponse

This microflow action is used together with CallBAPISequence. It returns the response for one of the BAPIRequest objects which was in the list supplied to a CallBAPISequence action. You need to add this action to your microflow for every BAPIRequest object for which you need the response.

TestDestinationConnection

This action can be found in the Internal > microflows folder of the SAPBAPIConnector module.

This action is used to verify whether your application is able to reach your SAP system using the configured JCoDestination. It is not intended for use in a production app, but can be used to ensure that you have correctly specified the JCo Destination when developing or troubleshooting.

This can be done by calling the internal microflow TestConnection, provided. On successful connection, a success dialog is displayed.

BAPI Schema for Model Creator

The BAPI Connector for SAP Solutions contains the microflow Create_BAPIExplorer.

You can use this to find all BAPIs from SAP systems that are available to you. You can then select the BAPI you need for your app and download the schema, which you can convert into a Mendix BAPI module for use in your app using the Model Creator. You can create several Mendix BAPI modules if you need to use multiple BAPIs in your app.

The Create_BAPIExplorer microflow displays BAPIs grouped by SAP Object Name in alphabetical order.

You can see all the BAPIs for an SAP object by clicking Expand () next to the SAP object. You can also search for the BAPI you need in the search box.

When you find a BAPI, you can click Information () to see details including documentation, import, export, and table parameters.

Once you find the BAPI you need, select it and click Next to generate the BAPI schema file. Download the schema JSON, which you will use in the Model Creator for SAP Integrations to create the Mendix BAPI module containing the domain model which supports this BAPI.

Create a Mendix BAPI Module Using the Model Creator

See Model Creator for SAP Integrations for information on how to use the Model Creator for SAP Integrations to generate a Mendix BAPI module containing the domain model for a BAPI using the schema file downloaded from BAPI explorer.

Limitations

1. The BAPI Connector for SAP Solutions provides a short description of the SAP BAPI contained in your SAP Business Suite or S/4HANA system. For detailed documentation of an SAP BAPI, please refer to standard SAP BAPI documentation.
2. The entity description provided by the BAPI is not visible in the Model Creator for SAP Integrations.
3. The BAPI Connector for SAP Solutions is limited to discovering and using an SAP BAPI. It cannot be used for invoking Remote-enabled Function Modules (RFMs).