SAP native APIs

Adapter-provided ABAP handlers use SAP native APIs, which enable ABAP handlers to pass data into and out of the SAP application. The WebSphere business integration system has implemented the following native APIs:

ABAP SQL

ABAP SQL is SAP's proprietary version of SQL. It is database and platform independent, so that whatever SQL code you write, you can run it on any database and platform combination that SAP supports. ABAP SQL is similar in syntax to other versions of SQL and supports all of the basic database table commands such as update, insert, modify, select and delete. For a complete description of ABAP SQL, its use, syntax and functionality, see your SAP documentation.

Using ABAP SQL, an ABAP handler can modify SAP database tables with business object data for create, update and delete operations and similarly can use the business object data in the "where" clause of an ABAP select statement as the keys.

Note:
The WebSphere business integration system never uses ABAP SQL to modify SAP tables, because this may corrupt the integrity of the database. The connector uses ABAP SQL only to retrieve data and to modify adapter-delivered database tables.

Call transaction

Call transaction is SAP-provided functionality for entering data into an SAP system. Call Transaction guarantees that the data adheres to SAP's data model by using the same screens an online user sees in a transaction. This process is commonly referred to as screen scraping. To use Call Transaction, specify the following types of instructions:

Initiation is passed as a single value parameter in the Call Transaction call. Navigation and Mapping instructions are passed in together in a table with a specific format; this format is usable for invoking Call Transaction for any SAP transaction. In this format, these instructions are referred to as the BDC data, BDC table, or BDC session.

Batch data communication (BDC)

Batch data communication (BDC) is an instruction set that SAP can follow to execute a transaction without user intervention. The instructions dictate the sequence in which a transaction's screens are processed and which fields should be populated with data on which screens. All of the elements of an SAP transaction that are exposed to an online user have identifications that can be used in a BDC. The elements are as follows:

To get a screen's BDC identity, place the cursor in any field on the screen. Press F1 for help and then F9 for technical information. The program name and screen number are listed under Screen Data.

To get an input field's BDC identity, place the cursor in each field on the screen in which you want to input data. Press F1 for help and then F9 for technical information. If there is a box named Field Description for Batch Input, then use the information in the Screen Field field. If this box does not exist, from the Field Data box, concatenate the Table Name and Field Name together with a hyphen.

To get a command's BDC identity, highlight the command in the menu and press F1 for help. Use the value in the Function field.

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