4 ways to use ABAP on your SAP NetWeaver BW project

Friday, January 28, 2011, 3:17 PM

Categories: IT , ABAP , Dee!o"#ent , Integration , Per$or#an%e , &e%urity , BI'B( , BI B(
Data Manage#ent , BI B( Per$or#an%e , Integration
The Tip Doctor, Insider Learning Network.
)ed Fa!*, &enior +du%ation Consu!tant, &AP A#eri%a, s,o-s ,o- your &AP )et(eaer B(
"ro.e%ts %an /ene$it using ABAP in ,is arti%!e 020 1ses $or ABAP on &AP )et(eaer B(
Pro.e%ts,2 -,i%, -as "osted to t,e SAP Professional Journal (e/ site in Fe/ruary 20103 4ere
are $our o$ t,ose uses3
1) Perform Open Hub transformations:
&AP )et(eaer B( su""!ies t,e 5"en 4u/ seri%e to #eet re6uire#ents $or getting
in$or#ation to t,ird'"arty a""!i%ations $ro# &AP )et(eaer B(3 T,e data ty"es, $ie!d
na#es, and $ie!d !engt,s are o$ten not t,e sa#e in &AP )et(eaer B( as t,ey are in t,e
e7terna! a""!i%ation, or additiona! a!ue #ani"u!ation is ne%essary3 For t,is, an ABAPer needs
to %ode t,e %usto# !ogi% $or t,e #ani"u!ation in a Business Add'In 8BAdI93 BAdIs, /ased on
ABAP 55, ,e!" you a%%o#"!is, %usto# en,an%e#ents in a %ontro!!ed -ay3
) Bui!" aut#ori$ation va!ues:
ABAP i#"!e#ented t,roug, aria/!es $i!!ed /y a user e7it %an /e used to dyna#i%a!!y /ui!d
aut,ori:ation a!ues -,en t,e user !ogs in3 T,is is so#eti#es an easy -ay to #aintain #any
a!!o-ed a!ues $or a %ost %enter range $or a s"e%i$i% user3
%) Process c#ains:
T,e "ro%ess %,ain is a s%,edu!ing too! $or arious tas*s in t,e data -are,ouse3 In so#e %ases,
you %an use ABAP %ode to s%,edu!e a .o/ on t,e sour%e syste# or run a s#a!! ABAP "rogra#
on &AP +;P to raise an eent on &AP )et(eaer B(3 T,is eent %ou!d t,en /e used to start
a "ro%ess %,ain3 A /usiness %ase $or t,is %ou!d ino!e a transa%tion or ABAP %ode run on
&AP +;P to indi%ate t,at t,e Finan%ia! A%%ounting 8FI9 syste# is done -it, t,e #ont,'%!ose
"ro%ess3 T,is ABAP "rogra# %a!!s &AP )et(eaer B( and raises an eent3 (,en t,is eent
is raised, t,e "ro%ess %,ain %a!!ed 0FI Mont,!y Pro%ess2 starts3
4) &irtua! 'nfo(ube wit# services:
<irtua! In$oCu/es a!!o- $or t,e dire%t read o$ sour%e data in rea! ti#e3 =ou do not ,ae to
!oad t,e data into an In$oCu/e > it is !oaded into #e#ory dire%t!y $ro# t,e sour%e -,en t,e
re"ort is run using standard &AP )et(eaer B( 6uery and re"orting too!s3 T,e t,ree ty"es o$
irtua! In$oCu/es are &AP re#ote In$oCu/es, genera! re#ote In$oCu/es, and irtua!
In$oCu/es -it, seri%es3 &AP re#ote In$oCu/es use &AP +;P or &AP C;M Data&our%es
8and t,eir asso%iated e7tra%tors9 to read t,e data in rea! ti#e, -,i!e genera! re#ote In$oCu/es
a%%ess data t,at is nor#a!!y "ur%,ased 8e3g3, )ie!son93 <irtua! In$oCu/es -it, seri%es are
used i$ t,e sour%e is a %usto# ta/!e or grou" o$ ta/!es3 In t,is %ase, %usto# ABAP $un%tion
#odu!es 8seri%es9 %an /e -ritten to "ro"er!y "resent t,e data $ro# t,ese ta/!es to t,e &AP
)et(eaer B( 6uery too!s, #a*ing your ta/!e !oo* !i*e an &AP )et(eaer B( In$oCu/e3
T,is "roides rea!'ti#e data, not re"!i%ated data, $ro# your a""!i%ation to t,e user3