How to get started as a new .NET based ISV looking at integration with SAP?

[Former Member]

I have found a lot relevant-looking information on this website. I have read through a lot of PDF documents here, but much of it ultimately doesn't seem to directly help me -- or maybe it's just that I don't have enough context to understand if it answers my questions or not.

Here is my problem/goal: I'm a new employee at a small ISV which does .NET development (my background is all Java). My company is motivated to at least investigate integration with SAP (which I have zero experience with). I'm told we specifically need to interact with the Plant Maintenance module in order to be able to get equipment data from SAP, and potentially add/update equipment data in SAP - all from .NET. Now my understanding from what I've heard and read is that the particular type of interaction I need to do is not already exposed as some kind of SAP-provided web service.

All of this leads me to the actual question: can I accomplish what I want to get done by using the .NET Connector -- or do I have to use NetWeaver and somehow expose some SAP functionality via web services that I can consume from .NET - or is there some other possible solution that I haven't stumbled across yet? Also - knowingly breaking the rule for multiple questions per post - how does ABAP play into this (or does it)? Among many others, I have perused the file <b>Access SAP BW OLAP BAPI Using C-Sharp and SAP [1].NET Connector 2.0.pdf</b>, but again - I can't tell if it answers my questions because I know nothing, really, about ABAP or how to get the information I want from SAP.

Your assistance in this matter is greatly appreciated.

[clausc · Accepted solution]

Hello Mr. Schuetze,

in SAP PM, there are several function modules available, that would allow to read and change equipment and other data, e.g. BAPI_EQMT_DETAIL, BAPI_EQMT_CREATE, BAPI_EQMT_MODIFY, ...

If there are modules available for all the data you want to exchange, then there's no need to do any ABAP development.

These modules can be called by external systems in several ways:

- you can use the SAP .NET connector to call them directly

- you can expose these modules in SAP as webservices, then you can call them via http and XML

- you can use the SAP Exchange Infrastructure (XI) to call them, also via http and XML. In XI you can define mappings etc. if needed.

The SAP .NET connector supports MS VS 2003, unfortunately it's not completely clear, if also newer VS versions will be supported.

Perhaps you should start to get some remote access to our ICC testsystems through the http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn?rid=/webcontent/uuid/15330f73-0501-0010-d59e-8a32e220b2ed">rack [original link is broken] [original link is broken] By doing this you would get access to some SAP Backend Systems that contain the PM modules, to SAP XI and you would be able to download and check the SAP .NET connector.

Best regards, Christoph Claus

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Thank you very much. You have clarified several things that were of concern to me. I will pursue access to the RACK service and try to figure out what other help/training resources are available to me to find what I need in SAP once I have access.

Thanks again,

Jacob