Creating/Modifying adapter?

[abdul_hakim]

Hi Friends,

Is it possible to create a new adapter or modifying the existing one using <b>ABAP</b>?

Thanks,

Abdul

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Abdul,

No, Most of the adapters except idoc and http reside in java stack. Hence you can't create or modify xi adapters using abap. in truth xi adapters and jca 1.0 compatible and has nothing to do with abap!!

regards,

Felix

[abdul_hakim · Accepted solution]

Hi Felix,

Thanks for your reply.

Well I heard XI Runtime is primarily the ABAP Runtime.

Is it so?

What is the scope of ABAP in XI?

Whether it is less compared to Java or both have equal scope?

Thanks,

Abdul

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Abdul,

Though XI runtime is primarily abap runtime, XI has nothing to do with it in design time. abap in xi is only used in abap mapping and abap proxies. That too can be overridden by java or xslt mapping. There are only java functions which u can create and not abap functions. You can use a rfc adapter to connect existing abap function modules. hence i would strongly say that xi is 95% java and only 5 % abap. Even without that 5% he can work in xi seemlessly.

regards,

Felix

[abdul_hakim · Accepted solution]

Thanks Felix,

Actually i am an ABAP Consultant i much curious to learn XI.Earlier i posted my question "Prerequisite for learing XI".There,some XI experts have mentioned that you don't need to be a Java guru for working in XI rather you need XML,XLST,SOAP and other messaging tool knowledge.If you don't mind can you please tell me what are the necessary Java skills and other skills needed to start learning XI.

Thanks Again,

Abdul

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Abdul,

Core Java is more than sufficient. It is mainly for writing some small java fucntions. apart from that, if you want to develop more in xi you need to know more about ejbs, since a ejb is deployed as a module in xi. hence if you want to grow in xi, you must know core java for sure. But i am not here to disappoint you. Though java is much needed, most of the work here in xi is how to use the xi tool rather than coding in xi (similar to j2ee development). Hence, you can have enough confidence to start learning in xi!

Having abap knowledge will certainly help you much

regards,

Felix

[abdul_hakim · Accepted solution]

Hi Felix,

Thanks a lot for your clarification.

Cheers,

Abdul

[Steven_UM · Accepted solution]

Hi,

XI is a mixed implemenation of both ABAP and JAVA parts ... claiming that XI is about 95% java is incorrect ...

The XI runtime engine is written in ABAP, IDOC and HTTP adapter are completely written in ABAP, lots of XI customising is sitting in basic SAP tables ( so ABAP stack ), BPM is completely written in ABAP, etc ...

The JAVA adapter framework is used for most of the adapters and as such most of the adapters are build using java.

I would more say the balance is about 50% for XI.

As far as the real mapping is concerned, you are indeed right to say that most of it will end up as java code - unless you are using XSLT or ABAP mappings ...

Regards,

Steven

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Steven,

I am not claiming XI as 95% java code but, from a xi developer prespective he is going to endup doing 95% java coding and 5% abap coding!

regards,

Felix

[former_member187339 · Accepted solution]

Hi Felix,

<i>>>I am not claiming XI as 95% java code but, from a xi developer prespective he is going to endup doing 95% java coding and 5% abap coding!</i>

What I feel is that as far as XI is concerned you should have a good command over the ABAP language too. Since XI is providing a platform for writing Java code (in addition to other alternatives like XSLT) you can also <b>use JAVA</b> in your design.

<i>

>>more in xi you need to know more about ejbs, since a ejb is deployed as a module in xi</i>

As a beginner, you need not be well versed with ejb's, as they are used only during module development.

A developer with a JAVA background and very less knowledge in ABAP, feels that he can harness the power of java for development in XI. He may not be fully aware of the power and flexibility of ABAP.

So I am with Steven and I feel that XI DEVELOPMENT is 50% ABAP(may be more than that say 60-70) and rest JAVA.

Regards

Suraj

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Suraj / Steven ,

Can you mention anywhere in xi, abap code is used, apart from abap proxies and abap mapping (which can be done easily in java)?

I believe abap coding is not at all required in xi. transactions in sapgui is really needed for debuging but not abap coding. May be creating a function mudule is necesary but that is not a xi consultants job!

best regards,

Felix

[former_member184154 · Accepted solution]

Felix,

ABAP stack is governing the real full-life of each message and integration process. Knowledge of ABAP objects in my case was very very useful, as I had to extend the way in which XI deals with messages, building custom tables, custom ABAP Obj classes and big BSP App on top to manage the whole.

Of course this is extremely special development, but the <i>real engine</i> in XI is strongly ABAP based.

Regards,

Alex

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi

Continuing on the same debate. There are both ways of looking at it. One can be XI Consultant even if he knows only Java and not ABAP. Also the vice versa equally holds good.

As there are different roles based on your skill set. One role of an XI consultant is also to develop proxy, configure IDoc scenario, and use the standard IR (Data Types, Message types and Message Interface, and also use the standard Message mapping). Even in Message mapping most of the cases can be done by just using the standard functionality and in some by using simple Java functions.

I would rather say that if you wish to be XI Developer then Java knowledge is required, but if you wish to function as an XI Consultant then understanding of SAP system and in particularly ABAP knowledge is required more then anything.

Regards

Paresh

[abdul_hakim · Accepted solution]

Hi Mishra.

Thanks for your reply..

Abdul

[Steven_UM · Accepted solution]

> Steven,

> I am not claiming XI as 95% java code but, from a xi

> developer prespective he is going to endup doing 95%

> java coding and 5% abap coding!

> regards,

> Felix

Hi Felix,

Purely from a mapping development perspective you are absolutely right ... Ideally you shouldn't do any programming at all ( use visual mappings or XSLT ) - in reality you probably end up writing custom java methods for achieving whatever is missing in the standard mapping capibilities.

Nevertheless, in general, any customer would expect from an XI consultant to know the SAP system itself and ABAP. We are not only talking about XI but also the SAP backend system(s) ( which should normally be involved in any integration scenario ).

As backend SAP systems are involved, you end up playing with IDOCS and RFC's and everything involved with that ...

Like somebody else said it nicely ... an XI mapping developer can get away with no ABAP skills, an XI consultant better should know both stacks ...

Regards,

Steven

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Alex,

>>ABAP stack is governing the real full-life of each message and integration process

I strongly agree with your stmt. I never disagreed your stmt.

What I ment is that, from a XI enduser / developer / consultant prespective what he deals with is mostly with Java and not abap. I had always favoured knowing is better!!

I tried to diff transactions from abap coding.

regards,

Felix

[former_member184154 · Accepted solution]

Felix, Guys,

We'll never end this debate maybe. But just to clarify with a nice example, being an XI'er without knowing ABAP sounds like an italian chef not using pasta. Of course italian cookery is made of many other very good ingredients, but pasta is the foundation

Cheers,

Alex

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Alex,

You had taken a wrong example.

>>an italian chef not using pasta. Of course italian cookery is made of many other very good ingredients, but pasta is the foundation

We are speaking about using or developing in XI and not what is the foundation of XI. If that is the case pasta may not help him consume his cookery. (just kidding)..

In a hetrogenous env SAP is just one among many many other env XI is going to intergrate. There is only 2 adapters among the other default adapters to communicate with SAP.

If there is favour only for abap, i have a strong feeling that most people here are very narrow minded with intergrating only SAP systems and not other realtime hetrogeneous systems. Even here i can go with java without using Abap!

Why don't anyone deny my statements with strong evidence such as links, but simply saying the same thing? But I can prove the reverse from the weblogs of the people who posted in favour of ABAP itsef!

regards,

Felix

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi,

I do not understand what is the need for an XI consultant to know about ABAP/Debugging etc.,

Say for a scenario involving IDOC transfer from R/3 to another SAP system,i need to know

1.How to create or regenerate IDOC(which we will do in we19-no need of code)

2.To generate RFC Destination,Port and Partner profile in sender and receiver R/3 systems which could be done through sm59,we21,we20

3.For monitoring i have to know about the status codes which is possible in we02/we05/smq2/smq1

4.In caes if you are going to deal with queues still you need to know some Transaction codes.

Note that for all the IDOC stuffs and RFC stuffs related to XI,we need to deal only with the Tcodes and not with ABAP codes.

I am very eager to know where you use ABAP coding in IDOC

and RFC in XI consultants perspective.

Thanks and Regards,

Vasanth.

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Vasanth,

if everything works fine in your scenarios you only need some transactions. However as soon as some errors appear, you might need to debug, to find out the reason for the error. As an integration consultant you might face this problem. Ok, you could always ask an ABAPer, but do you always have an ABAPer with you? I don't, because my customers believe, that an integration consultant should be able to work within R/3 as well...

best regards

Christine

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Christine,

>>> an integration consultant should be able to work within R/3 as well...

Yes,ofcourse an Integration consultant has to work within R/3,but not with ABAP codes in R/3.Even for debugging any error related to IDOC/RFC scenarios,it's enought to look through the tcodes and find what has happened but not in ABAP codes.Again i am very eager to know where you have faced a situation to debug an ABAP code for your IDOC/RFC scearios pertaining to XI.

Thanks and Regards,

Vasanth.

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Vasanth,

again, i have debugged RFCs. For example there are a lot of standard RCFs / IDocs / ABAP proxies by SAP and there is some documentation on this. And then you use this RFC / IDoc / ABAP Proxy according to the documentation but it just does not do, what you expect. Than you can either open up an OSS ticket and wait until anyone at SAP has the grace to answer, or you can debug and see what really happens within the RFC etc.... that is, where i have used ABAP debugging.

I know, that some people are really fixated on their specific role description and if it states, that they don't do ABAP, they don't do ABAP. However my approach is different, i want to solve problems and not handing them over. So if a problem requires debugging, i'll debug

Best regards

Christine

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Christine,

Nice to know that you would debug an RFC code which has problem in it.But this discussion is not about what each and everyone does.This is all about the role of an XI consultant and not about those who have multiple dimension skills in technologies.

Hope in another few minutes you'll say that if the RFC doesn't match my requirement,i'll write my own RFC since i know ABAP because my approach is different...that's good........

Thanks and Regards,

Vasanth.

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Vasanth,

i would never go so far as writing my own RFC. Don't tell anyone but i don't like ABAP that much, i like java more

However as i posted now at least 2 times: role of XI consultant to me looks a bit theoretical. Within projects i've never had a role of sole XI consultant. Customers always defined roles of integration consultants, doing mainly XI but also with skills on R/3 and ABAP side as well as on non-sap system side (like Oracle DB, MQSeries, WebServices...). So my point of view comes from this experience. XI is nice to know, but i think XI alone is just not enough.

Best regards

Christine

[Steven_UM · Accepted solution]

Well well well ... this thread is becoming quite an interesting discussion ...

If you want to stick to your firm XI integration role then fine ... you wont need ABAP at all and probably you don't even gonna use JAVA that much at all ( unless you end up writing modules or own adapters ). And yes great if you can have an ABAP developer buddy who will take care of that part when things fall apart ...

BUT ...

after 10 years in the SAP world ( well europe ) I did not encounter 1 customer which is not expecting a SAP technical consultant ( let me stress the word consultant here ) to know ABAP .. And it doesn't matter which product you are using ...

In reality, customers expect that technical consultants know as much about the SAP system itself then about any new SAP netweaver product they are supposed to be working on ... and honestly it is a very HUGE advantage when they do ...

I am only guessing that in Europe the requirements for consultants are clearly different then in your part of the world Felix ... Fine if you get away which such clear job separations but we don't ...

I have seen a lot of postings of people that have clearly experience in several SAP implementation trajects as a consultant and they are telling you the same ...

We can all agree that JAVA itself is a nice enhancement to the SAP world but honestly SAP would have survived without it as well ...

It is only with the introduction of J2EE that JAVA has began to see some maturity for enterprise application development ... ABAP has been there allready for 20 years and will continue to be there ...

I would anybody that seriously considers a technical career in the SAP world advise to get a good understanding of the ABAP stack and if you want to get into some SAP Netweaver products like EP or XI then get a basic understanding of java ...

Steven

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Steven,

Nice that some real SAP Guru (and after 10 years you must be real one ) agrees with me, that customers expect a little bit more than just XI or just EP or just one product.

From my experience it seems that this expectations are not only present in Europe but also in America (North and South).

best regards

Christine

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Steven,

Yes steven, knowledge in ABAP is certainly good.

>>in Europe the requirements for consultants are clearly different than in your part of the world

That is true because there will certainly be a billing if ABAP consultant is included in any project and they will not expect any XI consultant to know ABAP at all since there is a seperate person called ABAP consultant. There is a clear distiction between ABAP consultant and XI consultant. Also, both never interfere. XI consultant just need some RFC/IDoc from ABAPer and thats all. It is XI consultants job to do mapping/modifying the incoming data and push it into the target system (any sap or non-sap).

Best regards,

Felix