XML-RPC call to SAP

Question

I'm trying to figure out what is the XML-RPC request format expected by SAP, when a client wants to invoke a Function Module or a BAPI, exposed as Web Service.

For example, here's what the format would have been, if I was trying to invoke a method on a non-SAP java object:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<methodCall>
    <methodName>Calculator.add</methodName>
    <params>
        <param>
            <value><i4>30</i4></value>
        </param>
        <param>
            <value><i4>9</i4></value>
        </param>
    </params>
</methodCall>

I am particularly interested in <methodName>. In my example, the typical object-oriented notation is used, i.e., <object name>.<method name>. However, SAP Function Modules and BAPIs are flat function calls, so the above naming notation would not apply.

Does anyone have experience configuring an SAP system to accept and respond to such XMLRPC invocations? If so, how is the SAP system configured exactly, and what does it expect to receive as <methodName> in order to correctly serve the caller? Or to phrase it differently, what does the caller need to know, to be able to consume such a service?

What if the caller is trying to invoke a method on an ABAP Object, which is not a flat function call like a BAPI is?

I don't have a SAPNet account so please don't direct me to SAP Documentation, unless it is publicly available - otherwise I won't be able to access it.

Also, I don't have access to an SAP system to test all that, so I'm trying to understand and code it in the blind. If you know a free/very cheap way to access a test system, please do let me know, it would be so helpful.

Many thanks

Possible duplicate of [How to enable a SAP FM or BAPI for XML-RPC or SOAP access](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/11461008/how-to-enable-a-sap-fm-or-bapi-for-xml-rpc-or-soap-access) — Suncatcher, Aug 08 '19 at 21:42

score 1 · Answer 1 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:12

1

I have connected the SAP CRM webservice to both Android, java and .NET before. I hope this link helps. In that post, you can see the basic coding for integrating java and SAP webservice. If you have further questions, I'll try help.

Hope it was helpful.

Talha

edited May 23 '17 at 12:12

Community

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answered Jul 02 '12 at 05:18

Mtu

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10
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Thanks Talha, however I don't see any answers relevant to my question in that post. – DTs Jul 08 '12 at 20:48

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Jul 13 '12 at 09:11

There are multiple ways to communicate with an SAP system, but afaik XML-RPC is not one of them.

One way is to use SAP's own RFC protocol to perform function calls. SAP provides a library for various operating systems, and connectors for Java and .NET. There are also freely available connectors for PHP and Ruby (and maybe others, I don't know).

And then there's the business connector, PI, Gateway, Enterprise services, generated SOAP services, custom RESTful services, etc. etc.

XML-RPC call to SAP

2 Answers2