BAPI's in workflow

[Roehlen, Peter]

Hi Ignasi,
 
I don't know about your second question, but here are some thoughts on the
first:
 
- BAPIs are just a business object type method that conform to a particular
convention.  Ie all BAPIs are busines object type methods, but not all
methods are BAPIs.
- BAPIs primarily provide a useful interface for external systems to access
SAP functionality in an object oriented (OO) type way.  Eg creating an SAP
Sales Order from MS Excel etc.
 
BAPIs used in workflow steps have the following restrictions that other
methods may not:
- they are never (at least in principal) dialog steps and therefore are
effectively only good for background processing.
- they are not supposed to handle the complete transaction (ie a seperate
method call to commit the transaction is required).
 
I suspect that BAPIs as a technology grew more out of the desire for a
better way of interfacing SAP with external systems than as anything to do
with workflow.
 
As a workflow developer, you would only use a BAPI if it was appropriate (ie
your step can run in background etc.)  As a business object type developer,
you would only make a method a BAPI if the requirements of the method fit in
with the BAPI conventions.
 
Cheers
 
Peter Roehlen
Team Lead - SAP Technical & Development
Powercor Australia Ltd
(03) 5430 4704 / 0409 950 263
 
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Aliana Portugal, Ignasi [mailto:IAliana at fecsa.es]
Sent: Tuesday, 19 December 2000 2:19
To: SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: BAPI's in workflow
 
 
Hi,
 
2 questions:
 
1) Does anybody know what are the BAPI's used for in workflow and what's de
difference between a method based on a BAPI and a method that isn't?
 
2) Which one is the table that contains all the inbox documents (the
workflow table and the office table)?
 
Thanks.
 
Ignasi Aliana (PWC)  -  SIE2000
Centro de Soporte de WF / CA
ialiana at fecsa.es / 93 6002490
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