SAP Gateway is a middleware component that allows external applications to interact with SAP systems.
It’s a representational state transfer (REST) interface based on Open Data Protocol (OData) for the ABAP technology platform; a standards-based, centralized interface for connecting to the SAP world.
In the past, SAP Gateway served as the standalone solution for accessing SAP backends. This is no longer the case, as many SAP solutions have adopted and integrated SAP Gateway technology to gain access to SAP backends using REST and OData. In this post, we’ll explore the different SAP solutions that are complemented by SAP Gateway.
SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP)
SAP BTP is a cloud-based platform that unites data and analytics, artificial intelligence, application development, automation, and integration. It provides tools and services for developing and managing applications, and capabilities for extending those applications and integrating them with other systems.
SAP BTP can consume SAP Gateway services. Developers can expose SAP business processes and data as OData, and these OData services can be used by SAP BTP applications. Simply put, SAP BTP contains the tools for developing and running applications, and SAP Gateway enables application integration and access to SAP and third-party systems.
SAP Integration Suite
SAP Integration Suite is SAP BTP’s integration platform, which pairs well with SAP Gateway. The suite provides a range of capabilities for connecting various systems and applications, making it an efficient environment to streamline integration processes and ensure data consistency.
SAP Integration Suite offers a broad set of features such as message-based integration, API management, and process integration. Combining SAP Integration Suite with SAP Gateway creates an efficient IT landscape. For example, SAP Gateway can expose SAP data as OData APIs, which can be consumed by the SAP Integration Suite, enabling easy integration with various applications and services. The solution unification can also provide scalability to handle large volumes of data and transaction loads.
SAP Process Orchestration
SAP Process Orchestration allows organizations to automate business processes by integrating, orchestrating, and monitoring processes across SAP and third-party systems.
SAP Process Orchestration and SAP Gateway complement each other by creating a robust and flexible integration architecture that spans business processes within the SAP landscape and extends to external systems. In certain scenarios, it makes sense to implement SAP Process Orchestration as the central SAP Gateway hub.
It should be noted that SAP Process Orchestration is only available on-premise, and maintenance will end in 2027.
SAP HANA
SAP HANA is an in-memory database that can run advanced analytics and conduct high-speed transactions on real-time data. SAP Gateway can be used to expose SAP HANA data and services to build applications. Additionally, combining SAP Gateway with SAP HANA provides another layer of abstraction and security.
SAP Business Warehouse (SAP BW) and SAP BW/4HANA
SAP BW and its SAP HANA-based evolution, SAP BW/4HANA, are SAP’s data warehouse solutions. They can analyze huge amounts of data and present that data in an intuitive and easily readable format.
Since SAP BW/4HANA is based on SAP HANA, it can leverage real-time data and analytics. In combination with SAP Gateway, you can expose SAP BW/4HANA data for lightweight consumption using OData, and also create content using SAP BW/4HANA modeling tools. Other benefits include multichannel support, security, and ease of content creation without coding to achieve a lower total cost of development.
SAP BTP, ABAP Environment
Based on SAP HANA, SAP BTP, ABAP environment is a runtime environment for developing and running ABAP-based applications in the cloud. It’s used to extend SAP applications, accelerate cloud transformation, and keep the core clean.
Developers can use SAP BTP, ABAP environment to build and expose ABAP-based services, including OData services. These services can represent business logic, data, or processes that reside in the ABAP environment. SAP Gateway can be configured to consume OData services exposed by SAP BTP, ABAP environment. This integration allows external applications, including those running on different platforms or technologies, to interact with and consume data and services from the ABAP environment.
SAP Fiori
SAP’s user experience framework, SAP Fiori, applies modern design principles to complex business processes. It provides a set of prebuilt, role-based applications for simple and intuitive access to SAP business content. The applications are user friendly and accessible across various devices.
OData services, which must be set up and activated by SAP Gateway, are required for SAP Fiori apps. These services retrieve data from SAP systems in a structured and standardized manner. SAP Gateway also supports updates and transactions, enabling two-way communication between the frontend SAP Fiori apps and the backend SAP systems.
SAP API Management
SAP API Management is a solution underneath the SAP Integration Suite umbrella that provides capabilities such as API design, development, documentation, security, monitoring, and analytics. You can use SAP API Management to design and model APIs based on the OData services exposed by SAP Gateway. Additionally, API proxies can connect to the SAP Gateway OData services. This involves specifying the OData service endpoints and defining policies for authentication, authorization, and traffic management. By adding an SAP API Management layer, you can enforce additional security measures, such as API key authentication and threat protection, ensuring a more secure communication channel between external clients and SAP Gateway.
Conclusion
The integration capabilities offered by SAP Gateway allow organizations to enhance their SAP landscapes and streamline business processes. The solutions discussed in this blog post showcase the power of connecting with SAP Gateway to achieve seamless connectivity, real-time data exchange, and a unified user experience.
About the SAP Gateway and OData Book
Modern organizations face the challenge of providing users with business applications that can be consumed through multiple channels and are connected to various devices, systems, and other applications. In the world of SAP, SAP Gateway is the key to enabling a connected landscape, and our SAP Gateway and OData book is your comprehensive guide to using the solution.
The first part of the book consists of four chapters that cover the basics of SAP Gateway. If you’re a novice to the subject matter, this is the recommended starting point to get an introduction to SAP Gateway and its related concepts, such as OData, architecture and integration, and deployment and configuration.
Then, you’ll learn everything you need to know about backend services and their development: service deployment, service generation, the ABAP programming model for SAP Fiori, and the ABAP RESTful application programming model.
The next aspect of SAP Gateway to uncover is consumption, or the usage of backend services in applications. This collection of chapters shows the flexibility of SAP Gateway. You’ll explore SAPUI5 application development, SAP Business Application Studio, extensibility, mobile app development, social media app development, and enterprise app development.
The final part of the book highlights the administration of SAP Gateway. In addition to deploying SAP Gateway, you’ll get an understanding of how to roll out software, how to handle errors, and more. Then, the book closes with security concepts, including everything from authentication to authorization and single sign-on.
Who Is This Book For?
This book is for developers and administrators looking to master the concepts of SAP Gateway and OData. It’s useful for those taking their first look at the framework, along with experienced professionals who want to keep their skills up to date.
About the Authors
Carsten Bönnen works for SAP SE as a product management director in the Adoption Enablement Team for SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP). He received his MA in computer linguistics and artificial intelligence in Germany in 2001 and started working at SAP that same year. Initially a Java developer and trainer, he soon became a consultant and led strategic projects in the then-new field of enterprise portals.
Ludwig Diehl is the head of processes and IT at Wilkhahn, the worldwide acting and leading German manufacturer of furniture. In this role, Ludwig is responsible for digitalization, business processes, and IT services and infrastructure. He has previously worked in this field in various roles and at various companies.
Volker Drees studied electrical engineering at Fachhochschule in Wiesbaden, Germany, and holds a degree in communications engineering (Nachrichtentechnik). He began his SAP career in 1998 in the consulting department and has experience in a number of areas: ABAP development, R/3 implementations, mySAP CRM, mobile sales, mobile asset management, and mobile infrastructure.
André Fischer is an SAP Champion and has worked in product management for SAP Gateway since the launch of the product in 2011. His current focuses in the product management of the ABAP platform are the ABAP RESTful application programming model and SAP BTP, ABAP environment.
Karsten Strothmann is the lead product manager for event-driven integration at SAP SE in Walldorf, Germany. He has 25 years of experience in the software industry, more than 20 of which at SAP. Karsten is currently working on event-driven architectures and SAP’s event-driven technology ecosystem.
How to Purchase
If you’re interested in purchasing SAP Gateway and OData, follow this link and choose the format that works best for you: e-book, print edition, or bundle (both e-book and print).
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