Please recommend: I want to build a web based order entry app ... DI Server

[Former Member]

We just got ourselves implemented SAP Business One 2007A accounting.

We have the SDK license also.

To build a web based app, is the best way to use the DI Server?

SCENARIO

This app is to allow Sales Rep to register people in a conference.

Each conference costs a fixed amount.

Each customer master data is to be kept in SAP and customer notes and attributes to be edited via the web app.

Invoice also to be created.

So i probably need a Sales Order Quotation, Sales Order, Invoice, and credit card payment, plus ability to add notes, and activities against the customer.

QUESTION

1. I want to know if DI Server using SOAP is the wisest method to do this? I don't want to keep on buying SAP pro licenses for each person wanting to work as CSR staff.

2. I hear people developing in their local machines. Do I have to buy a fully licensed version of SAP to do development on my local PC? Or is there a free way to do this?

3. I see the SDK samples for 2007a. Are there more samples I can download from some place?

4. How do I find out the XML format to use for inter acting with the SAP DI Server? From the DI_SERVER/SCHEMAS area?

Thanks,

Mike

[YatseaLi]

Hello Mike,

Try B1WS 1st, which facilitate the use of DI Server.

Question 2: I hear people developing in their local machines. Do I have to buy a fully licensed version of SAP to do development on my local PC? Or is there a free way to do this?

Answer:

For the development, if you have the SDK Development License, then you can develop with DI Server

For the customer, they need at least 1 DI Server License, all use can connect to DI server, because the connection number to DI Server is unlimited.

Question 3: It is very easy to call DI server, but the most diffuct part is to prepare the soap request message and parse the response message.

If (n Is Nothing) Then
            n = New SBODI_Server.Node
        End If

        Dim AddCmd As String

        AddCmd = RichTextBox1.Text

        Dim res As String
        res = n.Interact(AddCmd)

Refer to <<C:\Program Files\SAP\SAP Business One SDK\Samples\DI Server\VB.NET\DIServerBP\DISSample>>

I am going to email you an simple DI Server sample and script samples, unfortunately the email address is not found in your business card.

Kind Regards

-Yatsea

[Former Member]

1. Regarding the licenses. I need confirmation that I have everything for DI-SERVER based development and implementation on my site (WE ARE THE CUSTOMER)

It says on license administration that we have (in production):

13 pro licenses

SDK - Development : 19 available licenses

SDK - Implementation: 9999 available licenses

SDK Tools - 99990 available licenses

I don't see DI Server anywhere. We / I am the end customer who bought all these tools to be able to build a web front end.

Now I am concerned that we did not buy the DI Server -- which is really what we need since my app needs to be web based.

Is this concern valid since I was able to use the quick & dirty method of using .asp to LOGIN, and RETREIVE the list of users using the DI-SERVER api (SDOBI_SERVER.node, GetUserList, Login).

Does this confirm that I can use DI-SERVER api?

If so how come some people on this forum suggest that there needs to be a DI-SERVER entry in the License Administration?

2. Is it possible to run my pure development pc/server with dev SAP B1 instances loaded but pointing it to the production license server

Or is it better to have a separate license server on the development machine?

Mike

[YatseaLi]

Hello Mike,

1.Regarding the licenses.

In order to use DI Server, you need at least one SDK-Development License or one DI Server License. You have 19 SDK Dev licneses, so you can use DI Server. You don't need to buy DI Server License. But usually, SDK-Development Licenses are not sold to customer, but sold to partner free of charge. By the way, the connection number to DI Server is unlimited once you have one accessible DI Server.

Only 2 methods for SDOBI_SERVER: Interact() and BatchInteract() .Just send your soap message to DI Server and pass back the response.

A funcationality call is decided by the SOAP request message.

2.Technical speaking, it should be fine. Your DI server for development can work with the production license server. Please specify the license server address when login.

Hope it is clear. Any further question, please let me know. Thanks.

Kind Regards

-Yatsea

[Former Member]

I have the solution for point 1 and point 4 already.

Point 1: Yes DI Server is to be used in the scenario of high amounts of connections due to it's ability for connection pooling

Point 4: I found the SDK documentation which explains how to get the schemas for each business object by making a call to the DI Server

[former_member201110]

Hi Mike,

One thing you may be interested in is that the SDN has a utility to expose the DI Server functionality through a Web Service rather than using SOAP directly. Please have a look here:

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/businessone?rid=/webcontent/uuid/a0915b47-ef89-2a10-91a5-b22649e5cfa...

There aren't many DI Server samples available from SAP. Your best bet would be to search this development forum. The DI Server requires its own license and you will also need to have a user license (professional or a restricted license, depending on what you are doing). I'm not sure what development license you'd need. If you develop using the DI API then you have to have a development license from SAP but I don't know if that also applies to the DI Server. I'd recommend you speak to your local SAP partner or SAP office.

Kind Regards,

Owen

[Former Member]

Hi Owen,

I was also interested in B1WS, though I couldn't get it to work properly. Also the word on the forums is that many people couldn't get it work properly.

Are you aware of people who have managed to get it working?

Do you know if this is going to be SAP supported, so that we can ask questions about it and get it to work?

B1WS looks very promising...

Now if it would only work....

Thanks,

Mike

[former_member201110]

Hi Mike,

I haven't had a chance to work with this myself yet. It's disappointing to hear that people are having problems with it as it does look like a nice utility to have.

I doubt it will be 'officially' supported by SAP. None of the tools here on the SDN are supported through SAP support but the SAP guys here have been very good in supporting other tools like the B1DE. There should be a blog here where you can log any questions and issues (but I can't seem to find it at the moment ;-( )

Kind Regards,

Owen

[Gianluigi]

Michael - why can't you make B1WS work ? what are the issues you are facing ? in theory it should be an easy task. Let me explain what B1WS does:

B1WS is made of two parts. One is a server IIS component that sits on top of DI Server. It is a very simple component, that just push into the DI Server Interact interfaces all the messages it receives and viceversa send back to the requestor all the messages it receives back from the Interact itself. It is a very simple bridge.

The other component is the client side, that is made by a set of WSDLs automatically generated by DI Server itself. All these WSDLs can be imported as web references by your project and the proxies that are generated there will create input messages that are good for DI Server - and so the output messages.

In short: B1WS will provide you .NET proxies that do by code what you should be doing instead by hand to make DI Server work.

Please let us know what is not working in your installation and we will try to understand it and either provide you an answer or fix it if it the case.

[Former Member]

Thanks for giving a vote of confidence in the B1WS tool set.

It is important that we don't waste time on paths not proven or bring up issues that are not issues at all.