SAP Support of .NET code on the portal in Question.

[Former Member]

I'm trying to find the SAP direction regarding the support .NET code on the portal itself.

I observed that the Teched 06 sessions are focused on Java and ABAP coding on the SAP side of the house.

There are several classes on developing or building with Duet or integration of SharePoint and the existing KM system. There are no classes regarding .NET code for the portal. At least not that I observed. This tells me the move is strictly to coding in Java and creating web services via tools/code. My concern is that SAP's plan is to move away from supporting .NET code on the portal environment.

To take it a step further, you have two sides. If you develop on the SAP side of the house you use Java and maybe ABAP to code to create web services. Then the concept is to write .NET outside of the portal to consume the services. The problem with this is security. How do I inherit the SAP security authorizations on the .NET side of the house? Can that be passed via the web service and even if it were passed I still have to write my own security administration on the .NET side. Bottom line is if all the assumptions were true then we are moving back to a legacy based system if we custome code in .NET and all data integrity is lost.

Do you have any insight of the SAP direction? Since day one there has been very minor support of the usage of .NET on the portal and I'm questioning how long that support will remain.

[rima-sirich · Accepted solution]

Hi Eric,

SAP provides Portal Development Kit for .NET that enables developing Portal Components -> iViews & Pages in Visual Studio .NET. You can read about it more in the .NET development center https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/developerareas/dotnet?rid=/webcontent/uuid/be35e447-0a01-0010-8496-c... [original link is broken]

PDK 2.0 used to develop with Visual Studio 2003

PDK 2.5 used to develop with Visual Studio 2005

Regards,

Rima.

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Thank you for the reply Rima,

I've used the dcomm connector and later most of the versions of the .NET connector as they have come out. I've installed the PDK 2.0 with V.S. 2003 and didn't install the 2.5 version because of some connector support issues. My concern is SAP has not given a clear path of their direction. I'm assuming the intent is to move towards web service based access with the way the PDK 2.5 works in V.S. 2005. Problem is I can not see that the PDK 2.5 with Visual Studio absorbs any of the SAP based security. Maybe you can point out to me that their is a way for the PDK 2.5 with V.S. 2005 to pull the SAP authorizations.

When I worked with the .NET connector I could see how some of the BAPI function modules passed some security. But, the RFC never did. The effort to pull security via the BAPI kept our development of with .NET to bare minimum.

I never seem to have answers to question of security or a proficient way to code in .NET to pull SAP data and maintain security. If you have any information on how this is best done that would be great!

Eric

[rima-sirich · Accepted solution]

Hi Eric,

You can read about Security Aspects of PDK for .NET here: http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04/helpdata/en/ba/88ca41edc1c317e10000000a155106/frameset.htm

Regards,

Rima.