Difference between Sybase Unwired Platform, SAP Gateway and RestWebservice

[Former Member]

Hello everybody,

I have to develop a SAP mobile application on an Android device, so I started to do some research to find out how the application can interact with SAP. I found three ways, how this can be done:

Sybase Unwired Platform

SAP Netweaver Gateway

RestWebservice.

I implemented a prototype with the RestWebservice doing the steps described in

http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/weblogs?blog=/pub/wlg/14592

http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/weblogs?blog=/pub/wlg/21337

and it worked fine.

I also found some information about the SAP Netweaver Gateway http://wiki.sdn.sap.com/wiki/display/Snippets/SAPNetWeaverGateway-Code+Snippets ,which seems to be very similar to the RestWebservice, and about SUP.

After reading everything I was a little confused. I wanted to find out the difference of the three approaches, but they seem to be very similar to each other, aside from the fact that you need a licence for SUP and SAP Gateway.

I would appreciate it if anyone could clear the picture, so that I'm able to understand the difference and advantages/ disadvantages of the three approaches, to find out which fits best for me.

Thanks and Regards,

Jessica

Edited by: Sammelbenutzer Diplomanden on Jan 5, 2012 11:50 AM

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

There are many options available, even more than you have just listed.

SUP is something that fits well if you want to take away some of the load from your SAP system, have your app work on different type of devices without having to recode everything from scratch (MBO's will handle the synchronization to the data source SAP and non SAP), handles security and deployment (with or without Afaria). Also if your customer wants to use the SAP delivered apps or some of the growing number of partner apps, then most of them are based on SUP and customers tend to want to keep their infrastructure consistent and as simple as possible.

Netweaver Gateway is a simpler solution, running on the production system or a seperate ABAP stack and limited to REST, ATOM/OData

I have limited knowledge, experience with the RestWEbservice. I am sure it has it's place, should be reusable for different type of devices, will cause more load on your production system then SUP. It is also the option that is the easiest to play with, no need to install anything, get licences (a real pain in 2011)

Hope it helps a little

Hello everybody,
> 
> I have to develop a SAP mobile application on an Android device, so I started to do some research to find out how the application can interact with SAP. I found three ways, how this can be done:
> 
> Sybase Unwired Platform 
> SAP Netweaver Gateway 
> RestWebservice.
> 
> I implemented a prototype with the RestWebservice doing the steps described in 
> http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/weblogs?blog=/pub/wlg/14592
> http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/weblogs?blog=/pub/wlg/21337
> 
> and it worked fine. 
> 
> I also found some information about the SAP Netweaver Gateway http://wiki.sdn.sap.com/wiki/display/Snippets/SAPNetWeaverGateway-Code+Snippets ,which seems to be very similar to the RestWebservice, and about SUP.
> 
> After reading everything I was a little confused. I wanted to find out the difference of the three approaches, but they seem to be very similar to each other, aside from the fact that you need a licence for SUP and SAP Gateway. 
> 
> I would appreciate it if anyone could clear the picture, so that I'm able to understand the difference and advantages/ disadvantages of the three approaches, to find out which fits best for me.
> 
> Thanks and Regards,
> Jessica
> 
> Edited by: Sammelbenutzer Diplomanden on Jan 5, 2012 11:50 AM

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Thanks for your answer, but what do you mean with "...on a seperate ABAP stack" ?

Does anyone else have an opinion? Maybe some disadvantages for SUP?

Edited by: Sammelbenutzer Diplomanden on Jan 11, 2012 2:20 PM

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

For SAP netweaver Gateway, you need to install it (stand alone or part of the SAP installation). For the SUP, i think the licence price can be serious disadvantage .

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

gateway 2.0 will be installed on Netweaver EHP2 system. its required separate ABAP stack system with Netweaver Base component. you can get install guide on SAP Market place.

Thanks,

Ripal

[Former Member]

Hi,

1. Rest Services ==> Web services which you will be creating at your Backend server (SAP) & consuming while generating app

2. Netweaver ==> You need to create BAPI Wrappers at Netweaver as per Bapi's at your backend (SAP), & those wrappers you need to consume in your application.

3. Sybase unwired Platform ==> its a middleware Database & tool to manage your business objects from SAP in SUP as MBO,

so no need to code anything, sybase will take care of calling those objects from SAP.

Hope this helps you for better understanding.

Thanks & Regards

SAKET

[Former Member]

Hi,

from view point of PUSH/PULL architecture.

1. Rest Services ==> Pull Architecture and all data was pulled from sap db. if you want off-line function you have to implement cache function in mobile device.

2. NetWeaver ==> Still same as above. but oData is standard so called odbc for WebService, so it is more reusable.

for example you can see sample database's meta data. [http://services.odata.org/OData/OData.svc/$metadata]

3. Sybase unwired Platform ==> depending on the cache policy though for example iOS Native App is Push Architecture.

offline is available and data is cached not only in mobile but also in SUP Server (CDB: Consolidated database).

so access to SAP is minimized.

Regards.

[rohith_deraje]

Hi,

If you are looking for a lightwieght online mobile aplication, Then SUP2.1-ODP is the right one.

The communication is as below.

SAP BE <--->NWGW2.0<-> SUP 2.1-ODP<

---

> Relay server <-----> iOS/Android/BB.

NW gateway interacts with SAP backend and exposes its content in the form of REST services.

You can develop a mobile application using native development tools(Android SDK/xCode/BB MDS) to consume REST services exposed by gateway. You need to use addtinal libraries available with SUP2.1-SDK to connect to SUP, Parse the REST service contents, Caching etc..

In the online context, SUP-Server will proxy the gateway and also provides device administration and monitoring. No caching/Persistence of data is done at SUP. Whenever device resuests for data, it gets online data from gateway.

Regards

Rohith