WAS 6.4 not compatible with R/3 4.6c?

[Former Member]

Hello,

We've just installed a WAS version 6.4 in our dev environment, but cannot get it to talk directly to our R/3 4.6c instance. Our consultants are telling us it is not possible to connect directly to R/3 4.6c - it has to be at least ECC5. Therefore, our only option for a Java app running on WAS 6.4 would be to use JCo to connect to R/3's 4.6c app server - which means we can't take advantage of all the direct SAP-integration (WebDynpros, etc).

Can anyone confirm that this is this true? Can we not take advantage of any of WAS 6.4's built in SAP-integration (WebDynpros, etc) if our R/3 system is at 4.6c? Are we stuck with writing pure Java that has to use JCo to talk to the 4.6c app server?

Many thanks,

-Peter Demling

Lexington, MA

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Peter,

the answer is yes and no. You have to distinguish the two personalities of WAS, ABAP and Java personality (or stack, whatever you like most).

Web Dynpro for ABAP is currently not released (and disabled from SP10), so you can't use it upto now (productive use is prohibited anyway).

The Web Dynpro for Java runtime is an integrated part of the Java personality of the WAS, but, independant from the version of the ABAP backend you want to access (afaik, if the ABAP system is >= 4.0, it's sufficient), the only way to communicate between Java and ABAP is JCO.

So again, since the system, you want to access is 4.6c you will not be able to use Web Dynpro for ABAP there (without upgrading the system), but you will be able to use Web Dynpro for Java, but JCO is the only possible bridge between ABAP and Java.

Hope that helps.

Regards

Stefan

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Stefan,

Thank you very much for your reply - it definitely helps to clarify things. If I could extend this point a bit further, it gets to a larger question for us:

Given that any Java app on WAS6.4 can connect to my R/34.6c data with a JCo connection to my app server (invoking an ABAP BAPI that returns a dataset, for example), what is the central advantage to using NetWeaver DeveloperStudio to code such an application, as opposed to some other IDE? Is it primarily the automatic generation of the java code from the WebDynpro visual design tools, or is there some more valuable layer of R/3 integration that I'm overlooking (direct reference to the data dictionary, perhaps)?

We're basically in a (I'd assume fairly common) position of having done a lot of ITS apps, intrigued by the possibility of switching to Java development on WAS, but unsure of exactly what the NetWeaver Developer Studio / Web Dynpro value-add is, in order to make it worth accelerating the transition.

thanks again,

-Peter Demling

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Peter,

the NetWeaver DeveloperStudio is shipped with tons of plugins created by SAP to support the development processes not only for Web Dynpro. But in the case of Web Dynpro the real question is: Is it possible to create Web Dynpro applications (at least efficiently) without the NWDS? From my point of view the answer is: No. You definitely will need the toolsets to create them.

One major aspect of R/3 (or better ABAP in general) integration is the opportunity to create Web Dynpro models from any arbitrary Remote function call and/or BAPI and to bind this model to the presentation layer via the so called Contexts (including automatic use of field labels, tooltips, data types and lengths from the underlying DDIC types). All you need is an ABAP system you can import the definitions from (and some configuration to be done to access the ABAP systems at runtime).

So if you really want or have to migrate all of your ITS apps to Web Dynpro, the NWDS is the only tool of choice. On the other hand, you also have the possibility to recreate only some of your ITS apps using Web Dynpro and to integrate these newly created ones and your "old fashioned stuff" in the SAP Enterprise Portal.

Hope that helps.

Regards,

Stefan

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Stefan,

Thanks again for the reply. So it does sound like I was overlooking the DDIC integration that can be achieved, via the context-binding of the RFC and/or BAPI models.

As far as importing the definitions from the ABAP system (and the configuration to be done to access the ABAP systems at runtime), are you referring to the so-called 'Java dictionaries', or is this something different? Any documentation or online reference you could point me to would be most welcome.

thank you,

-Peter Demling

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Peter,

the Java Dictionary is not only used for the types and structures imported from ABAP systems, but yes, you are right, it is also used for storing the informations mentioned before (types, lengths...).

The feature is called Adaptive RFC, here are some links from the SAP help:

<a href="http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04/helpdata/en/41/38bc8f813719488ddc9d9b21251ec3/frameset.htm">Adaptive RFC</a>

<a href="http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04/helpdata/en/6a/11f1f29526944e8580c5e59333d96d/frameset.htm">Importing an Adaptive RFC Model</a>

<a href="http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04/helpdata/en/77/931440a1c32402e10000000a1550b0/frameset.htm">Web Dypro Content Administrator</a> for configuring the JCo destinations

and finally, a tutorial from the great Web Dynpro samples/tutorials area:

<a href="https://www.sdn.sap.comhttp://www.sdn.sap.comhttp://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/servlet/prt/portal/prtroot/com.sapportals.km.docs/documents/a1-8-4/creating%20a%20web%20dynpro%20application%20accessing%20abap%20functions.pdf">Creating A Web Dynpro Application Accessing ABAP Functions</a>

Hope that helps.

Regards

Stefan