How will S/4 HANA work without BDC?

[Jelena]

From what I keep hearing, there will be no more BDC in S/4 HANA. So I have a simple question - how would it work then?

Even these days we still have some interfaces and programs that use BDC because there is no other functionality available. Will SAP finally deliver all the APIs that they could not create since 1970s?

[Former Member]

The on-prem S/4 will still support BDCs, won't it? I'd be very surprised if not. And if not, that surprise will come in just a few weeks time when I get my hands on an actual S/4 system. Watch this space!

The cloud edition is a different matter entirely. People do get the two mixed up a lot, which makes for very confusing messaging...

Steve.

[Jelena]

Steve - what I've heard was no BDC at all, regardless of the version. But you are right about the confusing messages, so maybe I didn't get it right.

@Simone - there are many examples. A program we have updates the components in the production order. And just the other day I came across a question in the ABAP forum where the answer was, essentially, some unreleased functions or BDC.

[JL23]

I had attended a webinar with the Data Migration Guys recently. And data migration was always an area where BDCs and LSMW recording played a major role. It was said that this will still available in S4Hana on premise, however, if the GUI transaction got replaced by a Fiori App then you have no basis for a BDC and LSMW recording, Fiori Apps can't be recorded.

[SimoneMilesi]

And how do you can solve this? Got any clue/hint?

Any future planning?

Or we'll write directly in the DB tables?

[JL23]

In case of data migration it was of course the SAP Data Service, that was the focus in this webinar. 

But BDC goes quite a bit beyond data migration and is even used without data upload from external sources, so I am still curious about an answer to Jelena's question from S4/Hana experts like Sven Denecken

[Former Member]

Well, S/4 still sits on NetWeaver (even the cloud version) so unless they've taken CALL TRANSACTION out of NW 7.50 ABAP then BDC is still there. And given that also ERP EHP 8 is NW 7.50, I don't believe they could do something so radical. So in the on-prem version where you can still write ABAP if you want, BDC is alive and well. At least, in my model of the Universe Again, I'll find out in a few weeks!

The cloud version is, of course, a different matter entirely, since you can't write your own arbitrary ABAP...

Steve.

[Former Member]

Fiori apps can't be recorded, but their interface to the backend system is oData. Anything you can do in a Fiori app you can do by calling the corresponding oData service. Is oData the new BAPI, perhaps? But this time with complete functionality.

Steve.

[SimoneMilesi]

Are you talking about VI02 where to release a Shipment Cost you have no function/bapi/class? (just to throw an example)

[Shubham1]

Hello Jelena

I suggest you please read the simplification list of On premise 1511 edition S/4 HANA.

Page 269 (2.1.40.7 LSMW) section talks about migration tools for S/4 HANA.

Hope it helps answer your query.

Shubham

[christianlechne]

Hi Jelena,

from my understanding, the goal of SAP is to get rid of batch input. To achieve this it is necessary to to make the external data input via OData (first choice) or SOA services. These two options are available for onPrem and the Cloud deployment. For the onPrem deployment two further options are possible/available namely RFC and BAPI.

This goal is by far not achieved. So for an onPrem deployment batch input is usually available as not every data input is covered by OData services.

For cloud deployments batch input (as automated processing of UIs) is not available simply due to the deployment option and its consequences.

BR

Christian

[Jelena]

Christian, thanks for a response! This makes more sense now. Yes, the cloud version obviously will have some limited functionality, it's understandable. But I really doubt we'll be going that way any time soon.

We're already trying to cut down on BDC, but sometimes there is just no other option. It looks like if we ever switch to S/4HANA then at least we won't loose all those interfaces immediately. Although if by the time it happens SAP somehow covers everything with OData services then it'd be load of work to convert everything. (Well, that's probably the least of our worries at that point.)

Thanks for the replies, everyone!

[stephenjohannes]

Jelena,

Honestly the fact you are asking this questions shows that SAP does not pay attention to its past or chooses to ignore it.  I asked the linked question in 2007 and it's almost nine years later.  I wonder if SAP fixed this issue about using BDC for inbound IDOC processing in standard SAP for creating vendors?

The fact we are discussing BDC with S/4 due to all the interfaces not being available yet is shameful.  This is something that should have been fixed in SAP ERP 10+ years ago!  Then again read the comments on this blog and you will understand how most of "Eclipse" crowd fails to understand this failure.

Take care,

Stephen

[Jelena]

Well, that's exactly where my question comes from. Since I work in the customer SAP support team all I really care for is whether we can deliver the interfaces our users need "by hook" (API) or "by crook" (BDC).

So far SAP have not delivered the APIs for the whole spectrum of their functionality. There are BAPIs that cover large parts of it (but not all), then every few years comes "yet another framework" that usually does not deliver much content and fizzles. Yet BDC is like the cockroach of the SAP world - it'll survive even HANA.

[Former Member]

So to sum up,

the existing BDC will not be affected at all with SAP S/4 ?

At the same time, we should channelize the new developments towards an alternative to BDC.

Am I right ?

[Former Member]

"Not affected at all" is a rather strong statement. BDCs are affected by changes to the transaction they are driving. That happens from time to time anyway. The switch to S4 will be no different. You'll need to test everything as you normally do. Most things will work as before, some may need some tweaking.

That said, the "simplification list" (I call it the "big things we changed list") mentioned above does contain some items that indicate major changes. For example, all of the customer and vendor master data transactions (FK01, XK01, XD01, and friends) have gone away, to be replaced with the business partner transaction BP. If you have BDCs driving those, they'll need re-writing. You should read the simplification list carefully to see where those changes might impact you. You should do that anyway, obviously, but in this context look for any listed changed to transactions you drive via BDC.

Steve.