ICF Services in SAP BW 

Use

Services are delivered with SAP BW that are based on the Internet Communication Framework (ICF) of the SAP Web Application Server (Web AS). ICF services are HTTP services that are used for the execution of HTTP request handlers.

The HTTP services in SAP BW enable either the display or the exchange of data from SAP BW via a URL. Some of these services are implemented as Web services.

Integration

The URL of an HTTP service delivered in the namespace of SAP BW is structured according to the following schema:

<Protocol>://<Server>:<Port>/sap/bw/<Service>

URL prefix

The installation type determines which placeholder values must be entered in the specified URL schema. Http and Https are possible selections for the <Protocol>. Specify your message server as the <Server>.

You can check which URL prefix your BW system has generated in the following way:

...

       1.      Call the Function Builder (transaction SE37).

       2.      Enter the name of the function module RSBB_URL_PREFIX_GET.

       3.      Choose  Test/Execute. You get to the Test Function Module screen.

       4.      Specify the name of the ICF handler (HTTP request handler) of the desired service as the import parameter I_HANDLERCLASS.

You can find out the name of the ICF handler in Maintenance of Services (transaction SICF): In the HTTP service tree navigation to the desired service component. By double clicking you get to the Change/Create a Service dialog box. The HTTP request handlers for the service are displayed on the Handler List tab page.

       5.      Choose  Execute. The export parameter E_URL_PREFIX contains the generated URL prefix.

Service

Specify the technical name of the desired service here. The name is comprised of all elements of the path in the HTTP service tree (transaction SICF).

Prerequisites

The desired HTTP service has to be active.

To check this, in Maintenance of Services (transaction SICF), navigate to the desired service component. If the service is active, the Activate Service entry in the context menu is not selectable.

Features

The SAP BW delivers the following HTTP services:

·        Display of metadata for BW objects (see Calling the Metadata Repository as an HTTP-Service)

·        Exchanging metadata between various systems (see Exchange of Metadata in XMI Format)

·        Display of user-defined online documentation for metadata objects (see Document as Online Documentation)

The following services are implemented as Web services:

·        Open Analysis Interfaces (see XML for Analysis)

·        Web Service for Access to Query Data

 

See also:

Both services for the status and tracking system of BW-BPS are not located in the namespace for SAP BW, but under /sap/bc/bsp/sap/tunguska and tunguska_detail. You can find more information under Maintaining Web Services for STS .

The Web services that you have created to load data are also not located in the namespace of SAP BW. You can find more information about these Web Services under Transferring Data Using Web Services.