RFC Adapter (SAP Library - SAP Exchange Infrastructure (BC-XI))

RFC Adapter

Definition

The RFC Adapter enables you to use the functions of the Integration Engine in existing SAP landscapes. It supports SAP systems from Release 3.1x.

The RFC Adapter is used by SAP components to connect to an Integration Engine using remotely called function modules (RFCs).

Use

The RFC Adapter maps RFC calls to XML messages and the other way around. You require the RFC Adapter to connect SAP components to the Integration Engine using the RFC interface.

On the one hand you require the RFC Adapter if you want to process RFCs using the Integration Engine. The RFC Adapter converts the incoming RFC data to XML message format so that it can be processed by the Integration server pipeline.

On the other hand, the receiver system determined by technical routing may expect the data from the Integration Engine to arrive in RFC format. For this purpose, the Integration Engine pipeline must transfer the received XML message to the RFC Adapter. The RFC Adapter converts the XML message to a valid RFC call and executes the call.

Structure

Essentially, the RFC adapter comprises two parts, namely an inbound adapter at the Integration Engine inbound channel, and an outbound adapter at the Integration Engine outbound channel. The meta data for the RFC calls involved is shared.

The inbound adapter converts an RFC call to XML format, starts the Integration Engine and then transfers the XML message.

The outbound adapter converts the XML message to RFC format and executes the RFC call.

Integration

The RFC Adapter is part of the Integration Engine. The inbound RFC Adapter is located before the Integration Engine pipeline, and calls this pipeline. Whereas the outbound RFC adapter is called by the pipeline; it can be regarded as a pipeline service and is therefore part of the pipeline itself.

Both adapters use SAP Java Connector (JCo); the inbound and outbound adapters are implemented as RFC server programs. This approach enables you to use the functions of JCo to manage meta data which in turn enables RFC data to be mapped generically to XML and the other way around.

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Features

You have the following three possible scenarios when using the RFC Adapter:

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SAP Legacy System to SAP Web AS

Change the RFC destination in the SAP legacy system to reference the registered RFC Adapter.

Provide mappings for request and response messages.

Establish logical and technical routing.

SAP Web AS to SAP Legacy System

Provide mappings for request and response messages.

Establish logical and technical routing.

SAP Legacy System to SAP Legacy System

Change the RFC destination in the SAP legacy system to reference the registered RFC Adapter.

Provide mappings for request and response messages.

Establish logical and technical routing.

Restrictions

Note the following restrictions:

Guaranteed assignment for transactional RFCs (tRFC) only.
No transactional context for more than one call/one message for each LUW (Logical Unit of Work).
Not provided: SAPgui, Callbacks, qRFC, RFC Library Clients
Context in the called system is not kept open over multiple calls (calls are stateless; there is no session).