Create an OLE connection between the R/3 system as OLE client and the desktop application EXCEL as OLE server. Create a simple ABAP program that passes customer data to EXCEL and writes it into an EXCEL worksheet, where you can process the data further.

In detail, the ABAP program shall

• call function module RFC_CUSTOMER_GET from the R/3 system for retrieving the customer data.
• provide objects of the OLE2 Automation interface according to the object hierarchy.
• go from R/3 to the EXCEL application and write customer data into a worksheet.

In this unit you will learn how

• an ABAP program is basically structured that accesses objects of an OLE server.
• to create and modify OLE objects within an ABAP program.
• to switch from R/3 into the EXCEL application and back.
• to write R/3 data into an EXCEL worksheet.

OLE2 Automation is an OLE2 enhancement in form of an object-oriented interface, which ensures an integration of all Windows applications in the R/3 system that support this interface. This allows you to analyze and process data as from within an ABAP program, but thereby using the entire functionality of a desktop application, such as Microsoft's EXCEL or WINWORD.

OLE2 Automation is an object-oriented interface within R/3, based on RFC. An OLE client (ABAP program) can access objects provided by an OLE server (for example, EXCEL). Control, in this case, is executed by the OLE client.

The objects are accessed via properties and methods. ABAP offers the following key words for manipulating OLE objects:

• CREATE OBJECT to create an external OLE object.
• CALL METHOD to call a method of an OLE object.
• GET PROPERTY to read properties of the OLE object.
• SET PROPERTY to set properties.
• FREE OBJECT to release the OLE objects.

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