Connector Framework 

Purpose

The connector framework provides the infrastructure to create platform independent connectors, which constitute the middleware that enable access to Web applications, whether these be the back-end applications of your organization or applications available through external Web services. The connectors comply with the Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition (J2EE) standard which includes the J2EE Connector Architecture (JCA) specifications.

The JCA refers to data sources as Enterprise Information Systems (EIS) and resource adapters as an alternative term for connectors.

Use

The connector framework resides on the WebAS Java stack, the J2EE engine. The connectors can therefore be used and implemented in a managed environment. This offers advantages, such as JNDI lookup, connection pooling, and user management. Working in non-managed mode is also possible, but the implementation and deployment of a connector is affected accordingly. For more information, see Connector Deployment.

Integration

The connector framework consists of the connector framework API, the connector wizard, for conveniently create a new connector project in NetWeaver Development Studio, and the connector framework as a Web service.

The connector framework extends the JCA 1.0 standard, to meet the requirements of SAP Enterprise Portal users.

The connector framework supports JCA 1.5, although it does not implement it. You can download the latest version of the JCA standard at java.sun.com.

This guide for the developer describes the concepts of the connector framework structure, management, and functionality, as well as installation information, development environment prerequisites, and information about the deployment of connectors created with the generic API.

Reference Documentation

The reference information is from standard Javadoc, supplying the technical information necessary to implement the generic connector API. For detailed reference information about the interfaces mentioned here, see the Javadoc for the portal and portal runtime APIs, located on the SAP Developer Network (SDN) at www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/javadocs.

The packages related to the connector framework start with com.sapportals.connector*.