Connector Web Service

The connector Web service is part of the SAP Enterprise Portal. The Connector Web service provides synchronous procedures, which represent the business functions, to access external clients. The Connector Web Service uses the Java API for XML-based Remote Procedure Calls (JAX-RPC) that communicates with the client over the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP).

You have to be familiar with these technologies to develop a client application that uses the Connector Web service. This document includes some coding examples.

You can test the Connector Web service functions with the Test Connector Web Service Utility provided by the PDK.

Connector Web Service Architecture

To call a remote procedure, the client application invokes a method on a stub, which is a local object that represents the remote service. The stub invokes routines in the JAX-RPC runtime system of the referenced implementation. The runtime system converts the remote method call into a SOAP message and transmits the message as an HTTP request.

When the server receives the HTTP request, the JAX-RPC runtime system extracts the SOAP message from the request and translates it into a method call. The JAX-RPC runtime system invokes the method on the tied object. The tied object invokes the method on the implementation of the Connector service.

The connector service is provided by the connector framework. The Stubs and ties are generated by the xrpcc tool that comes with JAX-RPC. JAX-RPC comes with the WAS.

Using the Connector Web Service

The connector client is a stand-alone program that calls the ExecuteCommand method of the ExecuteCommand service. It makes this call over a stub, a local object which acts as a proxy for the remote service. The client application can be written in any language that is supported by SOAP messaging.

Client Application Workflow

       1.      Create the URL endpoint.

       2.      Create the SOAP message with header and set the method name and input parameters.

       3.      Send the message and a receiving reply.

       4.      Parse and extract the output.

 

See section Client Application Coding Example.

 

Deployment of Web Services

 

The Connector Web Service is a PRT service and installed with the SAP Enterprise Portal.