Adding Functions 

This section contains information about the options for changing Records Management functions, or adding new functions.

Adding Functions to a Standard Service Provider

You can add functions to a standard service provider.

For information about the structure of service providers, see the developer documentation Implementing a Service Provider on the SAP Service Marketplace under the alias recordsmanagement.

There are three ways of adding functions to standard service providers:

Redefining Service Provider Classes

Use this option if you want to make small changes only. You declare a class that inherits from a class of the standard service provider. For this class you can redefine methods to implement the new function.

Inheriting an SAP service provider class may cause problems during an upgrade since SAP reserves the right to change these classes in such a way that renders them incompatible. We recommend that you redefine standardized interface methods only, and not the proprietary methods of the service provider.

You register the new class together with the other classes of the standard service provider as a new service provider in the registry.

Replacing a Service Provider Class

You write a new class that replaces one of the classes of the standard service provider. If you choose this option, make sure that the new class complies with all class roles that the class of the standard service provider also complied with. Also make sure that the communication of this class with the other service provider classes takes place by means of a standardized interface (communication between a client class and a back-end class, for example). You register the new class together with the other classes of the standard service provider as a new service provider in the registry.

Copying Service Provider Classes

You copy a class of a service provider and change it according to your requirements. On copied classes you can also reimplement proprietary methods of the standard service provider.

 

SAP does not provide support for any classes that you copy and change.

When you upgrade your system, copied classes do not receive new functions or corrections.

Implementing a New Service Provider

You can integrate any entities into Records Management by implementing a new service provider. The entity can be displayed as an element in a record.

You choose this option if you want to include entities in records that cannot be integrated by using the SAP service providers. Implementing a new service provider also enables you to control which activities are offered, whether elements are displayed on the current interface or in a new session, whether an element-specific authorization check should be performed, and so on.

For more information on implementing a new service provider, see the developer documentation Implementing a Service Provider that is available on the SAP Service Marketplace under the alias recordsmanagement.