Business objects for the BAPI interface
A business object is a structure that consists of data, the action to be performed on the data, and additional instructions for processing the data.
For outbound processing, the integration node uses business objects to send data to SAP or obtain data (through the adapter) from SAP. The integration node sends a business object to the adapter, and the adapter converts the data in the business object to a format that is compatible with an SAP API call. The adapter then runs the SAP API with this data.
For inbound processing, the SAP server sends a BAPI function call through the adapter to an endpoint. The adapter converts the BAPI function call into a business object.
The adapter uses the BAPI metadata that is generated by the Adapter Connection wizard to construct a business-object definition. This metadata contains BAPI-related information such as the operation of the business object, import parameters, export parameters, table parameters, transaction information, and dependent or grouped BAPIs.
The BAPI business-object definition that is generated by the Adapter Connection wizard is modeled on the BAPI function interface in SAP. The business-object definition represents a BAPI function, such as a BAPI_CUSTOMER_GETLIST function call.
If you change the BAPI interface, you must run the Adapter Connection wizard again to rebuild the business object definition.
How business-object definitions are created
You create business-object definitions by using the Adapter Connection wizard. The wizard connects to the application, discovers data structures in the application, and generates business-object definitions to represent them. It also generates other resources that are needed by the adapter, such as the interface information that indicates the input and output parameters.
Business object structure
The structure of a BAPI business object depends on the interface type (simple BAPI, BAPI work unit, or BAPI result set).
For more information, see the following topics.